AEON is a human-readable data notation with visible types, explicit references, and validation before materialization.

The basic surface is intentionally ordinary: keys, types, values, lists, and objects. A first-time reader should be able to scan the file and understand its shape before learning the deeper processing model.

project:object = {
  name:string = "AEON website"
  status:switch = on
  owner:string = "Alto Pelago"
  tags:list<string> = ["docs", "language", "tools"]
}

AEON separates the core document from the layers that give it domain meaning. Profiles describe optional semantic behavior, schemas validate form, and conventions name shared ecosystem behavior. These are useful claims, but the consumer still decides which ones to trust.

aeon:profile = "example.content.v1"
aeon:schema = "example.content.schema.v1"

document:object = {
  title:string = "Release notes"
  status:switch = on
  body:prose = >`
    Content that a profile may render,
    validate, or project.
  `
}

// The document makes claims.
// The consumer chooses which profile, schema,
// convention, or tonic it trusts.

The language is only the front door. AEON Core produces an Assignment Event Stream, AEOS validates the shape, canonical form gives stable representation, and Tonics materialize meaning under trusted consumer authority.

source.aeon → AES → AEOS → canonical form → Tonic

schema = checks shape
canonical = stable representation
Tonic = trusted materialization
conventions = named ecosystem behavior