diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 7447d0d..5cd0ff9 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -94,6 +94,12 @@ version = "0.21.5"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "35636a1494ede3b646cc98f74f8e62c773a38a659ebc777a2cf26b9b74171df9"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "beef"
+version = "0.5.2"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "3a8241f3ebb85c056b509d4327ad0358fbbba6ffb340bf388f26350aeda225b1"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "bit_field"
 version = "0.10.2"
@@ -321,6 +327,12 @@ dependencies = [
  "spin",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "fnv"
+version = "1.0.7"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "3f9eec918d3f24069decb9af1554cad7c880e2da24a9afd88aca000531ab82c1"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "getrandom"
 version = "0.2.12"
@@ -400,6 +412,19 @@ dependencies = [
  "rayon",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "lang"
+version = "0.1.0"
+dependencies = [
+ "logos",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "lazy_static"
+version = "1.4.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "e2abad23fbc42b3700f2f279844dc832adb2b2eb069b2df918f455c4e18cc646"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "lebe"
 version = "0.5.2"
@@ -433,6 +458,39 @@ dependencies = [
  "scopeguard",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "logos"
+version = "0.14.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "161971eb88a0da7ae0c333e1063467c5b5727e7fb6b710b8db4814eade3a42e8"
+dependencies = [
+ "logos-derive",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "logos-codegen"
+version = "0.14.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "8e31badd9de5131fdf4921f6473d457e3dd85b11b7f091ceb50e4df7c3eeb12a"
+dependencies = [
+ "beef",
+ "fnv",
+ "lazy_static",
+ "proc-macro2",
+ "quote",
+ "regex-syntax",
+ "syn",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "logos-derive"
+version = "0.14.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "1c2a69b3eb68d5bd595107c9ee58d7e07fe2bb5e360cc85b0f084dedac80de0a"
+dependencies = [
+ "logos-codegen",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "miniz_oxide"
 version = "0.7.1"
@@ -580,6 +638,12 @@ dependencies = [
  "thiserror",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "regex-syntax"
+version = "0.8.2"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "c08c74e62047bb2de4ff487b251e4a92e24f48745648451635cec7d591162d9f"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "ron"
 version = "0.8.1"
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 6d7f53d..82e4afd 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@
 members = [
   "crates/app",
   "crates/eval",
-  "crates/ir",
+  "crates/ir", 
+  "crates/lang",
 ]
 resolver = "2"
 
diff --git a/crates/lang/Cargo.toml b/crates/lang/Cargo.toml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1182341
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/lang/Cargo.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+[package]
+name = "lang"
+version = "0.1.0"
+edition = "2021"
+
+# See more keys and their definitions at https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/manifest.html
+
+[dependencies]
+logos = "0.14"
+
+[lints]
+workspace = true
diff --git a/crates/lang/src/lib.rs b/crates/lang/src/lib.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5c76635
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/lang/src/lib.rs
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+pub mod tokens;
diff --git a/crates/lang/src/tokens.rs b/crates/lang/src/tokens.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e21b961
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/lang/src/tokens.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+use logos::Logos;
+
+#[derive(Logos, Debug, PartialEq, Eq)]
+#[logos(skip r"[ \t\n\f]+")]
+pub enum Token<'a> {
+    #[regex("[a-zA-Z0-9_\\-]+", |lex| lex.slice())]
+    Word(&'a str),
+    #[regex("\\$[a-zA-Z0-9_\\-]+", |lex| &lex.slice()[1..])]
+    VarIdent(&'a str),
+    #[token("@..")]
+    InputSpread,
+    #[regex("\\@[a-zA-Z0-9_\\-]+", |lex| &lex.slice()[1..])]
+    InputIdent(&'a str),
+    #[token(",")]
+    Comma,
+    #[token("|")]
+    Pipe,
+    #[token("@|")]
+    MappingPipe,
+    #[token("!|")]
+    NullPipe,
+    #[token("@")]
+    At,
+    #[token(">")]
+    GreaterThan,
+    #[token("=")]
+    Equals,
+    #[token(":")]
+    Colon,
+    #[token("[")]
+    BracketOpen,
+    #[token("]")]
+    BracketClose,
+    #[token("(")]
+    ParenOpen,
+    #[token(")")]
+    ParenClose,
+    #[token("{")]
+    BraceOpen,
+    #[token("}")]
+    BraceClose,
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests;
diff --git a/crates/lang/src/tokens/tests.rs b/crates/lang/src/tokens/tests.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fe4270e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/lang/src/tokens/tests.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,107 @@
+use logos::Logos;
+
+use super::Token;
+
+/// generates tests for the lexer to avoid writing boilerplate
+macro_rules! lexer_test {
+    ($name:ident, $input:literal, $out:expr) => {
+        #[test]
+        fn $name() {
+            let lex = Token::lexer($input);
+            let toks = lex.map(|tok| tok.unwrap()).collect::<Vec<_>>();
+            assert_eq!(toks, $out);
+        }
+    };
+}
+
+lexer_test! {
+    test_lex_simple_pipeline,
+    "streamer | processor | sink",
+    [
+        Token::Word("streamer"),
+        Token::Pipe,
+        Token::Word("processor"),
+        Token::Pipe,
+        Token::Word("sink")
+    ]
+}
+
+lexer_test! {
+    test_lex_var_ident,
+    "$identifier",
+    [ Token::VarIdent("identifier") ]
+}
+
+lexer_test! {
+    test_lex_subgroup,
+    "subgroup(first, second) = a | b { 1: $first } | c { 1: $second }",
+    [
+        Token::Word("subgroup"),
+        Token::ParenOpen,
+        Token::Word("first"),
+        Token::Comma,
+        Token::Word("second"),
+        Token::ParenClose,
+        Token::Equals,
+        Token::Word("a"),
+        Token::Pipe,
+        Token::Word("b"),
+        Token::BraceOpen,
+        Token::Word("1"),
+        Token::Colon,
+        Token::VarIdent("first"),
+        Token::BraceClose,
+        Token::Pipe,
+        Token::Word("c"),
+        Token::BraceOpen,
+        Token::Word("1"),
+        Token::Colon,
+        Token::VarIdent("second"),
+        Token::BraceClose
+    ]
+}
+
+lexer_test! {
+    text_lex_crossing_pipeline_reordering,
+    "a >first, second|second, first> c",
+    [
+        Token::Word("a"),
+        Token::GreaterThan,
+        Token::Word("first"),
+        Token::Comma,
+        Token::Word("second"),
+        Token::Pipe,
+        Token::Word("second"),
+        Token::Comma,
+        Token::Word("first"),
+        Token::GreaterThan,
+        Token::Word("c")
+    ]
+}
+
+lexer_test! {
+    test_lex_crossing_input_args,
+    "a >second| c { second: @first }",
+    [
+        Token::Word("a"),
+        Token::GreaterThan,
+        Token::Word("second"),
+        Token::Pipe,
+        Token::Word("c"),
+        Token::BraceOpen,
+        Token::Word("second"),
+        Token::Colon,
+        Token::InputIdent("first"),
+        Token::BraceClose
+    ]
+}
+
+lexer_test! {
+    test_lex_map_io_named,
+    "a @| c",
+    [
+        Token::Word("a"),
+        Token::MappingPipe,
+        Token::Word("c")
+    ]
+}