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RFC 0001 proposes a normative, implementation-independent Clojure language spec (the reader, evaluation model, special forms, data types, seq/laziness contracts, namespaces/vars, and the portable clojure.core surface) to the standard of R7RS/Racket — Clojure has none, and every alternative implementation re-derives semantics from the reference and folklore. The spec is executable-first: every numbered normative statement cites its conformance test or is marked UNVERIFIED. docs/spec/ carries the front matter (conformance terms, entry format, host classification), the special-form catalog with worked normative entries for if and let*, the core-library entry format with worked entries for first, reduce, and parse-uuid, and a generated coverage dashboard over the 694-var ClojureDocs inventory (tools/spec_coverage.py cross-references the surface against jolt's interned+resolvable vars and the test suites). Measured baseline: 380 implemented+tested, 154 implemented-untested, 35 portable-but-missing (filed), 22 resolvable-but-not-interned (filed — seed fns invisible to resolve/ns-publics), rest classified host/JVM/concurrency.
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Clojure Language Specification — Front Matter
Edition: Draft 1 · Describes: Clojure 1.12 (reference) · Status: in progress
This document specifies the Clojure programming language independently of any
implementation. See docs/rfc/0001-language-specification.md for motivation,
process, and scope.
1. Conformance terminology
The key words MUST, MUST NOT, SHOULD, SHOULD NOT, and MAY are to be interpreted as described in RFC 2119.
- A statement marked MUST is normative: a conforming implementation exhibits exactly this behavior, and the conformance suite tests it.
- implementation-defined marks behavior a conforming implementation must document but may choose (e.g. the concrete error type thrown where the reference throws a JVM exception class).
- host-defined marks behavior delegated to the host platform (e.g. what
slurpaccepts as a source). - ⚠ reference-divergence marks a place where this spec deliberately differs from observed reference behavior, with rationale; the reference behavior is always recorded alongside.
2. Classification of the core surface
Every clojure.core var carries exactly one classification (dashboard:
coverage.md):
| Class | Meaning | Spec treatment |
|---|---|---|
| portable | semantics independent of host | full normative entry (§9) |
| host-dependent | portable interface, host-defined behavior | interface entry; behavior host-defined |
| JVM-specific | meaningful only on the JVM | catalogued in Appendix; not specified |
Initial classifications are mechanical and reviewable; reclassification is an ordinary spec change.
3. The normative entry format
Each special form (§3) and portable var (§9) is specified as:
### name — since <version>
(signature ...) (signature ...)
Semantics
S1. <numbered normative statement, MUST/SHOULD/MAY>
S2. ...
Edge cases
E1. <nil / empty / bounds / wrong-type behavior — normative>
Errors
X1. <what MUST throw; error TYPE is implementation-defined unless stated>
Examples
<executable; verified against the reference; sourced from ClojureDocs
where community-validated>
Conformance
S1 → <suite>/<test id>; E1 → ... (statements without a test: UNVERIFIED)
The Conformance field is load-bearing: every numbered statement names the
test(s) that verify it. A normative statement with no test is labeled
UNVERIFIED and is a defect in the spec.
4. Evidence and verification
Behavioral questions are settled in this order: differential testing against
the reference implementation → cross-dialect agreement in clojure-test-suite
→ ClojureDocs community examples (verified before inclusion) → reference
source (for intent). Conformance tests live in this repository
(test/integration/conformance-test.janet runs each assertion through three
independent execution paths) and in the cross-dialect clojure-test-suite.
5. Chapter plan
| § | File | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 01-evaluation.md |
planned |
| 2 | 02-reader.md |
planned (first: jank's reader corpus gives conformance shape) |
| 3 | 03-special-forms.md |
exemplars written (if, let*); catalog complete |
| 4 | 04-data-types.md |
planned (numeric-tower design note required) |
| 5 | 05-sequences.md |
planned (laziness contract from jolt Phase-5 work) |
| 6 | 06-namespaces-vars.md |
planned |
| 7 | 07-polymorphism.md |
planned |
| 8 | 08-macros.md |
planned |
| 9 | 09-core-library.md |
exemplars written (first, reduce, parse-uuid) |
| A | coverage.md |
generated (regenerate: python3 tools/spec_coverage.py) |