diff --git a/examples/rendering/vk_manifest.ludic b/examples/rendering/vk_manifest.ludic
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..441ba1ad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/rendering/vk_manifest.ludic
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+# vk_manifest.ludic — reads render3d's SPIR-V manifest the way the Vulkan backend will,
+# and checks every program in variants.list resolves, with its uniforms and samplers.
+#   bin/ludicc examples/rendering/vk_manifest.ludic --headless -o build/vk_manifest && build/vk_manifest
+program VkManifest {
+  import "../../packages/ludic.render3d/gpu_manifest.ludic"
+
+  property Marker { on: int = 1 }
+  model Anchor { Marker }
+
+  handler Boot phase Start {
+    spawn Anchor {}
+    let n = gpu_manifest_load("packages/ludic.render3d/shaders/spv/manifest.txt")
+    print(`manifest: {n} programs`)
+    var ok = n > 0
+    let list = Fs.read_text("packages/ludic.render3d/shaders/variants.list")
+    let lines = Text.split(list, "\n")
+    var listed = 0
+    var found = 0
+    for i in 0 .. len(lines) {
+      let ln = Text.trim(lines[i])
+      let lp: pointer = ln
+      if len(lp) == 0 or lp[0] == '#' { continue }
+      let parts = Text.split(ln, "|")
+      var defs = ""
+      if len(parts) > 2 { defs = parts[2] }
+      listed += 1
+      let v = gpu_variant_find_key(parts[0], parts[1], defs)
+      if v == null { print(`  NOT FOUND: {ln}`);  ok = false } else { found += 1 }
+    }
+    print(`variants.list: {listed} listed, {found} resolved`)
+    if found != listed { ok = false }
+    # spot checks against what the tool wrote: the lit foliage program as scatter builds it
+    let fol = gpu_variant_find("model.vert", "model.frag", "#define FOLIAGE\n#define WIND\n#define ALPHA_TEST\n")
+    if fol == null { print("  the foliage program did not resolve");  ok = false }
+    else {
+      let uv = gpu_variant_uniform(fol, 0, "u_view")
+      let us = gpu_variant_uniform(fol, 1, "u_sun_dir")
+      print(`foliage {fol.id}: vertex block {fol.vblock} bytes, fragment block {fol.fblock} bytes, {len(fol.u_name)} uniforms, {len(fol.t_name)} samplers, {len(fol.i_name)} vertex inputs`)
+      if uv >= 0 { print(`  u_view (vertex) at {fol.u_off[uv]}, {fol.u_type[uv]}`) } else { print("  u_view missing from the vertex stage");  ok = false }
+      if us >= 0 { print(`  u_sun_dir (fragment) at {fol.u_off[us]}, {fol.u_type[us]}`) } else { print("  u_sun_dir missing from the fragment stage");  ok = false }
+      let bd = gpu_variant_sampler(fol, "u_diff")
+      let bs = gpu_variant_sampler(fol, "u_shadow")
+      print(`  u_diff binding {bd}, u_shadow binding {bs}`)
+      if bd < 2 or bs < 2 or bd == bs { ok = false }
+    }
+    if ok { print("VKMANIFEST OK") } else { print("VKMANIFEST FAILED") }
+    quit()
+  }
+}
diff --git a/packages/ludic.render3d/gpu_manifest.ludic b/packages/ludic.render3d/gpu_manifest.ludic
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..885c3b60
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/ludic.render3d/gpu_manifest.ludic
@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
+# ============================================================================
+# gpu_manifest.ludic — the shader variants a pipeline API draws with.
+#
+# OpenGL compiles each program's GLSL when the game starts; Vulkan cannot, so every
+# program render3d builds is compiled ahead of time by `ludic-dev shaders` into
+# shaders/spv/<id>.vert.spv and .frag.spv, with shaders/spv/manifest.txt saying what a
+# backend needs to draw with it:
+#   P <id> <vertex> <fragment> <defines>        a program (defines with ';' for newlines)
+#   B <id> <stage> <binding> <size>             a stage's uniform block
+#   U <id> <stage> <name> <offset> <type> <count> <stride>
+#   T <id> <name> <binding>                     a sampler, one binding across both stages
+#   I <id> <name> <location> <type>             a vertex input
+# This reads it, and answers the questions a backend asks while drawing: which variant a
+# program is, where a uniform lives in its stage's block, which binding a sampler has.
+# ============================================================================
+
+property GpuVariant {
+  id:     string,
+  vs:     string,
+  fs:     string,
+  defs:   string,          # the defines as variants.list writes them: ';' for newlines
+  vblock: int = -1,        # the vertex stage's uniform block size in bytes (-1: none)
+  fblock: int = -1,
+  u_name:   []string,
+  u_stage:  []int,         # 0 vertex, 1 fragment
+  u_off:    []int,
+  u_type:   []string,
+  u_count:  []int,
+  u_stride: []int,
+  t_name: []string,
+  t_bind: []int,
+  i_name: []string,
+  i_loc:  []int,
+  i_type: []string
+}
+
+var gpu_variants: []GpuVariant = null
+
+function gpu_variant_new(id: string, vs: string, fs: string, defs: string) -> GpuVariant {
+  let v = new GpuVariant
+  v.id = id;  v.vs = vs;  v.fs = fs;  v.defs = defs
+  v.u_name = new []string;  v.u_stage = new []int;  v.u_off = new []int;  v.u_type = new []string
+  v.u_count = new []int;  v.u_stride = new []int
+  v.t_name = new []string;  v.t_bind = new []int
+  v.i_name = new []string;  v.i_loc = new []int;  v.i_type = new []string
+  return v
+}
+
+# Read a manifest; returns how many programs it holds (0: none, or no file).
+function gpu_manifest_load(path: string) -> int {
+  gpu_variants = new []GpuVariant
+  let text = Fs.read_text(path)
+  if text == null { return 0 }
+  let lines = Text.split(text, "\n")
+  var cur: GpuVariant = null
+  for li in 0 .. len(lines) {
+    let ln = lines[li]
+    let lp: pointer = ln
+    if len(lp) < 2 or lp[0] == '#' { continue }
+    let f = Text.split(ln, " ")
+    if lp[0] == 'P' and len(f) >= 4 {
+      # the defines are the rest of the line, spaces and all
+      var defs = ""
+      var k = 4
+      while k < len(f) {
+        if k > 4 { defs = defs + " " }
+        defs = defs + f[k]
+        k += 1
+      }
+      cur = gpu_variant_new(f[1], f[2], f[3], defs)
+      push(gpu_variants, cur)
+      continue
+    }
+    if cur == null { continue }
+    if lp[0] == 'B' and len(f) >= 5 {
+      if f[2] == "vert" { cur.vblock = Text.to_int(f[4]) } else { cur.fblock = Text.to_int(f[4]) }
+    } else if lp[0] == 'U' and len(f) >= 8 {
+      var stage = 1
+      if f[2] == "vert" { stage = 0 }
+      push(cur.u_stage, stage);  push(cur.u_name, f[3]);  push(cur.u_off, Text.to_int(f[4]))
+      push(cur.u_type, f[5]);  push(cur.u_count, Text.to_int(f[6]));  push(cur.u_stride, Text.to_int(f[7]))
+    } else if lp[0] == 'T' and len(f) >= 4 {
+      push(cur.t_name, f[2]);  push(cur.t_bind, Text.to_int(f[3]))
+    } else if lp[0] == 'I' and len(f) >= 5 {
+      push(cur.i_name, f[2]);  push(cur.i_loc, Text.to_int(f[3]));  push(cur.i_type, f[4])
+    }
+  }
+  return len(gpu_variants)
+}
+
+# the variant for a program as r3d_program names it (defines with real newlines)
+function gpu_variant_find(vs: string, fs: string, defines: string) -> GpuVariant {
+  return gpu_variant_find_key(vs, fs, Text.replace(defines, "\n", ";"))
+}
+# ... or as variants.list writes it (';' for newlines)
+function gpu_variant_find_key(vs: string, fs: string, defs: string) -> GpuVariant {
+  if gpu_variants == null { return null }
+  for i in 0 .. len(gpu_variants) {
+    let v = gpu_variants[i]
+    if v.vs == vs and v.fs == fs and v.defs == defs { return v }
+  }
+  return null
+}
+
+# a uniform's index in the variant's table for a stage (0 vertex, 1 fragment), or -1;
+# a program sets a uniform in whichever stages declare it, so a backend asks both
+function gpu_variant_uniform(v: GpuVariant, stage: int, name: string) -> int {
+  for i in 0 .. len(v.u_name) { if v.u_stage[i] == stage and v.u_name[i] == name { return i } }
+  return -1
+}
+# a sampler's binding, or -1 when neither stage declares it
+function gpu_variant_sampler(v: GpuVariant, name: string) -> int {
+  for i in 0 .. len(v.t_name) { if v.t_name[i] == name { return v.t_bind[i] } }
+  return -1
+}