diff --git a/.clang-tidy b/.clang-tidy
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e8ea98a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.clang-tidy
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+Checks: >
+  -*,
+  bugprone-*,
+  modernize-*,
+  performance-*,
+  portability-*,
+  readability-*,
+  -modernize-use-trailing-return-type,
+  -readability-identifier-length,
+  -readability-magic-numbers,
+  -readability-identifier-naming
+
+CheckOptions:
+  - key: modernize-use-nullptr.NullptrMacros
+    value: 'NULL'
diff --git a/.clangd b/.clangd
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4d5d0dd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.clangd
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+CompileFlags:
+  CompilationDatabase: build
+Diagnostics:
+  UnusedIncludes: Strict
+  MissingIncludes: Strict
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index e257658..18bf9d3 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -32,3 +32,7 @@
 *.out
 *.app
 
+# Build
+build/
+compile_commands.json
+
diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..043d788
--- /dev/null
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.20)
+
+# Enforce Clang
+set(CMAKE_C_COMPILER clang)
+set(CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER clang++)
+
+project(kappa VERSION 0.1.0 LANGUAGES CXX)
+
+set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD 23)
+set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD_REQUIRED ON)
+set(CMAKE_CXX_EXTENSIONS OFF)
+
+# Generate compile_commands.json for clangd
+set(CMAKE_EXPORT_COMPILE_COMMANDS ON)
+
+# --- vcpkg integration ---
+if(DEFINED ENV{VCPKG_ROOT})
+  set(CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE "$ENV{VCPKG_ROOT}/scripts/buildsystems/vcpkg.cmake"
+      CACHE STRING "vcpkg toolchain")
+endif()
+
+find_package(tomlplusplus CONFIG REQUIRED)
+
+add_executable(kappa
+  src/main.cpp
+  src/package.cpp
+  src/paths.cpp
+  src/dsl/lexer.cpp
+  src/dsl/parser.cpp
+  src/eval/vars.cpp
+)
+target_include_directories(kappa PRIVATE include)
+target_link_libraries(kappa PRIVATE tomlplusplus::tomlplusplus)
diff --git a/examples/foo.kap b/examples/foo.kap
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..aaaf1b8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/foo.kap
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+/*
+ * foo — a web server with optional SSL and GUI support.
+ * Demonstrates the full kappa DSL surface.
+ */
+package "foo" {
+    const version = "1.2.3"
+    const source  = "https://example.com/foo-${version}.tar.gz"
+    license = "MIT"
+
+    provides = ["libfoo.so.1", "foo"]
+
+    patches = [
+        {
+            url    = "https://example.com/fix-build.patch"
+            sha256 = "abc123def456"
+            level  = 1
+        },
+        "local-fix.patch"   // local shorthand, no hash
+    ]
+    outputs  = ["bin", "lib", "dev"]
+
+    depends = [
+        { name = "zlib",    version = ">=1.2,<2.0" },
+        { name = "openssl", feature = "ssl" },
+        { name = "gtk",     feature = "gui", version = ">=3" },
+        "gettext:lib"    // name:output shorthand
+    ]
+
+    features {
+        ssl     = { enabled = true,  flag = "--with-ssl-dir=${cfg.ssl_dir}" }
+        gui     = { enabled = false, flag = "--enable-gui" }
+        drivers = { enabled = true,  force = true }
+        debug   = false
+    }
+
+    config {
+        // Written once, left alone on rebuild if the user edits it.
+        file "etc/foo.conf" mode = "default" {
+            hostname    = ${cfg.hostname !}        // required — user must set
+            listen_port = ${cfg.port ? 8080}       // optional, default 8080
+            ssl_enabled = ${cfg.ssl ? true}        // optional, default true
+        }
+
+        // Always overwritten on rebuild.
+        file "etc/log.conf" mode = "replace" {
+            log_level = ${cfg.log_level ? info}
+            log_path  = ${cfg.log_path ? /var/log/foo}
+        }
+
+        // Three-way diff on rebuild.
+        file "etc/limits.conf" mode = "merge" {
+            max_connections = ${cfg.max_conn ? 1024}
+        }
+    }
+
+    env {
+        CFLAGS   = "-O2 -march=native"
+        LDFLAGS  = "-Wl,--as-needed"
+        CFLAGS  ?= "-g"
+    }
+
+    prepare {
+        patch "fix-build.patch"
+    }
+
+    build {
+        ./configure --prefix=${prefix} ${feature.ssl} ${feature.gui}
+        make -j${jobs}
+    }
+
+    check {
+        make check
+    }
+
+    install {
+        make DESTDIR=${destdir} install
+    }
+}
diff --git a/include/kappa/dsl/ast.hpp b/include/kappa/dsl/ast.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7b1ad78
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/kappa/dsl/ast.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+#pragma once
+
+#include <string>
+#include <unordered_map>
+#include <unordered_set>
+#include <vector>
+
+namespace kappa::dsl {
+
+using Command = std::string;
+
+struct Phase {
+    std::vector<Command> commands;
+};
+
+struct Dependency {
+    std::string name;
+    std::string version;
+    std::string output;
+    std::string feature;   // empty = unconditional
+};
+
+struct ConfigFile {
+    std::string path;
+    std::string mode;
+    std::unordered_map<std::string, std::string> entries;
+};
+
+struct FeatureDef {
+    bool enabled = false;
+    bool force   = false;
+    std::string flag;
+};
+
+struct Patch {
+    std::string url;
+    std::string sha256;
+    int level = 1;
+};
+
+struct EnvEntry {
+    std::string key;
+    std::string value;
+    bool soft = false;
+};
+
+struct PackageDef {
+    std::string name;
+    std::string version;
+    std::string source;
+    std::string license;
+    std::vector<Dependency> depends;
+    std::vector<std::string> provides;
+    std::vector<std::string> outputs;
+    std::unordered_map<std::string, FeatureDef> features;
+    std::vector<ConfigFile> config_files;
+    std::vector<Patch> patches;
+    std::vector<EnvEntry> env_entries;
+    std::unordered_set<std::string> const_keys;
+    Phase prepare;
+    Phase build;
+    Phase check;
+    Phase install;
+};
+
+} // namespace kappa::dsl
diff --git a/include/kappa/dsl/lexer.hpp b/include/kappa/dsl/lexer.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..20386b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/kappa/dsl/lexer.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+#pragma once
+
+#include "kappa/dsl/token.hpp"
+
+#include <string_view>
+
+namespace kappa::dsl {
+
+class Lexer {
+public:
+    explicit Lexer(std::string_view source);
+
+    Token next();
+
+private:
+    Token scan_ident();
+    Token scan_string();
+    Token scan_symbol();
+    void skip_whitespace();
+    bool skip_comment();
+
+    char peek() const;
+    char advance();
+    bool match(char c);
+
+    std::string_view source_;
+    std::size_t pos_   = 0;
+    int line_          = 1;
+    int col_           = 1;
+    int token_start_line_ = 0;
+    int token_start_col_  = 0;
+};
+
+} // namespace kappa::dsl
diff --git a/include/kappa/dsl/parser.hpp b/include/kappa/dsl/parser.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..802bcd9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/kappa/dsl/parser.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+#pragma once
+
+#include "kappa/dsl/ast.hpp"
+
+#include <string>
+#include <string_view>
+
+namespace kappa::dsl {
+
+PackageDef parse(std::string_view source);
+
+} // namespace kappa::dsl
diff --git a/include/kappa/dsl/token.hpp b/include/kappa/dsl/token.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c72bda5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/kappa/dsl/token.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+#pragma once
+
+#include <string>
+#include <string_view>
+
+namespace kappa::dsl {
+
+enum class TokenType {
+    Eof,
+    Newline,
+
+    // Symbols
+    Lbrace,     // {
+    Rbrace,     // }
+    Equals,     // =
+    Lbracket,   // [
+    Rbracket,   // ]
+    Comma,      // ,
+
+    // Literals
+    String,     // "..."
+    Ident,      // bare word (keyword, command, variable ref)
+
+    // Keywords (tokenised as Ident, then classified)
+    KwPackage,
+    KwVersion,
+    KwSource,
+    KwDepends,
+    KwProvides,
+    KwOutputs,
+    KwFeatures,
+    KwConfig,
+    KwConst,
+    KwLicense,
+    KwPatches,
+    KwEnv,
+    KwPrepare,
+    KwBuild,
+    KwCheck,
+    KwInstall,
+    KwTrue,
+    KwFalse,
+};
+
+struct Token {
+    TokenType type = TokenType::Eof;
+    std::string lexeme;
+    int line = 0;
+    int col  = 0;
+};
+
+std::string_view token_name(TokenType type);
+
+} // namespace kappa::dsl
diff --git a/include/kappa/eval/vars.hpp b/include/kappa/eval/vars.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e1acace
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/kappa/eval/vars.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+#pragma once
+
+#include "kappa/dsl/ast.hpp"
+
+#include <string>
+#include <string_view>
+#include <unordered_map>
+
+namespace kappa::eval {
+
+enum class VarKind {
+    Unknown,
+    Builtin,    // ${prefix}, ${jobs}, ${jobopts}, ${userargs}
+    Package,    // ${version}, ${name}, ${source}
+    Config,     // ${cfg.key}
+    Feature,    // ${feature.key} → expanded flag or ""
+};
+
+struct ResolvedVar {
+    std::string value;
+    VarKind     kind = VarKind::Unknown;
+};
+
+struct Scope {
+    std::unordered_map<std::string, std::string> builtins;
+    std::unordered_map<std::string, std::string> config;
+    std::unordered_map<std::string, dsl::FeatureDef> features;
+    std::unordered_map<std::string, std::string> package;
+};
+
+Scope make_default_scope();
+
+ResolvedVar resolve(std::string_view name, const Scope& scope);
+
+std::string interpolate(std::string_view input, const Scope& scope);
+
+} // namespace kappa::eval
diff --git a/include/kappa/package.hpp b/include/kappa/package.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3aa3d74
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/kappa/package.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+#pragma once
+
+#include <iosfwd>
+#include <string>
+#include <vector>
+
+namespace kappa {
+
+struct PackageConfig {
+    std::string name;
+    std::string version;
+    std::string description;
+    std::string source_url;
+    std::string source_extension;
+    std::string source_hash;
+    std::vector<std::string> dependencies;
+    std::string build_system;
+};
+
+PackageConfig parse_package(const std::string& toml_path);
+void print_package(std::ostream& os, const PackageConfig& pkg);
+
+} // namespace kappa
diff --git a/include/kappa/paths.hpp b/include/kappa/paths.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a9dd30a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/kappa/paths.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+#pragma once
+
+#include <filesystem>
+
+namespace kappa::paths {
+
+inline const std::filesystem::path root{"/kappa"};
+inline const auto bin_dir    = root / "bin";
+inline const auto temp_dir   = root / "temp";
+inline const auto db_dir     = root / "db";
+inline const auto system_dir = root / "system";
+inline const auto builds_dir = system_dir / "builds";
+
+void ensure_directories();
+
+} // namespace kappa::paths
diff --git a/package.toml b/package.toml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3fa0713
--- /dev/null
+++ b/package.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+[package]
+name = "binutils"
+version = "2.46.1"
+description = "GNU Binary Utilities (ld, as, objdump, readelf)"
+
+[source]
+url = "https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/${name}/${name}-${version}.tar.xz"           # ${} is string substitution
+sha256 = "e127a709cba24c76de8936cb7083dd768f28cd37eb010492e2f19b71eb1294e4" # or sha512, or md5
+
+[dependencies]
+deps = ["zlib", "gettext"]
+
+[build]
+system = "autotools" # or cargo, make, cmake, or meson
diff --git a/src/dsl/lexer.cpp b/src/dsl/lexer.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2e769e8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/dsl/lexer.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,191 @@
+#include "kappa/dsl/lexer.hpp"
+
+#include <cctype>
+#include <stdexcept>
+#include <unordered_map>
+
+namespace kappa::dsl {
+
+static const std::unordered_map<std::string_view, TokenType> keywords = {
+    {"package",  TokenType::KwPackage},
+    {"version",  TokenType::KwVersion},
+    {"source",   TokenType::KwSource},
+    {"depends",  TokenType::KwDepends},
+    {"provides", TokenType::KwProvides},
+    {"outputs",  TokenType::KwOutputs},
+    {"features", TokenType::KwFeatures},
+    {"config",   TokenType::KwConfig},
+    {"const",    TokenType::KwConst},
+    {"license",  TokenType::KwLicense},
+    {"patches",  TokenType::KwPatches},
+    {"env",      TokenType::KwEnv},
+    {"prepare",  TokenType::KwPrepare},
+    {"build",    TokenType::KwBuild},
+    {"check",    TokenType::KwCheck},
+    {"install",  TokenType::KwInstall},
+    {"true",     TokenType::KwTrue},
+    {"false",    TokenType::KwFalse},
+};
+
+std::string_view token_name(TokenType type) {
+    switch (type) {
+    case TokenType::Eof:       return "EOF";
+    case TokenType::Newline:   return "newline";
+    case TokenType::Lbrace:    return "{";
+    case TokenType::Rbrace:    return "}";
+    case TokenType::Equals:    return "=";
+    case TokenType::Lbracket:  return "[";
+    case TokenType::Rbracket:  return "]";
+    case TokenType::Comma:     return ",";
+    case TokenType::String:    return "string";
+    case TokenType::Ident:     return "ident";
+    case TokenType::KwPackage:  return "package";
+    case TokenType::KwVersion:  return "version";
+    case TokenType::KwSource:   return "source";
+    case TokenType::KwDepends:  return "depends";
+    case TokenType::KwProvides: return "provides";
+    case TokenType::KwOutputs:  return "outputs";
+    case TokenType::KwFeatures: return "features";
+    case TokenType::KwConfig:   return "config";
+    case TokenType::KwConst:    return "const";
+    case TokenType::KwLicense:  return "license";
+    case TokenType::KwPatches:  return "patches";
+    case TokenType::KwEnv:      return "env";
+    case TokenType::KwPrepare:  return "prepare";
+    case TokenType::KwBuild:    return "build";
+    case TokenType::KwCheck:    return "check";
+    case TokenType::KwInstall:  return "install";
+    case TokenType::KwTrue:     return "true";
+    case TokenType::KwFalse:    return "false";
+    }
+    return "?";
+}
+
+Lexer::Lexer(std::string_view source) : source_(source) {}
+
+char Lexer::peek() const {
+    return pos_ < source_.size() ? source_[pos_] : '\0';
+}
+
+char Lexer::advance() {
+    if (pos_ >= source_.size()) { return '\0'; }
+    char c = source_[pos_++];
+    if (c == '\n') { ++line_; col_ = 1; }
+    else           { ++col_; }
+    return c;
+}
+
+bool Lexer::match(char c) {
+    if (peek() == c) { advance(); return true; }
+    return false;
+}
+
+void Lexer::skip_whitespace() {
+    while (std::isspace(static_cast<unsigned char>(peek())) && peek() != '\n') {
+        advance();
+    }
+}
+
+bool Lexer::skip_comment() {
+    if (peek() != '/') { return false; }
+    if (pos_ + 1 >= source_.size()) { return false; }
+
+    char next = source_[pos_ + 1];
+    if (next == '/') {
+        advance(); advance(); // skip //
+        while (pos_ < source_.size() && peek() != '\n') { advance(); }
+        return true;
+    }
+    if (next == '*') {
+        advance(); advance(); // skip /*
+        while (pos_ + 1 < source_.size()) {
+            if (peek() == '*' && source_[pos_ + 1] == '/') {
+                advance(); advance(); // skip */
+                return true;
+            }
+            advance();
+        }
+        return true; // unterminated — consume to EOF
+    }
+    return false;
+}
+
+Token Lexer::next() {
+    while (true) {
+        skip_whitespace();
+        if (skip_comment()) { continue; }
+
+        token_start_line_ = line_;
+        token_start_col_  = col_;
+
+        if (pos_ >= source_.size()) { return {TokenType::Eof, "", line_, col_}; }
+
+        char c = peek();
+
+        if (c == '\n') {
+            advance();
+            return {TokenType::Newline, "\n", token_start_line_, token_start_col_};
+        }
+        if (c == '"') { return scan_string(); }
+        if (c == '{' || c == '}' || c == '=' || c == '[' || c == ']' || c == ',') {
+            return scan_symbol();
+        }
+        return scan_ident();
+    }
+}
+
+Token Lexer::scan_ident() {
+    std::string lexeme;
+    while (pos_ < source_.size()) {
+        char c = peek();
+        if (std::isspace(static_cast<unsigned char>(c))) { break; }
+        if (c == '"' || c == '[' || c == ']' || c == ',') { break; }
+        lexeme += advance();
+    }
+
+    auto it = keywords.find(lexeme);
+    if (it != keywords.end()) {
+        return {it->second, lexeme, token_start_line_, token_start_col_};
+    }
+    return {TokenType::Ident, lexeme, token_start_line_, token_start_col_};
+}
+
+Token Lexer::scan_string() {
+    advance(); // opening "
+    std::string lexeme;
+    while (pos_ < source_.size()) {
+        char c = peek();
+        if (c == '"') { advance(); break; }
+        if (c == '\\') {
+            advance();
+            if (pos_ < source_.size()) {
+                char esc = advance();
+                switch (esc) {
+                case 'n':  lexeme += '\n'; break;
+                case 't':  lexeme += '\t'; break;
+                case '\\': lexeme += '\\'; break;
+                case '"':  lexeme += '"';  break;
+                default:   lexeme += esc;  break;
+                }
+            }
+        } else {
+            lexeme += advance();
+        }
+    }
+    return {TokenType::String, lexeme, token_start_line_, token_start_col_};
+}
+
+Token Lexer::scan_symbol() {
+    char c = advance();
+    switch (c) {
+    case '{': return {TokenType::Lbrace,   "{", token_start_line_, token_start_col_};
+    case '}': return {TokenType::Rbrace,   "}", token_start_line_, token_start_col_};
+    case '=': return {TokenType::Equals,   "=", token_start_line_, token_start_col_};
+    case '[': return {TokenType::Lbracket, "[", token_start_line_, token_start_col_};
+    case ']': return {TokenType::Rbracket, "]", token_start_line_, token_start_col_};
+    case ',': return {TokenType::Comma,    ",", token_start_line_, token_start_col_};
+    default:  return {TokenType::Eof, "", token_start_line_, token_start_col_};
+    }
+}
+
+} // namespace kappa::dsl
diff --git a/src/dsl/parser.cpp b/src/dsl/parser.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bd1c602
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/dsl/parser.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,416 @@
+#include "kappa/dsl/parser.hpp"
+#include "kappa/dsl/lexer.hpp"
+
+#include <format>
+#include <stdexcept>
+#include <string>
+#include <vector>
+
+namespace kappa::dsl {
+
+class ParseError : public std::runtime_error {
+public:
+    ParseError(int line, int col, const std::string& msg)
+        : std::runtime_error(std::format("{}:{}: {}", line, col, msg)) {}
+};
+
+class Parser {
+public:
+    explicit Parser(std::string_view source) : lexer_(source) { advance(); }
+
+    PackageDef parse();
+
+private:
+    void  advance();
+    Token consume(TokenType type);
+    void  skip_newlines();
+    bool  at(TokenType type) const { return current_.type == type; }
+
+    PackageDef parse_package_def();
+    void       parse_body(PackageDef& pkg);
+    Phase      parse_phase();
+    Command    parse_command_line();
+    bool       parse_bool();
+
+    std::vector<std::string> parse_string_list();
+    Dependency               parse_dependency_item();
+    ConfigFile               parse_config_file();
+    FeatureDef               parse_feature_def();
+    Patch                    parse_patch_item();
+
+    Token current_;
+    Lexer lexer_;
+};
+
+void Parser::advance() { current_ = lexer_.next(); }
+
+void Parser::skip_newlines() {
+    while (at(TokenType::Newline)) { advance(); }
+}
+
+Token Parser::consume(TokenType type) {
+    if (!at(type)) {
+        throw ParseError(current_.line, current_.col,
+                        std::format("expected '{}', got '{}'",
+                                    token_name(type), token_name(current_.type)));
+    }
+    Token t = std::move(current_);
+    advance();
+    return t;
+}
+
+PackageDef Parser::parse() {
+    skip_newlines();
+    return parse_package_def();
+}
+
+PackageDef Parser::parse_package_def() {
+    consume(TokenType::KwPackage);
+    auto name_tok = consume(TokenType::String);
+    consume(TokenType::Lbrace);
+
+    PackageDef pkg;
+    pkg.name = std::move(name_tok.lexeme);
+
+    parse_body(pkg);
+
+    consume(TokenType::Rbrace);
+    return pkg;
+}
+
+void Parser::parse_body(PackageDef& pkg) {
+    while (!at(TokenType::Rbrace) && !at(TokenType::Eof)) {
+        skip_newlines();
+        if (at(TokenType::Rbrace) || at(TokenType::Eof)) { break; }
+
+        switch (current_.type) {
+        case TokenType::KwConst: {
+            consume(TokenType::KwConst);
+            if (at(TokenType::KwVersion)) {
+                consume(TokenType::KwVersion);
+                consume(TokenType::Equals);
+                pkg.version = consume(TokenType::String).lexeme;
+                pkg.const_keys.insert("version");
+            } else if (at(TokenType::KwSource)) {
+                consume(TokenType::KwSource);
+                consume(TokenType::Equals);
+                pkg.source = consume(TokenType::String).lexeme;
+                pkg.const_keys.insert("source");
+            } else {
+                throw ParseError(current_.line, current_.col,
+                                std::format("unexpected token '{}' after const",
+                                            token_name(current_.type)));
+            }
+            break;
+        }
+
+        case TokenType::KwVersion:
+            consume(TokenType::KwVersion);
+            consume(TokenType::Equals);
+            pkg.version = consume(TokenType::String).lexeme;
+            break;
+
+        case TokenType::KwSource:
+            consume(TokenType::KwSource);
+            consume(TokenType::Equals);
+            pkg.source = consume(TokenType::String).lexeme;
+            break;
+
+        case TokenType::KwLicense:
+            consume(TokenType::KwLicense);
+            consume(TokenType::Equals);
+            pkg.license = consume(TokenType::String).lexeme;
+            break;
+
+        case TokenType::KwProvides:
+            consume(TokenType::KwProvides);
+            consume(TokenType::Equals);
+            pkg.provides = parse_string_list();
+            break;
+
+        case TokenType::KwOutputs:
+            consume(TokenType::KwOutputs);
+            consume(TokenType::Equals);
+            pkg.outputs = parse_string_list();
+            break;
+
+        case TokenType::KwDepends:
+            consume(TokenType::KwDepends);
+            consume(TokenType::Equals);
+            consume(TokenType::Lbracket);
+            skip_newlines();
+            while (!at(TokenType::Rbracket) && !at(TokenType::Eof)) {
+                pkg.depends.push_back(parse_dependency_item());
+                skip_newlines();
+                if (at(TokenType::Comma)) { consume(TokenType::Comma); }
+                skip_newlines();
+            }
+            consume(TokenType::Rbracket);
+            break;
+
+        case TokenType::KwFeatures:
+            consume(TokenType::KwFeatures);
+            consume(TokenType::Lbrace);
+            skip_newlines();
+            while (!at(TokenType::Rbrace) && !at(TokenType::Eof)) {
+                if (at(TokenType::Newline)) { advance(); continue; }
+                auto key = consume(TokenType::Ident).lexeme;
+                consume(TokenType::Equals);
+                pkg.features[key] = parse_feature_def();
+                skip_newlines();
+            }
+            consume(TokenType::Rbrace);
+            break;
+
+        case TokenType::KwConfig:
+            consume(TokenType::KwConfig);
+            consume(TokenType::Lbrace);
+            skip_newlines();
+            while (!at(TokenType::Rbrace) && !at(TokenType::Eof)) {
+                if (at(TokenType::Newline)) { advance(); continue; }
+                pkg.config_files.push_back(parse_config_file());
+                skip_newlines();
+            }
+            consume(TokenType::Rbrace);
+            break;
+
+        case TokenType::KwPatches:
+            consume(TokenType::KwPatches);
+            consume(TokenType::Equals);
+            consume(TokenType::Lbracket);
+            skip_newlines();
+            while (!at(TokenType::Rbracket) && !at(TokenType::Eof)) {
+                pkg.patches.push_back(parse_patch_item());
+                skip_newlines();
+                if (at(TokenType::Comma)) { consume(TokenType::Comma); }
+                skip_newlines();
+            }
+            consume(TokenType::Rbracket);
+            break;
+
+        case TokenType::KwEnv:
+            consume(TokenType::KwEnv);
+            consume(TokenType::Lbrace);
+            skip_newlines();
+            while (!at(TokenType::Rbrace) && !at(TokenType::Eof)) {
+                if (at(TokenType::Newline)) { advance(); continue; }
+                auto key = consume(TokenType::Ident).lexeme;
+                bool soft = false;
+                if (at(TokenType::Ident) && current_.lexeme == "?=") {
+                    soft = true;
+                    advance();
+                } else {
+                    consume(TokenType::Equals);
+                }
+                pkg.env_entries.push_back(
+                    {std::move(key), consume(TokenType::String).lexeme, soft});
+                skip_newlines();
+            }
+            consume(TokenType::Rbrace);
+            break;
+
+        case TokenType::KwPrepare:
+            consume(TokenType::KwPrepare);
+            pkg.prepare = parse_phase();
+            break;
+
+        case TokenType::KwBuild:
+            consume(TokenType::KwBuild);
+            pkg.build = parse_phase();
+            break;
+
+        case TokenType::KwCheck:
+            consume(TokenType::KwCheck);
+            pkg.check = parse_phase();
+            break;
+
+        case TokenType::KwInstall:
+            consume(TokenType::KwInstall);
+            pkg.install = parse_phase();
+            break;
+
+        default:
+            throw ParseError(current_.line, current_.col,
+                           std::format("unexpected token '{}' in package body",
+                                       token_name(current_.type)));
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+std::vector<std::string> Parser::parse_string_list() {
+    consume(TokenType::Lbracket);
+    skip_newlines();
+    std::vector<std::string> items;
+    while (!at(TokenType::Rbracket) && !at(TokenType::Eof)) {
+        items.push_back(consume(TokenType::String).lexeme);
+        skip_newlines();
+        if (at(TokenType::Comma)) { consume(TokenType::Comma); }
+        skip_newlines();
+    }
+    consume(TokenType::Rbracket);
+    return items;
+}
+
+Dependency Parser::parse_dependency_item() {
+    if (at(TokenType::String)) {
+        auto raw = consume(TokenType::String).lexeme;
+        auto colon = raw.find(':');
+        if (colon != std::string::npos) {
+            return {raw.substr(0, colon), "", raw.substr(colon + 1)};
+        }
+        return {std::move(raw), "", ""};
+    }
+
+    consume(TokenType::Lbrace);
+    skip_newlines();
+    Dependency dep;
+    while (!at(TokenType::Rbrace) && !at(TokenType::Eof)) {
+        if (at(TokenType::Newline)) { advance(); continue; }
+        auto key = current_.lexeme;  // accept Ident or keyword as object key
+        advance();
+        consume(TokenType::Equals);
+        if (key == "name")    { dep.name    = consume(TokenType::String).lexeme; }
+        else if (key == "version") { dep.version = consume(TokenType::String).lexeme; }
+        else if (key == "output")  { dep.output  = consume(TokenType::String).lexeme; }
+        else if (key == "feature") { dep.feature = consume(TokenType::String).lexeme; }
+        else { throw ParseError(current_.line, current_.col,
+                                std::format("unknown dependency key '{}'", key)); }
+        skip_newlines();
+        if (at(TokenType::Comma)) { consume(TokenType::Comma); }
+        skip_newlines();
+    }
+    consume(TokenType::Rbrace);
+    return dep;
+}
+
+ConfigFile Parser::parse_config_file() {
+    consume(TokenType::Ident); // "file"
+    ConfigFile cf;
+    cf.path = consume(TokenType::String).lexeme;
+
+    if (at(TokenType::Ident) && current_.lexeme == "mode") {
+        advance();
+        consume(TokenType::Equals);
+        cf.mode = consume(TokenType::String).lexeme;
+    }
+
+    consume(TokenType::Lbrace);
+    skip_newlines();
+    while (!at(TokenType::Rbrace) && !at(TokenType::Eof)) {
+        if (at(TokenType::Newline)) { advance(); continue; }
+        auto key = current_.lexeme;
+        advance();
+        consume(TokenType::Equals);
+        std::string val;
+        while (!at(TokenType::Newline) && !at(TokenType::Rbrace) && !at(TokenType::Eof)) {
+            if (!val.empty() && !at(TokenType::Comma)) { val += ' '; }
+            val += current_.lexeme;
+            advance();
+        }
+        cf.entries[key] = std::move(val);
+        skip_newlines();
+    }
+    consume(TokenType::Rbrace);
+    return cf;
+}
+
+bool Parser::parse_bool() {
+    if (at(TokenType::KwTrue))  { advance(); return true; }
+    if (at(TokenType::KwFalse)) { advance(); return false; }
+    throw ParseError(current_.line, current_.col,
+                    std::format("expected 'true' or 'false', got '{}'",
+                                token_name(current_.type)));
+}
+
+FeatureDef Parser::parse_feature_def() {
+    if (at(TokenType::KwTrue) || at(TokenType::KwFalse)) {
+        return {parse_bool(), false, ""};
+    }
+
+    consume(TokenType::Lbrace);
+    skip_newlines();
+    FeatureDef f;
+    while (!at(TokenType::Rbrace) && !at(TokenType::Eof)) {
+        if (at(TokenType::Newline)) { advance(); continue; }
+        auto key = current_.lexeme;
+        advance();
+        consume(TokenType::Equals);
+        if (key == "enabled") {
+            f.enabled = parse_bool();
+        } else if (key == "force") {
+            f.force = parse_bool();
+        } else if (key == "flag") {
+            std::string val;
+            while (!at(TokenType::Newline) && !at(TokenType::Rbrace) && !at(TokenType::Eof)) {
+                if (!val.empty() && !at(TokenType::Comma)) { val += ' '; }
+                val += current_.lexeme;
+                advance();
+            }
+            f.flag = std::move(val);
+        }
+        skip_newlines();
+        if (at(TokenType::Comma)) { consume(TokenType::Comma); }
+        skip_newlines();
+    }
+    consume(TokenType::Rbrace);
+    return f;
+}
+
+Patch Parser::parse_patch_item() {
+    if (at(TokenType::String)) {
+        return {consume(TokenType::String).lexeme, "", 1};
+    }
+
+    consume(TokenType::Lbrace);
+    skip_newlines();
+    Patch p;
+    while (!at(TokenType::Rbrace) && !at(TokenType::Eof)) {
+        if (at(TokenType::Newline)) { advance(); continue; }
+        auto key = current_.lexeme;
+        advance();
+        consume(TokenType::Equals);
+        if (key == "url") {
+            p.url = consume(TokenType::String).lexeme;
+        } else if (key == "sha256") {
+            p.sha256 = consume(TokenType::String).lexeme;
+        } else if (key == "level") {
+            p.level = std::stoi(std::string(current_.lexeme));
+            advance();
+        }
+        skip_newlines();
+        if (at(TokenType::Comma)) { consume(TokenType::Comma); }
+        skip_newlines();
+    }
+    consume(TokenType::Rbrace);
+    return p;
+}
+
+Phase Parser::parse_phase() {
+    consume(TokenType::Lbrace);
+    skip_newlines();
+
+    Phase phase;
+    while (!at(TokenType::Rbrace) && !at(TokenType::Eof)) {
+        if (at(TokenType::Newline)) { advance(); continue; }
+        phase.commands.push_back(parse_command_line());
+    }
+    consume(TokenType::Rbrace);
+    return phase;
+}
+
+Command Parser::parse_command_line() {
+    std::string cmd;
+    while (!at(TokenType::Newline) && !at(TokenType::Rbrace) && !at(TokenType::Eof)) {
+        if (!cmd.empty() && !at(TokenType::Comma)) { cmd += ' '; }
+        cmd += current_.lexeme;
+        advance();
+    }
+    return cmd;
+}
+
+PackageDef parse(std::string_view source) {
+    Parser p(source);
+    return p.parse();
+}
+
+} // namespace kappa::dsl
diff --git a/src/eval/vars.cpp b/src/eval/vars.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9286fee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/eval/vars.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+#include "kappa/eval/vars.hpp"
+
+#include <string>
+
+namespace kappa::eval {
+
+Scope make_default_scope() {
+    Scope s;
+    s.builtins["prefix"]   = "/usr";
+    s.builtins["jobs"]     = "1";
+    s.builtins["jobopts"]  = "-j1";
+    s.builtins["destdir"]  = "/kappa/temp/destdir";
+    s.builtins["userargs"] = "";
+    return s;
+}
+
+ResolvedVar resolve(std::string_view name, const Scope& scope) {
+    auto dot = name.find('.');
+    if (dot == std::string_view::npos) {
+        if (auto it = scope.builtins.find(std::string(name)); it != scope.builtins.end()) {
+            return {it->second, VarKind::Builtin};
+        }
+        if (auto it = scope.package.find(std::string(name)); it != scope.package.end()) {
+            return {it->second, VarKind::Package};
+        }
+        return {{}, VarKind::Unknown};
+    }
+
+    auto ns    = name.substr(0, dot);
+    auto key   = name.substr(dot + 1);
+
+    if (ns == "cfg") {
+        if (auto it = scope.config.find(std::string(key)); it != scope.config.end()) {
+            return {it->second, VarKind::Config};
+        }
+        return {{}, VarKind::Unknown};
+    }
+
+    if (ns == "feature") {
+        if (auto it = scope.features.find(std::string(key)); it != scope.features.end()) {
+            const auto& f = it->second;
+            if (!f.enabled) { return {"", VarKind::Feature}; }
+            return {f.flag, VarKind::Feature};
+        }
+        return {{}, VarKind::Unknown};
+    }
+
+    return {{}, VarKind::Unknown};
+}
+
+std::string interpolate(std::string_view input, const Scope& scope) {
+    std::string result;
+    result.reserve(input.size());
+    std::size_t i = 0;
+    bool had_substitution = false;
+
+    while (i < input.size()) {
+        if (input[i] == '$' && i + 1 < input.size() && input[i + 1] == '{') {
+            auto end = input.find('}', i + 2);
+            if (end == std::string_view::npos) {
+                result += input.substr(i);
+                break;
+            }
+            auto var_name = input.substr(i + 2, end - (i + 2));
+            auto rv = resolve(var_name, scope);
+            result += rv.value;
+            had_substitution = true;
+            i = end + 1;
+        } else {
+            result += input[i];
+            ++i;
+        }
+    }
+
+    if (had_substitution && result.contains("${")) {
+        return interpolate(result, scope);
+    }
+
+    return result;
+}
+
+} // namespace kappa::eval
diff --git a/src/main.cpp b/src/main.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..42311b4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+#include "kappa/package.hpp"
+
+#include <toml++/toml.hpp>
+#include <cstdlib>
+#include <exception>
+#include <filesystem>
+#include <iostream>
+
+int main(int argc, char* argv[]) {
+    std::filesystem::path toml_path = (argc > 1) ? argv[1] : "package.toml";
+
+    if (!std::filesystem::exists(toml_path)) {
+        std::cerr << "Error: '" << toml_path << "' not found\n";
+        return 1;
+    }
+
+    try {
+        auto pkg = kappa::parse_package(toml_path.native());
+        kappa::print_package(std::cout, pkg);
+        return 0;
+    } catch (const toml::parse_error& e) {
+        std::cerr << "Parse error:\n" << e << '\n';
+        return 1;
+    } catch (const std::exception& e) {
+        std::cerr << "Error: " << e.what() << '\n';
+        return 1;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/package.cpp b/src/package.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c4c7fe2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/package.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,150 @@
+#include "kappa/package.hpp"
+
+#include <toml++/toml.hpp>
+#include <algorithm>
+#include <array>
+#include <ostream>
+#include <string>
+#include <string_view>
+
+namespace kappa {
+namespace {
+
+using namespace std::string_view_literals;
+
+static constexpr std::array hash_keys = {"sha512"sv, "sha256"sv, "md5"sv};
+
+static constexpr std::array known_extensions = {
+    "tar.xz"sv, "tar.gz"sv, "tar.zst"sv, "zip"sv, "tar"sv, "zst"sv, "git"sv, "bs2"sv
+};
+
+static std::string_view find_hash(const toml::table& src) {
+    for (auto key : hash_keys) {
+        if (src.contains(key)) { return key; }
+    }
+    return ""sv;
+}
+
+static std::string extract_extension(std::string_view url) {
+    auto path = url.substr(0, url.find_first_of("?#"));
+    auto filename = path.substr(path.rfind('/') + 1);
+
+    for (auto ext : known_extensions) {
+        auto dotted = std::string(".") + std::string(ext);
+        if (filename.ends_with(dotted)) { return std::string(ext); }
+    }
+
+    auto dot = filename.rfind('.');
+    if (dot != std::string_view::npos) { return std::string(filename.substr(dot + 1)); }
+
+    return "";
+}
+
+static bool is_known_extension(std::string_view ext) {
+    return std::any_of(known_extensions.begin(), known_extensions.end(),
+                       [ext](auto k) { return ext == k; });
+}
+
+static std::string interpolate(std::string raw, const toml::table& vars) {
+    std::string result;
+    result.reserve(raw.size());
+    std::size_t i = 0;
+
+    while (i < raw.size()) {
+        if (raw[i] == '$' && i + 1 < raw.size() && raw[i + 1] == '{') {
+            auto end = raw.find('}', i + 2);
+            if (end == std::string::npos) {
+                result += raw.substr(i);
+                break;
+            }
+            auto key = raw.substr(i + 2, end - (i + 2));
+            result += vars[key].value_or("");
+            i = end + 1;
+        } else {
+            result += raw[i];
+            ++i;
+        }
+    }
+
+    return result;
+}
+
+} // namespace
+
+PackageConfig parse_package(const std::string& toml_path) {
+    auto tbl = toml::parse_file(toml_path);
+    PackageConfig pkg;
+
+    if (auto* pkg_tbl = tbl["package"].as_table()) {
+        pkg.name        = (*pkg_tbl)["name"].value_or("");
+        pkg.version     = (*pkg_tbl)["version"].value_or("");
+        pkg.description = (*pkg_tbl)["description"].value_or("");
+    }
+
+    if (auto* src = tbl["source"].as_table()) {
+        auto url_str = (*src)["url"].value_or(""sv);
+        auto* pkg_tbl = tbl["package"].as_table();
+        auto resolved = interpolate(std::string(url_str),
+                                    pkg_tbl != nullptr ? *pkg_tbl : toml::table{});
+        pkg.source_url = std::move(resolved);
+
+        pkg.source_extension = extract_extension(pkg.source_url);
+
+        auto hash_name = find_hash(*src);
+        if (!hash_name.empty()) {
+            pkg.source_hash = std::string(hash_name) + ':'
+                            + std::string((*src)[hash_name].value_or(""sv));
+        }
+    }
+
+    if (auto* deps_tbl = tbl["dependencies"].as_table()) {
+        if (auto* arr = (*deps_tbl)["deps"].as_array()) {
+            for (std::size_t i = 0; i < arr->size(); ++i) {
+                pkg.dependencies.emplace_back((*arr)[i].value_or(""sv));
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    if (auto* bld = tbl["build"].as_table()) {
+        pkg.build_system = (*bld)["system"].value_or(""sv);
+    }
+
+    return pkg;
+}
+
+void print_package(std::ostream& os, const PackageConfig& pkg) {
+    os << "package.name        = " << pkg.name << '\n';
+    os << "package.version     = " << pkg.version << '\n';
+    os << "package.description = " << pkg.description << '\n';
+
+    if (!pkg.source_url.empty()) {
+        os << "source.url          = " << pkg.source_url << '\n';
+    }
+    if (!pkg.source_extension.empty()) {
+        os << "source.extension    = " << pkg.source_extension;
+        if (!is_known_extension(pkg.source_extension)) {
+            os << "  (unrecognised)";
+        }
+        os << '\n';
+    }
+    if (!pkg.source_hash.empty()) {
+        os << "source.hash         = " << pkg.source_hash << '\n';
+    }
+
+    if (!pkg.dependencies.empty()) {
+        os << "dependencies        = [";
+        for (std::size_t i = 0; i < pkg.dependencies.size(); ++i) {
+            if (i > 0) { os << ", "; }
+            os << '"' << pkg.dependencies[i] << '"';
+        }
+        os << "]\n";
+    }
+
+    if (!pkg.build_system.empty()) {
+        os << "build.system        = " << pkg.build_system << '\n';
+    }
+
+    os << '\n';
+}
+
+} // namespace kappa
diff --git a/src/paths.cpp b/src/paths.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c217c98
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/paths.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+#include "kappa/paths.hpp"
+
+#include <system_error>
+
+namespace kappa::paths {
+
+void ensure_directories() {
+    std::error_code ec;
+
+    std::filesystem::create_directories(bin_dir, ec);
+    std::filesystem::create_directories(temp_dir, ec);
+    std::filesystem::create_directories(db_dir, ec);
+    std::filesystem::create_directories(builds_dir, ec);
+}
+
+} // namespace kappa::paths
diff --git a/vcpkg.json b/vcpkg.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..834b1b4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/vcpkg.json
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+{
+  "$schema": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/microsoft/vcpkg-tool/main/docs/vcpkg.schema.json",
+  "name": "kappa",
+  "version": "0.1.0",
+  "dependencies": [
+    "tomlplusplus"
+  ]
+}