diff --git a/mplexer/packer/encoder.go b/mplexer/packer/encoder.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..823d4a6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mplexer/packer/encoder.go
@@ -0,0 +1,132 @@
+package packer
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"errors"
+	"io"
+	"sync"
+)
+
+type Encoder struct {
+	ctx    context.Context
+	subctx context.Context
+	mux    sync.Mutex
+	w      io.WriteCloser
+	wErr   chan error
+}
+
+func NewEncoder(ctx context.Context, w io.WriteCloser) *Encoder {
+	enc := &Encoder{
+		ctx:  ctx,
+		w:    w,
+		wErr: make(chan error),
+	}
+	return enc
+}
+
+func (enc *Encoder) Run() error {
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(enc.ctx)
+	defer cancel()
+
+	enc.subctx = ctx
+
+	for {
+		select {
+		// TODO: do children respond to children cancelling?
+		case <-enc.ctx.Done():
+			// TODO
+			_ = enc.w.Close()
+			return errors.New("context cancelled")
+		case err := <-enc.wErr:
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func (enc *Encoder) Start() error {
+	go enc.Run()
+	return nil
+}
+
+// TODO inverse
+
+// StreamEncode can (and should) be called multiple times (once per client).
+func (enc *Encoder) StreamEncode(src Addr, r io.ReadCloser, bufferSize int) error {
+	rx := make(chan []byte)
+	rxErr := make(chan error)
+
+	if 0 == bufferSize {
+		bufferSize = 8192
+	}
+
+	go func() {
+		for {
+			b := make([]byte, bufferSize)
+			//fmt.Println("loopers gonna loop")
+			n, err := r.Read(b)
+			if n > 0 {
+				rx <- b[:n]
+			}
+			if nil != err {
+				rxErr <- err
+				return
+			}
+		}
+	}()
+
+	for {
+		//fmt.Println("poopers gonna poop")
+		select {
+		// TODO, do we actually need ctx here?
+		// would it be sufficient to expect the reader to be closed by the caller instead?
+		case <-enc.ctx.Done():
+			// TODO: verify that closing the reader will cause the goroutine to be released
+			r.Close()
+			return errors.New("cancelled by context")
+		case <-enc.subctx.Done():
+			r.Close()
+			return errors.New("cancelled by context")
+		case b := <-rx:
+			header, _, err := Encode(src, Addr{}, "", b)
+			if nil != err {
+				r.Close()
+				return err
+			}
+			_, err = enc.write(header)
+			if nil != err {
+				r.Close()
+				return err
+			}
+			_, err = enc.write(b)
+			if nil != err {
+				r.Close()
+				return err
+			}
+		case err := <-rxErr:
+			// it can be assumed that err will close though, right?
+			r.Close()
+			if io.EOF == err {
+				header, _, _ := Encode(src, Addr{scheme: "end"}, "", nil)
+				// ignore err, which may have already closed
+				_, _ = enc.write(header)
+				return nil
+			}
+			header, _, _ := Encode(src, Addr{scheme: "error"}, "", []byte(err.Error()))
+			// ignore err, which may have already closed
+			_, _ = enc.write(header)
+			return err
+		}
+
+	}
+}
+
+func (enc *Encoder) write(b []byte) (int, error) {
+	// mutex here so that we can get back error info
+	enc.mux.Lock()
+	n, err := enc.w.Write(b)
+	enc.mux.Unlock()
+	if nil != err {
+		enc.wErr <- err
+	}
+	return n, err
+}
diff --git a/mplexer/packer/encoder_test.go b/mplexer/packer/encoder_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d91d2b9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mplexer/packer/encoder_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+package packer
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+	"net"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+func TestEncodeWholeBlock(t *testing.T) {
+	ch := make(chan string)
+	go func() {
+		for {
+			str := <-ch
+			fmt.Printf("Read: %q\n", str)
+		}
+	}()
+
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	rp, wp := net.Pipe()
+	go func() {
+		for {
+			b := make([]byte, 1024)
+			n, err := rp.Read(b)
+			if nil != err {
+				fmt.Printf("Error: %s\n", err)
+				return
+			}
+			r := b[:n]
+			ch <- string(r)
+		}
+	}()
+	encoder := NewEncoder(ctx, wp)
+	encoder.Start()
+
+	time.Sleep(time.Millisecond)
+
+	// single client
+	go func() {
+		wp, rp := net.Pipe()
+
+		go func() {
+			wp.Write([]byte("hello"))
+			wp.Write([]byte("smello"))
+		}()
+
+		err := encoder.StreamEncode(Addr{
+			family: "IPv4",
+			addr:   "192.168.1.102",
+			port:   4834,
+		}, rp, 0)
+		if nil != err {
+			fmt.Printf("Enc Err: %q\n", err)
+		}
+	}()
+
+	// single client
+	go func() {
+		wp, rp := net.Pipe()
+
+		go func() {
+			wp.Write([]byte("hello again"))
+			wp.Write([]byte("hello a third time"))
+		}()
+
+		err := encoder.StreamEncode(Addr{
+			family: "IPv4",
+			addr:   "192.168.1.103",
+			port:   4834,
+		}, rp, 0)
+		if nil != err {
+			fmt.Printf("Enc Err 2: %q\n", err)
+		}
+	}()
+
+	time.Sleep(time.Second)
+}