diff --git a/src/frontend/prog.cc b/src/frontend/prog.cc
index 76e8197..a87e1c5 100644
--- a/src/frontend/prog.cc
+++ b/src/frontend/prog.cc
@@ -1 +1,34 @@
-int main() { return 0; }
+#include "util/async_file.hh"
+#include "util/eventloop.hh"
+#include "util/temp_file.hh"
+
+#include <array>
+#include <iostream>
+#include <unistd.h>
+
+using namespace std;
+
+static Task<void> example( EventLoop& loop )
+{
+  TempFile file( "async_sample" );
+  FileDescriptor& fd = file.fd();
+
+  co_await async_write_all( loop, fd, "hello from async\n" );
+
+  ::lseek( fd.fd_num(), 0, SEEK_SET );
+
+  array<char, 64> buffer;
+  simple_string_span span { buffer.data(), buffer.size() };
+  const size_t bytes = co_await async_read( loop, fd, span );
+
+  cout.write( span.data(), bytes );
+  cout.flush();
+  co_return;
+}
+
+int main()
+{
+  EventLoop loop;
+  sync_wait( loop, example( loop ) );
+  return 0;
+}
diff --git a/src/util/async_file.hh b/src/util/async_file.hh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1e85029
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/util/async_file.hh
@@ -0,0 +1,159 @@
+#pragma once
+
+#include "eventloop.hh"
+#include "file_descriptor.hh"
+#include "task.hh"
+#include <optional>
+#include <type_traits>
+#include <variant>
+
+/** Awaitable that suspends until a file descriptor is readable. */
+class WaitReadable
+{
+  std::optional<EventLoop::RuleHandle> rule_ {};
+  std::coroutine_handle<> handle_ {};
+  EventLoop* loop_;
+  FileDescriptor* fd_;
+
+public:
+  WaitReadable( EventLoop& loop, FileDescriptor& fd )
+    : loop_( &loop )
+    , fd_( &fd )
+  {
+  }
+
+  WaitReadable( const WaitReadable& ) = delete;
+  WaitReadable& operator=( const WaitReadable& ) = delete;
+
+  bool await_ready() const noexcept { return false; }
+
+  void await_suspend( std::coroutine_handle<> h )
+  {
+    handle_ = h;
+    rule_ = loop_->add_rule(
+      "await read",
+      Direction::In,
+      *fd_,
+      [this] {
+        rule_->cancel();
+        handle_.resume();
+      },
+      [] { return true; } );
+    loop_ = nullptr;
+    fd_ = nullptr;
+  }
+
+  void await_resume() const noexcept {}
+};
+
+/** Awaitable that suspends until a file descriptor is writeable. */
+class WaitWriteable
+{
+  std::optional<EventLoop::RuleHandle> rule_ {};
+  std::coroutine_handle<> handle_ {};
+  EventLoop* loop_;
+  FileDescriptor* fd_;
+
+public:
+  WaitWriteable( EventLoop& loop, FileDescriptor& fd )
+    : loop_( &loop )
+    , fd_( &fd )
+  {
+  }
+
+  WaitWriteable( const WaitWriteable& ) = delete;
+  WaitWriteable& operator=( const WaitWriteable& ) = delete;
+
+  bool await_ready() const noexcept { return false; }
+
+  void await_suspend( std::coroutine_handle<> h )
+  {
+    handle_ = h;
+    rule_ = loop_->add_rule(
+      "await write",
+      Direction::Out,
+      *fd_,
+      [this] {
+        rule_->cancel();
+        handle_.resume();
+      },
+      [] { return true; } );
+    loop_ = nullptr;
+    fd_ = nullptr;
+  }
+
+  void await_resume() const noexcept {}
+};
+
+inline Task<size_t> async_read( EventLoop& loop, FileDescriptor& fd, simple_string_span buffer )
+{
+  while ( true ) {
+    const size_t bytes = fd.read( buffer );
+    if ( bytes > 0 || fd.eof() ) {
+      co_return bytes;
+    }
+    co_await WaitReadable { loop, fd };
+  }
+}
+
+inline Task<size_t> async_write( EventLoop& loop, FileDescriptor& fd, std::string_view buffer )
+{
+  while ( true ) {
+    const size_t bytes = fd.write( buffer );
+    if ( bytes > 0 || buffer.empty() ) {
+      co_return bytes;
+    }
+    co_await WaitWriteable { loop, fd };
+  }
+}
+
+inline Task<void> async_write_all( EventLoop& loop, FileDescriptor& fd, std::string_view buffer )
+{
+  while ( not buffer.empty() ) {
+    const size_t written = co_await async_write( loop, fd, buffer );
+    buffer.remove_prefix( written );
+  }
+  co_return;
+}
+
+/** Run the event loop until the given task finishes and return its result. */
+template<typename T>
+T sync_wait( EventLoop& loop, Task<T> t )
+{
+  using result_t = std::conditional_t<std::is_void_v<T>, std::monostate, std::optional<T>>;
+  result_t result {};
+  std::exception_ptr ep;
+  bool done = false;
+
+  auto wrapper = [&]() -> Task<void> {
+    try {
+      if constexpr ( std::is_void_v<T> ) {
+        co_await t;
+      } else {
+        result = co_await t;
+      }
+    } catch ( ... ) {
+      ep = std::current_exception();
+    }
+    done = true;
+    co_return;
+  }();
+
+  wrapper.start();
+
+  while ( not done ) {
+    if ( loop.wait_next_event( -1 ) == EventLoop::Result::Exit ) {
+      break;
+    }
+  }
+
+  if ( ep ) {
+    std::rethrow_exception( ep );
+  }
+
+  if constexpr ( std::is_void_v<T> ) {
+    return;
+  } else {
+    return *result;
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/util/task.hh b/src/util/task.hh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..29ed5a2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/util/task.hh
@@ -0,0 +1,181 @@
+#pragma once
+
+#include <coroutine>
+#include <exception>
+#include <optional>
+#include <utility>
+
+/** A simple coroutine task similar to Python's awaitables. */
+
+template<typename T>
+class Task
+{
+public:
+  struct promise_type
+  {
+    std::optional<T> value_ {};
+    std::exception_ptr exception_ {};
+    std::coroutine_handle<> continuation_ {};
+
+    Task get_return_object() { return Task { std::coroutine_handle<promise_type>::from_promise( *this ) }; }
+
+    std::suspend_always initial_suspend() const noexcept { return {}; }
+
+    struct FinalAwaiter
+    {
+      bool await_ready() const noexcept { return false; }
+      void await_suspend( std::coroutine_handle<promise_type> h ) const noexcept
+      {
+        if ( h.promise().continuation_ ) {
+          h.promise().continuation_.resume();
+        }
+      }
+      void await_resume() const noexcept {}
+    };
+
+    auto final_suspend() const noexcept { return FinalAwaiter {}; }
+
+    template<typename U>
+    void return_value( U&& v )
+    {
+      value_ = std::forward<U>( v );
+    }
+
+    void unhandled_exception() { exception_ = std::current_exception(); }
+  };
+
+  using handle_type = std::coroutine_handle<promise_type>;
+
+  explicit Task( handle_type h )
+    : handle_( h )
+  {
+  }
+
+  Task( Task&& other ) noexcept
+    : handle_( other.handle_ )
+  {
+    other.handle_ = nullptr;
+  }
+
+  Task( const Task& ) = delete;
+  Task& operator=( const Task& ) = delete;
+
+  ~Task()
+  {
+    if ( handle_ ) {
+      handle_.destroy();
+    }
+  }
+
+  void start()
+  {
+    if ( handle_ ) {
+      handle_.resume();
+    }
+  }
+
+  bool done() const { return not handle_ || handle_.done(); }
+
+  bool await_ready() const noexcept { return done(); }
+
+  void await_suspend( std::coroutine_handle<> h ) noexcept
+  {
+    handle_.promise().continuation_ = h;
+    handle_.resume();
+  }
+
+  T await_resume()
+  {
+    if ( handle_.promise().exception_ ) {
+      std::rethrow_exception( handle_.promise().exception_ );
+    }
+    return std::move( *handle_.promise().value_ );
+  }
+
+private:
+  handle_type handle_ { nullptr };
+};
+
+// specialization for void
+template<>
+class Task<void>
+{
+public:
+  struct promise_type
+  {
+    std::exception_ptr exception_ {};
+    std::coroutine_handle<> continuation_ {};
+
+    Task get_return_object() { return Task { std::coroutine_handle<promise_type>::from_promise( *this ) }; }
+
+    std::suspend_always initial_suspend() const noexcept { return {}; }
+
+    struct FinalAwaiter
+    {
+      bool await_ready() const noexcept { return false; }
+      void await_suspend( std::coroutine_handle<promise_type> h ) const noexcept
+      {
+        if ( h.promise().continuation_ ) {
+          h.promise().continuation_.resume();
+        }
+      }
+      void await_resume() const noexcept {}
+    };
+
+    auto final_suspend() const noexcept { return FinalAwaiter {}; }
+
+    void return_void() {}
+
+    void unhandled_exception() { exception_ = std::current_exception(); }
+  };
+
+  using handle_type = std::coroutine_handle<promise_type>;
+
+  explicit Task( handle_type h )
+    : handle_( h )
+  {
+  }
+
+  Task( Task&& other ) noexcept
+    : handle_( other.handle_ )
+  {
+    other.handle_ = nullptr;
+  }
+
+  Task( const Task& ) = delete;
+  Task& operator=( const Task& ) = delete;
+
+  ~Task()
+  {
+    if ( handle_ ) {
+      handle_.destroy();
+    }
+  }
+
+  void start()
+  {
+    if ( handle_ ) {
+      handle_.resume();
+    }
+  }
+
+  bool done() const { return not handle_ || handle_.done(); }
+
+  bool await_ready() const noexcept { return done(); }
+
+  void await_suspend( std::coroutine_handle<> h ) noexcept
+  {
+    handle_.promise().continuation_ = h;
+    handle_.resume();
+  }
+
+  void await_resume()
+  {
+    if ( handle_.promise().exception_ ) {
+      std::rethrow_exception( handle_.promise().exception_ );
+    }
+  }
+
+private:
+  handle_type handle_ { nullptr };
+};