Lean API Platform

March 26, 2026 · View on GitHub

LAP — Lean API Platform

Lean API Platform

Agent-Native API specs. Verified, compressed, ready to install.

PyPI Tests npm
Claude Code Skill OpenClaw Skill Cursor Rules Codex Skill
PRs Welcome Star this repo
APIs in Registry

Website · Registry · Benchmarks · Docs

Request a Spec · Report a Bug · Request a Feature


Without API documentation, LLM agents hallucinate endpoints, invent parameters, and guess auth flows -- scoring just 0.399 accuracy in blind tests.

LAP fixes this. One command gives your agent a verified, agent-native API spec -- jumping accuracy to 0.860. And because LAP specs are up to 10x smaller than raw OpenAPI, you also save 35% on cost and run 29% faster.

Not minification -- a purpose-built compiler with its own grammar.

Proven in 500 blind runs across 50 APIs

88% fewer tokens, 35% lower cost, same accuracy

LAP Lean scored 0.851 (vs 0.825 raw) while using 35% less cost and 29% less time -- same accuracy, far fewer tokens.

Full benchmark report (500 runs, 50 specs, 5 formats) · Benchmark methodology and data

Quick Start

# Set up LAP in your IDE
npx @lap-platform/lapsh init                    # Claude Code
npx @lap-platform/lapsh init --target cursor    # Cursor
npx @lap-platform/lapsh init --target codex     # Codex

# Search the registry for an API
npx @lap-platform/lapsh search payment

# Download a spec
npx @lap-platform/lapsh get stripe -o stripe.lap


# Install an API skill
npx @lap-platform/lapsh skill-install stripe

# Or compile your own spec
npx @lap-platform/lapsh compile api.yaml --lean

Use as an Agent Skill

Install the LAP skill so your agent can search, compile, and manage APIs automatically:

Claude Code:

npx @lap-platform/lapsh init

Cursor:

npx @lap-platform/lapsh init --target cursor

Codex (CLI & VS Code extension):

npx @lap-platform/lapsh init --target codex

Codex agents use curl for registry operations (search, get, check) instead of npx -- instant in the sandbox. Skills install to ~/.codex/skills/. Auto-update hooks are pre-configured for when Codex enables its hooks engine (codex_hooks feature flag is currently experimental).

OpenClaw: install from ClawHub or copy manually:

cp -r skills/lap ~/.openclaw/skills/lap

Once installed, agents auto-trigger the skill when working with APIs -- or invoke it directly with /lap. You can also install individual API skills for specific integrations:

npx @lap-platform/lapsh skill-install stripe
# Agent now knows the full Stripe API

Want to get listed? Register as a verified publisher and share your specs and skills with the registry.

# Install globally (npm or pip)
npm install -g @lap-platform/lapsh
pip install lapsh

What You Get

  • 📦 Registry — browse and install 1500+ pre-compiled specs at lap.sh
  • 🗜️ 5.2× median compression on OpenAPI, up to 39.6× on large specs — 35% cheaper, 29% faster (benchmarks)
  • 📐 Typed contractsenum(a|b|c), str(uuid), int=10 prevent agent hallucination
  • 🔌 6 input formats — OpenAPI, GraphQL, AsyncAPI, Protobuf, Postman, Smithy
  • 🎯 Zero information loss — every endpoint, param, and type constraint preserved
  • 🔁 Round-trip — convert back to OpenAPI with lapsh convert
  • 🤖 Skill generationlapsh skill creates agent-ready skills from any spec
  • 🔗 Integrations — LangChain, Context Hub, Python/TypeScript SDKs

How It Works

How LAP works — 5 compression stages

Five compression stages, each targeting a different source of token waste:

StageWhat it doesSavings
Structural removalStrip YAML scaffolding — paths:, requestBody:, schema: wrappers vanish~30%
Directive grammar@directives replace nested structures with flat, single-line declarations~25%
Type compressiontype: string, format: uuidstr(uuid)~10%
Redundancy eliminationShared fields extracted once via @common_fields and @type~20%
Lean modeStrip descriptions — LLMs infer meaning from well-named parameters~15%

LAP CLI demo

Benchmarks

1,500+ specs · 5,228 endpoints · 4.37M → 423K tokens

Compression by API format

FormatSpecsMedianBest
OpenAPI305.2×39.6×
Postman364.1×24.9×
Protobuf351.5×60.1×
AsyncAPI311.4×39.1×
GraphQL301.3×40.9×

Verbose formats compress most — they carry the most structural overhead. Already-concise formats like GraphQL still benefit from type deduplication.

The Ecosystem

LAP is more than a compiler:

ComponentWhatCommand
InitSet up LAP in your IDElapsh init --target claude
SearchFind APIs in the registrylapsh search payment
GetDownload a spec by namelapsh get stripe
Skill InstallInstall an API skilllapsh skill-install stripe --target claude
Skill UninstallRemove an installed skilllapsh skill-uninstall stripe
UninstallFully remove LAP from your IDElapsh uninstall --target claude
CheckCheck installed skills for updateslapsh check [--target claude|cursor|codex]
DiffCompare installed skill vs registrylapsh diff stripe
Pin / UnpinSkip or resume update checkslapsh pin stripe
CompilerAny spec → .laplapsh compile api.yaml
Skill GeneratorCreate agent-ready skills from any speclapsh skill api.yaml --install
API DifferDetect breaking API changeslapsh diff old.lap new.lap
Round-tripConvert LAP back to OpenAPIlapsh convert api.lap -f openapi
PublishShare specs to the registrylapsh publish api.yaml --provider acme

Claude Code, Cursor & Codex: The lap skill is included -- run lapsh init and your agent can search, install, and manage API skills directly. Claude Code and Cursor support auto-update checks via SessionStart hooks. Codex hooks are pre-configured and will activate when the codex_hooks feature becomes stable.

Supported Formats

lapsh compile  api.yaml           # OpenAPI 3.x / Swagger
lapsh compile  schema.graphql     # GraphQL SDL
lapsh compile  events.yaml        # AsyncAPI
lapsh compile  service.proto      # Protobuf / gRPC
lapsh compile  collection.json    # Postman v2.1
lapsh compile  model.smithy       # AWS Smithy

Format is auto-detected. Override with -f openapi|graphql|asyncapi|protobuf|postman|smithy.

Top Compressions

Top 15 OpenAPI APIs by compression ratio

Integrations

# LangChain
from lap.middleware import LAPDocLoader
docs = LAPDocLoader("stripe.lap").load()

LangChain, Context Hub, and Python/TypeScript SDKs. See integration docs.

FAQ

Why do agents hallucinate API calls?

Because they have no way to find the spec, and even if they could, it's a million tokens of YAML written for humans. Agents without specs score 0.399 accuracy -- wrong 60% of the time. They hallucinate endpoint paths, send invalid types, and miss auth. Give them a LAP spec and accuracy jumps to 0.860. The spec doesn't make the agent smarter. It makes guessing unnecessary.

How is this different from OpenAPI?

LAP doesn't replace OpenAPI — it compiles FROM it. Like TypeScript → JavaScript: you keep your OpenAPI specs, your existing tooling, everything. LAP adds a compilation step for the LLM runtime.

How is this different from MCP?

MCP defines how agents discover and invoke tools (the plumbing). LAP compresses the documentation those tools expose (the payload). They're complementary — LAP can compress MCP tool schemas.

Why not just minify the JSON?

Minification removes whitespace — that's ~10% savings. LAP performs semantic compression: flattening nested structures, deduplicating schemas, compressing type declarations, and stripping structural overhead. That's 5-40× savings. Different class of tool.

What about prompt caching?

Use both. Compress with LAP first, then cache the compressed version. LAP reduces the first-call cost and frees context window space. Caching reduces repeated-call cost. They stack.

Will LLMs understand this format?

Yes. LAP uses conventions LLMs already know — @directive syntax, {name: type} notation, HTTP methods and paths. In blind tests, agents produce identical correct output from LAP and raw OpenAPI. The typed contracts actually reduce hallucination.

What if token costs keep dropping?

Cost is the least important argument. The core value is typed contracts: enum(succeeded|pending|failed) prevents hallucinated values regardless of token price. Plus: formal grammar (parseable by code, not just LLMs), schema diffing, and faster inference from fewer input tokens.

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md. CI runs on every push and PR -- Python 3.11/3.12 and Node 18/20.

Python (18 test files, 1,083 tests):

SuiteWhat it covers
CompilersOpenAPI, GraphQL, AsyncAPI, Protobuf, Postman, Smithy
Round-tripCompile → parse → re-emit across 190+ specs
Skill & ToolSkill compiler, tool format, MCP manifest, skill updates
AgentAgent implementation verification (enum, nested, array handling)
DifferBreaking change detection, compatibility checking
CLIAuth, search, version, integration (subprocess)
QualityRegression tests for compiler bug fixes

TypeScript SDK (14 test files -- full compiler parity):

SuiteWhat it covers
CompilersOpenAPI, GraphQL, AsyncAPI, Protobuf, Postman, Smithy, AWS SDK
Parser & SerializerLAP text round-trip in TypeScript
SkillsSkill compilation, LLM integration
CLI & AuthCLI commands, credential management
SearchRegistry search helpers
git clone https://github.com/Lap-Platform/lap.git
cd lap

# Python tests
pip install -e ".[dev]"
pytest

# TypeScript SDK tests
cd sdks/typescript
npm ci && npm test

License

Apache 2.0 — See NOTICE for attribution.


lap.sh · Built by the LAP team