LUMOS Vision - The Workflow Language for Solana

Last Updated: November 22, 2025

TL;DR

LUMOS evolves from schema language (now) → workflow automation language (ENDGAME by Q1 2027).

Think: Hardhat for Ethereum, but purpose-built for Solana with full type safety and native execution.

Focus: Vertical depth first (type system, compiler, runtime) → then horizontal expansion.

For horizontal expansion plans: See FUTURE

Where LUMOS Sits in the Stack
The ENDGAME: Workflow Language
The Problem We’re Solving
LUMOS vs The Ecosystem
Why This Market is Open
The ENDGAME Architecture
Why LUMOS Will Win

Where LUMOS Sits in the Stack

Understanding LUMOS requires understanding the Solana development stack:

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ LEVEL 5: APPLICATION LAYER                                   │
│ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ │
│ End-user applications (wallets, dApps, dashboards)           │
│                                                               │
│ Examples: Phantom, Solflare, Jupiter, Magic Eden             │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ LEVEL 4: WORKFLOW/ORCHESTRATION  ⭐ LUMOS ENDGAME HERE       │
│ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ │
│ Type-safe automation, deployment, testing, operations        │
│                                                               │
│ Solana:   ⭐ LUMOS (future dominance)                         │
│ Ethereum: Hardhat, Foundry                                   │
│ Cloud:    Terraform, Pulumi                                  │
│ General:  Make/Justfile, GitHub Actions                      │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ LEVEL 3: CLIENT/SDK LAYER                                    │
│ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ │
│ Libraries to interact with on-chain programs                 │
│                                                               │
│ Solana:   @solana/web3.js, Anchor TS SDK, Solana Rust SDK    │
│ Ethereum: ethers.js, web3.js, viem                           │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ LEVEL 2: PROGRAM/CONTRACT LAYER                              │
│ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ │
│ Languages to write smart contracts                           │
│                                                               │
│ Solana:   Rust + Anchor, Seahorse, Native Rust               │
│ Ethereum: Solidity, Vyper                                    │
│ Other:    Move (Sui/Aptos), Cairo (Starknet), Ink (Polkadot) │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ LEVEL 1: RUNTIME/VM LAYER                                    │
│ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ │
│ Blockchain runtime, virtual machine, syscalls                │
│                                                               │
│ Solana:   Sealevel Runtime, BPF VM, Syscalls                 │
│ Ethereum: EVM                                                │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Key Insight: LUMOS targets Level 4 (Workflow/Orchestration), NOT Level 2 (Smart Contracts).

We’re not replacing Anchor. We’re building what doesn’t exist yet.

The ENDGAME: Workflow Language

Current State (v0.1.1)

Position: Type definition layer (Level 2.5-3)

What it does:

#[solana]
#[account]
struct PlayerAccount {
  wallet: PublicKey,
  level: u16,
  experience: u64
}

Generates: Rust + TypeScript types with Borsh serialization

Role: Utility tool for type-safe Solana development

ENDGAME (Phase 7-9: Q2 2026 - Q1 2027)

Target Position: Dominates Level 4 (Workflow/Orchestration)

What it becomes:

// Full workflow automation with type safety
import { deploy, airdrop } from "lumos-solana"
import { send_bundle } from "lumos-jito"

fn deploy_and_initialize() {
  // Build and deploy program
  let program = build_anchor_program(".")
  let program_id = deploy(program, {
    cluster: "mainnet",
    wallet: env("DEPLOYER_WALLET")
  })

  // Initialize program state
  initialize(program_id, {
    authority: wallet(),
    config: parse_toml("config.toml")
  })

  // Airdrop to early users
  let recipients = load_csv("users.csv")
  let tx = airdrop(recipients, lamports(1_000_000))

  // Send via Jito for priority execution
  send_bundle([tx], { tip: lamports(10_000) })

  log("Deployment complete!")
}

// Execute workflow
deploy_and_initialize()

Capabilities:

✅ Native execution: lumos run deploy.lumos
✅ Multi-target compilation: lumos compile --target github-actions
✅ Type-safe Solana operations
✅ Package ecosystem (import reusable workflows)
✅ Anchor/IDL integration
✅ Transaction builders with type checking
✅ RPC client abstraction

Role: THE workflow automation language for Solana

The Problem We’re Solving

The Current Pain: Fragmented Tooling

Solana developers today juggle multiple tools for basic workflows:

#!/bin/bash
# Typical deployment script (5+ tools, no types, brittle)

# 1. Build program (Rust)
anchor build

# 2. Deploy (Solana CLI)
solana program deploy target/deploy/program.so

# 3. Initialize (TypeScript)
ts-node scripts/initialize.ts

# 4. Airdrop (Python)
python scripts/airdrop.py

# 5. Monitor (manual commands)
solana logs <PROGRAM_ID>

# Hope nothing breaks 🤞

Problems:

❌ No type safety across tools
❌ Error-prone (silent failures)
❌ Hard to maintain (5 different syntaxes)
❌ Not reusable (every project reinvents)
❌ Poor DX (constant context switching)

The LUMOS Solution: Unified, Type-Safe Workflows

// One language, full type safety, composable
import { deploy, initialize, airdrop, monitor } from "lumos-solana"

fn main() {
  let program = deploy_program(".", "mainnet")
  initialize(program, config)
  airdrop(recipients, amount)
  monitor(program)
}

main()

Benefits:

✅ Type-safe end-to-end
✅ Single language (no context switching)
✅ Reusable packages
✅ Better error messages
✅ Composable workflows
✅ IDE autocomplete + LSP

LUMOS vs The Ecosystem

LUMOS vs Anchor

Anchor: Framework to write Solana programs (Level 2) LUMOS: Language to automate Solana operations (Level 4)

They complement each other:

Developer writes program in Anchor (Level 2)
         ↓
LUMOS deploys and orchestrates the program (Level 4)

Comparison:

Aspect	Anchor	LUMOS
Purpose	Write smart contracts	Automate workflows
Layer	Level 2 (Programs)	Level 4 (Orchestration)
Competes with	Native Rust, Seahorse	Custom scripts, Hardhat
Replaces	Manual program writing	Bash/TS/Python scripts
Output	Solana BPF bytecode	Scripts, transactions, automation
Use case	”Build a token program"	"Deploy, test, airdrop”

Relationship: LUMOS uses Anchor programs, doesn’t replace them.

LUMOS vs Hardhat (Ethereum)

Hardhat: Workflow automation for Ethereum LUMOS: Workflow automation for Solana (and beyond)

LUMOS is Hardhat’s spiritual successor with improvements:

Feature	Hardhat	LUMOS
Language	JavaScript/TypeScript	LUMOS DSL (purpose-built)
Type Safety	Limited (TS types)	Full (compiler-enforced)
Native Execution	Node.js runtime	Native LUMOS runtime
Compilation	No (interprets JS)	Yes (multi-target)
Ecosystem	Ethereum only	Solana first, multichain future

Positioning: “LUMOS is to Solana what Hardhat is to Ethereum, but better.”

LUMOS vs Terraform

Terraform: Infrastructure-as-code for cloud resources LUMOS: Automation-as-code for blockchain operations

Inspiration from Terraform:

Declarative + executable
Type-safe configuration
Reusable modules (packages)
Multi-provider support (multichain future)

LUMOS goes further:

First-class blockchain primitives (Pubkey, Lamports, Transaction)
Imperative + declarative (full language)
Native execution (not just planning)

Why This Market is Open

The Latent Market Thesis

Question: Why doesn’t a “Hardhat for Solana” exist yet?

Answer: Market is latent - pain exists but no packaged solution.

Evidence of Latent Demand

Fragmentation signals opportunity:
- Every Solana project has custom deployment scripts
- Bash + TypeScript + Python + Makefiles mix
- No standardization across projects
- GitHub full of one-off automation scripts
Pain points are universal:
- Deploy programs across environments (devnet → testnet → mainnet)
- Airdrop operations (10K+ recipients)
- NFT minting automation
- Transaction batching for efficiency
- Program testing workflows
- Monitoring and alerts
No dominant solution:
- Anchor solves program writing (Level 2) ✅
- Nothing solves workflow automation (Level 4) ❌
Comparable latent markets that exploded:
- Terraform: Infrastructure was manual before → $7B+ company
- Hardhat: Ethereum devs had same pain → industry standard (3M+ downloads/week)
- GitHub Actions: CI/CD was fragmented → now dominant

The Category Creation Opportunity

LUMOS doesn’t compete for market share. LUMOS creates the category.

When developers start saying:

“I use LUMOS for Solana workflows”
“Deploy with LUMOS”
“Check out this LUMOS package”

We’ve won. The category is owned.

First-mover advantage: Define the vocabulary, own the namespace.

The ENDGAME Architecture

LUMOS as a Complete Language

Phase 7-9 delivers a full language stack:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ LUMOS LANGUAGE STACK (ENDGAME)                          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                          │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐      │
│  │ Package Ecosystem (Level 8)                  │      │
│  │ • lumos-solana, lumos-jito, lumos-metaplex   │      │
│  │ • Community packages                          │      │
│  │ • Template marketplace                        │      │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────────┘      │
│                        │                                 │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐      │
│  │ High-Level APIs (Level 7)                    │      │
│  │ • Type-safe builders                          │      │
│  │ • Auto-generated from IDL                     │      │
│  │ • SDK helpers                                 │      │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────────┘      │
│                        │                                 │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐      │
│  │ Runtime Engine (Level 6)                     │      │
│  │ • Native execution: lumos run                 │      │
│  │ • Workflow orchestration                      │      │
│  │ • RPC client integration                      │      │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────────┘      │
│                        │                                 │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐      │
│  │ Type System (Level 5)                        │      │
│  │ • Gradual typing (TypeScript-inspired)        │      │
│  │ • Solana-native types (Pubkey, Lamports)      │      │
│  │ • IDL integration                             │      │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────────┘      │
│                        │                                 │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐      │
│  │ Compiler & IR (Level 4)                      │      │
│  │ • AST → IR → Multi-target compilation        │      │
│  │ • Targets: Bash, GitHub Actions, native       │      │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────────┘      │
│                        │                                 │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐      │
│  │ Parser & AST (Level 3)                       │      │
│  │ • LUMOS DSL syntax                            │      │
│  │ • Error recovery                              │      │
│  │ • Source location tracking                    │      │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────────┘      │
│                        │                                 │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐      │
│  │ Lexer (Level 2)                              │      │
│  │ • Tokenization                                │      │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────────┘      │
│                        │                                 │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐      │
│  │ Language Spec (Level 1)                      │      │
│  │ • Grammar definition                          │      │
│  │ • Semantics                                   │      │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────────┘      │
│                                                          │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Example: Type-Safe Solana Operations

// Type system catches errors at compile time
fn airdrop(recipients: List<Pubkey>, amount: Lamports) -> Transaction {
  // Type error if recipients is not List<Pubkey>
  // Type error if amount is not Lamports

  let instructions = recipients.map(|addr: Pubkey| -> Instruction {
    transfer_instruction(addr, amount)
  })

  build_transaction(instructions)
}

// Load types from Anchor IDL automatically
import { UserAccount, initialize_user } from "anchor:my-program"

let user: UserAccount = {
  wallet: pubkey("7xK..."),  // Type-safe Pubkey constructor
  balance: lamports(1_000_000)  // Type-safe Lamports
}

// Initialize with type-checked instruction
initialize_user(user)

Why LUMOS Will Win

1. Category Creation

We’re not competing for market share. We’re creating the market.

First to define “type-safe workflow automation for Solana”
Own the vocabulary, own the category
Competitors always look like “LUMOS alternatives”

2. Vertical Technical Moat

Deep tech layers that take years to replicate:

Type system with Solana-native primitives
Compiler with multi-target IR
LSP with IDL integration
Native runtime with RPC clients
Package ecosystem with dependency resolution

Competitors must rebuild entire stack → 2-3 year barrier

3. Solana-Native Design

Built specifically for Solana’s constraints:

First-class Pubkey, Lamports, Signature types
Anchor IDL integration out of the box
Account model understanding
Transaction builder with compute budget awareness
Borsh serialization by default

Generic tools can’t match domain expertise.

4. Execution Speed as Moat

3-5 commits/day target = impossible to catch up

From ROADMAP.md:

Phase 5-6: 3 months (150-250 commits)
Phase 7-9: 12 months (900-1,400 commits)

By the time competitors validate the idea, we’re 12 months ahead.

5. Ecosystem Lock-In

Network effects prevent competition:

Package registry with 50+ packages
Template marketplace
Community-created workflows
IDE integration (LSP in 5+ editors)
Educational content and courses

Switching costs become prohibitive.

6. Open Source + Monetization Clarity

Core stays free, monetize the ecosystem:

Language: Open source forever
Cloud platform: SaaS (optional)
Premium templates: Marketplace
Enterprise support: Contracts

Model proven by: Terraform, TypeScript, VS Code

Timeline to ENDGAME

2025 ──────────── 2026 ──────────── 2027 ──────────────────

  NOW           Phase 5-6        Phase 7-9
v0.1.1          Q1 2026       Q2 2026-Q1 2027
  │                │                 │
  │                │                 │
  ▼                ▼                 ▼

Schema         Complete         Workflow
Generator      Schema DSL       Language
                                (ENDGAME)

Position:      Position:        Position:
Level 2-3      Level 2-3        Level 4
(utility)      (focused)        (DOMINANT)

Like:          Like:            Like:
Protobuf       TOML/YAML        Hardhat
IDL gen        Config DSL       + Terraform

Milestones:

Q1 2026: DSL Feature Complete (schemas)
Q1 2027: Language ENDGAME (workflows)

For what comes after ENDGAME: See FUTURE

Success Criteria

We know LUMOS achieved ENDGAME when:

Market Adoption
- 1,000+ production deployments
- 50+ packages in registry
- Standard tool in Solana projects
Category Ownership
- Developers say “deploy with LUMOS”
- Job postings mention “LUMOS experience”
- Competitors called “LUMOS alternatives”
Technical Ecosystem
- LSP used in 5+ editors
- VS Code extension: 10K+ installs
- GitHub Action: standard in Solana CI/CD
Community Growth
- 2,000+ GitHub stars
- 500+ Discord members
- Active template marketplace

Contributing to the Vision

LUMOS is ambitious. We need help across all layers:

Phase 5-6 (Now - Q1 2026):

Schema evolution features
IDE plugins (IntelliJ, Neovim, Emacs)
Advanced type system features

Phase 7-9 (Q2 2026 - Q1 2027):

Language design and syntax
Parser and compiler implementation
Type system architecture
Runtime engine development
Package ecosystem building

See the LUMOS GitHub repository for detailed phases and issues.

Conclusion

LUMOS becomes the workflow automation language for Solana.

The ENDGAME:

Deep vertical moat - Type system, compiler, runtime (2-3 year barrier)
Category ownership - Define “workflow automation for Solana”
Ecosystem lock-in - Packages, templates, IDE integration
Fast execution - 3-5 commits/day = unbeatable pace

The opportunity: Latent market with no dominant player.

The moat: Deep vertical tech + fast execution.

The vision: Make Solana development 10x better through type-safe automation.

Looking Beyond ENDGAME

After achieving the ENDGAME (workflow language for Solana), what’s next?

LUMOS doesn’t stop at Solana. The same technical foundation enables:

Multi-chain workflows - Ethereum, Aptos, Sui, Cosmos (one workflow, multiple chains)
Universal data structures - Single .lumos file generates for ANY blockchain serialization (Borsh, ABI, BCS, Protobuf)
Web2 expansion - REST APIs, GraphQL, gRPC, database schemas (same fragmentation problem, 54x larger market)

The ultimate vision: LUMOS becomes the universal data structure language - for Web3 AND Web2.

See FUTURE for detailed horizontal expansion plans (Phase 10-13).

Related Documents:

Quick Start - Getting started with LUMOS
FUTURE - Horizontal expansion (Phase 10+)
LUMOS GitHub - Main repository