diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 25bef26..4304154 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -1159,6 +1159,15 @@ version = "1.0.15"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "57c0d7b74b563b49d38dae00a0c37d4d6de9b432382b2892f0574ddcae73fd0a"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "pawarser"
+version = "0.1.0"
+dependencies = [
+ "drop_bomb",
+ "enumset",
+ "rowan",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "petgraph"
 version = "0.6.5"
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 6b774ed..e5c6dc7 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ members = [
   "crates/lang", 
   "crates/svg-filters",
   "crates/prowocessing", 
-  "crates/executor-poc",
+  "crates/executor-poc", "crates/pawarser",
 ]
 resolver = "2"
 
diff --git a/crates/pawarser/Cargo.toml b/crates/pawarser/Cargo.toml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..787cb2f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/pawarser/Cargo.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+[package]
+name = "pawarser"
+version = "0.1.0"
+edition = "2021"
+
+[dependencies]
+rowan = "0.15.15"
+drop_bomb = "0.1.5"
+enumset = "1.1.3"
+
+[lints]
+workspace = true
diff --git a/crates/pawarser/src/lib.rs b/crates/pawarser/src/lib.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..92dcd54
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/pawarser/src/lib.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+#![feature(iter_collect_into)]
+pub mod parser;
diff --git a/crates/pawarser/src/parser.rs b/crates/pawarser/src/parser.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..196c776
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/pawarser/src/parser.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+use std::cell::Cell;
+
+use enumset::{EnumSet, EnumSetType};
+
+use self::{error::SyntaxError, event::Event, input::Input};
+
+mod error;
+mod event;
+pub mod input;
+
+pub struct Parser<
+    'src,
+    'toks,
+    SyntaxKind: EnumSetType + Into<rowan::SyntaxKind>,
+    SyntaxErr: SyntaxError,
+> {
+    input: Input<'src, 'toks, SyntaxKind>,
+    pos: usize,
+    events: Vec<Event<SyntaxKind, SyntaxErr>>,
+    step_limit: u32,
+    steps: Cell<u32>,
+}
+
+pub struct ParserBuilder<
+    'src,
+    'toks,
+    SyntaxKind: EnumSetType + Into<rowan::SyntaxKind>,
+    // SyntaxErr: SyntaxError,
+> {
+    raw_toks: &'toks Vec<(SyntaxKind, &'src str)>,
+    meaningless_token_kinds: EnumSet<SyntaxKind>,
+    step_limit: u32,
+}
+
+impl<'src, 'toks, SyntaxKind: EnumSetType + Into<rowan::SyntaxKind>>
+    ParserBuilder<'src, 'toks, SyntaxKind>
+{
+    pub fn new(raw_toks: &'toks Vec<(SyntaxKind, &'src str)>) -> Self {
+        Self {
+            raw_toks,
+            meaningless_token_kinds: EnumSet::new(),
+            step_limit: 4096,
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Sets the parser step limit.
+    /// Defaults to 4096
+    pub fn step_limit(mut self, new: u32) -> Self {
+        self.step_limit = new;
+        self
+    }
+
+    pub fn add_meaningless(mut self, kind: SyntaxKind) -> Self {
+        self.meaningless_token_kinds.insert(kind);
+        self
+    }
+
+    pub fn add_meaningless_many(mut self, kind: Vec<SyntaxKind>) -> Self {
+        self.meaningless_token_kinds
+            .insert_all(kind.into_iter().collect());
+        self
+    }
+
+    pub fn build<SyntaxErr: SyntaxError>(self) -> Parser<'src, 'toks, SyntaxKind, SyntaxErr> {
+        let Self {
+            raw_toks,
+            meaningless_token_kinds,
+            step_limit,
+        } = self;
+        Parser {
+            input: Input::new(raw_toks, Some(meaningless_token_kinds)),
+            pos: 0,
+            events: Vec::new(),
+            step_limit,
+            steps: Cell::new(0),
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/crates/pawarser/src/parser/error.rs b/crates/pawarser/src/parser/error.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e27c536
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/pawarser/src/parser/error.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+/// A marker trait... for now!
+// TODO: constrain that conversion to `NodeKind::Error` is enforced to be possible
+pub trait SyntaxError {}
diff --git a/crates/pawarser/src/parser/event.rs b/crates/pawarser/src/parser/event.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cb1bed7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/pawarser/src/parser/event.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+use enumset::EnumSetType;
+
+use super::error::SyntaxError;
+
+pub enum Event<SyntaxKind: EnumSetType + Into<rowan::SyntaxKind>, SyntaxErr: SyntaxError> {
+    Start {
+        kind: NodeKind<SyntaxKind, SyntaxErr>,
+        forward_parent: Option<usize>,
+    },
+    Finish,
+    Eat {
+        count: usize,
+    },
+}
+
+impl<SyntaxKind: EnumSetType + Into<rowan::SyntaxKind>, SyntaxErr: SyntaxError>
+    Event<SyntaxKind, SyntaxErr>
+{
+    pub fn tombstone() -> Self {
+        Self::Start {
+            kind: NodeKind::Tombstone,
+            forward_parent: None,
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+pub enum NodeKind<SyntaxKind: EnumSetType + Into<rowan::SyntaxKind>, SyntaxErr: SyntaxError> {
+    Tombstone,
+    Syntax(SyntaxKind),
+    Error(SyntaxErr),
+}
+
+impl<SyntaxKind: EnumSetType + Into<rowan::SyntaxKind>, SyntaxErr: SyntaxError>
+    NodeKind<SyntaxKind, SyntaxErr>
+{
+    pub fn is_tombstone(&self) -> bool {
+        matches!(self, Self::Tombstone)
+    }
+    pub fn is_syntax(&self) -> bool {
+        matches!(self, Self::Syntax(_))
+    }
+    pub fn is_error(&self) -> bool {
+        matches!(self, Self::Error(_))
+    }
+}
diff --git a/crates/pawarser/src/parser/input.rs b/crates/pawarser/src/parser/input.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b148497
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/pawarser/src/parser/input.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+use enumset::{EnumSet, EnumSetType};
+
+pub struct Input<'src, 'toks, SyntaxKind: EnumSetType + Into<rowan::SyntaxKind>> {
+    raw: &'toks Vec<(SyntaxKind, &'src str)>,
+    // enumset of meaningless tokens
+    semantically_meaningless: EnumSet<SyntaxKind>,
+    // indices of non-meaningless tokens
+    meaningful_toks: Vec<usize>,
+}
+
+impl<'src, 'toks, SyntaxKind: EnumSetType + Into<rowan::SyntaxKind>>
+    Input<'src, 'toks, SyntaxKind>
+{
+    pub fn new(
+        raw_toks: &'toks Vec<(SyntaxKind, &'src str)>,
+        meaningless: Option<EnumSet<SyntaxKind>>,
+    ) -> Self {
+        let mut meaningful_toks = Vec::new();
+
+        if let Some(meaningless) = meaningless {
+            let meaningful_toks = raw_toks
+                .iter()
+                .enumerate()
+                .filter_map(|(i, tok)| (!meaningless.contains(tok.0)).then_some(i))
+                .collect_into(&mut meaningful_toks);
+        }
+
+        Self {
+            raw: raw_toks,
+            semantically_meaningless: meaningless.unwrap_or_default(),
+            meaningful_toks,
+        }
+    }
+}