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+_build
diff --git a/ocaml/BENCHMARKS.md b/ocaml/BENCHMARKS.md
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+# Nock Interpreter Benchmark Results
+
+## Overview
+
+This document compares the performance of the OCaml Nock interpreter port against a simplified C implementation.
+
+## Test Environment
+
+- **Platform**: Linux
+- **Compiler (C)**: GCC with -O3 optimization
+- **Compiler (OCaml)**: OCaml native code compiler via Dune
+- **Test iterations**: 1,000,000 for most operations, 100,000 for complex operations
+
+## Benchmark Methodology
+
+Each benchmark:
+1. Constructs a Nock formula for a specific operation
+2. Executes the formula N times in a tight loop
+3. Measures elapsed time
+4. Calculates operations per second
+
+The OCaml benchmark includes a warmup phase and runs `Gc.compact()` before timing.
+
+## Results
+
+### Raw Performance (Operations per Second)
+
+| Operation                    | C Implementation | OCaml Implementation | Speedup (C/OCaml) |
+|------------------------------|------------------|----------------------|-------------------|
+| Opcode 0: Slot/fragment      | 579 Mops/sec     | 42.5 Mops/sec        | 13.6x             |
+| Opcode 1: Constant           | 595 Mops/sec     | 142 Mops/sec         | 4.2x              |
+| Opcode 3: Is-cell            | 271 Mops/sec     | 56.6 Mops/sec        | 4.8x              |
+| Opcode 4: Increment          | 265 Mops/sec     | 63.1 Mops/sec        | 4.2x              |
+| Opcode 5: Equality           | 24 Mops/sec      | **29.6 Mops/sec**    | **0.8x** (OCaml faster!) |
+| Opcode 6: If-then-else       | 185 Mops/sec     | 37.2 Mops/sec        | 5.0x              |
+| Opcode 7: Composition        | 174 Mops/sec     | 36.0 Mops/sec        | 4.8x              |
+| Opcode 8: Push               | 26.5 Mops/sec    | **32.7 Mops/sec**    | **0.8x** (OCaml faster!) |
+| Cell construction            | 25.9 Mops/sec    | **53.2 Mops/sec**    | **0.5x** (OCaml 2x faster!) |
+| Deep slot lookup (depth 4)   | 566 Mops/sec     | 19.2 Mops/sec        | 29.6x             |
+
+### Performance Categories
+
+#### Fast operations (>100 Mops/sec)
+- **C**: Constant, Slot lookup
+- **OCaml**: Constant
+
+#### Medium operations (20-100 Mops/sec)
+- **C**: Is-cell, Increment, If-then-else, Composition
+- **OCaml**: Slot, Increment, Is-cell, If-then-else, Composition, Cell construction
+
+#### Slower operations (<30 Mops/sec)
+- **C**: Equality, Push, Cell construction, Deep slot (anomaly)
+- **OCaml**: Equality, Push, Deep slot
+
+## Analysis
+
+### Where C Wins
+
+**Simple, non-allocating operations** (4-14x faster):
+- Slot lookup
+- Constant retrieval
+- Is-cell test
+- Increment
+
+**Reasons:**
+1. No garbage collection overhead
+2. Direct pointer manipulation
+3. Function inlining with -O3
+4. CPU cache-friendly memory access
+
+### Where OCaml Wins or Competes
+
+**Allocation-heavy operations** (0.5-0.8x, OCaml faster or competitive):
+- Cell construction: **2x faster in OCaml**
+- Push (allocates cells): **1.2x faster in OCaml**
+- Equality (may allocate): **1.2x faster in OCaml**
+
+**Reasons:**
+1. OCaml's generational GC is very fast for short-lived allocations
+2. Efficient minor heap allocation (bump-the-pointer)
+3. The C benchmark leaks memory (no deallocation), which would slow it down if added
+4. OCaml's GC amortizes collection cost across operations
+
+### The Deep Slot Anomaly
+
+The deep slot lookup shows an unusual pattern:
+- C: 566 Mops/sec (very fast)
+- OCaml: 19.2 Mops/sec (much slower)
+
+This is likely due to:
+1. OCaml's slot implementation using recursion (stack overhead)
+2. Pattern matching overhead
+3. Zarith (GMP) operations even on small integers
+
+Could be optimized in OCaml with:
+- Iterative implementation
+- Special-casing small integers
+- Tail recursion optimization
+
+## Comparison Caveats
+
+### C Implementation Simplifications
+
+The C benchmark is **not** the full Vere implementation. It:
+- Uses direct 64-bit integers (no arbitrary precision)
+- Leaks memory (no deallocation)
+- Has no error handling
+- Lacks Vere's loom allocator
+- Has no jet system
+- Has no memoization
+
+A real comparison would need the full Vere implementation with:
+- Loom-based allocation
+- Jet dashboard (accelerated implementations)
+- Memoization caching
+- Proper error handling and stack traces
+
+### OCaml Implementation Features
+
+The OCaml implementation:
+- Uses Zarith for arbitrary-precision integers (GMP-backed)
+- Includes proper error handling (exceptions)
+- Is memory-safe (no manual deallocation needed)
+- Is type-safe (compile-time guarantees)
+- Has clean, maintainable code
+
+## Optimization Opportunities
+
+### OCaml Optimizations
+
+1. **Unboxed integers**: Use native ints for small values
+2. **Iterative slot lookup**: Replace recursion with loop
+3. **Inline critical paths**: Use `[@inline]` attributes
+4. **Custom allocator**: Consider a region-based allocator for nouns
+5. **Flambda**: Use Flambda optimizing compiler
+
+Potential speedup: **2-3x** on most operations
+
+### C Optimizations
+
+The simple C implementation could be made faster with:
+1. **SIMD instructions**: Vectorize tree operations
+2. **Better memory layout**: Structure-of-arrays
+3. **JIT compilation**: Generate machine code at runtime
+
+But these optimizations apply to Vere, not this simple benchmark.
+
+## Conclusion
+
+### Performance Summary
+
+- **Simple operations**: C is 4-14x faster
+- **Allocation-heavy operations**: OCaml is competitive or faster
+- **Overall**: C is ~2-5x faster on average, but with caveats
+
+### Practical Implications
+
+The OCaml implementation is:
+- ✅ **Fast enough** for most use cases (10-140 Mops/sec)
+- ✅ **Memory safe** (no segfaults, buffer overflows)
+- ✅ **Type safe** (catches errors at compile time)
+- ✅ **Maintainable** (clean, high-level code)
+- ✅ **Correct** (arbitrary-precision integers built-in)
+
+Trade-offs:
+- ❌ 2-5x slower than optimized C for most operations
+- ❌ Much slower (14x) for deep tree traversal
+- ✅ But faster for allocation-heavy workloads
+
+### When to Use Which
+
+**Use OCaml when:**
+- Rapid prototyping and development
+- Memory safety is critical
+- Code maintainability matters
+- Absolute performance is not critical
+
+**Use C (Vere) when:**
+- Maximum performance is required
+- Jets and memoization are needed
+- Full Urbit integration is required
+
+## Future Work
+
+1. **Benchmark against full Vere**: Compare with the actual bytecode interpreter
+2. **Profile and optimize**: Find OCaml hotspots and optimize
+3. **Implement jets**: Add accelerated implementations for common formulas
+4. **Add memoization**: Cache repeated computations
+5. **Try alternative representations**: Experiment with different noun encodings
+
+## Running the Benchmarks
+
+```bash
+# OCaml benchmark
+dune exec ./bench_nock.exe
+
+# Simple C benchmark
+gcc -O3 -o bench_simple bench_simple.c
+./bench_simple
+
+# Full comparison
+./compare.sh
+```
diff --git a/ocaml/Makefile b/ocaml/Makefile
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+++ b/ocaml/Makefile
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+# Makefile for Nock OCaml/C benchmark comparison
+
+VERE_ROOT = ../vere
+VERE_PKG = $(VERE_ROOT)/pkg/noun
+VERE_INCLUDES = -I$(VERE_ROOT)/pkg -I$(VERE_ROOT)/ext
+
+# Find the Vere build directory
+VERE_BUILD = $(VERE_ROOT)/build
+
+# Try to find the actual library paths
+VERE_LIBS = -L$(VERE_BUILD) -L$(VERE_ROOT)/build
+
+CC = gcc
+CFLAGS = -O3 -g $(VERE_INCLUDES)
+LDFLAGS = $(VERE_LIBS)
+
+.PHONY: all clean bench bench-c bench-ocaml test compare
+
+all: test bench
+
+# Build everything
+build: build-ocaml
+
+build-ocaml:
+	@echo "Building OCaml implementation..."
+	dune build
+
+# Note: C benchmark requires linking against libvere which may not be available
+# as a standalone library. We'll document this limitation.
+build-c: bench_nock_c
+	@echo "C benchmark built (requires Vere libraries)"
+
+bench_nock_c: bench_nock.c
+	@echo "Note: Building C benchmark requires Vere to be built first"
+	@echo "This may fail if Vere libraries are not available"
+	@echo "Attempting to compile..."
+	-$(CC) $(CFLAGS) -o bench_nock_c bench_nock.c \
+		$(VERE_PKG)/allocate.c \
+		$(VERE_PKG)/nock.c \
+		$(VERE_PKG)/hashtable.c \
+		$(VERE_PKG)/imprison.c \
+		$(VERE_PKG)/jets.c \
+		$(VERE_PKG)/manage.c \
+		$(VERE_PKG)/retrieve.c \
+		$(VERE_PKG)/trace.c \
+		$(VERE_PKG)/xtract.c \
+		$(VERE_PKG)/events.c \
+		$(VERE_PKG)/zave.c \
+		$(LDFLAGS) -lm -lpthread -lgmp -lsigsegv -luv -lcrypto -lssl
+
+# Run tests
+test:
+	@echo "Running OCaml tests..."
+	dune exec ./test_nock.exe
+
+# Run benchmarks
+bench: bench-ocaml
+
+bench-ocaml:
+	@echo "Running OCaml benchmark..."
+	dune exec ./bench_nock.exe
+
+bench-c: bench_nock_c
+	@echo "Running C benchmark..."
+	./bench_nock_c
+
+# Compare both implementations (if C benchmark is available)
+compare: bench-ocaml
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "=================================="
+	@echo "Comparison (OCaml only)"
+	@echo "=================================="
+	@echo "Note: C benchmark requires full Vere build"
+	@echo "To compare, build Vere first, then run 'make bench-c'"
+
+# Clean build artifacts
+clean:
+	dune clean
+	rm -f bench_nock_c
+	rm -f *.o
+
+help:
+	@echo "Nock OCaml/C Benchmark Makefile"
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "Targets:"
+	@echo "  make test         - Run OCaml tests"
+	@echo "  make bench        - Run OCaml benchmark"
+	@echo "  make bench-ocaml  - Run OCaml benchmark"
+	@echo "  make bench-c      - Run C benchmark (requires Vere build)"
+	@echo "  make compare      - Run comparison"
+	@echo "  make clean        - Clean build artifacts"
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "Note: C benchmarks require Vere to be fully built first."
diff --git a/ocaml/README.md b/ocaml/README.md
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+++ b/ocaml/README.md
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+# Vere Nock Interpreter - OCaml Port
+
+This is an OCaml port of the Nock interpreter from Vere (the Urbit C runtime).
+
+## Overview
+
+This initial port focuses on the **reference Nock interpreter** (`_n_nock_on` from `vere/pkg/noun/nock.c`). It implements the core Nock specification with all 12 opcodes.
+
+### What's Implemented
+
+- **Noun type system** (`noun.ml`): Nouns are either atoms (arbitrary-precision integers via Zarith) or cells (pairs of nouns)
+- **Basic noun operations**:
+  - Fragment/axis addressing (`slot`)
+  - Head/tail extraction
+  - Equality testing
+  - Pretty printing
+
+- **Nock interpreter** (`nock.ml`): Complete implementation of all Nock opcodes:
+  - **0**: Slot/fragment lookup
+  - **1**: Constant
+  - **2**: Nock (recursion with new subject)
+  - **3**: Is-cell test
+  - **4**: Increment
+  - **5**: Equality test
+  - **6**: If-then-else
+  - **7**: Composition
+  - **8**: Push (augment subject)
+  - **9**: Call with axis
+  - **10**: Hint (currently ignored, as in reference implementation)
+  - **11**: Scry (raises Exit, as in reference implementation)
+
+- **Test suite** (`test_nock.ml`): Comprehensive tests for all opcodes
+
+## Building
+
+Requires:
+- OCaml (tested with recent versions)
+- Dune build system
+- Zarith library (for arbitrary-precision integers)
+
+```bash
+dune build
+```
+
+## Running Tests
+
+```bash
+dune exec ./test_nock.exe
+```
+
+All tests should pass.
+
+## Benchmarks
+
+Run benchmarks to compare performance:
+
+```bash
+# Run OCaml benchmark
+dune exec ./bench_nock.exe
+
+# Run simple C benchmark (for comparison)
+./bench_simple
+
+# Run full comparison
+./compare.sh
+```
+
+### Performance Comparison
+
+Benchmark results comparing the OCaml implementation against a simple C implementation:
+
+| Operation              | C (Mops/sec) | OCaml (Mops/sec) | Ratio (C/OCaml) |
+|------------------------|--------------|------------------|-----------------|
+| Slot/fragment          | 579          | 42.5             | 13.6x           |
+| Constant               | 595          | 142              | 4.2x            |
+| Is-cell test           | 271          | 56.6             | 4.8x            |
+| Increment              | 265          | 63.1             | 4.2x            |
+| Equality               | 24           | 29.6             | 0.8x (faster!)  |
+| If-then-else           | 185          | 37.2             | 5.0x            |
+| Composition            | 174          | 36.0             | 4.8x            |
+| Push                   | 26.5         | 32.7             | 0.8x (faster!)  |
+| Cell construction      | 25.9         | 53.2             | 0.5x (faster!)  |
+| Deep slot lookup       | 566          | 19.2             | 29.6x           |
+
+**Key observations:**
+
+1. **Simple operations** (slot, constant): C is 4-14x faster due to no GC overhead and direct pointer manipulation
+2. **Memory-intensive operations** (equality, push, cell construction): OCaml is **competitive or faster** due to efficient allocation and GC
+3. **Average performance**: C is ~2-5x faster for most operations
+
+**Important notes:**
+- The C benchmark is a simplified implementation without Vere's loom allocator, jet system, or other infrastructure
+- OCaml uses Zarith (GMP-based) for arbitrary-precision integers, while simple C uses direct 64-bit values
+- OCaml provides memory safety and type safety with reasonable performance
+- For production use, the full Vere implementation would be faster due to jets and memoization
+
+## Architecture
+
+### Differences from C Implementation
+
+1. **Memory management**: OCaml's GC vs Vere's loom-based allocation
+2. **No bytecode compiler** (yet): This port only includes the reference interpreter, not the optimized bytecode interpreter
+3. **No jet system** (yet): Jets (optimized implementations of common Nock formulas) are not yet implemented
+4. **Simple error handling**: Uses OCaml exceptions instead of Vere's bail mechanism
+
+### Type Mapping
+
+| Vere (C)            | OCaml                 |
+|---------------------|----------------------|
+| `u3_noun`           | `noun` (variant type) |
+| `u3_atom`           | `Atom of Z.t`        |
+| `u3_cell`           | `Cell of noun * noun`|
+| `u3_none`           | Not used (Option type instead) |
+
+## Next Steps for Porting
+
+Potential areas to expand:
+
+1. **Bytecode compiler**: Port the bytecode compiler and interpreter (~100 opcodes)
+2. **Jet system**: Implement the jet dashboard for accelerating common computations
+3. **Memory management**: Implement loom-style allocation (optional, for closer parity)
+4. **Memoization**: Port the `%memo` hint implementation
+5. **Integration**: Hook up to other Vere subsystems (jets, traces, etc.)
+
+## Files
+
+- `noun.ml` - Noun type and basic operations
+- `nock.ml` - Nock interpreter
+- `test_nock.ml` - Test suite
+- `dune` - Build configuration
+- `dune-project` - Dune project file
+
+## References
+
+- [Nock Specification](https://developers.urbit.org/reference/nock/definition)
+- [Vere Source](https://github.com/urbit/vere)
+- Original C implementation: `vere/pkg/noun/nock.c`
diff --git a/ocaml/bench_nock.c b/ocaml/bench_nock.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7747e10
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ocaml/bench_nock.c
@@ -0,0 +1,165 @@
+/// Nock benchmark - C implementation
+///
+/// Benchmarks various Nock operations using the C reference interpreter
+
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <time.h>
+#include <sys/time.h>
+
+#include "../vere/pkg/noun/noun.h"
+
+static double
+get_time_ms(void)
+{
+  struct timeval tv;
+  gettimeofday(&tv, NULL);
+  return (tv.tv_sec * 1000.0) + (tv.tv_usec / 1000.0);
+}
+
+static void
+bench_nock(const char* name, u3_noun subject, u3_noun formula, c3_w iterations)
+{
+  double start = get_time_ms();
+
+  for (c3_w i = 0; i < iterations; i++) {
+    u3_noun result = u3n_nock_on(u3k(subject), u3k(formula));
+    u3z(result);
+  }
+
+  double end = get_time_ms();
+  double total = end - start;
+  double per_iter = total / iterations;
+
+  printf("%-30s %8u iterations in %10.2f ms (%10.6f ms/iter, %10.0f ops/sec)\n",
+         name, iterations, total, per_iter, 1000.0 / per_iter);
+}
+
+int
+main(int argc, char* argv[])
+{
+  // Initialize Urbit memory system
+  u3m_boot_lite(1 << 26);  // 64MB loom
+
+  printf("Nock Benchmark - C Implementation\n");
+  printf("==================================\n\n");
+
+  c3_w iterations = 1000000;  // 1M iterations for fast ops
+  c3_w slow_iters = 100000;   // 100K for slower ops
+
+  // Benchmark 0: slot lookup
+  {
+    u3_noun subject = u3nc(u3i_word(42), u3i_word(99));
+    u3_noun formula = u3nc(0, 2);  // [0 2] - get head
+    bench_nock("Opcode 0: slot/fragment", subject, formula, iterations);
+    u3z(subject);
+    u3z(formula);
+  }
+
+  // Benchmark 1: constant
+  {
+    u3_noun subject = u3i_word(0);
+    u3_noun formula = u3nc(1, u3i_word(42));  // [1 42]
+    bench_nock("Opcode 1: constant", subject, formula, iterations);
+    u3z(subject);
+    u3z(formula);
+  }
+
+  // Benchmark 3: is-cell
+  {
+    u3_noun subject = u3i_word(0);
+    u3_noun formula = u3nc(3, u3nc(1, u3i_word(42)));  // [3 [1 42]]
+    bench_nock("Opcode 3: is-cell (atom)", subject, formula, iterations);
+    u3z(subject);
+    u3z(formula);
+  }
+
+  // Benchmark 4: increment
+  {
+    u3_noun subject = u3i_word(0);
+    u3_noun formula = u3nc(4, u3nc(1, u3i_word(1000)));  // [4 [1 1000]]
+    bench_nock("Opcode 4: increment", subject, formula, iterations);
+    u3z(subject);
+    u3z(formula);
+  }
+
+  // Benchmark 5: equality
+  {
+    u3_noun subject = u3i_word(0);
+    u3_noun formula = u3nt(5, u3nc(1, u3i_word(42)), u3nc(1, u3i_word(42)));
+    bench_nock("Opcode 5: equality (equal)", subject, formula, iterations);
+    u3z(subject);
+    u3z(formula);
+  }
+
+  // Benchmark 6: if-then-else
+  {
+    u3_noun subject = u3i_word(0);
+    // [6 [1 0] [1 11] [1 22]]
+    u3_noun formula = u3nq(6, u3nc(1, 0), u3nc(1, u3i_word(11)), u3nc(1, u3i_word(22)));
+    bench_nock("Opcode 6: if-then-else", subject, formula, iterations);
+    u3z(subject);
+    u3z(formula);
+  }
+
+  // Benchmark 7: composition
+  {
+    u3_noun subject = u3i_word(42);
+    // [7 [1 99] [0 1]]
+    u3_noun formula = u3nt(7, u3nc(1, u3i_word(99)), u3nc(0, 1));
+    bench_nock("Opcode 7: composition", subject, formula, iterations);
+    u3z(subject);
+    u3z(formula);
+  }
+
+  // Benchmark 8: push
+  {
+    u3_noun subject = u3i_word(42);
+    // [8 [1 99] [0 1]]
+    u3_noun formula = u3nt(8, u3nc(1, u3i_word(99)), u3nc(0, 1));
+    bench_nock("Opcode 8: push", subject, formula, iterations);
+    u3z(subject);
+    u3z(formula);
+  }
+
+  // Benchmark: Fibonacci-like recursion (slower)
+  {
+    // Decrement: [6 [5 [0 1] [1 0]] [1 0] [8 [1 0] [4 [0 3]]]]
+    // This is: if(subject == 0) 0 else subject-1
+    u3_noun dec_fol = u3nq(6,
+                           u3nt(5, u3nc(0, 1), u3nc(1, 0)),
+                           u3nc(1, 0),
+                           u3nt(8, u3nc(1, 0), u3nc(4, u3nc(0, 3))));
+
+    u3_noun subject = u3i_word(10);
+    bench_nock("Complex: decrement loop", subject, dec_fol, slow_iters);
+    u3z(subject);
+    u3z(dec_fol);
+  }
+
+  // Benchmark: Tree construction
+  {
+    u3_noun subject = u3i_word(0);
+    // [[1 1] [1 2]] - constructs a cell
+    u3_noun formula = u3nc(u3nc(1, 1), u3nc(1, 2));
+    bench_nock("Cell construction", subject, formula, iterations);
+    u3z(subject);
+    u3z(formula);
+  }
+
+  // Benchmark: Deep slot lookup
+  {
+    // Build a deep tree: [[[[1 2] 3] 4] 5]
+    u3_noun subject = u3nc(u3nc(u3nc(u3nc(1, 2), 3), 4), 5);
+    u3_noun formula = u3nc(0, 16);  // slot 16 = deepest left (1)
+    bench_nock("Deep slot lookup (depth 4)", subject, formula, iterations);
+    u3z(subject);
+    u3z(formula);
+  }
+
+  printf("\n");
+
+  // Cleanup
+  u3m_grab(u3_none);
+
+  return 0;
+}
diff --git a/ocaml/bench_nock.ml b/ocaml/bench_nock.ml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a71b3da
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ocaml/bench_nock.ml
@@ -0,0 +1,132 @@
+open Nock_lib.Noun
+open Nock_lib.Nock
+
+(** Benchmark utilities *)
+
+let time_ms () =
+  Unix.gettimeofday () *. 1000.0
+
+let bench_nock name subject formula iterations =
+  (* Warmup *)
+  for _i = 1 to 100 do
+    let _ = nock subject formula in ()
+  done;
+
+  (* Actual benchmark *)
+  Gc.compact ();
+  let start = time_ms () in
+
+  for _i = 1 to iterations do
+    let _result = nock subject formula in ()
+  done;
+
+  let finish = time_ms () in
+  let total = finish -. start in
+  let per_iter = total /. (float_of_int iterations) in
+  let ops_per_sec = 1000.0 /. per_iter in
+
+  Printf.printf "%-30s %8d iterations in %10.2f ms (%10.6f ms/iter, %10.0f ops/sec)\n"
+    name iterations total per_iter ops_per_sec
+
+(** Benchmarks *)
+
+let () =
+  Printf.printf "Nock Benchmark - OCaml Implementation\n";
+  Printf.printf "======================================\n\n";
+
+  let iterations = 1_000_000 in  (* 1M iterations for fast ops *)
+  let slow_iters = 100_000 in    (* 100K for slower ops *)
+
+  (* Benchmark 0: slot lookup *)
+  begin
+    let subject = cell (atom 42) (atom 99) in
+    let formula = cell (atom 0) (atom 2) in  (* [0 2] - get head *)
+    bench_nock "Opcode 0: slot/fragment" subject formula iterations
+  end;
+
+  (* Benchmark 1: constant *)
+  begin
+    let subject = atom 0 in
+    let formula = cell (atom 1) (atom 42) in  (* [1 42] *)
+    bench_nock "Opcode 1: constant" subject formula iterations
+  end;
+
+  (* Benchmark 3: is-cell *)
+  begin
+    let subject = atom 0 in
+    let formula = cell (atom 3) (cell (atom 1) (atom 42)) in  (* [3 [1 42]] *)
+    bench_nock "Opcode 3: is-cell (atom)" subject formula iterations
+  end;
+
+  (* Benchmark 4: increment *)
+  begin
+    let subject = atom 0 in
+    let formula = cell (atom 4) (cell (atom 1) (atom 1000)) in  (* [4 [1 1000]] *)
+    bench_nock "Opcode 4: increment" subject formula iterations
+  end;
+
+  (* Benchmark 5: equality *)
+  begin
+    let subject = atom 0 in
+    (* [5 [1 42] [1 42]] *)
+    let formula = cell (atom 5) (cell (cell (atom 1) (atom 42)) (cell (atom 1) (atom 42))) in
+    bench_nock "Opcode 5: equality (equal)" subject formula iterations
+  end;
+
+  (* Benchmark 6: if-then-else *)
+  begin
+    let subject = atom 0 in
+    (* [6 [1 0] [1 11] [1 22]] *)
+    let formula = cell (atom 6)
+      (cell (cell (atom 1) (atom 0))
+        (cell (cell (atom 1) (atom 11))
+          (cell (atom 1) (atom 22)))) in
+    bench_nock "Opcode 6: if-then-else" subject formula iterations
+  end;
+
+  (* Benchmark 7: composition *)
+  begin
+    let subject = atom 42 in
+    (* [7 [1 99] [0 1]] *)
+    let formula = cell (atom 7) (cell (cell (atom 1) (atom 99)) (cell (atom 0) (atom 1))) in
+    bench_nock "Opcode 7: composition" subject formula iterations
+  end;
+
+  (* Benchmark 8: push *)
+  begin
+    let subject = atom 42 in
+    (* [8 [1 99] [0 1]] *)
+    let formula = cell (atom 8) (cell (cell (atom 1) (atom 99)) (cell (atom 0) (atom 1))) in
+    bench_nock "Opcode 8: push" subject formula iterations
+  end;
+
+  (* Benchmark: Decrement-like operation (slower) *)
+  begin
+    (* [6 [5 [0 1] [1 0]] [1 0] [8 [1 0] [4 [0 3]]]] *)
+    (* This is: if(subject == 0) 0 else subject+1 (simplified) *)
+    let dec_fol = cell (atom 6)
+      (cell (cell (atom 5) (cell (cell (atom 0) (atom 1)) (cell (atom 1) (atom 0))))
+        (cell (cell (atom 1) (atom 0))
+          (cell (atom 8) (cell (cell (atom 1) (atom 0)) (cell (atom 4) (cell (atom 0) (atom 3))))))) in
+
+    let subject = atom 10 in
+    bench_nock "Complex: decrement loop" subject dec_fol slow_iters
+  end;
+
+  (* Benchmark: Tree construction *)
+  begin
+    let subject = atom 0 in
+    (* [[1 1] [1 2]] - constructs a cell *)
+    let formula = cell (cell (atom 1) (atom 1)) (cell (atom 1) (atom 2)) in
+    bench_nock "Cell construction" subject formula iterations
+  end;
+
+  (* Benchmark: Deep slot lookup *)
+  begin
+    (* Build a deep tree: [[[[1 2] 3] 4] 5] *)
+    let subject = cell (cell (cell (cell (atom 1) (atom 2)) (atom 3)) (atom 4)) (atom 5) in
+    let formula = cell (atom 0) (atom 16) in  (* slot 16 = deepest left (1) *)
+    bench_nock "Deep slot lookup (depth 4)" subject formula iterations
+  end;
+
+  Printf.printf "\n"
diff --git a/ocaml/bench_simple b/ocaml/bench_simple
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..c9c64e7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ocaml/bench_simple
diff --git a/ocaml/bench_simple.c b/ocaml/bench_simple.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..530746f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ocaml/bench_simple.c
@@ -0,0 +1,265 @@
+/// Simple standalone Nock benchmark
+/// This is a simplified version that doesn't require linking against full Vere
+
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <stdint.h>
+#include <time.h>
+#include <sys/time.h>
+#include <gmp.h>
+
+// Simplified noun type (direct atom or indirect cell)
+typedef uintptr_t noun;
+
+#define IS_ATOM(n)  (!((n) & 1))
+#define IS_CELL(n)  ((n) & 1)
+#define MAKE_DIRECT_ATOM(n) ((noun)(n) << 1)
+#define GET_DIRECT_ATOM(n) ((n) >> 1)
+
+// Simple cell structure
+typedef struct cell_s {
+  noun head;
+  noun tail;
+} cell_t;
+
+#define CELL_PTR(n) ((cell_t*)((n) & ~1ULL))
+#define MAKE_CELL(ptr) ((noun)ptr | 1)
+
+static noun
+make_atom(uint64_t val)
+{
+  return MAKE_DIRECT_ATOM(val);
+}
+
+static noun
+make_cell(noun head, noun tail)
+{
+  cell_t* c = malloc(sizeof(cell_t));
+  c->head = head;
+  c->tail = tail;
+  return MAKE_CELL(c);
+}
+
+static noun
+head(noun n)
+{
+  return CELL_PTR(n)->head;
+}
+
+static noun
+tail(noun n)
+{
+  return CELL_PTR(n)->tail;
+}
+
+// Simplified slot (no error handling)
+static noun
+slot(uint64_t axis, noun n)
+{
+  if (axis == 1) return n;
+  if (axis & 1) {
+    // Odd: go right (tail)
+    return slot(axis >> 1, tail(n));
+  } else {
+    // Even: go left (head)
+    return slot(axis >> 1, head(n));
+  }
+}
+
+// Ultra-simplified nock (only handles the opcodes we benchmark)
+static noun
+nock_simple(noun subject, noun formula)
+{
+  if (IS_CELL(formula) && IS_CELL(head(formula))) {
+    // Cell construction: [[a b] c] -> [nock(a) nock(c)]
+    noun h = nock_simple(subject, head(formula));
+    noun t = nock_simple(subject, tail(formula));
+    return make_cell(h, t);
+  }
+
+  if (!IS_CELL(formula)) return 0; // Error
+
+  noun op = head(formula);
+  noun arg = tail(formula);
+
+  if (!IS_ATOM(op)) return 0; // Error
+
+  uint64_t opcode = GET_DIRECT_ATOM(op);
+
+  switch (opcode) {
+    case 0: // slot
+      if (!IS_ATOM(arg)) return 0;
+      return slot(GET_DIRECT_ATOM(arg), subject);
+
+    case 1: // constant
+      return arg;
+
+    case 3: { // is-cell
+      noun val = nock_simple(subject, arg);
+      return IS_CELL(val) ? make_atom(0) : make_atom(1);
+    }
+
+    case 4: { // increment
+      noun val = nock_simple(subject, arg);
+      if (!IS_ATOM(val)) return 0;
+      return MAKE_DIRECT_ATOM(GET_DIRECT_ATOM(val) + 1);
+    }
+
+    case 5: { // equality
+      noun pair = nock_simple(subject, arg);
+      noun a = head(pair);
+      noun b = tail(pair);
+      // Simplified: only works for direct atoms
+      if (IS_ATOM(a) && IS_ATOM(b)) {
+        return (a == b) ? make_atom(0) : make_atom(1);
+      }
+      return make_atom(1);
+    }
+
+    case 6: { // if-then-else
+      noun test_fol = head(arg);
+      noun yes_fol = head(tail(arg));
+      noun no_fol = tail(tail(arg));
+
+      noun test_val = nock_simple(subject, test_fol);
+      uint64_t test = GET_DIRECT_ATOM(test_val);
+
+      if (test == 0) {
+        return nock_simple(subject, yes_fol);
+      } else {
+        return nock_simple(subject, no_fol);
+      }
+    }
+
+    case 7: { // composition
+      noun b = head(arg);
+      noun c = tail(arg);
+      noun new_subj = nock_simple(subject, b);
+      return nock_simple(new_subj, c);
+    }
+
+    case 8: { // push
+      noun b = head(arg);
+      noun c = tail(arg);
+      noun val = nock_simple(subject, b);
+      noun new_subj = make_cell(val, subject);
+      return nock_simple(new_subj, c);
+    }
+
+    default:
+      return 0; // Error
+  }
+}
+
+static double
+get_time_ms(void)
+{
+  struct timeval tv;
+  gettimeofday(&tv, NULL);
+  return (tv.tv_sec * 1000.0) + (tv.tv_usec / 1000.0);
+}
+
+static void
+bench(const char* name, noun subject, noun formula, int iterations)
+{
+  double start = get_time_ms();
+
+  for (int i = 0; i < iterations; i++) {
+    noun _result = nock_simple(subject, formula);
+    // Note: we're leaking memory here, but it's fine for a benchmark
+  }
+
+  double end = get_time_ms();
+  double total = end - start;
+  double per_iter = total / iterations;
+
+  printf("%-30s %8d iterations in %10.2f ms (%10.6f ms/iter, %10.0f ops/sec)\n",
+         name, iterations, total, per_iter, 1000.0 / per_iter);
+}
+
+int main()
+{
+  printf("Nock Benchmark - Simple C Implementation\n");
+  printf("=========================================\n");
+  printf("(Simplified version without full Vere infrastructure)\n\n");
+
+  int iterations = 1000000;
+  int slow_iters = 100000;
+
+  // Benchmark 0: slot
+  bench("Opcode 0: slot/fragment",
+        make_cell(make_atom(42), make_atom(99)),
+        make_cell(make_atom(0), make_atom(2)),
+        iterations);
+
+  // Benchmark 1: constant
+  bench("Opcode 1: constant",
+        make_atom(0),
+        make_cell(make_atom(1), make_atom(42)),
+        iterations);
+
+  // Benchmark 3: is-cell
+  bench("Opcode 3: is-cell (atom)",
+        make_atom(0),
+        make_cell(make_atom(3), make_cell(make_atom(1), make_atom(42))),
+        iterations);
+
+  // Benchmark 4: increment
+  bench("Opcode 4: increment",
+        make_atom(0),
+        make_cell(make_atom(4), make_cell(make_atom(1), make_atom(1000))),
+        iterations);
+
+  // Benchmark 5: equality
+  bench("Opcode 5: equality (equal)",
+        make_atom(0),
+        make_cell(make_atom(5),
+          make_cell(make_cell(make_atom(1), make_atom(42)),
+                    make_cell(make_atom(1), make_atom(42)))),
+        iterations);
+
+  // Benchmark 6: if-then-else
+  bench("Opcode 6: if-then-else",
+        make_atom(0),
+        make_cell(make_atom(6),
+          make_cell(make_cell(make_atom(1), make_atom(0)),
+            make_cell(make_cell(make_atom(1), make_atom(11)),
+                      make_cell(make_atom(1), make_atom(22))))),
+        iterations);
+
+  // Benchmark 7: composition
+  bench("Opcode 7: composition",
+        make_atom(42),
+        make_cell(make_atom(7),
+          make_cell(make_cell(make_atom(1), make_atom(99)),
+                    make_cell(make_atom(0), make_atom(1)))),
+        iterations);
+
+  // Benchmark 8: push
+  bench("Opcode 8: push",
+        make_atom(42),
+        make_cell(make_atom(8),
+          make_cell(make_cell(make_atom(1), make_atom(99)),
+                    make_cell(make_atom(0), make_atom(1)))),
+        iterations);
+
+  // Cell construction
+  bench("Cell construction",
+        make_atom(0),
+        make_cell(make_cell(make_atom(1), make_atom(1)),
+                  make_cell(make_atom(1), make_atom(2))),
+        iterations);
+
+  // Deep slot lookup
+  bench("Deep slot lookup (depth 4)",
+        make_cell(make_cell(make_cell(make_cell(make_atom(1), make_atom(2)),
+                                      make_atom(3)),
+                            make_atom(4)),
+                  make_atom(5)),
+        make_cell(make_atom(0), make_atom(16)),
+        iterations);
+
+  printf("\n");
+
+  return 0;
+}
diff --git a/ocaml/bitstream.ml b/ocaml/bitstream.ml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..73eda36
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ocaml/bitstream.ml
@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+(** Bitstream utilities for jam/cue serialization *)
+
+(** A bitstream writer *)
+type writer = {
+  buf: bytes ref;          (** Buffer for bits *)
+  mutable bit_pos: int;    (** Current bit position *)
+}
+
+(** A bitstream reader *)
+type reader = {
+  buf: bytes;              (** Buffer to read from *)
+  mutable bit_pos: int;    (** Current bit position *)
+  len: int;                (** Length in bits *)
+}
+
+(** Create a new bitstream writer *)
+let writer_create () = {
+  buf = ref (Bytes.create 1024);
+  bit_pos = 0;
+}
+
+(** Grow the writer buffer if needed *)
+let writer_ensure w bits_needed =
+  let bytes_needed = (w.bit_pos + bits_needed + 7) / 8 in
+  if bytes_needed > Bytes.length !(w.buf) then begin
+    let old_buf = !(w.buf) in
+    let new_size = max (bytes_needed * 2) (Bytes.length old_buf * 2) in
+    let new_buf = Bytes.create new_size in
+    Bytes.blit old_buf 0 new_buf 0 (Bytes.length old_buf);
+    w.buf := new_buf
+  end
+
+(** Write a single bit *)
+let write_bit w bit =
+  writer_ensure w 1;
+  let byte_pos = w.bit_pos / 8 in
+  let bit_off = w.bit_pos mod 8 in
+  if bit then begin
+    let old_byte = Bytes.get_uint8 !(w.buf) byte_pos in
+    Bytes.set_uint8 !(w.buf) byte_pos (old_byte lor (1 lsl bit_off))
+  end;
+  w.bit_pos <- w.bit_pos + 1
+
+(** Write multiple bits from a Z.t value *)
+let write_bits w value nbits =
+  writer_ensure w nbits;
+  for i = 0 to nbits - 1 do
+    let bit = Z.testbit value i in
+    write_bit w bit
+  done
+
+(** Get the final bytes from a writer *)
+let writer_to_bytes w =
+  let byte_len = (w.bit_pos + 7) / 8 in
+  Bytes.sub !(w.buf) 0 byte_len
+
+(** Create a bitstream reader *)
+let reader_create buf =
+  {
+    buf;
+    bit_pos = 0;
+    len = Bytes.length buf * 8;
+  }
+
+(** Read a single bit *)
+let read_bit r =
+  if r.bit_pos >= r.len then
+    raise (Invalid_argument "read_bit: end of stream");
+  let byte_pos = r.bit_pos / 8 in
+  let bit_off = r.bit_pos mod 8 in
+  let byte_val = Bytes.get_uint8 r.buf byte_pos in
+  r.bit_pos <- r.bit_pos + 1;
+  (byte_val lsr bit_off) land 1 = 1
+
+(** Read multiple bits as a Z.t *)
+let read_bits r nbits =
+  let result = ref Z.zero in
+  for i = 0 to nbits - 1 do
+    if read_bit r then
+      result := Z.logor !result (Z.shift_left Z.one i)
+  done;
+  !result
+
+(** Peek at a bit without advancing *)
+let peek_bit r =
+  if r.bit_pos >= r.len then
+    raise (Invalid_argument "peek_bit: end of stream");
+  let byte_pos = r.bit_pos / 8 in
+  let bit_off = r.bit_pos mod 8 in
+  let byte_val = Bytes.get_uint8 r.buf byte_pos in
+  (byte_val lsr bit_off) land 1 = 1
+
+(** Get current bit position *)
+let reader_pos r = r.bit_pos
+
+(** Check if at end of stream *)
+let reader_at_end r = r.bit_pos >= r.len
diff --git a/ocaml/compare.sh b/ocaml/compare.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..cf2f90f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ocaml/compare.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+echo "=========================================="
+echo "Nock Interpreter Benchmark Comparison"
+echo "=========================================="
+echo ""
+
+echo "Running Simple C Implementation..."
+echo "------------------------------------------"
+./bench_simple > /tmp/bench_c.txt 2>&1
+cat /tmp/bench_c.txt
+echo ""
+
+echo "Running OCaml Implementation..."
+echo "------------------------------------------"
+dune exec ./bench_nock.exe > /tmp/bench_ocaml.txt 2>&1
+cat /tmp/bench_ocaml.txt
+echo ""
+
+echo "=========================================="
+echo "Side-by-Side Comparison"
+echo "=========================================="
+echo ""
+echo "Note: Simple C uses a minimal interpreter without Vere's infrastructure"
+echo "OCaml uses Zarith (GMP-based) for arbitrary-precision integers"
+echo ""
+
+# Extract ops/sec and create comparison
+echo "Operation                      | C (ops/sec)  | OCaml (ops/sec) | Ratio (C/OCaml)"
+echo "-------------------------------|--------------|-----------------|----------------"
+
+extract_ops() {
+  grep "$1" /tmp/bench_c.txt | awk '{print $(NF-1)}' | tr -d ','
+}
+
+extract_ops_ocaml() {
+  grep "$1" /tmp/bench_ocaml.txt | awk '{print $(NF-1)}' | tr -d ','
+}
+
+compare_bench() {
+  name="$1"
+  c_ops=$(extract_ops "$name")
+  ocaml_ops=$(extract_ops_ocaml "$name")
+
+  if [ -n "$c_ops" ] && [ -n "$ocaml_ops" ]; then
+    ratio=$(echo "scale=2; $c_ops / $ocaml_ops" | bc)
+    printf "%-30s | %12.0f | %15.0f | %5.2fx\n" "$name" "$c_ops" "$ocaml_ops" "$ratio"
+  fi
+}
+
+compare_bench "Opcode 0: slot"
+compare_bench "Opcode 1: constant"
+compare_bench "Opcode 3: is-cell"
+compare_bench "Opcode 4: increment"
+compare_bench "Opcode 5: equality"
+compare_bench "Opcode 6: if-then-else"
+compare_bench "Opcode 7: composition"
+compare_bench "Opcode 8: push"
+compare_bench "Cell construction"
+compare_bench "Deep slot lookup"
+
+echo ""
+echo "=========================================="
+echo "Summary"
+echo "=========================================="
+echo ""
+echo "The simple C implementation is faster primarily because:"
+echo "  1. No garbage collection overhead"
+echo "  2. Direct pointer manipulation"
+echo "  3. Inline function calls with -O3"
+echo "  4. Stack allocation for small values"
+echo ""
+echo "The OCaml implementation advantages:"
+echo "  1. Memory safety (no manual memory management)"
+echo "  2. Arbitrary-precision integers built-in (via Zarith/GMP)"
+echo "  3. Pattern matching for cleaner code"
+echo "  4. Type safety catches errors at compile time"
+echo ""
+echo "For a real comparison with Vere, we would need to benchmark"
+echo "against the full Vere nock interpreter with its loom allocator,"
+echo "jet system, and memoization."
diff --git a/ocaml/dune b/ocaml/dune
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3943b7b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ocaml/dune
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+(library
+ (name nock_lib)
+ (modules noun nock bitstream serial)
+ (libraries zarith))
+
+(executable
+ (name test_nock)
+ (modules test_nock)
+ (libraries nock_lib zarith))
+
+(executable
+ (name test_serial)
+ (modules test_serial)
+ (libraries nock_lib zarith))
+
+(executable
+ (name bench_nock)
+ (modules bench_nock)
+ (libraries nock_lib zarith unix))
diff --git a/ocaml/dune-project b/ocaml/dune-project
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4a478ee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ocaml/dune-project
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+(lang dune 3.0)
+(name vere_nock)
diff --git a/ocaml/nock.ml b/ocaml/nock.ml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..34065b8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ocaml/nock.ml
@@ -0,0 +1,164 @@
+open Noun
+
+(** Nock interpreter
+
+    Based on the reference implementation from vere/pkg/noun/nock.c
+
+    The Nock spec has 12 opcodes (0-11):
+    - 0: slot/fragment lookup
+    - 1: constant
+    - 2: nock (recursion)
+    - 3: is-cell test
+    - 4: increment
+    - 5: equality test
+    - 6: if-then-else
+    - 7: composition
+    - 8: push
+    - 9: call with axis
+    - 10: hint (ignored in reference implementation)
+    - 11: scry (errors in reference implementation)
+*)
+
+(** Main nock evaluation function: nock(subject, formula)
+
+    In Nock notation: *[subject formula]
+
+    This is a direct port of _n_nock_on from nock.c:157-396
+*)
+let rec nock_on bus fol =
+  match fol with
+  | Cell (hib, gal) when is_cell hib ->
+      (* [a b] -> compute both sides and cons *)
+      let poz = nock_on bus hib in
+      let riv = nock_on bus gal in
+      cell poz riv
+
+  | Cell (Atom op, gal) ->
+      (match Z.to_int op with
+      | 0 ->
+          (* /[axis subject] - slot/fragment lookup *)
+          if not (is_atom gal) then raise Exit
+          else slot (match gal with Atom n -> n | _ -> raise Exit) bus
+
+      | 1 ->
+          (* =[constant subject] - return constant *)
+          gal
+
+      | 2 ->
+          (* *[subject formula new_subject] - evaluate with new subject *)
+          if not (is_cell gal) then raise Exit;
+          let b_gal = head gal in
+          let c_gal = tail gal in
+          let seb = nock_on bus b_gal in
+          let nex = nock_on bus c_gal in
+          nock_on seb nex
+
+      | 3 ->
+          (* ?[subject formula] - is-cell test *)
+          let gof = nock_on bus gal in
+          if is_cell gof then atom 0 else atom 1
+
+      | 4 ->
+          (* +[subject formula] - increment *)
+          let gof = nock_on bus gal in
+          inc gof
+
+      | 5 ->
+          (* =[subject formula] - equality test *)
+          let wim = nock_on bus gal in
+          if not (is_cell wim) then raise Exit;
+          let a = head wim in
+          let b = tail wim in
+          if equal a b then atom 0 else atom 1
+
+      | 6 ->
+          (* if-then-else *)
+          if not (is_cell gal) then raise Exit;
+          let b_gal = head gal in
+          let cd_gal = tail gal in
+          if not (is_cell cd_gal) then raise Exit;
+          let c_gal = head cd_gal in
+          let d_gal = tail cd_gal in
+
+          let tys = nock_on bus b_gal in
+          let nex = match tys with
+            | Atom n when Z.equal n Z.zero -> c_gal
+            | Atom n when Z.equal n Z.one -> d_gal
+            | _ -> raise Exit
+          in
+          nock_on bus nex
+
+      | 7 ->
+          (* composition: *[*[subject b] c] *)
+          if not (is_cell gal) then raise Exit;
+          let b_gal = head gal in
+          let c_gal = tail gal in
+          let bod = nock_on bus b_gal in
+          nock_on bod c_gal
+
+      | 8 ->
+          (* push: *[[*[subject b] subject] c] *)
+          if not (is_cell gal) then raise Exit;
+          let b_gal = head gal in
+          let c_gal = tail gal in
+          let heb = nock_on bus b_gal in
+          let bod = cell heb bus in
+          nock_on bod c_gal
+
+      | 9 ->
+          (* call: *[*[subject c] axis] *)
+          if not (is_cell gal) then raise Exit;
+          let b_gal = head gal in
+          let c_gal = tail gal in
+          if not (is_atom b_gal) then raise Exit;
+
+          let seb = nock_on bus c_gal in
+          let nex = slot (match b_gal with Atom n -> n | _ -> raise Exit) seb in
+          nock_on seb nex
+
+      | 10 ->
+          (* hint - in reference implementation, hints are mostly ignored *)
+          let nex =
+            if is_cell gal then
+              (* [[hint-tag hint-value] formula] *)
+              tail gal
+            else
+              (* [hint-tag formula] where hint-value is implicit *)
+              gal
+          in
+          nock_on bus nex
+
+      | 11 ->
+          (* scry - not implemented in reference nock, raises error *)
+          raise Exit
+
+      | _ ->
+          (* Invalid opcode *)
+          raise Exit
+      )
+
+  | _ ->
+      (* Invalid formula structure *)
+      raise Exit
+
+(** Convenience function: nock(subject, formula) *)
+let nock subject formula =
+  nock_on subject formula
+
+(** slam: apply gate to sample
+    slam(gate, sample) = *[gate [9 2 [0 1] [0 6] [1 sample] [0 7]]]
+
+    In practice this evaluates the gate (which is a core with a formula at axis 2)
+    with a modified sample (at axis 6).
+*)
+let slam gat sam =
+  let cor = cell (head gat) (cell sam (tail (tail gat))) in
+  let formula = slot (Z.of_int 2) cor in
+  nock_on cor formula
+
+(** kick: fire gate without changing sample
+    kick(gate) = *[gate 9 2 0 1]
+*)
+let kick gat =
+  let formula = slot (Z.of_int 2) gat in
+  nock_on gat formula
diff --git a/ocaml/noun.ml b/ocaml/noun.ml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c59ec80
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ocaml/noun.ml
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+(** Noun type and basic operations *)
+
+(** A noun is either an atom (arbitrary-precision integer) or a cell (pair of nouns) *)
+type noun =
+  | Atom of Z.t  (** Arbitrary-precision integer using Zarith *)
+  | Cell of noun * noun  (** Pair of nouns *)
+
+(** Exception raised on nock evaluation errors *)
+exception Exit
+
+(** Create an atom from an int *)
+let atom n = Atom (Z.of_int n)
+
+(** Create a cell *)
+let cell a b = Cell (a, b)
+
+(** Test if a noun is a cell *)
+let is_cell = function
+  | Cell _ -> true
+  | Atom _ -> false
+
+(** Test if a noun is an atom *)
+let is_atom = function
+  | Atom _ -> true
+  | Cell _ -> false
+
+(** Get head of a cell *)
+let head = function
+  | Cell (h, _) -> h
+  | Atom _ -> raise Exit
+
+(** Get tail of a cell *)
+let tail = function
+  | Cell (_, t) -> t
+  | Atom _ -> raise Exit
+
+(** Fragment/axis lookup: slot(n, noun)
+    This implements the tree-addressing scheme:
+    - 1 is the root
+    - 2 is head, 3 is tail
+    - For n > 1: if even, go left; if odd, go right
+*)
+let rec slot n noun =
+  if Z.equal n Z.one then
+    noun
+  else if Z.equal n Z.zero then
+    raise Exit
+  else
+    let bit = Z.testbit n 0 in  (* Check if odd *)
+    let parent = Z.shift_right n 1 in
+    let sub = slot parent noun in
+    if bit then tail sub else head sub
+
+(** Equality test for nouns *)
+let rec equal a b =
+  match a, b with
+  | Atom x, Atom y -> Z.equal x y
+  | Cell (ah, at), Cell (bh, bt) -> equal ah bh && equal at bt
+  | _, _ -> false
+
+(** Increment an atom *)
+let inc = function
+  | Atom n -> Atom (Z.succ n)
+  | Cell _ -> raise Exit
+
+(** Pretty-print a noun *)
+let rec pp_noun fmt = function
+  | Atom n -> Format.fprintf fmt "%s" (Z.to_string n)
+  | Cell (a, b) -> Format.fprintf fmt "[%a %a]" pp_noun a pp_noun b
diff --git a/ocaml/serial.ml b/ocaml/serial.ml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..039cd2f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ocaml/serial.ml
@@ -0,0 +1,191 @@
+(** Jam/cue serialization for nouns
+
+    Based on the Vere implementation in pkg/noun/serial.c
+
+    Jam encoding:
+    - Atoms: tag bit 0, then mat-encoded value
+    - Cells: tag bits 01, then recursively encode head and tail
+    - Backrefs: tag bits 11, then mat-encoded position
+
+    Mat encoding (length-prefixed):
+    - For 0: just bit 1
+    - For n > 0:
+      - Let a = bit-width of n
+      - Let b = bit-width of a
+      - Encode: [1 repeated b times][0][a in b-1 bits][n in a bits]
+*)
+
+open Noun
+open Bitstream
+
+(** Mat-encode a number into the bitstream
+
+    Mat encoding is a variable-length integer encoding:
+    - 0 is encoded as a single 1 bit
+    - For n > 0:
+      - a = number of bits in n (met 0 n)
+      - b = number of bits needed to represent a
+      - Write b 1-bits, then a 0-bit
+      - Write a-1 in b-1 bits
+      - Write n in a bits
+*)
+let rec mat_encode w n =
+  if Z.equal n Z.zero then
+    write_bit w true
+  else begin
+    let a = Z.numbits n in  (* bit-width of n *)
+    let b = Z.numbits (Z.of_int a) in  (* bit-width of a *)
+
+    (* Write b 1-bits followed by a 0-bit *)
+    for _i = 1 to b do
+      write_bit w true
+    done;
+    write_bit w false;
+
+    (* Write a-1 in b-1 bits *)
+    write_bits w (Z.of_int (a - 1)) (b - 1);
+
+    (* Write n in a bits *)
+    write_bits w n a
+  end
+
+(** Mat-decode from bitstream, returns (value, bits_read) *)
+let rec mat_decode r =
+  let start_pos = reader_pos r in
+
+  if not (read_bit r) then
+    (Z.zero, reader_pos r - start_pos)
+  else begin
+    (* Count leading 1 bits *)
+    let b = ref 1 in
+    while read_bit r do
+      b := !b + 1
+    done;
+
+    let b = !b in
+
+    if b = 1 then
+      (* Special case: just "10" means 1 *)
+      (Z.one, reader_pos r - start_pos)
+    else begin
+      (* Read a-1 in b-1 bits *)
+      let a_minus_1 = read_bits r (b - 1) in
+      let a = Z.to_int (Z.add a_minus_1 Z.one) in
+
+      (* Read n in a bits *)
+      let n = read_bits r a in
+      (n, reader_pos r - start_pos)
+    end
+  end
+
+(** Jam: serialize a noun to bytes
+
+    Uses a hash table to track positions for backreferences.
+    Returns the serialized bytes.
+*)
+let jam noun =
+  let w = writer_create () in
+  let positions = Hashtbl.create 256 in  (* noun -> bit position *)
+
+  let rec jam_noun n =
+    match n with
+    | Atom a ->
+        (* Check if we've seen this atom before *)
+        begin match Hashtbl.find_opt positions n with
+        | Some pos ->
+            (* Backref might be smaller than re-encoding *)
+            let atom_size = 1 + (Z.numbits a) in  (* rough estimate *)
+            let backref_size = 2 + (Z.numbits (Z.of_int pos)) in
+
+            if backref_size < atom_size then begin
+              (* Encode backref: tag bits 11 *)
+              write_bit w true;
+              write_bit w true;
+              mat_encode w (Z.of_int pos)
+            end else begin
+              (* Encode atom *)
+              write_bit w false;
+              mat_encode w a
+            end
+        | None ->
+            (* Record position and encode atom *)
+            Hashtbl.add positions n w.bit_pos;
+            write_bit w false;
+            mat_encode w a
+        end
+
+    | Cell (head, tail) ->
+        (* Check for backref *)
+        begin match Hashtbl.find_opt positions n with
+        | Some pos ->
+            (* Encode backref: tag bits 11 *)
+            write_bit w true;
+            write_bit w true;
+            mat_encode w (Z.of_int pos)
+        | None ->
+            (* Record position and encode cell *)
+            Hashtbl.add positions n w.bit_pos;
+            (* Tag bits 01 for cell *)
+            write_bit w true;
+            write_bit w false;
+            (* Recursively encode head and tail *)
+            jam_noun head;
+            jam_noun tail
+        end
+  in
+
+  jam_noun noun;
+  writer_to_bytes w
+
+(** Cue: deserialize bytes to a noun
+
+    Uses a hash table to store nouns by bit position for backreferences.
+*)
+let cue bytes =
+  let r = reader_create bytes in
+  let backref_table = Hashtbl.create 256 in  (* bit position -> noun *)
+
+  let rec cue_noun () =
+    let pos = reader_pos r in
+
+    (* Read tag bit *)
+    let tag0 = read_bit r in
+
+    if not tag0 then begin
+      (* Atom: tag bit 0 *)
+      let (value, _width) = mat_decode r in
+      let result = Atom value in
+      Hashtbl.add backref_table pos result;
+      result
+    end else begin
+      (* Read second tag bit *)
+      let tag1 = read_bit r in
+
+      if tag1 then begin
+        (* Backref: tag bits 11 *)
+        let (ref_pos, _width) = mat_decode r in
+        let ref_pos = Z.to_int ref_pos in
+        match Hashtbl.find_opt backref_table ref_pos with
+        | Some noun -> noun
+        | None -> raise (Invalid_argument (Printf.sprintf "cue: invalid backref to position %d" ref_pos))
+      end else begin
+        (* Cell: tag bits 01 *)
+        let head = cue_noun () in
+        let tail = cue_noun () in
+        let result = Cell (head, tail) in
+        Hashtbl.add backref_table pos result;
+        result
+      end
+    end
+  in
+
+  cue_noun ()
+
+(** Convert bytes to a hex string for debugging *)
+let bytes_to_hex bytes =
+  let len = Bytes.length bytes in
+  let buf = Buffer.create (len * 2) in
+  for i = 0 to len - 1 do
+    Buffer.add_string buf (Printf.sprintf "%02x" (Bytes.get_uint8 bytes i))
+  done;
+  Buffer.contents buf
diff --git a/ocaml/test_nock.ml b/ocaml/test_nock.ml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..73f2ce2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ocaml/test_nock.ml
@@ -0,0 +1,284 @@
+open Nock_lib.Noun
+open Nock_lib.Nock
+
+(** Test utilities *)
+
+let assert_equal expected actual msg =
+  if not (equal expected actual) then begin
+    Printf.printf "FAIL: %s\n" msg;
+    Format.printf "  Expected: %a@." pp_noun expected;
+    Format.printf "  Actual:   %a@." pp_noun actual;
+    exit 1
+  end else
+    Printf.printf "PASS: %s\n" msg
+
+let _assert_raises_exit f msg =
+  try
+    let _ = f () in
+    Printf.printf "FAIL: %s (expected Exit exception)\n" msg;
+    exit 1
+  with Exit ->
+    Printf.printf "PASS: %s\n" msg
+
+(** Basic noun tests *)
+
+let test_noun_basics () =
+  Printf.printf "\n=== Testing basic noun operations ===\n";
+
+  (* Test atom creation *)
+  let a = atom 42 in
+  assert_equal (atom 42) a "atom creation";
+
+  (* Test cell creation *)
+  let c = cell (atom 1) (atom 2) in
+  assert_equal (atom 1) (head c) "cell head";
+  assert_equal (atom 2) (tail c) "cell tail";
+
+  (* Test is_cell and is_atom *)
+  if not (is_atom a) then Printf.printf "FAIL: is_atom on atom\n" else Printf.printf "PASS: is_atom on atom\n";
+  if not (is_cell c) then Printf.printf "FAIL: is_cell on cell\n" else Printf.printf "PASS: is_cell on cell\n";
+  if is_atom c then Printf.printf "FAIL: not is_atom on cell\n" else Printf.printf "PASS: not is_atom on cell\n";
+  if is_cell a then Printf.printf "FAIL: not is_cell on atom\n" else Printf.printf "PASS: not is_cell on atom\n"
+
+(** Test slot/fragment addressing *)
+let test_slots () =
+  Printf.printf "\n=== Testing slot/fragment addressing ===\n";
+
+  (* Build tree: [[1 2] [3 4]] *)
+  let tree = cell (cell (atom 1) (atom 2)) (cell (atom 3) (atom 4)) in
+
+  (* Test slot addressing
+     1 = whole tree
+     2 = head = [1 2]
+     3 = tail = [3 4]
+     4 = head of head = 1
+     5 = tail of head = 2
+     6 = head of tail = 3
+     7 = tail of tail = 4
+  *)
+  assert_equal tree (slot Z.one tree) "slot 1 (root)";
+  assert_equal (cell (atom 1) (atom 2)) (slot (Z.of_int 2) tree) "slot 2 (head)";
+  assert_equal (cell (atom 3) (atom 4)) (slot (Z.of_int 3) tree) "slot 3 (tail)";
+  assert_equal (atom 1) (slot (Z.of_int 4) tree) "slot 4";
+  assert_equal (atom 2) (slot (Z.of_int 5) tree) "slot 5";
+  assert_equal (atom 3) (slot (Z.of_int 6) tree) "slot 6";
+  assert_equal (atom 4) (slot (Z.of_int 7) tree) "slot 7"
+
+(** Test Nock opcode 0: slot lookup *)
+let test_nock_0 () =
+  Printf.printf "\n=== Testing Nock opcode 0 (slot) ===\n";
+
+  let subject = cell (atom 4) (atom 5) in
+
+  (* *[subject [0 1]] = subject *)
+  assert_equal subject (nock subject (cell (atom 0) (atom 1))) "nock 0: axis 1";
+
+  (* *[[4 5] [0 2]] = 4 *)
+  assert_equal (atom 4) (nock subject (cell (atom 0) (atom 2))) "nock 0: axis 2";
+
+  (* *[[4 5] [0 3]] = 5 *)
+  assert_equal (atom 5) (nock subject (cell (atom 0) (atom 3))) "nock 0: axis 3"
+
+(** Test Nock opcode 1: constant *)
+let test_nock_1 () =
+  Printf.printf "\n=== Testing Nock opcode 1 (constant) ===\n";
+
+  let subject = atom 99 in
+
+  (* *[subject [1 42]] = 42 *)
+  assert_equal (atom 42) (nock subject (cell (atom 1) (atom 42))) "nock 1: return constant";
+
+  (* *[subject [1 [1 2]]] = [1 2] *)
+  assert_equal
+    (cell (atom 1) (atom 2))
+    (nock subject (cell (atom 1) (cell (atom 1) (atom 2))))
+    "nock 1: return constant cell"
+
+(** Test Nock opcode 2: recursion *)
+let test_nock_2 () =
+  Printf.printf "\n=== Testing Nock opcode 2 (nock) ===\n";
+
+  (* *[42 [2 [0 1] [1 0]]] = *[42 0] = crash *)
+  (* *[42 [2 [1 99] [1 0 1]]] = *[99 [0 1]] = 99 *)
+  let subject = atom 42 in
+  let formula = cell (atom 2) (cell (cell (atom 1) (atom 99)) (cell (atom 1) (cell (atom 0) (atom 1)))) in
+  assert_equal (atom 99) (nock subject formula) "nock 2: evaluate with new subject"
+
+(** Test Nock opcode 3: is-cell *)
+let test_nock_3 () =
+  Printf.printf "\n=== Testing Nock opcode 3 (is-cell) ===\n";
+
+  (* *[42 [3 1 42]] = 1 (atom) *)
+  assert_equal (atom 1) (nock (atom 42) (cell (atom 3) (cell (atom 1) (atom 42)))) "nock 3: is-cell of atom";
+
+  (* *[42 [3 1 [1 2]]] = 0 (cell) *)
+  assert_equal
+    (atom 0)
+    (nock (atom 42) (cell (atom 3) (cell (atom 1) (cell (atom 1) (atom 2)))))
+    "nock 3: is-cell of cell"
+
+(** Test Nock opcode 4: increment *)
+let test_nock_4 () =
+  Printf.printf "\n=== Testing Nock opcode 4 (increment) ===\n";
+
+  (* *[42 [4 1 41]] = 42 *)
+  assert_equal (atom 42) (nock (atom 0) (cell (atom 4) (cell (atom 1) (atom 41)))) "nock 4: increment";
+
+  (* *[0 [4 0 1]] = 1 *)
+  assert_equal (atom 1) (nock (atom 0) (cell (atom 4) (cell (atom 0) (atom 1)))) "nock 4: increment subject"
+
+(** Test Nock opcode 5: equality *)
+let test_nock_5 () =
+  Printf.printf "\n=== Testing Nock opcode 5 (equality) ===\n";
+
+  (* *[0 [5 [1 4] [1 5]]] = 1 (not equal) *)
+  assert_equal
+    (atom 1)
+    (nock (atom 0) (cell (atom 5) (cell (cell (atom 1) (atom 4)) (cell (atom 1) (atom 5)))))
+    "nock 5: not equal";
+
+  (* *[0 [5 [1 4] [1 4]]] = 0 (equal) *)
+  assert_equal
+    (atom 0)
+    (nock (atom 0) (cell (atom 5) (cell (cell (atom 1) (atom 4)) (cell (atom 1) (atom 4)))))
+    "nock 5: equal"
+
+(** Test Nock opcode 6: if-then-else *)
+let test_nock_6 () =
+  Printf.printf "\n=== Testing Nock opcode 6 (if-then-else) ===\n";
+
+  (* *[42 [6 [1 0] [1 11] [1 22]]] = 11 (if 0 then 11 else 22) *)
+  assert_equal
+    (atom 11)
+    (nock (atom 42) (cell (atom 6) (cell (cell (atom 1) (atom 0)) (cell (cell (atom 1) (atom 11)) (cell (atom 1) (atom 22))))))
+    "nock 6: if true";
+
+  (* *[42 [6 [1 1] [1 11] [1 22]]] = 22 (if 1 then 11 else 22) *)
+  assert_equal
+    (atom 22)
+    (nock (atom 42) (cell (atom 6) (cell (cell (atom 1) (atom 1)) (cell (cell (atom 1) (atom 11)) (cell (atom 1) (atom 22))))))
+    "nock 6: if false"
+
+(** Test Nock opcode 7: composition *)
+let test_nock_7 () =
+  Printf.printf "\n=== Testing Nock opcode 7 (composition) ===\n";
+
+  (* *[42 [7 [1 99] [0 1]]] = *[99 [0 1]] = 99 *)
+  assert_equal
+    (atom 99)
+    (nock (atom 42) (cell (atom 7) (cell (cell (atom 1) (atom 99)) (cell (atom 0) (atom 1)))))
+    "nock 7: composition"
+
+(** Test Nock opcode 8: push *)
+let test_nock_8 () =
+  Printf.printf "\n=== Testing Nock opcode 8 (push) ===\n";
+
+  (* *[42 [8 [1 99] [0 1]]] = *[[99 42] [0 1]] = [99 42] *)
+  assert_equal
+    (cell (atom 99) (atom 42))
+    (nock (atom 42) (cell (atom 8) (cell (cell (atom 1) (atom 99)) (cell (atom 0) (atom 1)))))
+    "nock 8: push"
+
+(** Test Nock opcode 9: call *)
+let test_nock_9 () =
+  Printf.printf "\n=== Testing Nock opcode 9 (call) ===\n";
+
+  (* Simplest test: *[42 [9 1 [0 1]]]
+     = evaluate [0 1] with 42 -> 42
+     = slot 1 of 42 -> 42
+     = *[42 42] -> should crash since 42 is not a valid formula
+
+     Better test: create subject with formula at position 3
+     *[[formula value] [9 2 [0 1]]]
+     where formula = [0 3] (get tail)
+
+     Actually: *[[1 2] [9 2 [1 [0 3]]]]
+     = evaluate [1 [0 3]] with [1 2] -> [0 3]
+     = slot 2 of [1 2] -> 1
+
+     Wait, that's wrong. Let me think about what 9 does:
+     *[subject [9 axis formula]]
+     = *[subject *[*[subject formula] axis]]
+
+     So: *[[1 2] [9 3 [0 1]]]
+     = *[*[[1 2] [0 1]] 3]
+     = *[[1 2] 3]
+     = slot 3 of [1 2]
+     = 2
+
+     But that's not right either. Let me re-read the spec.
+
+     Actually from the C code:
+     seb = nock(bus, c_gal)
+     nex = slot(b_gal, seb)
+     result = nock(seb, nex)
+
+     So for [9 b c]:
+     1. Evaluate c with subject -> seb
+     2. Get slot b from seb -> nex (this is the formula)
+     3. Evaluate nex with seb as subject
+
+     Test: *[[99 [4 [0 2]]] [9 3 [0 1]]]
+     1. seb = *[[99 [4 [0 2]]] [0 1]] = [99 [4 [0 2]]]
+     2. nex = slot 3 of [99 [4 [0 2]]] = [4 [0 2]]
+     3. result = *[[99 [4 [0 2]]] [4 [0 2]]]
+                = increment of *[[99 [4 [0 2]]] [0 2]]
+                = increment of 99
+                = 100
+  *)
+  let subj = cell (atom 99) (cell (atom 4) (cell (atom 0) (atom 2))) in
+  assert_equal
+    (atom 100)
+    (nock subj (cell (atom 9) (cell (atom 3) (cell (atom 0) (atom 1)))))
+    "nock 9: call formula at axis 3"
+
+(** Test Nock opcode 10: hint *)
+let test_nock_10 () =
+  Printf.printf "\n=== Testing Nock opcode 10 (hint) ===\n";
+
+  (* *[42 [10 99 [1 11]]] = 11 (hint ignored) *)
+  assert_equal
+    (atom 11)
+    (nock (atom 42) (cell (atom 10) (cell (atom 99) (cell (atom 1) (atom 11)))))
+    "nock 10: hint with value (ignored)";
+
+  (* *[42 [10 [99 [1 88]] [1 11]]] = 11 (hint ignored) *)
+  assert_equal
+    (atom 11)
+    (nock (atom 42) (cell (atom 10) (cell (cell (atom 99) (cell (atom 1) (atom 88))) (cell (atom 1) (atom 11)))))
+    "nock 10: hint with computed value (ignored)"
+
+(** Test Nock cell constructor shorthand *)
+let test_nock_cons () =
+  Printf.printf "\n=== Testing Nock cons (cell auto-construction) ===\n";
+
+  (* *[42 [[1 6] [1 7]]] = [6 7] *)
+  assert_equal
+    (cell (atom 6) (atom 7))
+    (nock (atom 42) (cell (cell (atom 1) (atom 6)) (cell (atom 1) (atom 7))))
+    "nock cons: [[1 6] [1 7]]"
+
+(** Run all tests *)
+let () =
+  Printf.printf "=================================\n";
+  Printf.printf "Nock OCaml Test Suite\n";
+  Printf.printf "=================================\n";
+
+  test_noun_basics ();
+  test_slots ();
+  test_nock_0 ();
+  test_nock_1 ();
+  test_nock_2 ();
+  test_nock_3 ();
+  test_nock_4 ();
+  test_nock_5 ();
+  test_nock_6 ();
+  test_nock_7 ();
+  test_nock_8 ();
+  test_nock_9 ();
+  test_nock_10 ();
+  test_nock_cons ();
+
+  Printf.printf "\n=================================\n";
+  Printf.printf "All tests passed!\n";
+  Printf.printf "=================================\n"
diff --git a/ocaml/test_serial.ml b/ocaml/test_serial.ml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..69887c5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ocaml/test_serial.ml
@@ -0,0 +1,185 @@
+open Nock_lib.Noun
+open Nock_lib.Serial
+
+(** Test utilities *)
+
+let assert_equal expected actual msg =
+  if not (equal expected actual) then begin
+    Printf.printf "FAIL: %s\n" msg;
+    Format.printf "  Expected: %a@." pp_noun expected;
+    Format.printf "  Actual:   %a@." pp_noun actual;
+    exit 1
+  end else
+    Printf.printf "PASS: %s\n" msg
+
+let assert_bytes_equal expected actual msg =
+  if expected <> actual then begin
+    Printf.printf "FAIL: %s\n" msg;
+    Printf.printf "  Expected: %s\n" (bytes_to_hex expected);
+    Printf.printf "  Actual:   %s\n" (bytes_to_hex actual);
+    exit 1
+  end else
+    Printf.printf "PASS: %s\n" msg
+
+(** Round-trip test: jam then cue should give original *)
+let test_roundtrip noun msg =
+  let jammed = jam noun in
+  let cued = cue jammed in
+  assert_equal noun cued msg
+
+(** Test basic atoms *)
+let test_atoms () =
+  Printf.printf "\n=== Testing atom serialization ===\n";
+
+  (* Test 0 *)
+  let n = atom 0 in
+  test_roundtrip n "atom 0 roundtrip";
+
+  (* Test small atoms *)
+  test_roundtrip (atom 1) "atom 1 roundtrip";
+  test_roundtrip (atom 2) "atom 2 roundtrip";
+  test_roundtrip (atom 42) "atom 42 roundtrip";
+  test_roundtrip (atom 255) "atom 255 roundtrip";
+  test_roundtrip (atom 256) "atom 256 roundtrip";
+
+  (* Test larger atoms *)
+  test_roundtrip (atom 65535) "atom 65535 roundtrip";
+  test_roundtrip (atom 1000000) "atom 1000000 roundtrip"
+
+(** Test basic cells *)
+let test_cells () =
+  Printf.printf "\n=== Testing cell serialization ===\n";
+
+  (* Simple cell [1 2] *)
+  let c = cell (atom 1) (atom 2) in
+  test_roundtrip c "cell [1 2] roundtrip";
+
+  (* Nested cells [[1 2] 3] *)
+  let c = cell (cell (atom 1) (atom 2)) (atom 3) in
+  test_roundtrip c "cell [[1 2] 3] roundtrip";
+
+  (* Deep nesting *)
+  let c = cell (cell (cell (atom 1) (atom 2)) (atom 3)) (atom 4) in
+  test_roundtrip c "cell [[[1 2] 3] 4] roundtrip";
+
+  (* Larger values *)
+  let c = cell (atom 1000) (atom 2000) in
+  test_roundtrip c "cell [1000 2000] roundtrip"
+
+(** Test trees *)
+let test_trees () =
+  Printf.printf "\n=== Testing tree serialization ===\n";
+
+  (* Binary tree *)
+  let tree = cell (cell (atom 1) (atom 2)) (cell (atom 3) (atom 4)) in
+  test_roundtrip tree "binary tree roundtrip";
+
+  (* Unbalanced tree *)
+  let tree = cell (atom 1) (cell (atom 2) (cell (atom 3) (atom 4))) in
+  test_roundtrip tree "right-leaning tree roundtrip";
+
+  (* List-like structure [1 [2 [3 0]]] *)
+  let list = cell (atom 1) (cell (atom 2) (cell (atom 3) (atom 0))) in
+  test_roundtrip list "list-like structure roundtrip"
+
+(** Test backreferences
+
+    When the same sub-noun appears multiple times, jam should use backreferences
+*)
+let test_backrefs () =
+  Printf.printf "\n=== Testing backreferences ===\n";
+
+  (* Create a noun with shared structure: [42 42]
+     The second 42 should be a backref to the first *)
+  let shared = atom 42 in
+  let n = cell shared shared in
+  test_roundtrip n "shared atom [42 42] roundtrip";
+
+  (* More complex sharing: [[1 2] [1 2]]
+     Second cell should backref to first *)
+  let sub = cell (atom 1) (atom 2) in
+  let n = cell sub sub in
+  test_roundtrip n "shared cell [[1 2] [1 2]] roundtrip";
+
+  (* Test that backrefs actually save space *)
+  let sub = cell (atom 100) (atom 200) in
+  let with_backref = cell sub sub in
+  let without_backref = cell (cell (atom 100) (atom 200)) (cell (atom 100) (atom 200)) in
+
+  let jammed_with = jam with_backref in
+  let jammed_without = jam without_backref in
+
+  Printf.printf "  Shared structure size: %d bytes\n" (Bytes.length jammed_with);
+  Printf.printf "  Duplicated structure size: %d bytes\n" (Bytes.length jammed_without);
+
+  (* Note: Due to how OCaml constructs values, physical equality might not work as expected,
+     but logical equality should still work for roundtrip *)
+  test_roundtrip with_backref "backref optimization roundtrip"
+
+(** Test known encodings
+
+    These test vectors would ideally come from the Vere test suite or Urbit dojo
+*)
+let test_known_encodings () =
+  Printf.printf "\n=== Testing known encodings ===\n";
+
+  (* We can generate these from Urbit with (jam 0), (jam 1), etc. *)
+
+  (* jam of 0 should be simple *)
+  let n = atom 0 in
+  let jammed = jam n in
+  Printf.printf "  jam(0) = %s (%d bytes)\n" (bytes_to_hex jammed) (Bytes.length jammed);
+  test_roundtrip n "known encoding: 0";
+
+  (* jam of 1 *)
+  let n = atom 1 in
+  let jammed = jam n in
+  Printf.printf "  jam(1) = %s (%d bytes)\n" (bytes_to_hex jammed) (Bytes.length jammed);
+  test_roundtrip n "known encoding: 1";
+
+  (* jam of [0 0] *)
+  let n = cell (atom 0) (atom 0) in
+  let jammed = jam n in
+  Printf.printf "  jam([0 0]) = %s (%d bytes)\n" (bytes_to_hex jammed) (Bytes.length jammed);
+  test_roundtrip n "known encoding: [0 0]"
+
+(** Test edge cases *)
+let test_edge_cases () =
+  Printf.printf "\n=== Testing edge cases ===\n";
+
+  (* Very large atom *)
+  let big = Atom (Z.of_string "123456789012345678901234567890") in
+  test_roundtrip big "very large atom roundtrip";
+
+  (* Deep nesting *)
+  let rec make_deep n =
+    if n = 0 then atom 0
+    else cell (atom n) (make_deep (n - 1))
+  in
+  let deep = make_deep 50 in
+  test_roundtrip deep "deeply nested structure (50 levels) roundtrip";
+
+  (* Wide tree *)
+  let rec make_wide n =
+    if n = 0 then atom 0
+    else cell (make_wide (n - 1)) (make_wide (n - 1))
+  in
+  let wide = make_wide 6 in  (* 2^6 = 64 leaves *)
+  test_roundtrip wide "wide binary tree (6 levels) roundtrip"
+
+(** Run all tests *)
+let () =
+  Printf.printf "=================================\n";
+  Printf.printf "Jam/Cue Serialization Test Suite\n";
+  Printf.printf "=================================\n";
+
+  test_atoms ();
+  test_cells ();
+  test_trees ();
+  test_backrefs ();
+  test_known_encodings ();
+  test_edge_cases ();
+
+  Printf.printf "\n=================================\n";
+  Printf.printf "All tests passed!\n";
+  Printf.printf "=================================\n"