Host Functions (Intrinsics)
Intrinsics are the functions the VM exposes to a contract's WebAssembly — how a contract reads its input, touches state, checks authorization, does crypto, and emits actions. PulseVM implements the Antelope intrinsic set; for the precise semantics of each function, the Antelope C++ CDT reference is the canonical source.
This page lists what PulseVM serves today and the few families still landing, so you know before you build. The CDTs (Rust, C++, TypeScript/AS) wrap these — you rarely call them directly, but if a contract imports one that isn't served, it won't load, so the supported set is what matters.
About 180 host functions on main
The latest tagged release is v0.7.1 (2026-08-20). main has moved on: it serves about 180 host functions, including everything listed as "now served" below, but a node running v0.7.1 does not have those additions yet. Not served on either: the CRYPTO_PRIMITIVES set, bls_* and set_finalizers.
History: expanded in v0.5.0, hardened in v0.5.1
As of v0.5.0 (tagged 2026-07-22), PulseVM serves the full classic Antelope host-function surface — all secondary-index key types, the standard crypto suite, transaction/TAPoS introspection, permission checks, context-free actions, and the int128/float128 compiler builtins. The vast majority of XPR Network, EOS and WAX contracts run unchanged. v0.5.1 further aligns semantics with the Antelope reference: eosio_assert/pulse_assert now fail only on condition == 0 (any non-zero value is truthy, matching nodeos), CPU billing is fully deterministic across producers and verifiers, and asset (de)serialization matches nodeos bounds. See Antelope Compatibility for the migration view.
Supported today
Action & context — read the current action and execution context. read_action_data · action_data_size · current_receiver · current_time · set_action_return_value · get_action
Authorization & permissions — enforce and query permissions. require_auth · require_auth2 · require_recipient · has_auth · is_account · check_transaction_authorization · check_permission_authorization · get_permission_last_used · get_account_creation_time
Inline & context-free actions — a contract sending further actions. send_inline · send_context_free_inline · context-free action execution · get_context_free_data
Transaction & TAPoS introspectionread_transaction · transaction_size · expiration · tapos_block_num · tapos_block_prefix
Database — primary index (i64)db_store_i64 · db_update_i64 · db_remove_i64 · db_get_i64 · db_find_i64 · db_lowerbound_i64 · db_upperbound_i64 · db_next_i64 · db_previous_i64 · db_end_i64
Database — secondary indexes (all key types) db_idx64_* · db_idx128_* · db_idx256_* · db_idx_double_* · db_idx_long_double_* — each with the full set: store · update · remove · find_primary · find_secondary · lowerbound · upperbound · next · previous · end
Cryptographysha1 · sha224 · sha256 · sha512 · ripemd160 · recover_key — and the asserting variants assert_sha1 · assert_sha224 · assert_sha256 · assert_sha512 · assert_ripemd160 · assert_recover_key
Asserts & control flowpulse_assert · pulse_assert_message · pulse_assert_code · eosio_assert · eosio_assert_message · eosio_assert_code · pulse_exit · eosio_exit · abort
Console / debug outputprints · prints_l · printi · printui · printi128 · printui128 · printsf · printdf · printqf · printn · printhex
Memorymemcpy · memmove · memset · memcmp
Privileged, resources & chain params (system contracts) is_privileged · set_privileged · get_resource_limits · set_resource_limits · get_blockchain_parameters_packed · set_blockchain_parameters_packed
Producers and schedule (Antelope-compatible producer records and schedules for system contracts, since v0.6.x; separate from validator admission) get_active_producers · set_proposed_producers
Math builtins (compiler support) Full int128 (__*ti3 shifts, __multi3, __divti3, __modti3, __udivti3, __umodti3, conversions) and float128 / long double (__addtf3, __subtf3, __multf3, __divtf3, comparisons, conversions) surface.
Still landing
Two families aren't served yet. They're uncommon outside zk / EVM-bridge and specialized cryptographic contracts — a contract that imports one won't load until it's added:
| Family | Functions | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced crypto primitives | alt_bn128_add · alt_bn128_mul · alt_bn128_pair · mod_exp · blake2_f · sha3 · k1_recover | pairing / zk / EVM-bridge use cases |
| Spring / Savanna | bls_* · set_finalizers | used by the current EOS and Telos system contracts; not needed by XPR Network contracts |
Now served on main, not yet in a tagged release (moved out of this table in September 2026): the context accessors get_sender, nodeos-exact get_code_hash, get_block_num and publication_time; is_feature_activated / preactivate_feature; and send_deferred / cancel_deferred — the last three families are recent additions. Deferred transactions remain deprecated in Antelope; prefer inline actions in new code.
If your design depends on something here, get in touch — intrinsic coverage is actively expanding.