type-safe specification - 2026-02

^ link not tracked specification

The idea that statically-typed languages may be a better medium for app specification than markdown.

link not trackeds in meadow are a working example: TypeScript interfaces enforce structure that markdown can't. Fields must exist, types must match, and the compiler quickly catches inconsistencies before anyone reads the document.

At scale, type-safe specs could enable real tooling — autocomplete, refactoring, cross-reference validation — things that are impossible with free-form prose (except with very slow AI processing).

This is an emergent idea. There may be a particularly good statically-typed way of describing software systems, just as TLA plus showed that formal math is the best way of describing distributed systems.

If specs are code, they become link not tracked — they can be run, checked, and explored. They could be surfable like a Bartosz-style explorable explanation, especially with agent-generated artifact for human review -- video showing changes or things like link not tracked showing the videos and other information. They could connect to use-case modeling (like link not tracked) or even to just general requirements documentation like in link not tracked )

This stands in link not tracked with app specification will be done with agents and markdown — markdown is accessible and flexible, but types are verifiable and toolable. The answer may involve both. Perhaps YAML frontmatter enables dependency-aware specifications is enough of a push in this direction to be meaningfully helpful without needing to go to fully-typed interface?