kukicha

Kukicha

Brewed from what Go leaves on the table. Kukicha is a strict superset of Go — rename .go to .kuki and it compiles unchanged. Then blend in features that didn't fit Go's minimalist philosophy: pipes, onerr, enums, if-expressions, readable operators. Not sure? kukicha brew gives you standard Go back. The stems dissolve, the tea remains.

kukicha.org | Quick Reference | Tutorials | Stdlib Reference

Go vs Kukicha

// Go — 8 lines of error ceremony
data, err := fetchData()
if err != nil {
    return fmt.Errorf("fetch: %w", err)
}
result, err := parse(data)
if err != nil {
    return fmt.Errorf("parse: %w", err)
}

// Kukicha — same thing, 2 lines
result := fetchData()
    |> parse() onerr return explain "pipeline failed"

Both are valid Kukicha. The Go version compiles as-is. The Kukicha version is what you graduate to.

Quickstart

Requires Go 1.26+ (download) | Pre-built binaries on GitHub Releases

go install github.com/kukichalang/kukicha/cmd/kukicha@v0.1.2
mkdir myapp && cd myapp
kukicha init

Create hello.kuki:

function main()
    name := "World"
    print("Hello, {name}!")

kukicha run hello.kuki

Adopt Gradually

# See what your Go code looks like with Kukicha idioms
kukicha-blend main.go

# Convert Go to Kukicha (preview first, then apply)
kukicha-blend --diff main.go
kukicha-blend --apply main.go

# Convert Kukicha back to Go anytime
kukicha brew main.kuki

Commands

What Kukicha Adds

Go's philosophy is radical simplicity — and that's genuinely powerful. But some proven patterns from Rust, Elixir, Kotlin, and Python didn't fit that vision. Kukicha picks them up.

All Go syntax is also accepted — Kukicha is a strict superset. Use whichever form you prefer.

Why Not Just Write Go?

• Zero adoption cost — your existing .go files compile as .kuki unchanged
• Zero lock-in — kukicha brew converts back to standard Go anytime
• Gradual migration — blend in one feature at a time, leave the rest as Go
• Security at compile time — catches SQL injection, XSS, SSRF, path traversal, command injection, and open redirects at build time
• 42+ stdlib packages — fetch, slice, sort, mcp, llm, html, crypto, shell, and many more
• Ships as Go — single binary, cross-compile, WASM support, full Go ecosystem

Editor Support

• VS Code: Search kukicha-lang in extensions (repo)
• Zed: kukichalang/zed-kukicha
• Other: make install-lsp and point your editor at kukicha-lsp

Documentation

• Quick Reference — Go-to-Kukicha translation table
• Beginner Tutorial — first program, variables, functions
• Agent Workflow Tutorial — prompt AI, review, ship
• Production Patterns — databases, auth, retry
• FAQ | Contributing

Version: 0.1.2 | License: MIT