diff --git a/quad/quadwriter/query.rkt b/quad/quadwriter/query.rkt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..57a6fea4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/quad/quadwriter/query.rkt
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+#lang debug racket
+(require quad/base "struct.rkt")
+
+(verbose-quad-printing? #t)
+
+(define-syntax-rule (factory type proc)
+  (make-quad #:type type
+             #:elems (for/list ([i (in-range 2)])
+                               (quad-update! (proc)
+                                             [tag (format "~a[~a]" 'proc (add1 i))]))))
+
+(define (line) (make-quad #:type line-quad))
+(define (block) (factory block-quad line))
+(define (col) (factory column-quad block))
+(define (sec) (factory section-quad col))
+(define doc (factory doc-quad sec))
+
+(define (parse-query-str str)
+  (define (string->pred str)
+    (match str
+      ["doc" doc-quad?]
+      ["section" section-quad?]
+      ["page" page-quad?]
+      ["column" column-quad?]
+      ["block" block-quad?]
+      ["line" line-quad?]))
+  (for/list ([piece (in-list (string-split str ":"))])
+            (match (regexp-match #px"^(.*)\\[(.*?)\\]$" piece)
+              [#false (cons (string->pred piece) #false)]
+              [(list all name arg) (cons (string->pred name) (or (string->number arg)
+                                                                   (string->symbol arg)))])))
+
+(define (query q query-str)
+  (define query-assocs (parse-query-str query-str))
+  #R query-assocs
+  (for/fold ([ctx q]
+             #:result #R ctx)
+            ([(pred count) (in-dict query-assocs)])
+    #R pred
+    (define matches null)
+    (let loop ([this ctx])
+      #R this
+      (cond
+        [(= (length matches) count) #R (car matches)]
+        [(quad? this)
+         (when (pred this)
+             (set! matches (cons this matches)))
+         (for-each loop (quad-elems this))]
+        [else this]))))
+
+(query doc "section[1]:line[2]")
\ No newline at end of file