HiveLang v5

HiveLang basics

Learn the few building blocks needed to define an agent. Each section explains the idea first, then shows the code.

The mental model

A HiveLang file answers three questions:

What is this agent responsible for? Put that in instructions.
What is it allowed to do? List those tools in capabilities.
When should it act? Define that in an on event block.

1. Define an agent

Every file starts with a named bot block. Instructions are ordinary text, so non-developers can review the agent’s job without learning programming syntax.

bot Greeter {
  instructions {
    Welcome the user and answer in one short paragraph.
  }

  on user.message {
    respond
  }
}

2. Store values

Assign a value with =. Variable names do not use a dollar-sign prefix.

name = "Ada"
greeting = f"Hello {name}"
say greeting

Use f"Hello {name}" when inserting a value into text. A plain string prints the braces literally.

3. Give the agent a tool

Declaring a capability is a permission boundary. The agent cannot call a tool merely because it knows the tool exists.

capabilities {
  web.search
}

on user.message {
  results = call web.search with { query: input }
  say f"Here is what I found: {results.summary}"
}

Connect any account required by the capability under Dashboard → Integrations. Do not place credentials inside HiveLang.

4. Add a decision

Use if and else when the next action depends on data.

if input contains "refund" {
  say "I will help with the refund process."
} else {
  respond
}

Complete example

This agent combines instructions, a capability, a tool call, a variable, and a conditional.

bot ResearchAssistant {
  description: "Researches a topic and returns a short summary"

  capabilities {
    web.search
  }

  instructions {
    Be concise. Use search results when they are available.
    Never invent a source.
  }

  on user.message {
    results = call web.search with { query: input }

    if results.length > 0 {
      say f"I found {results.length} results. {results.summary}"
    } else {
      say "I could not find a reliable result."
    }
  }
}

Common mistakes

AvoidUse instead

$name = valuename = value

tool.method(input)call tool.method with { key: input }

"Hello {name}"f"Hello {name}"

input.contains("help")input contains "help"