diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index ed3aed8..cf47efe 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -2,66 +2,25 @@
 
 > For AI agents and contributors working in this repository.
 
-## 1. Build & Test
+## Build & Test
 
 ```bash
-# Haskell tests (default check)
+# Tests
 nix flake check
 
-# Zig build
-nix build .#tricu-zig
-
-# Zig tests (separate target — not part of nix flake check)
-nix build .#tricu-zig-tests
-
-# Full build
+# Build tricu executable
 nix build .#
 ```
 
-### ⚠️ Never call `cabal` directly
+### Never call `cabal` directly
 
 > **Rule of thumb:** if it builds, links, or tests, it goes through `nix`.
 
-## 2. Project Overview
+## Project Overview
 
-**tricu** (pronounced "tree-shoe") is a programming-language experiment written in Haskell. It implements [Triage Calculus](https://olydis.medium.com/a-visual-introduction-to-tree-calculus-2f4a34ceffc2), an extension of Barry Jay's Tree Calculus, with lambda-abstraction sugar that gets eliminated back to pure tree calculus terms.
+**tricu** (pronounced "tree-shoe") is a programming-language experiment written primarily in Haskell.
 
-### Core types (in `src/Research.hs`)
-
-| Type | Description |
-|------|-------------|
-| `T = Leaf \| Stem T \| Fork T T` | Tree Calculus term (the runtime value) |
-| `TricuAST` | Parsed AST with `SDef`, `SApp`, `SLambda`, etc. |
-| `LToken` | Lexer tokens |
-| `Node` / `MerkleHash` | Content-addressed Merkle DAG nodes |
-
-### Source modules (Haskell)
-
-| Module | Purpose |
-|--------|---------|
-| `Main.hs` | CLI entry point (`cmdargs`), three modes: `repl`, `eval`, `decode` |
-| `Eval.hs` | Interpreter: `evalTricu`, `result`, `evalSingle` |
-| `Parser.hs` | Megaparsec parser → `TricuAST` |
-| `Lexer.hs` | Megaparsec lexer → `LToken` |
-| `FileEval.hs` | File loading, module imports, `!import` |
-| `REPL.hs` | Interactive Read-Eval-Print Loop (haskeline) |
-| `Research.hs` | Core types, `apply` reduction, booleans, marshalling (`ofString`, `ofNumber`), output formatters (`toAscii`, `toTernaryString`, `decodeResult`) |
-| `ContentStore.hs` | SQLite-backed term persistence |
-| `Wire.hs` | Arboricx portable wire format — encode/decode/import/export of Merkle-DAG bundle blobs |
-
-### Multi-language Arboricx ecosystem
-
-Arboricx is the portable executable-object format used by tricu. The project now includes native parsing and execution in multiple languages:
-
-| Language | Location | Capabilities |
-|----------|----------|--------------|
-| **Haskell** | `src/Wire.hs`, `src/Research.hs` | Reference implementation — bundle encode/decode, content store, full Tree Calculus reduction |
-| **tricu (self-hosted)** | `kernel_run_arboricx_typed.dag` | A self-hosting Arboricx parser/executor written in tricu itself. Used as a kernel inside the Zig host for maximum portability ("cool but useless" — ~3s for `append`) |
-| **Zig** | `ext/zig/` | **Production host** — native bundle parser, WHNF reducer, C ABI (`libarboricx.so` / `.a`), CLI (`tricu-zig`), Python FFI support |
-| **JavaScript (Node)** | `ext/js/` | Native bundle parser, manifest decoder, Merkle DAG verifier, Tree Calculus reducer, CLI runner |
-| **PHP** | `ext/php/` | FFI wrapper around `libarboricx.so`, CLI runner |
-
-All hosts share the same bundle format and Merkle hashing scheme.
+Core types are in `src/Research.hs`.
 
 ### File extensions
 
@@ -70,8 +29,6 @@ All hosts share the same bundle format and Merkle hashing scheme.
 - `.arboricx` - Portable executable bundle
 - `.dag` - Serialized kernel DAG (used by `gen_kernel.zig` at build time)
 
-## 3. Test Suite
-
 ### Haskell tests
 
 Tests live in `test/Spec.hs` and use **Tasty** + **HUnit**.
@@ -80,42 +37,7 @@ Tests live in `test/Spec.hs` and use **Tasty** + **HUnit**.
 nix flake check
 ```
 
-### Test groups
-
-| Group | What it covers |
-|-------|----------------|
-| `lexer` | Megaparsec lexer - identifiers, keywords, strings, escapes, invalid tokens |
-| `parser` | Parser - defs, lambda, applications, lists, comments, parentheses |
-| `simpleEvaluation` | Core `apply` reduction rules, variable substitution, immutability |
-| `lambdas` | Lambda elimination, SKI calculus, higher-order functions, currying, shadowing, free vars |
-| `providedLibraries` | `lib/list.tri` - triage, booleans, list ops (`head`, `tail`, `map`, `emptyList?`, `append`, `equal?`) |
-| `fileEval` | Loading `.tri` files, multi-file context, decode |
-| `modules` | `!import`, cyclic deps, namespacing, multi-level imports, unresolved vars, local namespaces |
-| `demos` | `demos/*.tri` - structural equality, `toSource`, `size`, level-order traversal |
-| `decoding` | `decodeResult` - Leaf, numbers, strings, lists, mixed |
-| `elimLambdaSingle` | Lambda elimination: eta reduction, SDef binding, semantics preservation |
-| `stressElimLambda` | Lambda elimination stress test: 200 vars, 800-body curried lambda |
-
-### Zig tests
-
-Run separately via:
-
-```bash
-nix build .#tricu-zig-tests
-```
-
-These are **not** included in `nix flake check`. The test derivation compiles and runs:
-
-| Test | What it covers |
-|------|----------------|
-| `c_abi_test.c` | Smoke tests — leaf, stem, fork, app, reduce, number/string roundtrip, kernel root |
-| `c_abi_append_test.c` | Kernel path — `append.arboricx` with string arguments via Tricu kernel |
-| `native_bundle_append_test.c` | Native fast path — `append.arboricx` loaded natively, applied, reduced |
-| `native_bundle_id_test.c` | Native fast path — `id.arboricx` |
-| `native_bundle_bools_test.c` | Native fast path — `true.arboricx` / `false.arboricx` |
-| `python_ffi_test.py` | Python ctypes FFI — tests both kernel and native paths for `id` and `append` |
-
-## 4. tricu Language Quick Reference
+## tricu Language Quick Reference
 
 ```
 t                      → Leaf (the base term)
@@ -132,242 +54,4 @@ head (map f xs)        → From lib/list.tri
 ```
 
 CRITICAL:
-
-When working with recursion in `tricu` files:
-
-1. Put consumed data first in recursive workers.
-2. Let data shape drive recursion.
-3. Do not let counters unroll over abstract input.
-
-## 5. Output Formats
-
-The `eval` command accepts `--form` (shorthand `-t`):
-
-| Format | Value | Description |
-|--------|-------|-------------|
-| `tree` | `TreeCalculus` | Simple `t` form (default) |
-| `fsl` | `FSL` | Full show representation |
-| `ast` | `AST` | Parsed AST representation |
-| `ternary` | `Ternary` | Ternary string encoding |
-| `ascii` | `Ascii` | ASCII-art tree diagram |
-| `decode` | `Decode` | Human-readable (strings, numbers, lists) |
-
-## 6. Content Addressing
-
-Each `T` term is content-addressed via a Merkle DAG:
-
-```
-NLeaf       → 0x00
-NStem(h)    → 0x01 || h (32 bytes)
-NFork(l,r)  → 0x02 || l (32 bytes) || r (32 bytes)
-
-hash = SHA256("arboricx.merkle.node.v1" <> 0x00 <> serialized_node)
-```
-
-This is stored in SQLite via `ContentStore.hs`. Hash suffixes on identifiers (e.g., `foo_abc123...`) are validated: 16–64 hex characters (SHA256).
-
-## 7. Arboricx Portable Bundles (`.arboricx`)
-
-Portable executable bundles are generated via `Wire.hs`. See `docs/arboricx-bundle-format.md` for the full binary format spec.
-
-```bash
-# Export a bundle from the content store
-./result/bin/tricu export -o myterm.arboricx myterm
-
-# Run a bundle (requires TRICU_DB_PATH)
-./result/bin/tricu import -f lib/list.tri
-TRICU_DB_PATH=/tmp/tricu.db ./result/bin/tricu export -o list_ops.arboricx append
-```
-
-## 8. Zig Arboricx Host (`ext/zig/`)
-
-The Zig host is a fast implementation for running Arboricx bundles. It provides a native bundle parser and arena-based evaluator.
-
-### Modules
-
-| File | Role |
-|------|------|
-| `src/main.zig` | CLI entrypoint — default native path, `--kernel` fallback |
-| `src/bundle.zig` | Native Arboricx bundle parser — verifies digests, hashes, loads DAG into arena |
-| `src/c_abi.zig` | C FFI exports — `arboricx_init`, tree constructors, codecs, reduction, bundle loading |
-| `src/reduce.zig` | WHNF reducer (Tree Calculus `apply` rules) |
-| `src/arena.zig` | Node arena (`ArrayListUnmanaged`) |
-| `src/tree.zig` | `Node` union + iterative `copyTree` |
-| `src/codecs.zig` | Number/string/list/bytes encoding + result unwrapping |
-| `src/kernel.zig` | Embeds DAG kernel into arena (fallback path only) |
-| `src/ternary.zig` | Ternary string parser for Tree Calculus terms |
-| `tools/gen_kernel.zig` | Build-time tool: converts `.dag` → `kernel_embed.zig` |
-| `include/arboricx.h` | C header for `libarboricx` |
-
-### C ABI
-
-Key functions:
-
-```c
-arb_ctx_t* arboricx_init(void);
-uint32_t arb_load_bundle(arb_ctx_t*, const uint8_t* bytes, size_t len, const char* name);
-uint32_t arb_load_bundle_default(arb_ctx_t*, const uint8_t* bytes, size_t len);
-uint32_t arb_reduce(arb_ctx_t*, uint32_t root, uint64_t fuel);
-```
-
-`arb_reduce` evaluates in a **fresh scratch arena** so garbage never accumulates.
-
-### Stack size requirement
-
-Tree Calculus reduction is deeply recursive. Assume a segfault is a memory limitation until proven otherwise.
-
-```bash
-ulimit -s 32768   # 32 MB
-```
-
-### Performance comparison
-
-| Fixture | Native path | Kernel path (`--kernel`) |
-|---------|-------------|--------------------------|
-| `append "hello " "world"` | **~0.007 s** | ~3.4 s |
-| `id "hello"` | **~0.005 s** | ~0.38 s |
-
-The kernel path is kept as a "cool but useless" fallback — the DAG is tiny (~30 KB) so the cost is negligible.
-
-## 9. Nix Flake Outputs
-
-| Output | Description |
-|--------|-------------|
-| `packages.default` / `packages.tricu` | Haskell tricu package |
-| `packages.tricu-zig` | Zig CLI + `libarboricx.a` + `libarboricx.so` + `arboricx.h` |
-| `packages.tricu-zig-tests` | **Separate test target** — C ABI + native bundle + Python FFI tests |
-| `packages.tricu-php` | PHP source + `libarboricx.so` + `tricu-php` wrapper script |
-| `packages.tricu-php-tests` | **Separate test target** — PHP FFI tests against fixture bundles |
-| `packages.tricu-container` | Docker image |
-| `checks.default` / `checks.tricu` | Haskell test suite via Tasty/HUnit |
-
-`tricu-zig-tests` is deliberately **not** in `checks` so `nix flake check` remains fast.
-
-## 10. Directory Layout
-
-```
-tricu/
-├── flake.nix           # Nix flake: packages, tests, devShell
-├── tricu.cabal         # Cabal package (used via callCabal2nix)
-├── AGENTS.md           # This file
-├── src/                # Haskell modules
-│   ├── Main.hs
-│   ├── Eval.hs
-│   ├── Parser.hs
-│   ├── Lexer.hs
-│   ├── FileEval.hs
-│   ├── REPL.hs
-│   ├── Research.hs
-│   ├── ContentStore.hs
-│   └── Wire.hs
-├── test/
-│   ├── Spec.hs         # Tasty + HUnit tests
-│   ├── *.tri           # tricu test programs
-│   ├── *.arboricx      # Arboricx bundle fixtures
-│   └── local-ns/       # Module namespace test files
-├── lib/
-│   ├── base.tri
-│   ├── list.tri
-│   └── patterns.tri
-├── demos/
-│   ├── equality.tri
-│   ├── size.tri
-│   ├── toSource.tri
-│   ├── levelOrderTraversal.tri
-│   └── patternMatching.tri
-├── ext/                # Multi-language Arboricx hosts
-│   ├── js/             # Node.js bundle parser + reducer
-│   │   ├── src/
-│   │   │   ├── bundle.js
-│   │   │   ├── manifest.js
-│   │   │   ├── merkle.js
-│   │   │   ├── tree.js
-│   │   │   ├── codecs.js
-│   │   │   └── cli.js
-│   │   └── test/
-│   ├── php/            # PHP FFI host for libarboricx.so
-│   │   ├── src/
-│   │   │   └── ffi.php
-│   │   └── run.php
-│   └── zig/            # Zig production host
-│       ├── build.zig
-│       ├── build.zig.zon
-│       ├── kernel_run_arboricx_typed.dag
-│       ├── include/arboricx.h
-│       ├── src/
-│       │   ├── main.zig
-│       │   ├── bundle.zig
-│       │   ├── c_abi.zig
-│       │   ├── codecs.zig
-│       │   ├── kernel.zig
-│       │   ├── reduce.zig
-│       │   ├── arena.zig
-│       │   ├── tree.zig
-│       │   └── ternary.zig
-│       ├── tests/
-│       │   ├── c_abi_test.c
-│       │   ├── c_abi_append_test.c
-│       │   ├── native_bundle_append_test.c
-│       │   ├── native_bundle_id_test.c
-│       │   ├── native_bundle_bools_test.c
-│       │   └── python_ffi_test.py
-│       └── tools/
-│           └── gen_kernel.zig
-└── docs/
-    └── arboricx-bundle-format.md
-```
-
-## 11. Content Store Workflow (Custom DB)
-
-The content store location is controlled by the `TRICU_DB_PATH` environment variable. When set, `eval` mode automatically loads all stored terms into the initial environment, so you can call any previously imported/evaluated term by name.
-
-```bash
-# Use a local DB
-export TRICU_DB_PATH=/tmp/tricu-local.db
-
-# Import terms from the standard library
-./result/bin/tricu import -f lib/list.tri
-
-# Now use them in eval mode
-echo "not? (t t)" | ./result/bin/tricu eval -t decode
-# Output: t
-
-echo "not? (t t t)" | ./result/bin/tricu eval -t decode
-# Output: Stem Leaf
-
-echo "equal? (t t) (t t t)" | ./result/bin/tricu eval -t decode
-# Output: t
-
-# Check what's in the store
-./result/bin/tricu
-t> !definitions
-```
-
-Without `TRICU_DB_PATH` set, `eval` uses only the terms defined in the input file(s).
-
-## 12. Development Tips
-
-- **REPL:** `nix run .#` starts the interactive tricu REPL.
-- **Evaluate files:** `nix run .# -- eval -f demos/equality.tri`
-- **Zig host:** `nix build .#tricu-zig` then `./result/bin/tricu-zig <bundle> [args...]`
-- **Zig tests:** `nix build .#tricu-zig-tests`
-- **GHC options:** `-threaded -rtsopts -with-rtsopts=-N` for parallel runtime. Use `-N` RTS flag for multi-core.
-- **Upx** is in the devShell for binary compression if needed.
-
-## 13. Viewing Haskell Dependency Docs from Nix
-
-When you need Haddock documentation for a Haskell dependency available in Nixpkgs, build the package's `doc` output directly with `^doc`.
-
-Example:
-
-Replace `megaparsec` with the dependency name you need:
-
-```sh
-nix build "nixpkgs#haskellPackages.${pkg}^doc"
-```
-
-View the available documentation files:
-
-```sh
-find ./result-doc -type f \( -name '*.html' -o -name '*.haddock' \) | sort
-```
+When working with `tricu` `.tri` files ***YOU MUST REVIEW notes/tricu-normalization-rules.md***
diff --git a/demos/interactionTrees/arboricx-server.tri b/demos/interactionTrees/arboricxServer.tri
similarity index 100%
rename from demos/interactionTrees/arboricx-server.tri
rename to demos/interactionTrees/arboricxServer.tri
diff --git a/lib/arboricx/common.tri b/lib/arboricx/common.tri
index 5164559..51c9a45 100644
--- a/lib/arboricx/common.tri
+++ b/lib/arboricx/common.tri
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
-!import "../base.tri" !Local
-!import "../list.tri" !Local
-!import "../bytes.tri" !Local
-!import "../binary.tri" !Local
+!import "../prelude.tri" !Local
+!import "../bytes.tri"   !Local
+!import "../binary.tri"  !Local
 
 arboricxMagic = [(65) (82) (66) (79) (82) (73) (67) (88)]
 arboricxMajorVersion = [(0) (1)]
diff --git a/lib/arboricx/nodes.tri b/lib/arboricx/nodes.tri
index 46e9443..e27a66d 100644
--- a/lib/arboricx/nodes.tri
+++ b/lib/arboricx/nodes.tri
@@ -46,14 +46,72 @@ nodePayloadValid? = (nodePayload :
       (nodePayloadStem? nodePayload)
       (nodePayloadFork? nodePayload)))
 
+nodeU32FromBytes4 = (b0 b1 b2 b3 :
+  u32BEBytesToNat
+    (pair b0
+      (pair b1
+        (pair b2
+          (pair b3 t)))))
+
+withNodePayloadStemIndex = (nodePayload shortK indexK :
+  matchList
+    (shortK t)
+    (tag r0 :
+      matchList
+        (shortK t)
+        (b0 r1 :
+          matchList
+            (shortK t)
+            (b1 r2 :
+              matchList
+                (shortK t)
+                (b2 r3 :
+                  matchList
+                    (shortK t)
+                    (b3 _ :
+                      indexK (nodeU32FromBytes4 b0 b1 b2 b3))
+                    r3) r2) r1) r0) nodePayload)
+
+withNodePayloadForkIndices = (nodePayload shortK indicesK :
+  matchList
+    (shortK t)
+    (tag r0 :
+      matchList
+        (shortK t)
+        (l0 r1 :
+          matchList
+            (shortK t)
+            (l1 r2 :
+              matchList
+                (shortK t)
+                (l2 r3 :
+                  matchList
+                    (shortK t)
+                    (l3 r4 :
+                      matchList
+                        (shortK t)
+                        (r0b r5 :
+                          matchList
+                            (shortK t)
+                            (r1b r6 :
+                              matchList
+                                (shortK t)
+                                (r2b r7 :
+                                  matchList
+                                    (shortK t)
+                                    (r3b _ :
+                                      indicesK
+                                        (nodeU32FromBytes4 l0 l1 l2 l3)
+                                        (nodeU32FromBytes4 r0b r1b r2b r3b)) r7) r6) r5) r4) r3) r2) r1) r0) nodePayload)
+
 nodePayloadStemChildIndex = (nodePayload :
-  u32BEBytesToNat (bytesTake 4 (bytesDrop 1 nodePayload)))
+  withNodePayloadStemIndex nodePayload (_ : 0) (index : index))
 
 nodePayloadForkLeftIndex = (nodePayload :
-  u32BEBytesToNat (bytesTake 4 (bytesDrop 1 nodePayload)))
+  withNodePayloadForkIndices nodePayload (_ : 0) (left right : left))
 
 nodePayloadForkRightIndex = (nodePayload :
-  u32BEBytesToNat (bytesTake 4 (bytesDrop 5 nodePayload)))
+  withNodePayloadForkIndices nodePayload (_ : 0) (left right : right))
 
 nodeRecordsHaveInvalidPayload? = y (self nodeRecords :
   matchList
@@ -65,31 +123,44 @@ nodeRecordsHaveInvalidPayload? = y (self nodeRecords :
     nodeRecords)
 
 nodePayloadChildIndices = (nodePayload :
-  matchBool
+  matchList
     t
-    (matchBool
-      (pair (nodePayloadStemChildIndex nodePayload) t)
-      (pair (nodePayloadForkLeftIndex nodePayload)
-        (pair (nodePayloadForkRightIndex nodePayload) t))
-      (nodePayloadStem? nodePayload))
-    (nodePayloadLeaf? nodePayload))
+    (tag rest :
+      lazyBool
+        (_ :
+          withNodePayloadStemIndex
+            nodePayload
+            (_ : t)
+            (childIndex : pair childIndex t))
+        (_ :
+          lazyBool
+            (_ :
+              withNodePayloadForkIndices
+                nodePayload
+                (_ : t)
+                (leftIndex rightIndex :
+                  pair leftIndex (pair rightIndex t)))
+            (_ : t)
+            (equal? tag nodePayloadForkTag))
+        (equal? tag nodePayloadStemTag))
+    nodePayload)
 
 -- True iff index n names an element before limit in records.
 -- For topologically sorted indexed bundles, every child of record i must
 -- satisfy childIndex < i, so searching only the prefix [0, i) validates both
 -- bounds and acyclicity.
-nodeIndexInPrefix? = y (self n records i limit :
-  matchBool
+nodeIndexInPrefix? = y (self records n i limit :
+  matchList
     false
-    (matchList
-      false
-      (_ rest :
-        matchBool
+    (_ rest :
+      matchBool
+        false
+        (matchBool
           true
-          (self n rest (succ i) limit)
+          (self rest n (succ i) limit)
           (equal? i n))
-      records)
-    (equal? i limit))
+        (equal? i limit))
+    records)
 
 nodeChildIndicesInPrefix? = y (self childIndices records limit :
   matchList
@@ -98,7 +169,7 @@ nodeChildIndicesInPrefix? = y (self childIndices records limit :
       matchBool
         (self rest records limit)
         false
-        (nodeIndexInPrefix? childIndex records 0 limit))
+        (nodeIndexInPrefix? records childIndex 0 limit))
     childIndices)
 
 nodePayloadIndicesValid? = (nodePayload i records :
@@ -178,31 +249,124 @@ nodesSectionRecords = (nodesSection :
     (_ nodeRecords : nodeRecords)
     nodesSection)
 
-nodePayloadToTreeWith = (self nodeRecords nodePayload :
-  matchBool
-    (ok t t)
-    (matchBool
-      (bindResult (self (nodePayloadStemChildIndex nodePayload) nodeRecords)
-        (child _ : ok (t child) t))
-      (bindResult (self (nodePayloadForkLeftIndex nodePayload) nodeRecords)
-        (left _ :
-          bindResult (self (nodePayloadForkRightIndex nodePayload) nodeRecords)
-            (right _ : ok (pair left right) t)))
-      (nodePayloadStem? nodePayload))
-    (nodePayloadLeaf? nodePayload))
+nodeBuiltTreeIndex = (entry :
+  matchPair
+    (index _ : index)
+    entry)
 
-nodeIndexToTree = y (self nodeIndex nodeRecords :
-  (nodePayload :
-    matchBool
-      (nodePayloadToTreeWith self nodeRecords nodePayload)
-      (err errMissingNode t)
-      (not? (equal? nodePayload t)))
-    (nth nodeIndex nodeRecords))
+nodeBuiltTreeValue = (entry :
+  matchPair
+    (_ tree : tree)
+    entry)
+
+nodeTreeByIndex_ = (self builtTrees targetIndex :
+  lazyList
+    (_ : err errMissingNode t)
+    (entry rest :
+      lazyBool
+        (_ : ok (nodeBuiltTreeValue entry) t)
+        (_ : self rest targetIndex)
+        (equal? (nodeBuiltTreeIndex entry) targetIndex))
+    builtTrees)
+
+nodeTreeByIndex = (builtTrees targetIndex :
+  y nodeTreeByIndex_ builtTrees targetIndex)
+
+nodePayloadToTreeFromBuilt = (builtTrees nodePayload :
+  matchList
+    (err errInvalidNodePayload t)
+    (tag rest :
+      lazyBool
+        (_ : ok t t)
+        (_ :
+          lazyBool
+            (_ :
+              withNodePayloadStemIndex
+                nodePayload
+                (_ : err errInvalidNodePayload t)
+                (childIndex :
+                  lazyResult
+                    (code after : err code after)
+                    (child _ : ok (t child) t)
+                    (nodeTreeByIndex builtTrees childIndex)))
+            (_ :
+              lazyBool
+                (_ :
+                  withNodePayloadForkIndices
+                    nodePayload
+                    (_ : err errInvalidNodePayload t)
+                    (leftIndex rightIndex :
+                      lazyResult
+                        (code after : err code after)
+                        (left _ :
+                          lazyResult
+                            (code after : err code after)
+                            (right _ : ok (pair left right) t)
+                            (nodeTreeByIndex builtTrees rightIndex))
+                        (nodeTreeByIndex builtTrees leftIndex)))
+                (_ : err errInvalidNodePayload t)
+                (equal? tag nodePayloadForkTag))
+            (equal? tag nodePayloadStemTag))
+        (equal? tag 0))
+    nodePayload)
+
+nodeBuildState = (targetIndex i builtTrees :
+  pair targetIndex (pair i builtTrees))
+
+nodeBuildStateTargetIndex = (state :
+  matchPair
+    (targetIndex _ : targetIndex)
+    state)
+
+nodeBuildStateI = (state :
+  matchPair
+    (_ rest :
+      matchPair
+        (i _ : i)
+        rest)
+    state)
+
+nodeBuildStateBuiltTrees = (state :
+  matchPair
+    (_ rest :
+      matchPair
+        (_ builtTrees : builtTrees)
+        rest)
+    state)
+
+nodeIndexToTree_ = (self remainingRecords state :
+  ((nodeIndex :
+    ((i :
+      ((builtTrees :
+        lazyList
+          (_ : err errMissingNode t)
+          (nodePayload rest :
+            lazyResult
+              (code after : err code after)
+              (tree _ :
+                lazyBool
+                  (_ : ok tree t)
+                  (_ :
+                    self
+                      rest
+                      (nodeBuildState
+                        nodeIndex
+                        (succ i)
+                        (pair (pair i tree) builtTrees)))
+                  (equal? i nodeIndex))
+              (nodePayloadToTreeFromBuilt builtTrees nodePayload))
+          remainingRecords)
+       (nodeBuildStateBuiltTrees state)))
+     (nodeBuildStateI state)))
+   (nodeBuildStateTargetIndex state)))
+
+nodeIndexToTree = (nodeRecords nodeIndex :
+  y nodeIndexToTree_ nodeRecords (nodeBuildState nodeIndex 0 t))
 
 readArboricxTreeFromIndex = (rootIndexBytes bs :
   bindResult (readArboricxNodesSection bs)
     (nodesSection afterContainer :
-      bindResult (nodeIndexToTree (u32BEBytesToNat rootIndexBytes) (nodesSectionRecords nodesSection))
+      bindResult (nodeIndexToTree (nodesSectionRecords nodesSection) (u32BEBytesToNat rootIndexBytes))
         (tree _ : ok tree afterContainer)))
 
 readArboricxExecutableFromIndex = readArboricxTreeFromIndex
diff --git a/lib/arboricx/server.tri b/lib/arboricx/server.tri
index e1023b6..7b31756 100644
--- a/lib/arboricx/server.tri
+++ b/lib/arboricx/server.tri
@@ -9,23 +9,40 @@
 
 pathJoin = a b : append a (append "/" b)
 
-objectDir = root shard : pathJoin (pathJoin root "objects") shard
+objectDir = root shard :
+  pathJoin (pathJoin root "objects") shard
+
+hashShard = (hash :
+  matchList
+    t
+    (h0 r0 :
+      matchList
+        (pair h0 t)
+        (h1 r1 :
+          matchList
+            (pair h0 (pair h1 t))
+            (h2 _ :
+              pair h0 (pair h1 (pair h2 t)))
+            r1)
+        r0)
+    hash)
 
 bundleObjectPath = (root hash :
-  ((shard : pathJoin (objectDir root shard) (append hash ".arboricx"))
-   (take 3 hash)))
-
---bundleTmpPath = (root hash time :
---  pathJoin (pathJoin root "tmp") (append hash (append "." (append (showNumber time) ".tmp"))))
+  pathJoin
+    (objectDir root (hashShard hash))
+    (append hash ".arboricx"))
 
 bundleTmpPath = (root hash time :
-  pathJoin (pathJoin root "tmp") (append hash ".tmp"))
+  pathJoin
+    (pathJoin root "tmp")
+    (append hash ".tmp"))
 
 -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 -- Store initialization
 -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-ensureDir = path : void (createDirectory path)
+ensureDir = path :
+  void (createDirectory path)
 
 ensureStore = (root :
   foldl
@@ -59,7 +76,7 @@ putBundleWithHash = (root bundleBytes time hash :
     root
     bundleBytes
     hash
-    (take 3 hash)
+    (hashShard hash)
     (bundleTmpPath root hash time)
     (bundleObjectPath root hash))
 
@@ -85,56 +102,106 @@ getBundleByHash = (root hash :
     (errMsg : pure (err errMsg t))
     (bytes : pure (ok bytes t)))
 
+-- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+-- Route prefix helper
+-- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+stripPrefix_ = (self input prefix :
+  lazyList
+    (_ :
+      lazyList
+        (_ : just t)
+        (_ _ : nothing)
+        prefix)
+    (ih ir :
+      lazyList
+        (_ : just input)
+        (ph pr :
+          lazyBool
+            (_ : self ir pr)
+            (_ : nothing)
+            (equal? ih ph))
+        prefix)
+    input)
+
+stripPrefix = (prefix input :
+  y stripPrefix_ input prefix)
+
+bundleHashPrefix = "/_arboricx/bundle/hash/"
+
 -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 -- Registry routes
 -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 healthRoute = (method target :
-  matchBool
-    (pure (okResponse "OK\n"))
-    (pure notFoundResponse)
-    (and? (equal? method "GET") (equal? target "/_arboricx/health")))
+  lazyBool
+    (_ :
+      lazyBool
+        (_ : pure (okResponse "OK\n"))
+        (_ : pure notFoundResponse)
+        (equal? target "/_arboricx/health"))
+    (_ : pure notFoundResponse)
+    (equal? method "GET"))
 
 putBundleRoute = (root method target body :
-  matchBool
-    (bind (putBundle root body) (result :
-      matchResult
-        (err _ : pure (badRequestResponse (append "Upload failed: " err)))
-        (hash _ : pure (createdResponse hash))
-        result))
-    (pure notFoundResponse)
-    (and? (equal? method "POST") (equal? target "/_arboricx/bundles")))
+  lazyBool
+    (_ :
+      lazyBool
+        (_ :
+          bind (putBundle root body) (result :
+            matchResult
+              (err _ : pure (badRequestResponse (append "Upload failed: " err)))
+              (hash _ : pure (createdResponse hash))
+              result))
+        (_ : pure notFoundResponse)
+        (equal? target "/_arboricx/bundles"))
+    (_ : pure notFoundResponse)
+    (equal? method "POST"))
 
 getBundleRoute = (root method target :
-  matchBool
-    ((hash :
-      bind (getBundleByHash root hash) (result :
-        matchResult
-          (errMsg _ : pure (errorResponse 404 errMsg))
-          (bytes _ : pure (response 200 "application/vnd.arboricx.bundle" bytes))
-          result))
-     (drop 23 target))
-    (pure notFoundResponse)
-    (and? (equal? method "GET") (startsWith? "/_arboricx/bundle/hash/" target)))
+  lazyBool
+    (_ :
+      lazyMaybe
+        (_ : pure notFoundResponse)
+        (hash :
+          bind (getBundleByHash root hash) (result :
+            matchResult
+              (errMsg _ : pure (errorResponse 404 errMsg))
+              (bytes _ : pure (response 200 "application/vnd.arboricx.bundle" bytes))
+              result))
+        (stripPrefix bundleHashPrefix target))
+    (_ : pure notFoundResponse)
+    (equal? method "GET"))
 
 arboricxRouter = (root method target headers body :
-  matchBool
-    (getBundleRoute root method target)
-    (matchBool
-      (putBundleRoute root method target body)
-      (matchBool
-        (healthRoute method target)
-        (pure notFoundResponse)
-        (and? (equal? method "GET") (equal? target "/_arboricx/health")))
-      (and? (equal? method "POST") (equal? target "/_arboricx/bundles")))
-    (and? (equal? method "GET") (startsWith? "/_arboricx/bundle/hash/" target)))
+  lazyBool
+    (_ :
+      lazyMaybe
+        (_ : healthRoute method target)
+        (hash :
+          bind (getBundleByHash root hash) (result :
+            matchResult
+              (errMsg _ : pure (errorResponse 404 errMsg))
+              (bytes _ : pure (response 200 "application/vnd.arboricx.bundle" bytes))
+              result))
+        (stripPrefix bundleHashPrefix target))
+    (_ :
+      lazyBool
+        (_ : putBundleRoute root method target body)
+        (_ : pure notFoundResponse)
+        (equal? method "POST"))
+    (equal? method "GET"))
 
 -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 -- Server entrypoint
 -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 arboricxHandler = (root client peer :
-  httpHandlerIO (arboricxRouter root) client peer)
+  httpHandlerIO
+    (method target headers body :
+      arboricxRouter root method target headers body)
+    client
+    peer)
 
 arboricxServer = (root addr port :
   onResult_ (listenSocket addr port 128)
diff --git a/lib/binary.tri b/lib/binary.tri
index 880d26e..6bc0180 100644
--- a/lib/binary.tri
+++ b/lib/binary.tri
@@ -56,7 +56,6 @@ expectU8 = (expected bs :
 
 read2 = (bs : readBytes 2 bs)
 read4 = (bs : readBytes 4 bs)
-readU16BEBytes = (bs : read2 bs)
 readU32BEBytes = (bs : read4 bs)
 
 -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -105,14 +104,3 @@ eof? = (bs :
     (emptyList? bs))
 
 expectAscii = expectBytes
-
--- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--- Endian / int conversion helpers
--- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-u16BE = bytes : add (mul 256 (head bytes)) (head (tail bytes))
-
-u16LE = bytes : add (mul 256 (head (tail bytes))) (head bytes)
-
-readU16BE = bs : bindParser read2 (bytes rest : ok (u16BE bytes) rest) bs
-readU16LE = bs : bindParser read2 (bytes rest : ok (u16LE bytes) rest) bs
diff --git a/lib/http.tri b/lib/http.tri
index f6732ec..e23360d 100644
--- a/lib/http.tri
+++ b/lib/http.tri
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 !import "socket.tri"      !Local
 
 -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--- 1. Constants
+--  Constants
 -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 maxHeaderBytes = 65536
@@ -14,39 +14,7 @@ crlf = pair 13 (pair 10 t)
 crlfcrlf = pair 13 (pair 10 (pair 13 (pair 10 t)))
 
 -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--- 2. Lazy eliminators
--- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-lazyBool = (thenK elseK cond :
-  ((chosen : chosen t)
-   (matchBool
-     thenK
-     elseK
-     cond)))
-
-lazyList = (nilK consK xs :
-  ((chosen : chosen t)
-   (matchList
-     nilK
-     (h r : (_ : consK h r))
-     xs)))
-
-lazyMaybe = (noneK someK m :
-  ((chosen : chosen t)
-   (matchMaybe
-     noneK
-     (x : (_ : someK x))
-     m)))
-
-lazyResult = (errK okK result :
-  ((chosen : chosen t)
-   (matchResult
-     (code rest : (_ : errK code rest))
-     (value rest : (_ : okK value rest))
-     result)))
-
--- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--- 3. Small byte/list helpers
+--  Small byte/list helpers
 -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 chomp = (xs :
@@ -60,7 +28,7 @@ chomp = (xs :
     (reverse xs))
 
 -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--- 4. Response construction
+--  Response construction
 -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 statusPhrase = (code :
@@ -184,7 +152,7 @@ responseForMethod = (method resp :
     (equal? method "HEAD"))
 
 -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--- 5. Header receive / framing
+--  Header receive / framing
 -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 recvUntilMax_ = (y (self sock pattern maxBytes acc accLen :
@@ -221,7 +189,7 @@ recvHeaders = (sock :
   recvUntilMax sock crlfcrlf maxHeaderBytes)
 
 -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--- 6. Request line parsing
+--  Request line parsing
 -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 readLineBytes_ = (y (self bs acc :
@@ -277,7 +245,7 @@ parseRequestLine = (bs :
    (readLineBytes bs)))
 
 -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--- 7. Header parsing
+--  Header parsing
 -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
@@ -429,7 +397,7 @@ parseHeaders = (bs :
   y parseHeaders_ bs t t t false true)
 
 -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--- 8. Content-Length parsing
+--  Content-Length parsing
 -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 bit0? = (x :
@@ -544,7 +512,7 @@ contentLength = (headers :
   y contentLength_ headers)
 
 -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--- 9. Body reading
+--  Body reading
 -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 consumeAvailable_ = (y (self bytes remaining acc :
diff --git a/lib/lazy.tri b/lib/lazy.tri
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2ba3677
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/lazy.tri
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+!import "base.tri" !Local
+!import "list.tri" !Local
+
+lazyBool = (thenK elseK cond :
+  ((chosen : chosen t)
+   (matchBool
+     thenK
+     elseK
+     cond)))
+
+lazyList = (nilK consK xs :
+  ((chosen : chosen t)
+   (matchList
+     nilK
+     (h r : (_ : consK h r))
+     xs)))
+
+lazyMaybe = (noneK someK m :
+  ((chosen : chosen t)
+   (matchMaybe
+     noneK
+     (x : (_ : someK x))
+     m)))
+
+lazyResult = (errK okK result :
+  ((chosen : chosen t)
+   (matchResult
+     (code rest : (_ : errK code rest))
+     (value rest : (_ : okK value rest))
+     result)))
diff --git a/lib/prelude.tri b/lib/prelude.tri
index 91f779f..d2c2093 100644
--- a/lib/prelude.tri
+++ b/lib/prelude.tri
@@ -3,4 +3,5 @@
 !import "base.tri"        !Local
 !import "list.tri"        !Local
 !import "bytes.tri"       !Local
+!import "lazy.tri"        !Local
 !import "conversions.tri" !Local
diff --git a/notes/recursive-consumers.md b/notes/recursive-consumers.md
deleted file mode 100644
index aa21f93..0000000
--- a/notes/recursive-consumers.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,81 +0,0 @@
-# Recursive Consumer Argument Order
-
-## Rule
-
-Put consumed data first in recursive workers in `tricu` code.
-
-*AVOID* this shape:
-
-```text
-worker control state input
-```
-
-*USE* this shape:
-
-```text
-worker input control state
-```
-
-The consumed structure should block recursion when it is unknown. Counters, indexes, lengths, and accumulator state should not be able to drive recursion over abstract input.
-
-## Bad shape
-
-The original `readBytes_` worker put loop-control arguments before the byte stream:
-
-```tricu
-readBytes_ = y (self n i bs original acc :
-  matchBool
-    (ok (reverse acc) bs)
-    (matchResult
-      (code rest : err code original)
-      (actual rest :
-        self n (succ i) rest original (pair actual acc))
-      (readU8 bs))
-    (equal? i n))
-
-readBytes = (n bs : readBytes_ n 0 bs bs t)
-```
-
-With a partial application like:
-
-```tricu
-readBytes 2
-```
-
-the evaluator knows `n = 2` and `i = 0`, but `bs` is still abstract. That lets the counter check drive recursive specialization before the byte stream is available, which can build a huge symbolic residual tree. This has been proven; do not reason about it further.
-
-## Good shape
-
-The corrected worker takes the byte stream first and immediately case-analyzes it:
-
-```tricu
-readBytes_ = y (self bs n i original acc :
-  matchList
-    (matchBool
-      (ok (reverse acc) bs)
-      (err errUnexpectedEof original)
-      (equal? i n))
-    (h r :
-      matchBool
-        (ok (reverse acc) bs)
-        (self r n (succ i) original (pair h acc))
-        (equal? i n))
-    bs)
-
-readBytes = (n bs : readBytes_ bs n 0 bs t)
-```
-
-Now:
-
-```tricu
-readBytes 2
-```
-
-becomes a function waiting on `bs`. Since the worker immediately performs `matchList ... bs`, evaluation blocks on the missing input instead of unrolling the counter loop.
-
-## Takeaway
-
-```text
-Let consumed data drive recursion.
-Do not let counters unroll over abstract input.
-```
diff --git a/notes/tricu-normalization-rules.md b/notes/tricu-normalization-rules.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8ee76f9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/notes/tricu-normalization-rules.md
@@ -0,0 +1,248 @@
+# The takeaway
+
+Consumed data must block recursion.
+Control data must not drive recursion.
+Branches with work must be lazy.
+Top-level fixed points must be hidden behind wrappers.
+Fixed-format data should be destructured finitely, not sliced recursively.
+
+## Rules for normalization-safe `tricu`
+
+A top-level definition must normalize when its runtime inputs are still abstract. Therefore, avoid any shape where known control data can unfold recursion before the consumed data is available.
+
+## 1. Put consumed data first
+
+Recursive workers should take the structure they consume before counters, indexes, limits, accumulators, or other control state.
+
+Avoid:
+
+```tricu
+worker index records state
+```
+
+Prefer:
+
+```tricu
+worker records index state
+```
+
+The worker’s first real operation should usually be a case split on the consumed value:
+
+```tricu
+worker_ = (self records state :
+  lazyList
+    nilCase
+    consCase
+    records)
+```
+
+## 2. Do not use generic recursive consumers on abstract fixed-format data
+
+Avoid applying helpers like these to abstract values in top-level-normalized definitions:
+
+```tricu
+take n xs
+drop n xs
+nth n xs
+length xs
+startsWith? prefix xs
+bytesTake n bytes
+bytesDrop n bytes
+```
+
+These can be driven by known counters, indexes, lengths, or prefixes while `xs` is still abstract.
+
+For fixed-format data, use finite destructuring helpers instead:
+
+```tricu
+withNodePayloadForkIndices payload shortK indicesK
+hashShard hash
+```
+
+This keeps the recursion bounded by syntax, not by a runtime counter.
+
+## 3. Use lazy eliminators when a branch contains work
+
+If a branch contains recursion, IO construction, parsing, lookup, response construction, or anything that may recurse internally, do not pass it as an ordinary branch value.
+
+Avoid:
+
+```tricu
+matchBool
+  resultNow
+  (self rest state)
+  cond
+```
+
+Prefer:
+
+```tricu
+lazyBool
+  (_ : resultNow)
+  (_ : self rest state)
+  cond
+```
+
+Same rule for result, maybe, and list elimination:
+
+```tricu
+lazyBool
+lazyResult
+lazyMaybe
+lazyList
+```
+
+Strict eliminators are safe only when both branches are already cheap normal forms.
+
+## 4. Do not expose top-level fixed points directly
+
+Avoid top-level definitions like:
+
+```tricu
+foo_ = y (self input state : ...)
+```
+
+Prefer the library-style split:
+
+```tricu
+foo_ = (self input state : ...)
+
+foo = (input state :
+  y foo_ input state)
+```
+
+This prevents each independently-normalized top-level definition from trying to normalize the fixed point itself.
+
+## 5. Keep recursive self-application small and structurally progressing
+
+Prefer recursive calls shaped like:
+
+```tricu
+self rest nextState
+```
+
+over wide calls like:
+
+```tricu
+self rest index i limit acc flags
+```
+
+Pack non-consumed state into a record/pair if needed.
+
+The consumed argument should visibly progress:
+
+```tricu
+self rest nextState
+```
+
+not restart from the original structure:
+
+```tricu
+self originalRecords newIndex newState
+```
+
+Restarting from the original input inside recursive branches can create residual trees with no obvious structural progress.
+
+## 6. Recursive state updates must be non-recursive
+
+Do not call a recursive helper while constructing the next recursive state.
+
+Avoid:
+
+```tricu
+self rest (listSnoc acc value)
+```
+
+because `listSnoc` is itself recursive.
+
+Prefer constant-time constructors:
+
+```tricu
+self rest (pair value acc)
+```
+
+If order matters, reverse later only when the input is concrete, or store explicit indexes in an association list.
+
+## 7. Do not rebuild from the whole input when a prefix invariant exists
+
+If validation guarantees child references point backward, use that invariant.
+
+Avoid:
+
+```tricu
+buildTree allRecords childIndex
+```
+
+inside the build of each node.
+
+Prefer:
+
+```tricu
+lookup childIndex builtPrefix
+```
+
+For Arboricx nodes, this meant scanning records once left-to-right and resolving children from `builtTrees`.
+
+## 8. Make route/path helpers consumed-data-driven
+
+For request paths, hashes, and byte strings, avoid counter/prefix-driven recursive operations over abstract request data.
+
+Avoid:
+
+```tricu
+take 3 hash
+drop 23 target
+startsWith? prefix target
+```
+
+Prefer:
+
+```tricu
+hashShard hash
+stripPrefix prefix target
+```
+
+where the helper case-analyzes the consumed runtime data before recurring.
+
+For fixed small slices like the first three hash bytes, use finite destructuring rather than `take`.
+
+## 9. Treat top-level normalization as stricter than runtime evaluation
+
+A function can be semantically correct at runtime and still fail import normalization.
+
+Ask this for every top-level definition:
+
+```text
+Can this normalize while all of its arguments are unknown?
+```
+
+If the answer depends on “the branch will not be taken” or “the input will be concrete by then,” the definition is probably not normalization-safe.
+
+## 10. When a definition hangs alphabetically, inspect reachable dependencies
+
+The alphabetically first hanging definition is not necessarily the root cause. It may simply be the first definition that reaches a later problematic helper.
+
+Debug by replacing reachable branches with constants:
+
+```tricu
+foo = (... : pure notFoundResponse)
+```
+
+Then add back one dependency at a time. If a constant version normalizes, the issue is in reachable branch work, not the wrapper itself.
+
+## Compact checklist
+
+Before adding or exporting a definition, check:
+
+```text
+1. Does every recursive worker consume unknown data first?
+2. Is every recursive branch thunked with lazy eliminators?
+3. Is `y` applied inside the public wrapper, not exposed as a top-level worker value?
+4. Are recursive self-calls visibly progressing on consumed data?
+5. Are recursive state updates constant-time?
+6. Are `take`, `drop`, `nth`, `length`, `startsWith?`, or byte slicing used on abstract data?
+7. Could a known counter, index, prefix, or length drive recursion?
+8. Are fixed-format fields parsed with finite destructuring helpers?
+9. Does any branch construct dynamic paths/responses from abstract data using recursive list helpers?
+10. Can the definition normalize with all runtime arguments still unknown?
+```