diff --git a/json.c b/json.c
index b1123e8..3ac84bb 100644
--- a/json.c
+++ b/json.c
@@ -6,13 +6,6 @@
 
 #include "s8slice.h"
 
-struct json {
-    struct json_value*  root;
-    struct json_value** ctx;
-    S8Slice             pending_key;
-    bool                has_pending_key;
-};
-
 struct json_value {
     S8Slice key;
     struct json_value* next;
@@ -30,12 +23,20 @@ struct json_value {
         double             number;
         S8Slice            string;
         bool               boolean;
-        struct json_value* object_head;
-        struct json_value* array_head;
+        struct json_value* child;
     };
 };
 
-static struct json_value* new_value(struct json* j)
+struct json_builder {
+    struct json_value  root;
+    struct json_value** ctx;
+
+    struct json_value* ancestry_stack[1024];
+    size_t             ancestry_stack_len;
+};
+
+
+static struct json_value* new_value(struct json_builder* j)
 {
     struct json_value* new = calloc(1, sizeof(struct json_value));
     if (!new) {
@@ -45,85 +46,189 @@ static struct json_value* new_value(struct json* j)
     return new;
 }
 
-void json_init(struct json* j)
+static inline void push(struct json_builder* j, struct json_value* v)
 {
-    j->ctx = &j->root;
+    if (j->ancestry_stack_len > sizeof j->ancestry_stack / sizeof *j->ancestry_stack) {
+        fprintf(stderr, "depth too deep\n");
+        abort();
+    }
+    j->ancestry_stack[j->ancestry_stack_len++] = v;
 }
 
-void json_add_key(struct json* j, S8Slice key)
+static inline void pop(struct json_builder* j)
 {
-    j->has_pending_key = true;
-    j->pending_key = key;
+    if (j->ancestry_stack_len <= 1) {
+        fprintf(stderr, "popping root from stack\n");
+        abort();
+    }
+    j->ctx = &j->ancestry_stack[--j->ancestry_stack_len]->next;
 }
 
-void json_add_value(struct json* j, struct json_value* new)
+static inline bool parent_is_object(struct json_builder* j)
+{
+    return j->ancestry_stack[j->ancestry_stack_len - 1]->kind == JSON_OBJECT;
+}
+
+static void json_add_value(struct json_builder* j, S8Slice* key, struct json_value* new)
 {
     *j->ctx = new;
     j->ctx = &new->next;
-    /*
-    if (j->has_pending_key) {
-        new->key = j->pending_key;
-        j->has_pending_key = false;
-    }
-    */
+    if (parent_is_object(j)) {
+        if (!key) {
+            fprintf(stderr, "adding value with no key to object\n");
+            abort();
+        }
+        new->key = *key;
+    } 
 }
 
-void json_add_object(struct json* j)
+void json_init(struct json_builder* j)
 {
+    j->root.kind = JSON_OBJECT;
+    j->ctx = &j->root.child;
+    push(j, &j->root);
+}
+
+#define json_add_object(j, key) for (int _ = (json_add_object_(j, key), 1); _; _ = (pop(j), 0))
+void json_add_object_(struct json_builder* j, S8Slice* key)
+{
+
     struct json_value* new = new_value(j);
     new->kind = JSON_OBJECT;
-    json_add_value(j, new);
-    j->ctx = &new->object_head;
+    json_add_value(j, key, new);
+    j->ctx = &new->child;
+
+    push(j, new);
 }
 
-void json_add_number(struct json* j, double n)
+#define json_add_array(j, key) for (int _ = (json_add_array_(j, key), 1); _; _ = (pop(j), 0))
+void json_add_array_(struct json_builder* j, S8Slice* key)
+{
+    struct json_value* new = new_value(j);
+    new->kind = JSON_ARRAY;
+    json_add_value(j, key, new);
+    j->ctx = &new->child;
+
+    push(j, new);
+}
+
+void json_add_number(struct json_builder* j, S8Slice* key, double n)
 {
     struct json_value* new = new_value(j);
     new->kind = JSON_NUMBER;
     new->number = n;
-    json_add_value(j, new);
+    json_add_value(j, key, new);
 }
 
-void json_print_value(struct json_value* val, int depth)
+void json_add_string(struct json_builder* j, S8Slice* key, S8Slice str)
 {
+    struct json_value* new = new_value(j);
+    new->kind = JSON_STRING;
+    new->string = str;
+    json_add_value(j, key, new);
+}
+
+void json_add_bool(struct json_builder* j, S8Slice* key, bool x)
+{
+    struct json_value* new = new_value(j);
+    new->kind = JSON_BOOL;
+    new->boolean = x;
+    json_add_value(j, key, new);
+}
+
+void json_add_null(struct json_builder* j, S8Slice* key)
+{
+    struct json_value* new = new_value(j);
+    new->kind = JSON_NULL;
+    json_add_value(j, key, new);
+}
+
+void json_print_value(struct json_value* val, int depth, bool print_key)
+{
+#define print_indentation() do {for (int i = 0; i < depth; i++) {printf("     ");}} while(0)
     if (!val) {
         return;
     }
-    for (int i = 0; i < depth; i++) {
-        printf("     ");
+    printf("\n");
+    print_indentation();
+    if (print_key) {
+        printf("\"%.*s\": ", val->key.len, val->key.data);
     }
     switch (val->kind) {
         case JSON_NUMBER: {
-            printf("%lf,\n", val->number);
-            json_print_value(val->next, depth);
+            printf("%lf", val->number);
+        } break;
+
+        case JSON_STRING: {
+            printf("\"%.*s\"", val->string.len, val->string.data);
+        } break;
+
+        case JSON_BOOL: {
+            const S8Slice bool_name[2] = {
+                [false] = S("false"),
+                [true]  = S("true"),
+            };
+            S8Slice bs = bool_name[val->boolean];
+            printf("%.*s", bs.len, bs.data);
+        } break;
+
+        case JSON_NULL: {
+            printf("null");
         } break;
 
         case JSON_OBJECT: {
-            json_print_value(val->object_head, depth+1);
+            printf("{");
+            json_print_value(val->child, depth+1, true);
+            printf("\n");
+            print_indentation();
+            printf("}");
+        } break;
+
+        case JSON_ARRAY: {
+            printf("[");
+            json_print_value(val->child, depth+1, false);
+            printf("\n");
+            print_indentation();
+            printf("]");
         } break;
             
         default: {
-            fprintf(stderr, "not implemented");
+            fprintf(stderr, "not implemented\n");
             abort();
         } break;
     }
+
+    printf(",");
+
+    json_print_value(val->next, depth, print_key);
+#undef print_indentation
 }
 
-void json_print(struct json* j)
+void json_print(struct json_builder* j)
 {
-    json_print_value(j->root, 0);
+    json_print_value(&j->root, 0, false);
 }
 
 int main()
 {
-    struct json j = {0};
+    struct json_builder j = {0};
     json_init(&j);
 
-    json_add_number(&j, 53);
+    json_add_number(&j, &S("foo"), 53);
     
-    json_add_object(&j);
-    
-    json_add_number(&j, 12);
+    json_add_object(&j, &S("bar")) {
+        json_add_number(&j, &S("a"), 1);
+        json_add_null(&j,   &S("b"));
+        json_add_bool(&j,   &S("c"), true);
+        json_add_array(&j,  &S("d")) {
+            json_add_number(&j, &S("e"), 4);
+            json_add_number(&j, &S("f"), 5);
+            json_add_number(&j, &S("g"), 6);
+        }
+        json_add_number(&j, &S("h"), 7);
+        json_add_number(&j, &S("i"), 8);
+        json_add_number(&j, &S("j"), 9);
+    };
 
     json_print(&j);
 
diff --git a/s8slice.h b/s8slice.h
index 2f6847f..41d2477 100644
--- a/s8slice.h
+++ b/s8slice.h
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ typedef struct s8_slice {
     int64_t  len;
 } S8Slice;
 
-#define S8(str) (S8Slice) {     \
+#define S(str) (S8Slice) {     \
     .data = (uint8_t*)("" str), \
     .len = sizeof(str)-1,       \
 }