An operating system built from scratch for AI-native development
The kernel that never restarts.
Terminus is an operating system designed from the ground up for AI agents. Instead of bolting AI onto an existing OS, Terminus makes AI the primary citizen. The kernel supports hot-swap updates without restart, processes drain naturally when a new kernel version deploys, and the entire system is written in a language designed for AI to read, write, and reason about.
Named after the planet in Isaac Asimov's Foundation — the place civilization gets rebuilt from scratch.
Deploy a new kernel version while the old one keeps running. Old processes drain naturally. Zero downtime, ever.
A programming language where every file is an object, every function fits in a context window, and AI agents can navigate the code without wasting tokens.
A Conductor makes strategy decisions. Section Leads translate plans into tasks. Agents execute — write code, build drivers, repair systems.
The security model is capability-based with Plan 9-style namespaces. The kernel has scaffolding for capabilities and namespaces; enforcement is the next milestone.
| Component | Status |
|---|---|
| Foundation Language Spec | complete |
| Bootstrap Compiler (C) | complete |
| Bootstrap Regression Suite | 13/13 tests |
| Self-Hosting Compiler | 3 generations proven |
| x86_64 Kernel (48 modules) | boots in QEMU |
| ARM64 Kernel | boots, PMM+heap+TFS |
| Persistent Storage (VirtIO) | files survive reboot |
| TCP/IP + HTTP | remote shell + web server |
| Display Stack | framebuffer, TUI, GUI scaffold |
| USB + NVMe | xHCI + NVMe drivers |
| Hot-Swap Manager | proven |
| In-Kernel JIT Compiler | exec .f files on bare metal |
| Capability/Namespace Security | scaffolded, not enforced |
These documents are designed for direct consumption by language models:
Language spec: foundation.md