diff --git a/.vscode/settings.json b/.vscode/settings.json
index 03de4a74d..cf916d511 100644
--- a/.vscode/settings.json
+++ b/.vscode/settings.json
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
-"rust": {
+{
+    "rust-analyzer.check.command": "check",
     "editor.defaultFormatter": "rust-lang.rust-analyzer",
-    "editor.formatOnSave": true
+    "editor.formatOnSave": true,
 }
diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index ceb82d034..b13643407 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -258,12 +258,25 @@ version = "1.0.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "acbf1af155f9b9ef647e42cdc158db4b64a1b61f743629225fde6f3e0be2a7c7"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "conjure_core"
+version = "0.0.1"
+dependencies = [
+ "serde",
+ "serde_json",
+ "serde_with",
+ "strum",
+ "strum_macros",
+ "thiserror",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "conjure_oxide"
 version = "0.0.1"
 dependencies = [
  "anyhow",
  "clap",
+ "conjure_core",
  "minion_rs",
  "serde",
  "serde_json",
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index a195dc458..834320ce1 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 resolver = "2"
 members = [
     "conjure_oxide",
+    "crates/conjure_core",
     "solvers/kissat",
     "solvers/minion",
     "solvers/chuffed",
diff --git a/conjure_oxide/Cargo.toml b/conjure_oxide/Cargo.toml
index 4cc454eb1..7015b3012 100644
--- a/conjure_oxide/Cargo.toml
+++ b/conjure_oxide/Cargo.toml
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@ default-run = "conjure_oxide"
 walkdir = "2.4.0"
 
 [dependencies]
+conjure_core = {path = "../crates/conjure_core" }
+
 serde = { version = "1.0.195", features = ["derive"] }
 serde_json = "1.0.111"
 serde_with = "3.4.0"
diff --git a/conjure_oxide/src/lib.rs b/conjure_oxide/src/lib.rs
index 747851612..c2c17a283 100644
--- a/conjure_oxide/src/lib.rs
+++ b/conjure_oxide/src/lib.rs
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
-pub mod ast;
 pub mod error;
 pub mod find_conjure;
 pub mod parse;
 mod solvers;
 
-pub use ast::Model;
+pub use conjure_core::ast; // re-export core::ast as conjure_oxide::ast
+pub use conjure_core::ast::Model; // rexport core::ast::Model as conjure_oxide::Model
+pub use conjure_core::solvers::Solver;
+
 pub use error::Error;
diff --git a/conjure_oxide/src/main.rs b/conjure_oxide/src/main.rs
index f60496bc4..6452d82a9 100644
--- a/conjure_oxide/src/main.rs
+++ b/conjure_oxide/src/main.rs
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ use std::path::PathBuf;
 use anyhow::Result as AnyhowResult;
 use clap::{arg, command, Parser};
 use conjure_oxide::find_conjure::conjure_executable;
-use conjure_oxide::parse::parse_json;
+use conjure_oxide::parse::model_from_json;
 
 #[derive(Parser)]
 #[command(author, version, about, long_about = None)]
@@ -45,7 +45,12 @@ pub fn main() -> AnyhowResult<()> {
 
     let astjson = String::from_utf8(output.stdout)?;
 
-    let model = parse_json(&astjson)?;
+    let model = model_from_json(&astjson)?;
     println!("{:?}", model);
+
+    // for rule in get_rules_by_kind() {
+    //     println!("Applying rule {:?}", rule);
+    // }
+
     Ok(())
 }
diff --git a/conjure_oxide/src/parse.rs b/conjure_oxide/src/parse.rs
index 0bfc7bcfd..fc9b4cf82 100644
--- a/conjure_oxide/src/parse.rs
+++ b/conjure_oxide/src/parse.rs
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ use crate::ast::{DecisionVariable, Domain, Expression, Model, Name, Range};
 use crate::error::{Error, Result};
 use serde_json::Value as JsonValue;
 
-pub fn parse_json(str: &str) -> Result<Model> {
+pub fn model_from_json(str: &str) -> Result<Model> {
     let mut m = Model::new();
     let v: JsonValue = serde_json::from_str(str)?;
     let statements = v["mStatements"]
@@ -217,9 +217,3 @@ fn parse_constant(constant: &serde_json::Map<String, Value>) -> Option<Expressio
         otherwise => panic!("Unhandled parse_constant {:#?}", otherwise),
     }
 }
-
-impl Model {
-    pub fn from_json(str: &str) -> Result<Model> {
-        parse_json(str)
-    }
-}
diff --git a/conjure_oxide/src/solvers/error.rs b/conjure_oxide/src/solvers/error.rs
index b080a4acf..701816c1d 100644
--- a/conjure_oxide/src/solvers/error.rs
+++ b/conjure_oxide/src/solvers/error.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
+use crate::Solver;
 use thiserror::Error;
 
-use super::Solver;
-
 #[derive(Error, Debug)]
 pub enum SolverError {
     #[error("not supported in solver `{0}`: `{1}`.")]
diff --git a/conjure_oxide/src/solvers/minion.rs b/conjure_oxide/src/solvers/minion.rs
index 9e2f43db5..f3eea6095 100644
--- a/conjure_oxide/src/solvers/minion.rs
+++ b/conjure_oxide/src/solvers/minion.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 //! Solver interface to minion_rs.
 
-#[allow(unused_imports)]
-use anyhow::anyhow;
+use super::{FromConjureModel, SolverError};
+use crate::Solver;
 
 use crate::ast::{
     DecisionVariable, Domain as ConjureDomain, Expression as ConjureExpression,
@@ -12,14 +12,10 @@ use minion_rs::ast::{
     Var as MinionVar, VarDomain as MinionDomain,
 };
 
-use super::{Solver, SolverError};
-
 const SOLVER: Solver = Solver::Minion;
 
-impl TryFrom<ConjureModel> for MinionModel {
-    type Error = SolverError;
-
-    fn try_from(conjure_model: ConjureModel) -> Result<Self, Self::Error> {
+impl FromConjureModel for MinionModel {
+    fn from_conjure(conjure_model: ConjureModel) -> Result<Self, SolverError> {
         let mut minion_model = MinionModel::new();
 
         // We assume (for now) that the conjure model is fully valid
@@ -211,6 +207,7 @@ fn name_to_string(name: ConjureName) -> String {
 
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
+    use anyhow::anyhow;
     use std::collections::HashMap;
 
     use minion_rs::ast::VarName;
@@ -248,7 +245,7 @@ mod tests {
         model.constraints.push(leq);
         model.constraints.push(ineq);
 
-        let minion_model = MinionModel::try_from(model)?;
+        let minion_model = MinionModel::from_conjure(model)?;
         Ok(minion_rs::run_minion(minion_model, xyz_callback)?)
     }
 
diff --git a/conjure_oxide/src/solvers/mod.rs b/conjure_oxide/src/solvers/mod.rs
index 733306ab9..55bbf4aa8 100644
--- a/conjure_oxide/src/solvers/mod.rs
+++ b/conjure_oxide/src/solvers/mod.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,11 @@
 mod error;
 pub mod minion;
+pub use crate::ast::Model;
 pub use error::*;
-mod solver_list;
-pub use solver_list::*;
+
+pub trait FromConjureModel
+where
+    Self: Sized,
+{
+    fn from_conjure(model: Model) -> Result<Self, SolverError>;
+}
diff --git a/conjure_oxide/tests/generated_tests.rs b/conjure_oxide/tests/generated_tests.rs
index b25af0e65..c925ef4ec 100644
--- a/conjure_oxide/tests/generated_tests.rs
+++ b/conjure_oxide/tests/generated_tests.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 use conjure_oxide::ast::Model;
+use conjure_oxide::parse::model_from_json;
 use serde_json::Value;
 use std::env;
 use std::error::Error;
@@ -37,7 +38,7 @@ fn integration_test(path: &str, essence_base: &str) -> Result<(), Box<dyn Error>
     let astjson = String::from_utf8(output.stdout)?;
 
     // "parsing" astjson as Model
-    let generated_mdl = Model::from_json(&astjson)?;
+    let generated_mdl = model_from_json(&astjson)?;
 
     // a consistent sorting of the keys of json objects
     // only required for the generated version
diff --git a/crates/conjure_core/Cargo.toml b/crates/conjure_core/Cargo.toml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bc4f96610
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/conjure_core/Cargo.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+[package]
+name = "conjure_core"
+version = "0.0.1"
+edition = "2021"
+
+[dependencies]
+serde = { version = "1.0.192", features = ["derive"] }
+serde_json = "1.0.108"
+serde_with = "3.4.0"
+strum = "0.25.0"
+strum_macros = "0.25.3"
+thiserror = "1.0.50"
+
+[lints]
+workspace = true
diff --git a/crates/conjure_core/README.md b/crates/conjure_core/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5599950e6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/conjure_core/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+Core datatypes for use in Conjure Oxide.
+
+This crate is internal to conjure_oxide, and should not be treated as a stable
+API. Relevant types are re-exported through conjure_oxide.
diff --git a/conjure_oxide/src/ast.rs b/crates/conjure_core/src/ast.rs
similarity index 100%
rename from conjure_oxide/src/ast.rs
rename to crates/conjure_core/src/ast.rs
diff --git a/crates/conjure_core/src/lib.rs b/crates/conjure_core/src/lib.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6471a8b4f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/conjure_core/src/lib.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+pub mod ast;
+
+pub mod solvers;
+pub use solvers::Solver;
diff --git a/conjure_oxide/src/solvers/solver_list.rs b/crates/conjure_core/src/solvers.rs
similarity index 100%
rename from conjure_oxide/src/solvers/solver_list.rs
rename to crates/conjure_core/src/solvers.rs