scheme

Start REPL

$ scheme

$ scheme [file.scm]

$ scheme -e "[(+ 1 2)]"

$ scheme -l [file.scm]

$ scheme -q

scheme [-e expr] [-l file] [options] [file]

scheme is an interpreter for the Scheme programming language, a minimalist dialect of Lisp emphasizing functional programming, lexical scoping, and first-class procedures. It provides both an interactive REPL for experimentation and the ability to run Scheme source files directly.
Scheme's design follows the R5RS and R7RS language standards, providing a small but powerful core with features like proper tail recursion, continuations, and hygienic macros. The interactive REPL allows evaluating expressions immediately, making it well-suited for learning, prototyping, and exploring algorithms.
The scheme command may refer to different implementations depending on the system, including MIT/GNU Scheme, Chez Scheme, or GNU Guile. Each implementation offers its own extensions beyond the standard, so behavior and available libraries may vary.

-e EXPR

Evaluate expression.

Load file.

Quiet startup.

Show help.

Show version.

Implementation varies. Name may differ (guile, mit-scheme). Portability concerns.

Scheme was designed by Guy Steele and Gerald Sussman in 1975. Various implementations provide the scheme command.

guile(1), racket(1), clisp(1)