AEL documentation
AEL is the Agent Engineering Language: a programming language for building AI agents as reliable, native software. You build for Linux, macOS, Windows, containers and microcontroller boards from one language.
Where to start
- New to AEL: read the Overview and How it works, then A first program and A first agent.
- Learning by doing: the Tutorials, starting with Your first agent, end to end.
- Looking up a word: the Glossary.
- Getting AEL: Getting AEL 1.0.0, the FAQ and the AEL 1.0.0 release notes.
AEL 1.0.0 is available on request: ask for your download on ael.openeng.ai/download, and OpenEng sends you the build for your platform by e-mail.
The full documentation covers every part of AEL 1.0.0, one section per subject.
The sections
Overview
What AEL is, its features, the four steps from source to a running program, distributions, and the glossary.
First look
Getting AEL 1.0.0, a first program, a first agent and the layout of a project.
Tutorials
Step by step, from a first agent end to end to services, subagents, self-hosting, boards, robots, prompt releases, containers, extensions, your existing programs, HTTP APIs and packages.
Language guide
Files and roles, syntax, types, functions, control flow, errors, ownership, configuration, hooks, concurrency, effects, functions in other languages and limits.
Standard library and core types
Numbers, text and collections, results and errors, console and logging, time, files and processes, HTTP, models, JSON and testing.
Agents
Nodes and edges, system prompts, models, tools and MCP, typed inputs and outputs, workflows, communication, budgets, teams of agents, subagents, isolated components, durable runs, bindings and storage, memory, skills, evaluations and reporting.
Packages
Using packages, the manifest, the official registry, the package catalog, creating a package, private packages, and security and provenance.
Command-line reference
Every command of the AEL command line, with diagnostics and machine-readable output.
Platforms and deployment
Native desktop and server programs, containers, microcontroller boards, applications on servers you operate, logging and rollback.
Use cases
Services and APIs, retrieval over your documents, robotics, scientific computing, quantum computing and calling your existing programs.
FAQ
Answers about getting AEL, packages, the language, target support and running your programs.
JSON Schemas
The published schemas for AEL's project, package and agent files.
Release notes
What AEL 1.0.0 includes, area by area.
The JSON Schemas
The JSON Schemas for AEL's project, package and agent files are published on docs.ael.openeng.ai, each at an address that never changes. JSON Schemas lists them.
Follow AEL
Follow the AEL updates feed in any feed reader: it announces every AEL release and news about AEL. What AEL 1.0.0 includes is on the AEL home site.