diff --git a/racket/typed/prim.rkt b/racket/typed/prim.rkt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b557d59
--- /dev/null
+++ b/racket/typed/prim.rkt
@@ -0,0 +1,93 @@
+#lang turnstile
+
+(provide (all-defined-out)
+         (for-syntax (all-defined-out)))
+
+(require "core-types.rkt")
+(require (rename-in racket/math [exact-truncate exact-truncate-]))
+(require (postfix-in - (only-in racket/format ~a)))
+
+;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
+;; Primitives
+;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
+
+;; hmmm
+(define-primop + (→ Int Int (Computation (Value Int) (Endpoints) (Roles) (Spawns))))
+(define-primop - (→ Int Int (Computation (Value Int) (Endpoints) (Roles) (Spawns))))
+(define-primop * (→ Int Int (Computation (Value Int) (Endpoints) (Roles) (Spawns))))
+(define-primop or (→ Bool Bool (Computation (Value Bool) (Endpoints) (Roles) (Spawns))))
+(define-primop not (→ Bool (Computation (Value Bool) (Endpoints) (Roles) (Spawns))))
+(define-primop < (→ Int Int (Computation (Value Bool) (Endpoints) (Roles) (Spawns))))
+(define-primop > (→ Int Int (Computation (Value Bool) (Endpoints) (Roles) (Spawns))))
+(define-primop <= (→ Int Int (Computation (Value Bool) (Endpoints) (Roles) (Spawns))))
+(define-primop >= (→ Int Int (Computation (Value Bool) (Endpoints) (Roles) (Spawns))))
+(define-primop = (→ Int Int (Computation (Value Bool) (Endpoints) (Roles) (Spawns))))
+
+(define-primop bytes->string/utf-8 (→ ByteString (Computation (Value String) (Endpoints) (Roles) (Spawns))))
+(define-primop string->bytes/utf-8 (→ String (Computation (Value ByteString) (Endpoints) (Roles) (Spawns))))
+(define-primop gensym (→ Symbol (Computation (Value Symbol) (Endpoints) (Roles) (Spawns))))
+(define-primop symbol->string (→ Symbol (Computation (Value String) (Endpoints) (Roles) (Spawns))))
+(define-primop string->symbol (→ String (Computation (Value Symbol) (Endpoints) (Roles) (Spawns))))
+
+(define-typed-syntax (/ e1 e2) ≫
+  [⊢ e1 ≫ e1- (⇐ : Int)]
+  [⊢ e2 ≫ e2- (⇐ : Int)]
+  #:fail-unless (pure? #'e1-) "expression not allowed to have effects"
+  #:fail-unless (pure? #'e2-) "expression not allowed to have effects"
+  ------------------------
+  [⊢ (exact-truncate- (/- e1- e2-)) (⇒ : Int)])
+
+;; for some reason defining `and` as a prim op doesn't work
+(define-typed-syntax (and e ...) ≫
+  [⊢ e ≫ e- (⇐ : Bool)] ...
+  #:fail-unless (stx-andmap pure? #'(e- ...)) "expressions not allowed to have effects"
+  ------------------------
+  [⊢ (and- e- ...) (⇒ : Bool)])
+
+(define-typed-syntax (equal? e1:expr e2:expr) ≫
+  [⊢ e1 ≫ e1- (⇒ : τ1)]
+  #:fail-unless (flat-type? #'τ1)
+  (format "equality only available on flat data; got ~a" (type->str #'τ1))
+  [⊢ e2 ≫ e2- (⇐ : τ1)]
+  #:fail-unless (pure? #'e1-) "expression not allowed to have effects"
+  #:fail-unless (pure? #'e2-) "expression not allowed to have effects"
+  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+  [⊢ (equal?- e1- e2-) (⇒ : Bool)])
+
+(define-typed-syntax (displayln e:expr) ≫
+  [⊢ e ≫ e- (⇒ : τ)]
+  #:fail-unless (pure? #'e-) "expression not allowed to have effects"
+  ---------------
+  [⊢ (displayln- e-) (⇒ : ★/t)])
+
+(define-typed-syntax (printf e ...+) ≫
+  [⊢ e ≫ e- (⇒ : τ)] ...
+  #:fail-unless (stx-andmap pure? #'(e- ...)) "expression not allowed to have effects"
+  ---------------
+  [⊢ (printf- e- ...) (⇒ : ★/t)])
+
+(define-typed-syntax (~a e ...) ≫
+  [⊢ e ≫ e- (⇒ : τ)] ...
+  #:fail-unless (stx-andmap flat-type? #'(τ ...))
+                "expressions must be string-able"
+  --------------------------------------------------
+  [⊢ (~a- e- ...) (⇒ : String)])
+
+;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
+;; Basic Values
+;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
+
+(define-typed-syntax #%datum
+  [(_ . n:integer) ≫
+  ----------------
+  [⊢ (#%datum- . n) (⇒ : Int)]]
+  [(_ . b:boolean) ≫
+  ----------------
+  [⊢ (#%datum- . b) (⇒ : Bool)]]
+  [(_ . s:string) ≫
+  ----------------
+  [⊢ (#%datum- . s) (⇒ : String)]])
+
+(define-typed-syntax (typed-quote x:id) ≫
+  -------------------------------
+  [⊢ (quote- x) (⇒ : Symbol)])
diff --git a/racket/typed/roles.rkt b/racket/typed/roles.rkt
index 58c8e11..1fd97a5 100644
--- a/racket/typed/roles.rkt
+++ b/racket/typed/roles.rkt
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
          Computation Value Endpoints Roles Spawns
          ;; Statements
          let let* if spawn dataspace start-facet set! begin stop begin/dataflow #;unsafe-do
-         when unless send!
+         when unless send! define
          ;; Derived Forms
          during define/query-value define/query-set
          ;; endpoints
@@ -30,9 +30,7 @@
          ;; patterns
          bind discard
          ;; primitives
-         + - * / and or not > < >= <= = equal? displayln printf define
-         gensym symbol->string string->symbol bytes->string/utf-8 string->bytes/utf-8
-         ~a
+         (all-from-out "prim.rkt")
          ;; lists
          (all-from-out "list.rkt")
          ;; sets
@@ -50,6 +48,7 @@
 (require "core-types.rkt")
 (require "list.rkt")
 (require "set.rkt")
+(require "prim.rkt")
 
 (require (prefix-in syndicate: syndicate/actor-lang))
 
@@ -57,12 +56,9 @@
 (require (for-syntax turnstile/examples/util/filter-maximal))
 (require (for-syntax racket/struct-info))
 (require macrotypes/postfix-in)
-(require (rename-in racket/math [exact-truncate exact-truncate-]))
 (require (postfix-in - racket/list))
 (require (postfix-in - racket/set))
 (require (postfix-in - racket/match))
-(require (postfix-in - (only-in racket/format ~a)))
-
 
 (module+ test
   (require rackunit)
@@ -554,91 +550,6 @@
   -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   [⊢ (syndicate:run-ground s- ...) (⇒ : (AssertionSet τ-c))])
 
-;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
-;; Primitives
-;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
-
-;; hmmm
-(define-primop + (→ Int Int (Computation (Value Int) (Endpoints) (Roles) (Spawns))))
-(define-primop - (→ Int Int (Computation (Value Int) (Endpoints) (Roles) (Spawns))))
-(define-primop * (→ Int Int (Computation (Value Int) (Endpoints) (Roles) (Spawns))))
-#;(define-primop and (→ Bool Bool Bool))
-(define-primop or (→ Bool Bool (Computation (Value Bool) (Endpoints) (Roles) (Spawns))))
-(define-primop not (→ Bool (Computation (Value Bool) (Endpoints) (Roles) (Spawns))))
-(define-primop < (→ Int Int (Computation (Value Bool) (Endpoints) (Roles) (Spawns))))
-(define-primop > (→ Int Int (Computation (Value Bool) (Endpoints) (Roles) (Spawns))))
-(define-primop <= (→ Int Int (Computation (Value Bool) (Endpoints) (Roles) (Spawns))))
-(define-primop >= (→ Int Int (Computation (Value Bool) (Endpoints) (Roles) (Spawns))))
-(define-primop = (→ Int Int (Computation (Value Bool) (Endpoints) (Roles) (Spawns))))
-
-(define-primop bytes->string/utf-8 (→ ByteString (Computation (Value String) (Endpoints) (Roles) (Spawns))))
-(define-primop string->bytes/utf-8 (→ String (Computation (Value ByteString) (Endpoints) (Roles) (Spawns))))
-(define-primop gensym (→ Symbol (Computation (Value Symbol) (Endpoints) (Roles) (Spawns))))
-(define-primop symbol->string (→ Symbol (Computation (Value String) (Endpoints) (Roles) (Spawns))))
-(define-primop string->symbol (→ String (Computation (Value Symbol) (Endpoints) (Roles) (Spawns))))
-
-(define-typed-syntax (/ e1 e2) ≫
-  [⊢ e1 ≫ e1- (⇐ : Int)]
-  [⊢ e2 ≫ e2- (⇐ : Int)]
-  #:fail-unless (pure? #'e1-) "expression not allowed to have effects"
-  #:fail-unless (pure? #'e2-) "expression not allowed to have effects"
-  ------------------------
-  [⊢ (exact-truncate- (/- e1- e2-)) (⇒ : Int)])
-
-;; for some reason defining `and` as a prim op doesn't work
-(define-typed-syntax (and e ...) ≫
-  [⊢ e ≫ e- (⇐ : Bool)] ...
-  #:fail-unless (stx-andmap pure? #'(e- ...)) "expressions not allowed to have effects"
-  ------------------------
-  [⊢ (and- e- ...) (⇒ : Bool)])
-
-(define-typed-syntax (equal? e1:expr e2:expr) ≫
-  [⊢ e1 ≫ e1- (⇒ : τ1)]
-  #:fail-unless (flat-type? #'τ1)
-  (format "equality only available on flat data; got ~a" (type->str #'τ1))
-  [⊢ e2 ≫ e2- (⇐ : τ1)]
-  #:fail-unless (pure? #'e1-) "expression not allowed to have effects"
-  #:fail-unless (pure? #'e2-) "expression not allowed to have effects"
-  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-  [⊢ (equal?- e1- e2-) (⇒ : Bool)])
-
-(define-typed-syntax (displayln e:expr) ≫
-  [⊢ e ≫ e- (⇒ : τ)]
-  #:fail-unless (pure? #'e-) "expression not allowed to have effects"
-  ---------------
-  [⊢ (displayln- e-) (⇒ : ★/t)])
-
-(define-typed-syntax (printf e ...+) ≫
-  [⊢ e ≫ e- (⇒ : τ)] ...
-  #:fail-unless (stx-andmap pure? #'(e- ...)) "expression not allowed to have effects"
-  ---------------
-  [⊢ (printf- e- ...) (⇒ : ★/t)])
-
-(define-typed-syntax (~a e ...) ≫
-  [⊢ e ≫ e- (⇒ : τ)] ...
-  #:fail-unless (stx-andmap flat-type? #'(τ ...))
-                "expressions must be string-able"
-  --------------------------------------------------
-  [⊢ (~a- e- ...) (⇒ : String)])
-
-;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
-;; Basic Values
-;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
-
-(define-typed-syntax #%datum
-  [(_ . n:integer) ≫
-  ----------------
-  [⊢ (#%datum- . n) (⇒ : Int)]]
-  [(_ . b:boolean) ≫
-  ----------------
-  [⊢ (#%datum- . b) (⇒ : Bool)]]
-  [(_ . s:string) ≫
-  ----------------
-  [⊢ (#%datum- . s) (⇒ : String)]])
-
-(define-typed-syntax (typed-quote x:id) ≫
-  -------------------------------
-  [⊢ (quote- x) (⇒ : Symbol)])
 
 ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
 ;; Utilities
diff --git a/racket/typed/set.rkt b/racket/typed/set.rkt
index d96e61e..52c1bff 100644
--- a/racket/typed/set.rkt
+++ b/racket/typed/set.rkt
@@ -103,7 +103,8 @@
   -----------------------
   [⊢ (set->list- s-) ⇒ (List τ)])
 
-#;(module+ test
+(module+ test
+  (require "prim.rkt")
   (check-type (set 1 2 3)
               : (Set Int)
               -> (set- 2 3 1))