Add documentation

README introduces the project and build workflow; CONTRIBUTING covers the stub convention and syscall wrapper process; docs/ explains the architecture and the kernel ABI surface.

Ultraworked with [Sisyphus](https://github.com/code-yeongyu/oh-my-openagent)

Co-authored-by: Sisyphus <[email protected]>

.clang-format

@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+# .clang-format — nulsl-libc style.
+#
+# Rule of thumb: 4-space indent, 100 columns, allman braces off, keep it
+# boring. Run `clang-format -i` on your diff before opening a PR.
+
+BasedOnStyle: LLVM
+IndentWidth: 4
+ColumnLimit: 100
+PointerAlignment: Left
+DerivePointerAlignment: false
+SortIncludes: true
+BreakBeforeBraces: Attach
+AllowShortFunctionsOnASingleLine: Empty
+AllowShortIfStatementsOnASingleLine: Never
+AllowShortLoopsOnASingleLine: false

.clang-tidy

@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+# .clang-tidy — nulsl-libc lint configuration.
+#
+# The linter's job is to yell about bugs, not style (style belongs to
+# clang-format). Keep the check list tight and useful.
+
+# A libc owns the reserved namespace by definition (_exit, environ, ...);
+# bugprone-reserved-identifier only makes sense for application code.
+Checks: >
+  clang-analyzer-*,
+  bugprone-*,
+  performance-*,
+  portability-*,
+  -bugprone-easily-swappable-parameters,
+  -bugprone-implicit-widening-of-multiplication-result,
+  -bugprone-reserved-identifier
+
+WarningsAsErrors: ''
+HeaderFilterRegex: 'include/.*'
+FormatStyle: file

.clangd

@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+# .clangd — LSP configuration for nulsl-libc.
+#
+# Fallback flags used when compile_commands.json is absent. After running
+# `make compile_commands` (requires bear), clangd uses the exact build
+# flags from bin/release/ instead, and these are merged on top.
+CompileFlags:
+  Compiler: clang
+  Add:
+    - -std=c17
+    - -Iinclude
+    - -ffreestanding
+    - -fno-builtin
+    - -Wall
+    - -Wextra
+
+# Treat all headers as project headers so warnings apply inside them.
+Diagnostics:
+  Suppress:
+    - unknown-pragmas

.gitignore

@@ -1,49 +1,50 @@
-# ---> C
-# Prerequisites
-*.d
+# Generated by autotools
+aclocal.m4
+autom4te.cache/
+build-aux/
+config.guess
+config.h.in
+config.log
+config.status
+config.sub
+configure
+configure.lineno
+depcomp
+install-sh
+ltmain.sh
+missing
+Makefile.in
 
-# Object files
+# Build artifacts
 *.o
+*.a
+*.lo
+*.la
+.deps/
+.libs/
+
+# Generic C artifacts (for experiments outside the autotools flow)
 *.ko
 *.obj
 *.elf
-
-# Linker output
 *.ilk
 *.map
 *.exp
-
-# Precompiled Headers
 *.gch
 *.pch
-
-# Libraries
 *.lib
-*.a
-*.la
-*.lo
-
-# Shared objects (inc. Windows DLLs)
 *.dll
 *.so
 *.so.*
 *.dylib
-
-# Executables
 *.exe
 *.out
 *.app
-*.i*86
-*.x86_64
 *.hex
-
-# Debug files
 *.dSYM/
 *.su
 *.idb
 *.pdb
-
-# Kernel Module Compile Results
 *.mod*
 *.cmd
 .tmp_versions/
@@ -52,3 +53,16 @@ Module.symvers
 Mkfile.old
 dkms.conf
 
+# Out-of-tree build dirs (the driver Makefile owns these)
+bin/release/*
+!bin/release/.gitkeep
+bin/debug/*
+!bin/debug/.gitkeep
+
+# LSP (generated by `make compile_commands`)
+compile_commands.json
+
+# Editor/agent caches
+.cache/
+.omo/
+*~

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+# Contributing to nulsl-libc
+
+Thank you for helping Null Linux get a libc that fits in /dev/null.
+
+## Ground rules
+
+1. **C17, and only C17.** No GNU-isms in the language you write (inline
+   asm stays in the arch files where it belongs). The build forces
+   `-std=c17 -ffreestanding -fno-builtin`; make sure your code compiles
+   clean under `-Wall -Wextra -Wshadow -Wpointer-arith`.
+2. **Stay lean.** Null Linux runs a GUI in 32 MB. If a change adds RAM
+   per process, it needs a better justification than convenience.
+3. **AI drafts, humans ship.** AI-generated code is welcome as a draft,
+   but it must be reviewed, understood, and improved by a human before it
+   lands. If you cannot explain every line, do not open the PR.
+4. **The kernel is the API.** Prefer a raw syscall wrapper over
+   inventing library machinery. `syscall()` is the only ABI surface —
+   keep it that way (see [docs/syscalls.md](docs/syscalls.md)).
+
+## Structure
+
+- `include/` — public headers. Declarations only; the `struct nulsl_file`
+  layout and friends stay private in `src/internal.h`.
+- `src/` — implementations. One file per header/domain; keep files small
+  (a `#include` short of 250 lines is a good ceiling).
+- `src/crt/crt0.S` — the entry point. Kept out of `libc.a` on purpose.
+- `tests/` — anything you add must be exercised (`make check`).
+- `benchmarks/` — anything performance-relevant needs a benchmark
+  (`make bench`); if it isn't memory-lean, it doesn't ship.
+
+## The stub convention
+
+Not implemented yet? It still needs its standard signature in the public
+header, a documented error return, `errno = ENOSYS`, and a `/* TODO */`
+comment naming what it needs. That is a feature, not a placeholder: every
+stub fails loudly instead of silently misbehaving.
+
+## Adding a syscall wrapper
+
+1. Number in `include/sys/syscall.h` (guarded, ABI in comment).
+2. Declaration in the right public header.
+3. Thin wrapper in the right `src/` file — one `syscall()` call, nothing
+   else. If it needs to be a stub, follow the stub convention.
+4. Update `docs/syscalls.md` (the table).
+5. Extend a test in `tests/`.
+
+## Workflow
+
+```sh
+./autogen.sh
+make release && make check && make bench
+make debug        # for actual debugging (bin/debug/, -O0 -g)
+```
+
+- Style: `clang-format -i` on your diff (see `.clang-format`); keep diffs
+  formatted, small, and single-purpose.
+- LSP: `make compile_commands` (needs `bear`) for clangd.
+- Verify: `make check` must pass; run `make bench` before and after to
+  show you did not make anything slower.
+- Commits: small, atomic, descriptive. This project is written by humans
+  and reviewed by humans; keep the history reviewable.
+- PRs: one idea per PR, with tests. If the change is a stub → real
+  transition, say which roadmap item it completes.
+
+## Communication
+
+Open an issue or a PR on
+<https://git.spectoria.dev/The-Null-Linux-Project/nulsl-libc>.

Makefile

@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+# Driver Makefile — nulsl-libc
+#
+# This is the HAND-WRITTEN top-level makefile (committed to git). It never
+# runs the autotools machinery in-tree; instead it drives two out-of-tree
+# builds, one per bin/ directory, exactly as the Null Linux guidelines want:
+#
+#   make release   -> ./configure CFLAGS='-O2'   into bin/release/
+#   make debug     -> ./configure CFLAGS='-O0 -g' into bin/debug/
+#
+# Run `./autogen.sh` once after cloning (or just run `make release` — it
+# regenerates the configure script itself when needed).
+#
+# Never run `./configure` at the repository root: configure.ac refuses it.
+
+.PHONY: all release debug bench check clean distclean compile_commands
+
+all: release
+
+# --- bootstrapping ---------------------------------------------------------
+
+# Regenerates configure (and friends) when autogen.sh is newer.
+configure: autogen.sh
+	./autogen.sh
+
+# --- builds ----------------------------------------------------------------
+
+# Release is ALWAYS -O2 (project guideline #4).
+bin/release/Makefile: configure
+	@mkdir -p bin/release
+	@cd bin/release && ../../configure CFLAGS='-O2'
+
+bin/debug/Makefile: configure
+	@mkdir -p bin/debug
+	@cd bin/debug && ../../configure CFLAGS='-O0 -g'
+
+release: bin/release/Makefile
+	$(MAKE) -C bin/release
+
+debug: bin/debug/Makefile
+	$(MAKE) -C bin/debug
+
+# --- developer conveniences -------------------------------------------------
+
+bench: release
+	$(MAKE) -C bin/release bench
+
+check: release
+	$(MAKE) -C bin/release check
+
+# LSP support: compile_commands.json for clangd (requires `bear`).
+compile_commands: release
+	@command -v bear >/dev/null 2>&1 || { \
+	    echo "error: 'bear' is not installed (sudo pacman -S bear, apt install bear, ...)"; exit 1; }
+	@cd bin/release && bear --output ../../compile_commands.json -- $(MAKE) clean all
+
+clean:
+	@test ! -f bin/release/Makefile || $(MAKE) -C bin/release clean
+	@test ! -f bin/debug/Makefile || $(MAKE) -C bin/debug clean
+
+distclean: clean
+	rm -rf bin/release bin/debug

Makefile.am

@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+# Makefile.am — nulsl-libc
+#
+# This is the AUTOTOOLS makefile. It is only ever instantiated by a configure
+# run inside bin/release/ or bin/debug/ (never at the repository root).
+#
+# Everything is a static library. No libtool, no shared objects, no dynamic
+# linker. See docs/architecture.md.
+#
+# Benchmarks and tests live in one Makefile on purpose: automake orders
+# targets by dependency, so libc.a (and crt0.o) are guaranteed to exist
+# before any -nostdlib binary links against them. With SUBDIRS, recursion
+# builds the subdirectories first and linking breaks.
+
+AUTOMAKE_OPTIONS = foreign
+
+AM_CPPFLAGS = -I$(top_srcdir)/include
+AM_CFLAGS = -std=c17 -ffreestanding -fno-builtin -fno-stack-protector \
+            -Wall -Wextra -Wshadow -Wpointer-arith
+
+lib_LIBRARIES = libc.a
+
+libc_a_SOURCES = \
+    src/errno.c \
+    src/stdio.c \
+    src/stdlib.c \
+    src/string.c \
+    src/syscall.c \
+    src/unistd.c
+
+# The C runtime entry point is deliberately NOT a member of libc.a: nothing
+# references _start, so the linker would never extract it from an archive.
+# It is built as a standalone object and linked explicitly by everything
+# that wants a runnable binary.
+noinst_DATA = crt0.o
+crt0.o: $(top_srcdir)/src/crt/crt0.S
+	$(CC) $(AM_CPPFLAGS) $(CFLAGS) -c -o $@ $<
+CLEANFILES = crt0.o
+
+EXTRA_DIST = autogen.sh
+
+# --- benchmarks ------------------------------------------------------------
+# Fully static, -nostdlib: the numbers reflect exactly what ships.
+
+noinst_PROGRAMS = benchmarks/bench_strlen benchmarks/bench_syscall
+
+benchmarks_bench_strlen_SOURCES = benchmarks/bench_strlen.c
+benchmarks_bench_strlen_LDADD = crt0.o libc.a -lgcc
+benchmarks_bench_strlen_LDFLAGS = -nostdlib -static -no-pie -Wno-unused-command-line-argument
+
+benchmarks_bench_syscall_SOURCES = benchmarks/bench_syscall.c
+benchmarks_bench_syscall_LDADD = crt0.o libc.a -lgcc
+benchmarks_bench_syscall_LDFLAGS = -nostdlib -static -no-pie -Wno-unused-command-line-argument
+
+.PHONY: bench
+bench: all
+	./benchmarks/bench_strlen
+	./benchmarks/bench_syscall
+
+# --- tests ------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+check_PROGRAMS = tests/smoke
+TESTS = tests/smoke
+
+tests_smoke_SOURCES = tests/smoke.c
+tests_smoke_LDADD = crt0.o libc.a -lgcc
+tests_smoke_LDFLAGS = -nostdlib -static -no-pie -Wno-unused-command-line-argument

README.md

@@ -1,3 +1,91 @@
 # nulsl-libc
 
-A extremely lightweight and memory conservative LibC implementation. 
+A very lightweight, from-scratch C17 libc for Linux, built for
+[Null Linux](https://github.com/The-Null-Linux-Project) and its 32 MB RAM
+target.
+
+**Status: skeleton. The structure is real, the code is honest stubs.** The
+string core, the raw syscall layer, the entry point, and process teardown
+work end to end; everything else declares its intent and returns `ENOSYS`
+until it is implemented (see the [roadmap](docs/architecture.md#roadmap)).
+
+## Why another libc?
+
+Null Linux guideline #6: *"If it's small, if it's lean, you have ZERO
+reason to link with libC at ALL. Linux specific syscalls can do you well."*
+
+- **Static-only, by design.** Everything links with `-nostdlib -static`.
+  No dynamic linker is loaded, relocated, or kept in memory for the
+  lifetime of a process — that memory belongs to the GUI.
+- **The kernel is the API.** One variadic `syscall()` is the only piece
+  of code that touches the kernel ABI; `read`, `write`, `_exit`, and
+  friends are thin wrappers around it.
+- **Freestanding C17.** `-ffreestanding -fno-builtin`: the compiler never
+  injects its own `memcpy`, so what you read is what runs.
+- **No dependencies.** No libtool, no glibc, no kernel UAPI headers.
+
+## Requirements
+
+- Linux on x86_64
+- A C17 compiler (GCC ≥ 8 or Clang ≥ 6)
+- autoconf ≥ 2.71, automake ≥ 1.16
+- `bear` (optional, for LSP `compile_commands.json`)
+
+## Building
+
+```sh
+./autogen.sh          # or just run make — it regenerates when needed
+make release          # -> bin/release/, CFLAGS='-O2'
+make debug            # -> bin/debug/,   CFLAGS='-O0 -g'
+make check            # smoke test (fully static, no glibc, no ld.so)
+make bench            # benchmark the release build
+```
+
+Release is **always** `-O2`, per Null Linux guideline #4. `make bench`
+and `make check` run against the release build.
+
+The repository root is never configured in-tree; `configure.ac` refuses it
+so the committed driver `Makefile` (which dispatches into `bin/release`
+and `bin/debug`) cannot be clobbered. `make distclean` removes both build
+directories.
+
+## What works today
+
+| Area         | Real                                    | Stub (ENOSYS)               |
+|--------------|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------|
+| string       | strlen, strcmp, strncmp, strcpy,        | —                           |
+|              | strncpy, memcpy, memmove, memset,       |                             |
+|              | memcmp                                   |                             |
+| syscall      | syscall() (x86_64)                       | other architectures         |
+| unistd       | read, write, close, getpid, _exit        | unlink                      |
+| stdio        | puts, putchar, fflush (trivially)        | printf, fopen, fclose,      |
+|              |                                         | fread, fwrite               |
+| stdlib       | exit, abort, atoi                        | malloc, calloc, realloc,    |
+|              |                                         | free, strtol                |
+| crt          | crt0.o `_start` (x86_64)                 | other architectures         |
+
+Stubs follow one convention: standard signature, documented error return,
+`errno = ENOSYS`, and a `/* TODO */` comment naming what they need. See
+[docs/architecture.md](docs/architecture.md) for the design and roadmap,
+[docs/syscalls.md](docs/syscalls.md) for the kernel interface.
+
+## Repository layout
+
+```
+Makefile              driver: make release / make debug / make bench / ...
+configure.ac          autotools (C17 enforced, static-only)
+autogen.sh            autoreconf -i
+include/              public headers — declarations only
+src/                  implementations; src/crt/crt0.S is the entry point
+benchmarks/           make bench; must stay lean
+tests/                make check; smoke test links -nostdlib -static
+bin/release/          out-of-tree release build (-O2)
+bin/debug/            out-of-tree debug build (-O0 -g)
+docs/                 architecture + syscall documentation
+```
+
+## Contributing
+
+See [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md). Short version: C17, clang-format,
+benchmarks for anything performance-relevant, and per project policy —
+*AI drafts, humans ship.*

autogen.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+# autogen.sh — regenerate all autotools machinery.
+#
+# Usage: ./autogen.sh        (then: make release / make debug / make bench)
+#
+# Never run ./configure at the repository root — use the driver Makefile
+# targets instead, which configure out-of-tree into bin/{release,debug}.
+
+set -e
+cd "$(dirname "$0")"
+
+autoreconf -i -f -v
+
+echo
+echo "autotools machinery regenerated."
+echo "next: make release   (bin/release/, CFLAGS='-O2')"
+echo "      make debug     (bin/debug/,   CFLAGS='-O0 -g')"
+echo "      make bench     (benchmarks against the release build)"
+echo "      make check     (smoke tests)"

benchmarks/bench.h

@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+/*
+ * bench.h — tiny shared helpers for nulsl-libc benchmarks.
+ *
+ * Deliberately dependency-free beyond the libc itself: timing goes
+ * through a raw clock_gettime syscall, and numbers are printed with
+ * putchar/write because printf() is still a stub. If you write a new
+ * benchmark, include this and stay this lean.
+ */
+
+#ifndef _NULSL_BENCH_H
+#define _NULSL_BENCH_H
+
+#include <sys/syscall.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+
+#define BENCH_CLOCK_MONOTONIC 1
+
+/* Monotonic time in nanoseconds, via raw clock_gettime(2). */
+static inline long long bench_now_ns(void)
+{
+    struct {
+        long tv_sec;
+        long tv_nsec;
+    } t;
+
+    syscall(SYS_clock_gettime, BENCH_CLOCK_MONOTONIC, &t);
+    return t.tv_sec * 1000000000LL + t.tv_nsec;
+}
+
+/* Print an unsigned integer plus a newline, without printf(). */
+static inline void bench_print_u64(unsigned long long v)
+{
+    char buf[24];
+    int i = sizeof buf;
+
+    buf[--i] = '\n';
+    do {
+        buf[--i] = (char)('0' + v % 10);
+        v /= 10;
+    } while (v);
+    write(STDOUT_FILENO, buf + i, sizeof buf - i);
+}
+
+#endif /* _NULSL_BENCH_H */

benchmarks/bench_strlen.c

@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+/*
+ * bench_strlen.c — how fast is our string core?
+ *
+ * Measures strlen() over a typical short string. 10M iterations keeps
+ * the loop overhead negligible; results are printed as ns per call.
+ */
+
+#include <string.h>
+
+#include "bench.h"
+
+#define ITERS 10000000UL
+
+int main(void)
+{
+    static const char s[] = "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog";
+    volatile size_t sink = 0;
+    long long t0, t1;
+
+    t0 = bench_now_ns();
+    for (unsigned long i = 0; i < ITERS; i++)
+        sink += strlen(s);
+    t1 = bench_now_ns();
+
+    (void)sink; /* keep the loop observable */
+    bench_print_u64((unsigned long long)((t1 - t0) / ITERS));
+    return 0;
+}

benchmarks/bench_syscall.c

@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+/*
+ * bench_syscall.c — raw syscall round-trip cost.
+ *
+ * This is the number that justifies the whole project: for a kernel-first
+ * libc (project guideline #6), every wrapper is one `syscall` instruction
+ * away from the kernel. getpid() is the cheapest syscall there is, so
+ * this measures the floor. 1M iterations; results in ns per call.
+ */
+
+#include <unistd.h>
+
+#include "bench.h"
+
+#define ITERS 1000000UL
+
+int main(void)
+{
+    volatile pid_t sink = 0;
+    long long t0, t1;
+
+    t0 = bench_now_ns();
+    for (unsigned long i = 0; i < ITERS; i++)
+        sink += getpid();
+    t1 = bench_now_ns();
+
+    (void)sink;
+    bench_print_u64((unsigned long long)((t1 - t0) / ITERS));
+    return 0;
+}

configure.ac

@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+dnl configure.ac — nulsl-libc, a very lightweight C17 libc for Linux.
+dnl
+dnl Static-only on purpose: the dynamic linker is a memory tax we refuse to
+dnl pay (see docs/architecture.md). libc.a is a plain archive, so no libtool.
+dnl
+dnl IMPORTANT: never run ./configure at the repository root. The root holds a
+dnl hand-written driver Makefile that builds into bin/{release,debug}; the
+dnl guard below refuses to overwrite it.
+
+AC_PREREQ([2.71])
+AC_INIT([nulsl-libc], [0.1.0], [], [nulsl-libc],
+        [https://git.spectoria.dev/The-Null-Linux-Project/nulsl-libc])
+AC_CONFIG_SRCDIR([include/stdio.h])
+AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR([build-aux])
+AC_CANONICAL_HOST
+
+AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE([foreign subdir-objects])
+
+dnl C17, and only C17 (project guideline #1). Modern autoconf ships no
+dnl AC_PROG_CC_C17 macro, so prove it with a compile test instead.
+AC_PROG_CC
+saved_CFLAGS="$CFLAGS"
+CFLAGS="$CFLAGS -std=c17"
+AC_COMPILE_IFELSE([AC_LANG_PROGRAM([#if __STDC_VERSION__ < 201710L
+#error "not C17"
+#endif
+], [])],
+    [],
+    [AC_MSG_ERROR([nulsl-libc requires a C17 compiler (GCC >= 8 or Clang >= 6); -std=c17 was rejected])])
+CFLAGS="$saved_CFLAGS"
+
+dnl Target validation: Linux on x86_64, for now.
+AS_CASE([$host_os],
+        [linux*], [],
+        [AC_MSG_ERROR([nulsl-libc currently targets Linux only (configured for $host_os)])])
+AS_CASE([$host_cpu],
+        [x86_64], [],
+        [AC_MSG_ERROR([nulsl-libc currently targets x86_64 only (configured for $host_cpu); src/arch/ is where new ports go])])
+
+dnl Plain archives need ar/ranlib; no libtool, no shared objects.
+AC_CHECK_TOOL([AR], [ar])
+AC_PROG_RANLIB
+
+dnl Refuse in-tree configuration: it would clobber the committed driver
+dnl Makefile that dispatches into bin/{release,debug}.
+AS_IF([test "x$srcdir" = "x." && test -f Makefile],
+      [AC_MSG_ERROR([in-tree builds are disabled — run 'make release' or 'make debug' from the repository root instead])])
+
+AC_CONFIG_FILES([Makefile])
+AC_OUTPUT

docs/architecture.md

@@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
+# Architecture
+
+nulsl-libc is a from-scratch, C17, static-only libc for Linux, built for
+Null Linux's 32 MB target. This document explains how the pieces fit
+together. The short version: **the kernel is the API, everything else is a
+wrapper, and nothing is allowed to make the process bigger than it needs
+to be.**
+
+## Why static-only
+
+A dynamically linked process carries the dynamic linker (`ld.so`) and its
+relocation machinery in memory for its entire lifetime. On a 32 MB budget
+that is pure overhead. nulsl-libc therefore builds only `libc.a`, links
+every program with `-nostdlib -static`, and ships its own `crt0.o` as the
+process entry point. There is no `PT_INTERP` in anything we build, and
+there is nothing to load.
+
+This is also the project guideline: *"If it's small, if it's lean, you
+have ZERO reason to link with libC at ALL. Linux specific syscalls can do
+you well."* — so the libc itself goes straight to the kernel.
+
+## The syscall layer
+
+```
+┌──────────────┐   ┌──────────────┐   ┌──────────────┐
+│  stdio.c     │   │  stdlib.c    │   │  unistd.c    │
+│  puts, putchar│  │  exit, atoi  │   │  read, write │
+└──────┬───────┘   └──────┬───────┘   └──────┬───────┘
+       │                  │                  │
+       └──────────────────┼──────────────────┘
+                          ▼
+                 ┌─────────────────┐
+                 │   syscall.c     │   <-- the ONLY file that executes
+                 │  raw syscall()  │       the `syscall` instruction
+                 └────────┬────────┘
+                          ▼
+                   ┌────────────┐
+                   │   Linux    │
+                   │   kernel   │
+                   └────────────┘
+```
+
+- `src/syscall.c` — variadic `syscall(long number, ...)`, the only
+  architecture-specific C code. On error the kernel returns `-errno`;
+  syscall() translates that to the libc convention (`-1` + `errno`).
+- `src/unistd.c`, `src/stdio.c`, `src/stdlib.c` — wrappers and the
+  hand-rolled pieces (string core in `src/string.c`).
+- `src/crt/crt0.S` — `_start`, the process entry point. Sets up a valid
+  frame, calls `main(argc, argv)`, hands the return value to `exit()`.
+  Kept out of `libc.a` on purpose: archive members are only extracted when
+  referenced, and nothing references `_start`.
+
+## Modules
+
+| Module            | Real today                                    | Stubbed (roadmap)          |
+|-------------------|-----------------------------------------------|----------------------------|
+| `src/string.c`    | strlen, strcmp, strncmp, strcpy, strncpy,     | —                          |
+|                   | memcpy, memmove, memset, memcmp               |                            |
+| `src/unistd.c`    | read, write, close, getpid, _exit             | unlink                     |
+| `src/stdio.c`     | puts, putchar, fflush (trivially), FILE stubs | printf, fopen/fread/...    |
+| `src/stdlib.c`    | exit, abort, atoi                             | malloc/calloc/realloc,     |
+|                   |                                               | free, strtol               |
+| `src/syscall.c`   | raw syscall() (x86_64)                        | other architectures        |
+| `src/crt/crt0.S`  | _start (x86_64)                               | other architectures        |
+
+## Stub convention
+
+A function that is not implemented yet must:
+
+1. be declared in the public header with its standard signature;
+2. return its documented error value (`-1`, `NULL`, `EOF`, `0`...);
+3. set `errno = ENOSYS`;
+4. carry a `/* TODO: ... */` comment naming what it needs.
+
+This keeps every stub link-clean and its failure mode explicit — programs
+fail loudly with a clear errno instead of silently misbehaving.
+
+## Conventions
+
+- **C17 only.** `-std=c17` is forced everywhere; configure refuses
+  non-C17 compilers.
+- **Freestanding.** Everything is compiled with `-ffreestanding
+  -fno-builtin`, so the compiler never injects its own `memcpy`/`strlen`
+  and the code you read is the code that runs.
+- **errno** is a plain global for now (single-threaded). If threads ever
+  land, it becomes a TLS slot behind the same header.
+- **FILE** is a struct with one `int fd` until a buffering layer exists
+  (`src/internal.h` owns the definition; the public header only forward-
+  declares it).
+- **No dependencies.** No libtool, no glibc, no kernel UAPI headers —
+  the few syscall numbers we need live in `include/sys/syscall.h`.
+
+## Build layout
+
+```
+Makefile            driver (committed): make release / make debug / ...
+configure.ac        autotools source (C17 enforced, static-only)
+autogen.sh          autoreconf -i
+bin/release/        out-of-tree build, CFLAGS='-O2'
+bin/debug/          out-of-tree build, CFLAGS='-O0 -g'
+include/            public headers (nothing but declarations)
+src/                implementations (headers live elsewhere)
+src/crt/crt0.S      process entry point (separate object)
+benchmarks/         make bench — must stay lean
+tests/              make check — smoke test links -nostdlib -static
+```
+
+The repository root is never configured in-tree: `configure.ac` refuses it
+so the driver `Makefile` cannot be clobbered. Release is always `-O2`.
+
+## Roadmap
+
+- brk()-based allocator (malloc/calloc/realloc/free)
+- printf engine
+- open()/close()/read()/write() file I/O and a small buffering layer
+- environ, getenv
+- strtol with full base/errno semantics
+- more architectures under `src/arch/`
+- signals (only then: a real `abort()`)

docs/syscalls.md

@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+# Syscalls
+
+This project's first principle (project guideline #6): the kernel is the
+API. This document is the map of every syscall nulsl-libc touches, how
+errors travel, and how to add the next one.
+
+## The one and only ABI surface
+
+`src/syscall.c` — the only file that executes the `syscall` instruction.
+
+```
+long syscall(long number, ...);
+```
+
+- Arguments 1-6 map to the platform's syscall argument registers.
+- On success the kernel return value is returned as-is.
+- On error the Linux kernel returns `-errno` (range `-1..-4095`).
+  `syscall()` translates it: `errno = -ret; return -1;` — the standard
+  libc convention.
+- Numbers live in `include/sys/syscall.h` as `SYS_*` macros,
+  `#ifndef`-guarded so kernel UAPI headers can coexist.
+
+## The syscalls we use
+
+x86_64 Linux ABI:
+
+| Number | Name            | Used by                          | Status   |
+|--------|-----------------|----------------------------------|----------|
+| 0      | read            | `read()`                         | wrapped  |
+| 1      | write           | `write()`, `puts()`, `putchar()` | wrapped  |
+| 2      | open            | —                                | constant |
+| 3      | close           | `close()`                        | wrapped  |
+| 39     | getpid          | `getpid()`, bench_syscall        | wrapped  |
+| 60     | exit            | `_exit()`, `exit()`, `abort()`   | wrapped  |
+| 87     | unlink          | — (stub uses errno = ENOSYS)     | constant |
+| 228    | clock_gettime   | benchmarks only                  | constant |
+
+"Wrapped" means there is a public function in `src/` that calls it.
+"Constant" means the number is defined in the header but nothing wraps it
+yet (benchmarks call it directly through `syscall()`).
+
+## Adding a new syscall wrapper
+
+1. Add the number to `include/sys/syscall.h` (guarded, with the ABI it
+   belongs to in a comment).
+2. Add the public declaration to the right header (`include/unistd.h` for
+   POSIX stuff, `include/stdio.h` for stdio, ...).
+3. Implement it in the matching `src/` file as a thin wrapper:
+
+   ```c
+   ssize_t write(int fd, const void *buf, size_t count)
+   {
+       return (ssize_t)syscall(SYS_write, fd, buf, count);
+   }
+   ```
+
+   If the syscall is not implemented yet, follow the stub convention
+   instead (return the documented error value, `errno = ENOSYS`,
+   `/* TODO */` comment naming what it needs).
+4. Update this table.
+5. Add or extend a smoke test in `tests/` — if nothing exercises it, it
+   does not exist.
+
+## Porting to a new architecture
+
+- `src/syscall.c` — add the register mapping for the new ABI
+  (`#error` otherwise).
+- `src/crt/crt0.S` — add `_start` for the new ABI.
+- `include/sys/syscall.h` — the numbers are per-architecture; split the
+  table or move it to `src/arch/` once a second target exists.
+- `configure.ac` — extend the `host_cpu` case.
+
+The project targets Linux on x86_64 today; everything above is written so
+a second port is a contained, reviewable change.

include/errno.h

@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+/*
+ * errno.h — error codes for nulsl-libc.
+ *
+ * Single-threaded for now: errno is a plain global. If nulsl-libc ever
+ * grows threads, this becomes a TLS slot or an __errno_location()
+ * indirection without changing any caller.
+ */
+
+#ifndef _NULSL_ERRNO_H
+#define _NULSL_ERRNO_H
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+extern "C" {
+#endif
+
+extern int errno;
+
+/* The classic 1-34, values locked by Linux's errno(3) man page. */
+#define EPERM        1  /* Operation not permitted */
+#define ENOENT       2  /* No such file or directory */
+#define ESRCH        3  /* No such process */
+#define EINTR        4  /* Interrupted system call */
+#define EIO          5  /* I/O error */
+#define ENXIO        6  /* No such device or address */
+#define E2BIG        7  /* Argument list too long */
+#define ENOEXEC      8  /* Exec format error */
+#define EBADF        9  /* Bad file descriptor */
+#define ECHILD      10  /* No child processes */
+#define EAGAIN      11  /* Try again */
+#define ENOMEM      12  /* Out of memory */
+#define EACCES      13  /* Permission denied */
+#define EFAULT      14  /* Bad address */
+#define ENOTBLK     15  /* Block device required */
+#define EBUSY       16  /* Device or resource busy */
+#define EEXIST      17  /* File exists */
+#define EXDEV       18  /* Cross-device link */
+#define ENODEV      19  /* No such device */
+#define ENOTDIR     20  /* Not a directory */
+#define EISDIR      21  /* Is a directory */
+#define EINVAL      22  /* Invalid argument */
+#define ENFILE      23  /* File table overflow */
+#define EMFILE      24  /* Too many open files */
+#define ENOTTY      25  /* Not a typewriter */
+#define ETXTBSY     26  /* Text file busy */
+#define EFBIG       27  /* File too large */
+#define ENOSPC      28  /* No space left on device */
+#define ESPIPE      29  /* Illegal seek */
+#define EROFS       30  /* Read-only file system */
+#define EMLINK      31  /* Too many links */
+#define EPIPE       32  /* Broken pipe */
+#define EDOM        33  /* Math argument out of domain */
+#define ERANGE      34  /* Math result not representable */
+#define ENOSYS      38  /* Function not implemented */
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+}
+#endif
+
+#endif /* _NULSL_ERRNO_H */

include/stdio.h

@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+/*
+ * stdio.h — standard I/O for nulsl-libc.
+ *
+ * Minimal for now: unbuffered writes to a file descriptor, plus ENOSYS
+ * stubs for the buffered/formatting machinery that is still to come.
+ * A FILE is just a file descriptor until we grow a real buffering layer.
+ */
+
+#ifndef _NULSL_STDIO_H
+#define _NULSL_STDIO_H
+
+#include <stddef.h>
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+extern "C" {
+#endif
+
+#define EOF (-1)
+
+#define SEEK_SET 0
+#define SEEK_CUR 1
+#define SEEK_END 2
+
+typedef struct nulsl_file FILE;
+
+extern FILE *stdin;
+extern FILE *stdout;
+extern FILE *stderr;
+
+/* Real, unbuffered. */
+int puts(const char *s);
+int putchar(int c);
+
+/* Stubs (see docs/architecture.md for the roadmap). */
+int printf(const char *fmt, ...);
+FILE *fopen(const char *path, const char *mode);
+int fclose(FILE *f);
+size_t fread(void *ptr, size_t size, size_t nmemb, FILE *f);
+size_t fwrite(const void *ptr, size_t size, size_t nmemb, FILE *f);
+int fflush(FILE *f);
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+}
+#endif
+
+#endif /* _NULSL_STDIO_H */

include/stdlib.h

@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+/*
+ * stdlib.h — general utilities for nulsl-libc.
+ *
+ * The memory functions are ENOSYS stubs until the brk-based allocator
+ * lands; atoi and the exit paths are already real.
+ */
+
+#ifndef _NULSL_STDLIB_H
+#define _NULSL_STDLIB_H
+
+#include <stddef.h>
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+extern "C" {
+#endif
+
+#define EXIT_SUCCESS 0
+#define EXIT_FAILURE 1
+
+/* Stubs: brk()/mmap() allocator is on the roadmap. */
+void *malloc(size_t size);
+void *calloc(size_t nmemb, size_t size);
+void *realloc(void *ptr, size_t size);
+void free(void *ptr);
+
+/* Real. */
+void exit(int status);
+void abort(void);
+int atoi(const char *s);
+
+/* Stub. */
+long strtol(const char *s, char **endptr, int base);
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+}
+#endif
+
+#endif /* _NULSL_STDLIB_H */

include/string.h

@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+/*
+ * string.h — memory and string operations.
+ *
+ * All functions here are real, tiny, and freestanding: no libc, no
+ * compiler builtins. They are the foundation everything else builds on.
+ */
+
+#ifndef _NULSL_STRING_H
+#define _NULSL_STRING_H
+
+#include <stddef.h>
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+extern "C" {
+#endif
+
+size_t strlen(const char *s);
+int strcmp(const char *a, const char *b);
+int strncmp(const char *a, const char *b, size_t n);
+char *strcpy(char *dst, const char *src);
+char *strncpy(char *dst, const char *src, size_t n);
+
+void *memcpy(void *restrict dst, const void *restrict src, size_t n);
+void *memmove(void *dst, const void *src, size_t n);
+void *memset(void *dst, int c, size_t n);
+int memcmp(const void *a, const void *b, size_t n);
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+}
+#endif
+
+#endif /* _NULSL_STRING_H */

include/sys/syscall.h

@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+/*
+ * sys/syscall.h — the raw syscall interface.
+ *
+ * syscall() is the ONLY place in nulsl-libc that talks the kernel ABI.
+ * Everything above it (read, write, exit, ...) is a wrapper.
+ *
+ * SYS_* constants below are the x86_64 numbers for the syscalls the libc
+ * itself wraps or its tests use. They are #ifndef-guarded so kernel UAPI
+ * headers can coexist. Extend the table as needed (docs/syscalls.md).
+ */
+
+#ifndef _NULSL_SYS_SYSCALL_H
+#define _NULSL_SYS_SYSCALL_H
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+extern "C" {
+#endif
+
+long syscall(long number, ...);
+
+/* x86_64 syscall numbers (Linux ABI). */
+#ifndef SYS_read
+#define SYS_read 0
+#endif
+#ifndef SYS_write
+#define SYS_write 1
+#endif
+#ifndef SYS_open
+#define SYS_open 2
+#endif
+#ifndef SYS_close
+#define SYS_close 3
+#endif
+#ifndef SYS_getpid
+#define SYS_getpid 39
+#endif
+#ifndef SYS_exit
+#define SYS_exit 60
+#endif
+#ifndef SYS_unlink
+#define SYS_unlink 87
+#endif
+#ifndef SYS_clock_gettime
+#define SYS_clock_gettime 228
+#endif
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+}
+#endif
+
+#endif /* _NULSL_SYS_SYSCALL_H */

include/sys/types.h

@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+/*
+ * sys/types.h — primitive system types for nulsl-libc.
+ */
+
+#ifndef _NULSL_SYS_TYPES_H
+#define _NULSL_SYS_TYPES_H
+
+#include <stddef.h>
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+extern "C" {
+#endif
+
+typedef long ssize_t;
+typedef long off_t;
+typedef long pid_t;
+typedef unsigned int uid_t;
+typedef unsigned int gid_t;
+typedef unsigned long mode_t;
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+}
+#endif
+
+#endif /* _NULSL_SYS_TYPES_H */

include/unistd.h

@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+/*
+ * unistd.h — POSIX system call wrappers for nulsl-libc.
+ *
+ * These are thin, real wrappers around the raw syscall() interface — see
+ * docs/syscalls.md. The kernel is the API; everything else is sugar.
+ */
+
+#ifndef _NULSL_UNISTD_H
+#define _NULSL_UNISTD_H
+
+#include <sys/types.h>
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+extern "C" {
+#endif
+
+#define STDIN_FILENO  0
+#define STDOUT_FILENO 1
+#define STDERR_FILENO 2
+
+/* Real syscall wrappers. */
+ssize_t read(int fd, void *buf, size_t count);
+ssize_t write(int fd, const void *buf, size_t count);
+int close(int fd);
+pid_t getpid(void);
+void _exit(int status) __attribute__((noreturn));
+
+/* Stub. */
+int unlink(const char *path);
+
+/* Raw syscall entry point (also available here for convenience). */
+long syscall(long number, ...);
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+}
+#endif
+
+#endif /* _NULSL_UNISTD_H */

src/crt/crt0.S

@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+/*
+ * crt0.S — process entry point for statically linked nulsl-libc binaries.
+ *
+ * The kernel hands control to _start with the stack already set up:
+ *
+ *   rsp          -> argc
+ *   rsp + 8      -> argv[0], argv[1], ..., argv[argc-1], NULL
+ *   after NULL   -> envp[0], ... (we compute it, the libc does not use
+ *                  it yet, but a correct entry point is cheap)
+ *
+ * We set up a valid frame, call main(argc, argv), and hand the exit code
+ * to exit(). No dynamic linker is involved anywhere: this object + libc.a
+ * is the entire runtime (see docs/architecture.md).
+ *
+ * This file is assembled with `gcc -c`, so it passes through the C
+ * preprocessor and can carry the same arch guards as the C sources.
+ */
+
+#if defined(__x86_64__)
+
+    .section .text
+    .globl  _start
+    .type   _start, @function
+_start:
+    xor %ebp, %ebp              /* outermost frame: ebp = 0 */
+    mov (%rsp), %edi            /* argc */
+    lea 8(%rsp), %rsi           /* argv */
+    lea 16(%rsp,%rdi,8), %rdx   /* envp = &argv[argc + 1] */
+    and $-16, %rsp              /* ABI: 16-byte stack alignment */
+    call main
+    mov %eax, %edi              /* exit(status) */
+    call exit
+1:  jmp 1b                      /* exit() is noreturn; never reached */
+    .size _start, .-_start
+
+    .section .note.GNU-stack,"",@progbits
+
+#else
+#error "nulsl-libc: no crt0 for this architecture yet — see src/arch/"
+#endif

src/errno.c

@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+/*
+ * errno.c — the errno global.
+ *
+ * Single-threaded for now; see include/errno.h for the threading note.
+ */
+
+#include <errno.h>
+
+int errno = 0;

src/internal.h

@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+/*
+ * internal.h — private declarations shared between nulsl-libc translation
+ * units. NOT installed; src/ only.
+ */
+
+#ifndef _NULSL_INTERNAL_H
+#define _NULSL_INTERNAL_H
+
+#include <sys/syscall.h>
+
+/*
+ * The FILE type: a file descriptor until a real buffering layer lands.
+ * Defined here (not in the public stdio.h) so the layout stays private.
+ */
+struct nulsl_file {
+    int fd;
+};
+#endif /* _NULSL_INTERNAL_H */

src/stdio.c

@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+/*
+ * stdio.c — standard I/O.
+ *
+ * What is real today: unbuffered character/string output to a descriptor.
+ * What is stubbed: formatting (printf), and anything that would need a
+ * buffer or the open() path. All stubs follow the same convention —
+ * return the documented error value and set errno = ENOSYS.
+ */
+
+#include <errno.h>
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+
+#include "internal.h"
+
+FILE *stdin = &(struct nulsl_file){0};
+FILE *stdout = &(struct nulsl_file){1};
+FILE *stderr = &(struct nulsl_file){2};
+
+int puts(const char *s)
+{
+    if (write(STDOUT_FILENO, s, strlen(s)) < 0)
+        return EOF;
+    if (write(STDOUT_FILENO, "\n", 1) < 0)
+        return EOF;
+    return 0;
+}
+
+int putchar(int c)
+{
+    unsigned char b = (unsigned char)c;
+    return write(STDOUT_FILENO, &b, 1) == 1 ? c : EOF;
+}
+
+/* Stub: formatting engine is on the roadmap. */
+int printf(const char *fmt, ...)
+{
+    (void)fmt;
+    errno = ENOSYS;
+    return -1;
+}
+
+/* Stub: needs open() and a buffering layer. */
+FILE *fopen(const char *path, const char *mode)
+{
+    (void)path;
+    (void)mode;
+    errno = ENOSYS;
+    return NULL;
+}
+
+int fclose(FILE *f)
+{
+    (void)f;
+    errno = ENOSYS;
+    return EOF;
+}
+
+size_t fread(void *ptr, size_t size, size_t nmemb, FILE *f)
+{
+    (void)ptr;
+    (void)size;
+    (void)nmemb;
+    (void)f;
+    errno = ENOSYS;
+    return 0;
+}
+
+size_t fwrite(const void *ptr, size_t size, size_t nmemb, FILE *f)
+{
+    (void)ptr;
+    (void)size;
+    (void)nmemb;
+    (void)f;
+    errno = ENOSYS;
+    return 0;
+}
+
+/* Trivially correct: nothing buffers yet, so there is nothing to flush. */
+int fflush(FILE *f)
+{
+    (void)f;
+    return 0;
+}

src/stdlib.c

@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+/*
+ * stdlib.c — general utilities.
+ *
+ * Real: process teardown (exit/_exit/abort) and atoi.
+ * Stubs: the allocator (malloc & friends wait for a brk/mmap allocator)
+ * and strtol (waits for proper errno/base handling).
+ */
+
+#include <errno.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+
+void exit(int status)
+{
+    /* TODO: run atexit() handlers and flush stdio once buffering exists. */
+    _exit(status);
+    for (;;)
+        ; /* unreachable */
+}
+
+void abort(void)
+{
+    /* TODO: raise SIGABRT once signals exist; 128+6 mirrors the shell
+     * convention for "killed by signal 6" without any signal machinery. */
+    _exit(134);
+    for (;;)
+        ; /* unreachable */
+}
+
+int atoi(const char *s)
+{
+    int sign = 1;
+    int v = 0;
+
+    while (*s == ' ' || (*s >= '\t' && *s <= '\r'))
+        s++;
+    if (*s == '-' || *s == '+') {
+        if (*s == '-')
+            sign = -1;
+        s++;
+    }
+    while (*s >= '0' && *s <= '9')
+        v = v * 10 + (*s++ - '0');
+    return sign * v;
+}
+
+/* Stub: brk()/mmap() allocator is on the roadmap. */
+void *malloc(size_t size)
+{
+    (void)size;
+    errno = ENOSYS;
+    return NULL;
+}
+
+void *calloc(size_t nmemb, size_t size)
+{
+    (void)nmemb;
+    (void)size;
+    errno = ENOSYS;
+    return NULL;
+}
+
+void *realloc(void *ptr, size_t size)
+{
+    (void)ptr;
+    (void)size;
+    errno = ENOSYS;
+    return NULL;
+}
+
+void free(void *ptr)
+{
+    (void)ptr;
+    /* Nothing to do until the allocator exists. */
+}
+
+/* Stub: needs errno/base handling (ERANGE, EINVAL, 0x/0o prefixes). */
+long strtol(const char *s, char **endptr, int base)
+{
+    (void)s;
+    (void)endptr;
+    (void)base;
+    errno = ENOSYS;
+    return 0;
+}

src/string.c

@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
+/*
+ * string.c — real, minimal implementations of the memory/string core.
+ *
+ * Byte-at-a-time on purpose: for the sizes Null Linux deals with, and for
+ * the goal of keeping the code obviously correct, word-at-a-time tricks
+ * are not worth the branch soup. If profiling ever says otherwise, the
+ * benchmark suite will say so (see benchmarks/).
+ */
+
+#include <string.h>
+
+size_t strlen(const char *s)
+{
+    const char *p = s;
+    while (*p)
+        p++;
+    return (size_t)(p - s);
+}
+
+int strcmp(const char *a, const char *b)
+{
+    while (*a && *a == *b) {
+        a++;
+        b++;
+    }
+    return (unsigned char)*a - (unsigned char)*b;
+}
+
+int strncmp(const char *a, const char *b, size_t n)
+{
+    for (; n && *a && *a == *b; n--, a++, b++)
+        ;
+    if (n == 0)
+        return 0;
+    return (unsigned char)*a - (unsigned char)*b;
+}
+
+char *strcpy(char *dst, const char *src)
+{
+    char *d = dst;
+    while ((*d++ = *src++))
+        ;
+    return dst;
+}
+
+char *strncpy(char *dst, const char *src, size_t n)
+{
+    char *d = dst;
+    while (n && *src) {
+        *d++ = *src++;
+        n--;
+    }
+    while (n--)
+        *d++ = '\0';
+    return dst;
+}
+
+void *memcpy(void *restrict dst, const void *restrict src, size_t n)
+{
+    unsigned char *d = dst;
+    const unsigned char *s = src;
+    while (n--)
+        *d++ = *s++;
+    return dst;
+}
+
+void *memmove(void *dst, const void *src, size_t n)
+{
+    unsigned char *d = dst;
+    const unsigned char *s = src;
+
+    if ((size_t)(d - s) >= n) {
+        /* No overlap (or exact): copy forward. */
+        while (n--)
+            *d++ = *s++;
+    } else {
+        /* Overlap: copy backward. */
+        d += n;
+        s += n;
+        while (n--)
+            *--d = *--s;
+    }
+    return dst;
+}
+
+int memcmp(const void *a, const void *b, size_t n)
+{
+    const unsigned char *x = a;
+    const unsigned char *y = b;
+    while (n--) {
+        if (*x != *y)
+            return *x - *y;
+        x++;
+        y++;
+    }
+    return 0;
+}
+
+void *memset(void *dst, int c, size_t n)
+{
+    unsigned char *d = dst;
+    while (n--)
+        *d++ = (unsigned char)c;
+    return dst;
+}

src/syscall.c

@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+/*
+ * syscall.c — the raw syscall entry point.
+ *
+ * This is the ONLY file in nulsl-libc that executes the `syscall`
+ * instruction. Every other function that reaches the kernel goes
+ * through here (see docs/syscalls.md).
+ *
+ * ABI: on error the kernel returns -errno in rax. We follow the glibc
+ * convention for syscall(): return -1 and set errno. (The -4095 bound is
+ * the documented Linux range for negative errno values.)
+ */
+
+#include <errno.h>
+#include <stdarg.h>
+#include <sys/syscall.h>
+
+long syscall(long number, ...)
+{
+    va_list ap;
+    long a1, a2, a3, a4, a5, a6;
+    long ret;
+
+    va_start(ap, number);
+    a1 = va_arg(ap, long);
+    a2 = va_arg(ap, long);
+    a3 = va_arg(ap, long);
+    a4 = va_arg(ap, long);
+    a5 = va_arg(ap, long);
+    a6 = va_arg(ap, long);
+    va_end(ap);
+
+#if defined(__x86_64__)
+    /* System V AMD64 ABI: number in rax, args in rdi rsi rdx r10 r8 r9. */
+    register long r10 __asm__("r10") = a4;
+    register long r8 __asm__("r8") = a5;
+    register long r9 __asm__("r9") = a6;
+    __asm__ volatile("syscall"
+                     : "=a"(ret)
+                     : "a"(number), "D"(a1), "S"(a2), "d"(a3), "r"(r10),
+                       "r"(r8), "r"(r9)
+                     : "rcx", "r11", "memory");
+#else
+#error "nulsl-libc: no syscall ABI for this architecture yet — see src/arch/"
+#endif
+
+    if (ret < 0 && ret >= -4095) {
+        errno = (int)-ret;
+        return -1;
+    }
+    return ret;
+}

src/unistd.c

@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+/*
+ * unistd.c — thin wrappers around raw syscalls.
+ *
+ * Each function here is a one-liner on purpose: the kernel is the API
+ * (project guideline #6), and a wrapper that does more than translate
+ * arguments is a wrapper that can lie. Error translation (kernel -errno
+ * -> errno) happens inside syscall() itself.
+ */
+
+#include <errno.h>
+#include <sys/syscall.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+
+ssize_t read(int fd, void *buf, size_t count)
+{
+    return (ssize_t)syscall(SYS_read, fd, buf, count);
+}
+
+ssize_t write(int fd, const void *buf, size_t count)
+{
+    return (ssize_t)syscall(SYS_write, fd, buf, count);
+}
+
+int close(int fd)
+{
+    return (int)syscall(SYS_close, fd);
+}
+
+pid_t getpid(void)
+{
+    return (pid_t)syscall(SYS_getpid);
+}
+
+void _exit(int status)
+{
+    syscall(SYS_exit, status);
+    for (;;)
+        ; /* unreachable */
+}
+
+/* Stub: trivially a one-liner once wanted (SYS_unlink = 87 on x86_64). */
+int unlink(const char *path)
+{
+    (void)path;
+    errno = ENOSYS;
+    return -1;
+}

tests/smoke.c

@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+/*
+ * smoke.c — end-to-end smoke test.
+ *
+ * Linked with crt0.o + libc.a, -nostdlib -static: if this binary runs at
+ * all, the whole chain works — entry point, main(), our string code, and
+ * raw syscalls — with no dynamic linker and no glibc in the process.
+ */
+
+#include <string.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+
+int main(void)
+{
+    static const char msg[] = "nulsl-libc smoke test: ok\n";
+
+    if (strcmp("abc", "abc") != 0)
+        return 1;
+    if (strcmp("abc", "abd") == 0)
+        return 2;
+    if (strncmp("abcdef", "abcxyz", 3) != 0)
+        return 3;
+    if (strlen("nulsl") != 5)
+        return 4;
+    if (memcmp("abcd", "abce", 3) != 0)
+        return 5;
+    if (write(STDOUT_FILENO, msg, sizeof msg - 1) < 0)
+        return 6;
+
+    return 0;
+}