From c914083102de6c582b26c027e1f2456323b6fc77 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: hl-valdemar <valdemar.lorenzen@icloud.com>
Date: Sun, 12 Jul 2026 19:48:36 +0200
Subject: [PATCH] enforce leading comptime params

---
 LANGUAGE.md                   |  1 +
 TODO.md                       |  1 +
 compiler/checker/checker.odin | 14 ++++++++++++++
 compiler_tests.odin           | 36 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 4 files changed, 52 insertions(+)

diff --git a/LANGUAGE.md b/LANGUAGE.md
index d7639fe..adcc71c 100644
--- a/LANGUAGE.md
+++ b/LANGUAGE.md
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ roadmap and milestone history.
 - integer comptime value parameters such as `make_array func($N usize) [N]u8`, specialized by value and omitted from the runtime ABI
 - explicit comptime type parameters such as `max func($T type, a, b T) T`, specialized by type and omitted from the runtime ABI
 - leading comptime type/integer parameters may be omitted when uniquely recoverable from runtime argument types or the immediate expected result; explicit calls remain valid
+- comptime parameters must form one leading prefix before all runtime parameters
 - forced typed comptime expressions such as `$sum(1, 2)`, `$Point { x = 1, y = 2 }`, and comptime value blocks such as `${ yield 4 }`
 - comptime execution for bodyful Brolang functions with mutable locals, loops, `defer`, `match`, `try`/`catch`, pointer/slice storage mutation, pointer captures, and calls through comptime-known function values
 - comptime type factories such as `Box func($T type) type { return struct { value T } }`; calls like `Box(i32)` are concrete nominal types and may appear anywhere a type is expected
diff --git a/TODO.md b/TODO.md
index 9653ca4..e4362e3 100644
--- a/TODO.md
+++ b/TODO.md
@@ -787,6 +787,7 @@
     the resolved parameter type before ordinary coercion
   - calls are all-explicit or all-inferred (no partial prefix omission); unconstrained/conflicting
     values diagnose with the explicit call as the escape hatch
+  - comptime parameters must form one leading prefix before every runtime parameter
   - the existing specialization/HIR/LLVM ABI is unchanged; `std/mem` and `std/arraylist` now use the
     inferred form where their arguments or result provide enough information
 
diff --git a/compiler/checker/checker.odin b/compiler/checker/checker.odin
index cb3435f..915b457 100644
--- a/compiler/checker/checker.odin
+++ b/compiler/checker/checker.odin
@@ -2060,7 +2060,21 @@ validate_declarations :: proc(checker: ^Checker) {
 		has_comptime := function_has_comptime_params(function)
 		locals: [dynamic]symbol.Id
 		locals.allocator = checker.allocator
+		seen_runtime_param := false
+		comptime_order_reported := false
 		for param in function.params {
+			if param.comptime_value {
+				if seen_runtime_param && !comptime_order_reported {
+					checker.template_diagnostics[function_id] = source.add(
+						checker.diagnostics,
+						param.span,
+						"comptime parameters must form a leading parameter prefix",
+					)
+					comptime_order_reported = true
+				}
+			} else {
+				seen_runtime_param = true
+			}
 			param_type := types.INVALID
 			if param.comptime_value || !has_comptime {
 				param_type = type_from_syntax(checker, param.type, function.pkg, function.file)
diff --git a/compiler_tests.odin b/compiler_tests.odin
index e31c747..5e687f0 100644
--- a/compiler_tests.odin
+++ b/compiler_tests.odin
@@ -2650,6 +2650,42 @@ main func() void {
 	testing.expect(t, unrecoverable >= 3)
 }
 
+@(test)
+comptime_params_must_form_leading_prefix :: proc(t: ^testing.T) {
+	text := `valid func($T type, $N usize, value T) [N]T {
+	result [N]T = undefined
+	_ = value
+	return result
+}
+runtime_first func(value i32, $T type, $N usize) T { return value }
+split func($T type, value T, $N usize) [N]T {
+	result [N]T = undefined
+	_ = value
+	return result
+}
+main func() void {}
+`
+	source_file := source.Source{path="test.bro", text=text}
+	diagnostics := source.init_diagnostics(&source_file)
+	defer source.destroy_diagnostics(&diagnostics)
+	symbols := symbol.init_table()
+	defer symbol.destroy_table(&symbols)
+	stream := lexer.lex(&source_file, &diagnostics, &symbols)
+	defer delete(stream.items)
+	ast_module := parser.parse(&stream, &source_file, &diagnostics)
+	defer ast.destroy_module(&ast_module)
+	hir_module := checker.check(&ast_module, &diagnostics, &symbols)
+	defer hir.destroy_module(&hir_module)
+
+	count := 0
+	for diagnostic in diagnostics.items {
+		if strings.contains(diagnostic.message, "comptime parameters must form a leading parameter prefix") {
+			count += 1
+		}
+	}
+	testing.expect_value(t, count, 2)
+}
+
 @(test)
 comptime_type_params_specialize_by_type_and_omit_runtime_args :: proc(t: ^testing.T) {
 	text := `Point :: struct {