---
title: "Hoot 0.10.0 released!"
slug: hoot-0-10-0-released
url: https://listedarticles.com/articles/hoot-0-10-0-released
canonical_url: https://spritely.institute/news/hoot-0-10-0-released.html
content_type: announcement
language: en
published_at: 2026-10-28T00:00:00.000Z
updated_at: 2026-10-28T20:19:36.647Z
author: "Dave Thompson"
authored_by: human
publisher: "Spritely Institute"
publisher_url: https://spritely.institute/
topics: ["WebAssembly", "Scheme", "Open Source", "Programming Languages"]
license: all-rights-reserved
word_count: 1061
reading_minutes: 5
citation: "Dave Thompson, Spritely Institute. \"Hoot 0.10.0 released!.\" 28 Oct 2026. https://spritely.institute/news/hoot-0-10-0-released.html (all-rights-reserved)"
# The full text follows. The web page shows an extract and sends readers
# to the source above; quote the citation and link the canonical URL.
---

# Hoot 0.10.0 released!

> Spritely Institute releases Hoot 0.10.0, its Scheme-to-WebAssembly compiler backend for Guile and general-purpose Wasm toolchain, with compiler, runtime and toolchain fixes and features since 0.9.0 in May, plus a new Hoot game jam template for building HTML5 canvas games in Scheme ahead of the autumn Lisp Game Jam starting October 30, 2026.

*Dave Thompson · Spritely Institute · October 28, 2026*

We are excited to announce the release of [Hoot](https://spritely.institute/hoot) 0.10.0! Hoot
is a Scheme to WebAssembly compiler backend for
[Guile](https://gnu.org/software/guile), as well as a general purpose
WebAssembly toolchain. In other words, *Scheme in the browser!*

This release contains new features and bug fixes and since the [0.9.0
release](https://spritely.institute/news/hoot-0-9-0-released.html) back in May.

## Use Hoot in the upcoming Lisp Game Jam!

On Friday (October 30th 2026), the [autumn edition of the Lisp Game
Jam](https://itch.io/jam/autumn-lisp-game-jam-2026) will begin! It's
a 10-day long game jam where participants make games using their
favorite flavor of Lisp.

Does making a small web game in Scheme using Hoot sound appealing to
you? Well, then we have just the thing to get you started: the [Hoot
game jam
template!](https://codeberg.org/spritely/hoot-game-jam-template) This
template project has everything you need to start making an HTML5 game
with Hoot quickly.

The template repository includes:

- Bindings to the necessary web APIs to make an interactive game with
  HTML5 canvas
- A Makefile for compiling, running a development web server, and
  generating a .zip bundle for uploading to itch.io
- A very simple Breakout-like example game that demonstrates how to
  put all the pieces together

For more inspiration, here are some games made with Hoot for past
jams:

- [Cirkoban](https://davexunit.itch.io/cirkoban)
- [Strigoform](https://davexunit.itch.io/strigoform)
- [Shields TYVM](https://podatus.itch.io/shields-tyvm)

Now, onto the release notes!

## Compiler changes

- Added module name to contextualize duplicate import errors.
- Added support for library versioning for R6RS compatibility.
- Fixed default version for `define-module` libraries.
- Fixed `locate-library` not respecting configured load extensions.
  Previously, we were using Guile's load extension parameter instead
  of Hoot's own.

## Runtime changes

- Added `%struct-ref` and `%struct-set!` primitives for accessing
  record types defined using the interpreter.
- Stopped raising errors when importing an undefined symbol in the
  runtime module system. Guile is lax about this so Hoot being strict
  caused compatibility issues.
- Fixed optional argument parsing in `primitive-eval`.
- Fixed keyword argument parsing for procedures with both optional and
  keyword arguments in `primitive-eval`.
- Fixed error messages regarding runtime module registry to include
  the correct CLI flag: `-fruntime-modules`.

## Scheme changes

- Added partial implementation of
  [SRFI-13](https://srfi.schemers.org/srfi-13/srfi-13.html): String
  Libraries. It's just a set of re-exports, very similar to Guile,
  but Guile's SRFI-13 module is not declarative and is thus rejected
  by Hoot's compiler.
- Added partial implementation of
  [SRFI-60](https://srfi.schemers.org/srfi-60/srfi-60.html): Integers
  as Bits.
- Added `define-macro`, `defmacro`, `delete`, `list->symbol`, and
  `symbol` to `(guile)`.
- Exported `define-syntax-parameter` and `syntax-parameterize`,
  `symbol-append`, `integer-length`, and `gensym` from `(guile)`.
- Added `list->bitvector` and `bitvector` to `(hoot bitvectors)` and
  re-exported them in `(guile)`.
- Implemented `get-bytevector-all` in `(rnrs io ports)`.
- Made `bytevector=?` a publicly exported procedure from `(hoot bytevectors)` and `(rnrs bytevectors)`.
- Added `define-syntax-parameter` and `syntax-parameterize`
  primitives.
- Improved `(ice-9 exceptions)` exports to more closely match Guile.
- Added `(rnrs)` module.
- Added `(rnrs base)` module.
- Added `(rnrs syntax-case)` module.
- Added `(rnrs r5rs)` module.
- Added `(rnrs hashtables)` module.
- Added `(rnrs files)` module.
- Added `(rnrs enums)` module.
- Added `(rnrs exceptions)` module.
- Added `(rnrs arithmetic fixnums)` module.
- Added `(rnrs records inspection)` module.
- Added `(rnrs records procedural)` module.
- Added `(rnrs records syntactic)` module.
- Added `(rnrs io simple)` module.
- Added `(rnrs io ports)` module.
- Added `port-has-position?` to `(hoot ports)` for R6RS compatibility.
- Added stubs for centered division to `(hoot numbers)` and a stub for
  `integer-length` to `(hoot bitwise)` for R6RS compatibility
  (eventually).
- Rewrote `(rnrs bytevectors)` as an R6RS module with version `(6)`.
- Fixed `number->string` to round floating point decimal part to an
  even digit.
- Fixed `number->string` for floating point numbers ±2^N, where 52 <=
  N <= 1023.
- Fixed incorrect bytevector copy in `number->string` floating point
  conversion algorithm.
- Fixed `min`/`max` macros not working when given zero arguments.
- Fixed the parameters to the `log` procedure in `(guile)`.
- Fixed the implementation of `negate` in `guile`. It was doing
  entirely the wrong thing.

## CLI changes

- Port numbers are now validated to be exact integers in the range [1,
  65535].
- Actually complain about invalid option or unknown subcommand.
  Previously, the code that was supposed to do this was unreachable.
- Add `--experimental-wasm-exnref` feature flag when running `hoot compile --run=node` for continued compatibility with supported
  NodeJS versions that don't have the new Wasm exnref feature enabled
  by default.
- Fixed build-time disabling of `hoot server`. In past releases, the
  `hoot` CLI script would still attempt to load should-be-optional
  libraries that `./configure` had already determined to be missing.
  Thanks to mcc for discovering this blunder.

## Documentation changes

- Improved instructions in "Building from source" section of the
  manual.
- Dependencies are now mentioned in the "Advanced path" section of the
  `README`.
- Updated project template `README` to say Guix is *not* required
  (though it's still the easiest option).

## Browser compatibility

- Compatible with Safari 26 or later.
- Compatible with Firefox 121 or later.
- Compatible with Chrome 119 or later.

## Get Hoot

Hoot is available in GNU Guix:

```
$ guix pull
$ guix install guile guile-hoot
```

Also, Hoot is now available in
[Debian](https://tracker.debian.org/pkg/guile-hoot), though it will
take awhile for this release to make it there.

Otherwise, Hoot can be built from source via our release tarball. See
the [Hoot homepage](https://spritely.institute/hoot) for a download link and GPG signature.

Documentation for Hoot 0.10.0, including build instructions, can be
found
[here](https://spritely.institute/files/docs/guile-hoot/0.10.0/index.html).

## Get in touch

For bug reports, pull requests, or just to follow along with
development, check out the [Hoot project on
Codeberg](https://codeberg.org/spritely/hoot).

If you build something cool with Hoot, let us know on our [community
forum](https://community.spritely.institute)!

Thanks to Z572, stdh, Walter Lewis, and Jelle Licht for their
contributions to this release.

Until next time, happy hooting! 🦉

## Thanks to our supporters

Your support makes our work possible! If you like what we do, please
consider [becoming a Spritely supporter today](https://spritely.institute/donate)!

### Diamond tier

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### Gold tier

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---

*Originally published at [Spritely Institute](https://spritely.institute/news/hoot-0-10-0-released.html).*