[EPIC] Full Self-Hosting: 95%+ in Gradient with Minimal Rust Kernel

[graydeon]

Summary

Achieve full self-hosting: 95%+ of the Gradient compiler written in Gradient, with a minimal Rust kernel providing only critical primitives.

Vision

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ RUST KERNEL (~2,000 lines)           │
│ - String primitives                 │
│ - File I/O                          │
│ - Memory allocation                 │
│ - Codegen backend                   │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
           ↓ FFI
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ GRADIENT COMPILER (~15,000 lines)   │
│ - Lexer                             │
│ - Parser                            │
│ - Type Checker                      │
│ - Queryable API                     │
│ - LSP Server                        │
│ - IR Builder                        │
│ - Codegen orchestration             │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

Why This Matters

1. Dogfooding: Agents develop Gradient in Gradient
2. Agent-optimized: Queryable API written in agent-friendly language
3. Virtuous cycle: Better tools → faster development → better tools
4. Portability: Minimal kernel = easy to port to new platforms

Phases

Phase	Issue	Description	Effort	Status
0	#118	String Primitives (CRITICAL)	1 day	🔴 Not started
1	#119	Lexer	3 days	⏳ Blocked on #118
2	#120	Parser	5 days	⏳ Blocked on #119
3	#121	Type Checker	7 days	⏳ Blocked on #120
4	#122	Queryable API in Gradient	5 days	⏳ Blocked on #121
5	#123	LSP in Gradient	7 days	⏳ Blocked on #122
6	#124	IR Builder	5 days	⏳ Blocked on #123
7	#125	Codegen	5 days	⏳ Blocked on #124
Total			38 days

Current State

Phase 3 COMPLETE: Type definitions and API signatures in self-hosted code (~4,077 lines)

Ready to start: Phase 0 (String primitives in Rust kernel)

Critical Path

The phases MUST be completed in order. Each phase blocks the next.

Definition of Done

• All phases complete
• Compiler can compile itself
• Rust kernel ≤2,000 lines
• Gradient compiler ≥15,000 lines
• All tests passing
• LSP working
• Queryable API working

Resources

• Design doc: SELF_HOSTING_STRATEGY.md
• Phase 3 complete: 10 compiler modules type-check

Labels

epic, self-hosting, roadmap

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This is the primary strategic initiative for the Gradient project.