jolt/.dirge/skills/jolt-gotchas/SKILL.md
Yogthos 09b4e3e1bd Phase 11: Fix pre-existing failures — 316/317 passing
- types.janet: ns? now accepts both structs and tables
  (defensive for namespace-like tables created via @{...})
- core.janet: wire comment macro into core-bindings
  (was in core-macro-names but missing from core-bindings)
- sci/lang_stubs.clj: minimal SCI type stubs for bootstrap
  (IBox, HasName, IVar, DynVar protocols, SciUnbound/Var/Namespace deftypes)
- test-load-sci.janet: load stubs before SCI source files,
  removed broken preprocessor

Before: 315 ok, 2 fail (SciVar + array/buffer)
After:  316 ok, 1 fail (only deftype in lang.cljc remains)

The remaining failure is lang.cljc's SciVar deftype with #?@ inserts
for JVM/CLJS-specific protocol implementations — a known limitation
for Phase 15 (SCI bootstrap).
2026-06-03 12:30:11 -04:00

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---
name: jolt-gotchas
description: Common pitfalls and workarounds discovered during Jolt implementation
---
# jolt-gotchas
Recurring pitfalls and their fixes discovered across all implementation phases.
## PHM/Set Metadata Key Leakage
PHM and set internal keys (`:jolt/deftype`, `:cnt`, `:buckets`, `:_meta`, `:jolt/type`, `:phm`) leak into `pairs`/`keys` iteration. Must filter in merge, merge-with, keys, vals, and print-collection.
```janet
(when (and (not= k :jolt/deftype) (not= k :cnt)
(not= k :buckets) (not= k :_meta)
(not= k :jolt/type) (not= k :phm)) ...)
```
## Keywords with `#` Are Invalid Janet Literals
`:#inst`, `:#uuid` cause parse errors. Use dynamic table construction:
```janet
(let [dr @{}] (put dr (keyword "#inst") fn) dr)
```
## Janet `break` Only Works in Loops
Does NOT work inside `let`. Use `(var found nil)` + `(set found val) (break)` pattern.
## Bare Tuples in `eval` Are Function Calls
`(eval [1 2 3])` calls `1` as function. Use `['tuple 1 2 3]` in data-structure emitter.
## Janet `case` for Multi-Arity
Janet lacks Clojure-style multi-arity defn. Use `(defn f [& args] (case (length args) 1 ... 2 ...))`.
## core-renames + core-fn-values Must Stay in Sync
Both tables must be updated together when adding core fns. Missing entries = silent nil returns. `"-"` is `core-sub` NOT `core--`.
## `set!` Field Mutation Reader Quirk
`(set! (.-x obj) val)` parses as array with `.-x` symbol head — not as standalone `.-x` symbol. Check for this case before the `(. obj -field)` shorthand.
## Janet `cond` Requires `true` Guard for Catch-All
A bare expression in the last position of `cond` is treated as a **test** clause (not body). Use `true` as the test:
```janet
(cond (nil? x) (buf "nil") (number? x) (buf (string x)) true (buf (string x)))
```
Without `true`, the last expression executes as a side-effect test between branches. Hit us in buffer-based write-value — raw tuple addresses leaked into REPL output.
## REPL: Buffer-Based Output Prevents C-Runtime Interleaving
Janet's C runtime in `jpm build` executables interleaves native `<tuple 0x...>` output between `prin` statements. Solution: build entire output string in a buffer, then output atomically with a single `print` call. Use `write-value/v buf` + `print-value` creates buffer → `print (string buf)`.
## Janet `struct?` Returns `true` for Tuples
Always check `(tuple? x)` BEFORE `(struct? x)` in cond forms. Otherwise `(get tuple :key)` fails with "expected integer key for tuple in range [0, N), got :key". Hit us in `print-value` (symbol check on tuples) and `eval-form` struct handling.
## PHM Internal Key Leakage
PHM and set internal keys (`:jolt/deftype`, `:cnt`, `:buckets`, `:_meta`, `:jolt/type`, `:phm`) leak into `pairs`/`keys` iteration. Core fns that iterate collections (`core-merge`, `core-reduce`, `core-every?`, `core-filter`) must check for `set?`/`phm?` first and use type-aware helpers (`phm-to-struct`, `phs-seq`, `phm-keys`, `phm-entries`) before generic iteration.