# bakpakin/Fennel

Lua Lisp Language

Repository: https://github.com/bakpakin/Fennel
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/fennel
Homepage: https://fennel-lang.org
Language: Fennel
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: lua, lisp, compiler, language
Last push: 2026-02-08T04:40:28+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 52/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 66, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3678, "days_push": 206, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2745, forks 131 (observed 2026-08-28T04:07:16.740986+00:00)

## What it is
Fennel is a Lisp dialect that compiles to Lua with zero runtime overhead and full Lua compatibility. It supports compile-time macros, pattern matching, and can be embedded as a single-file library for runtime extensibility.

## Use cases
- write lisp code that compiles to lua
- script games with a lisp language
- embed a scripting language in my lua application
- use macros and pattern matching on the lua runtime
- compile lisp to readable lua output
- script neovim or window managers with lisp

## When to choose
- you want lisp syntax and macros while targeting the Lua ecosystem
- you need zero-overhead compiled output with no runtime dependency
- you want an embeddable scripting language for games, editors, or embedded devices

## When to avoid
- you need multithreading or features beyond the Lua runtime's limitations
- your team is unfamiliar with Lisp syntax
- you need a large standard library ecosystem

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: stable
- function: compiler, interpreter, programming-language
- domain: programming-languages, compilers, developer-tools
- platform: lua, cross-platform, cli, embedded
- tags: lisp, lua, macros, s-expressions, luajit, embeddable, transpiler, programming-language, game-development

## Member repositories
- bakpakin/Fennel (main) score 52

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:16.740986+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T08:31:46.533711+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/bakpakin/Fennel (fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:16.740986+00:00, sha f5e51be4eec3)
  - homepage: https://fennel-lang.org (fetched 2026-08-29T09:57:11.208594+00:00, sha 1b4971295133)
  - site_page: https://fennel-lang.org/setup (fetched 2026-08-29T09:57:11.211217+00:00, sha c6d7cc90bdf5)
  - site_page: https://fennel-lang.org/changelog (fetched 2026-08-29T09:57:11.213340+00:00, sha 52e6509fe9a4)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.