Generative Compilation: On-the-Fly Compiler Feedback as AI Generates Code

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generative-compilation compiler-feedback rust ai-code-generation constrained-decoding partial-programs formal-methods

Summary

This paper introduces generative compilation, a method to obtain compiler feedback on partial programs during AI code generation, using a 'sealor' transformation that enables standard compilers to diagnose incomplete code. Evaluated on Rust coding tasks, it reduces non-compiling outputs and improves functional correctness by catching errors early.

Languages with rich static semantics, such as Rust, provide stronger guarantees for AI-generated code, but their strictness makes generation more difficult. Off-the-shelf compilers can provide useful feedback post-generation, but does not guide intermediate generation steps, such as those during autoregressive LLM decoding. Constrained decoding intervenes earlier by rejecting invalid tokens during sampling, but requires white-box model access and costly reimplementation for semantic constraints.We introduce generative compilation, the first approach to obtaining compiler feedback on partial programs during generation. The core technical device is a sealor: a lightweight, mostly syntax-guided transformation that converts partial programs into complete ones that standard compilers can diagnose. It is designed such that possible-to-complete partial programs are never rejected, while preserving enough code context to catch genuine dead ends early. We construct such a sealor on a core Rust-like calculus and prove that it satisfies these properties, all mechanized in Lean. We extend it to the first partial-program checker for real Rust. We evaluate our method on challenging repository-level Rust coding tasks, across both frontier black-box and open-weight models. We show that generative compilation reduces non-compiling outputs and improves functional correctness, relative to standard post-generation feedback. It does so by detecting a broad range of errors close to their source and early during generation, thereby reducing errors cascades and enabling focused diagnostics. More broadly, generative compilation is a step toward making compilers a first-class citizen of AI-assisted programming active during generation, rather than a separate post-generation check.
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Paper page - Generative Compilation: On-the-Fly Compiler Feedback as AI Generates Code

Source: https://huggingface.co/papers/2607.13921 Published on Jul 15

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Submitted byhttps://huggingface.co/nmuendler

Nielson Jul 16

Abstract

Languageswithrichstaticsemantics,suchasRust,providestrongerguaranteesforAI-generatedcode,buttheirstrictnessmakesgenerationmoredifficult.Off-the-shelfcompilerscanprovideusefulfeedbackpost-generation,butdoesnotguideintermediategenerationsteps,suchasthoseduringautoregressiveLLMdecoding.Constraineddecodingintervenesearlierbyrejectinginvalidtokensduringsampling,butrequireswhite-boxmodelaccessandcostlyreimplementationforsemanticconstraints.Weintroducegenerativecompilation,thefirstapproachtoobtainingcompilerfeedbackonpartialprogramsduringgeneration.Thecoretechnicaldeviceisasealor:alightweight,mostlysyntax-guidedtransformationthatconvertspartialprogramsintocompleteonesthatstandardcompilerscandiagnose.Itisdesignedsuchthatpossible-to-completepartialprogramsareneverrejected,whilepreservingenoughcodecontexttocatchgenuinedeadendsearly.WeconstructsuchasealoronacoreRust-likecalculusandprovethatitsatisfiestheseproperties,allmechanizedinLean.Weextendittothefirstpartial-programcheckerforrealRust.Weevaluateourmethodonchallengingrepository-levelRustcodingtasks,acrossbothfrontierblack-boxandopen-weightmodels.Weshowthatgenerativecompilationreducesnon-compilingoutputsandimprovesfunctionalcorrectness,relativetostandardpost-generationfeedback.Itdoessobydetectingabroadrangeoferrorsclosetotheirsourceandearlyduringgeneration,therebyreducingerrorscascadesandenablingfocuseddiagnostics.Morebroadly,generativecompilationisasteptowardmakingcompilersafirst-classcitizenofAI-assistedprogrammingactiveduringgeneration,ratherthanaseparatepost-generationcheck.

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