diff --git a/autovars.scm b/autovars.scm
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..143daa1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/autovars.scm
@@ -0,0 +1,160 @@
+(define fluid-$@  (make-preserved-thread-fluid (list)))
+(define fluid-$<  (make-preserved-thread-fluid (list)))
+(define fluid-$?  (make-preserved-thread-fluid (list)))
+(define fluid-$^  (make-preserved-thread-fluid (list)))
+(define fluid-$+  (make-preserved-thread-fluid (list)))
+(define fluid-$*  (make-preserved-thread-fluid (list)))
+(define fluid-$@/ (make-preserved-thread-fluid (list)))
+(define fluid-/$@ (make-preserved-thread-fluid (list)))
+(define fluid-$*/ (make-preserved-thread-fluid (list)))
+(define fluid-/$* (make-preserved-thread-fluid (list)))
+(define fluid-$</ (make-preserved-thread-fluid (list)))
+(define fluid-/$< (make-preserved-thread-fluid (list)))
+(define fluid-$^/ (make-preserved-thread-fluid (list)))
+(define fluid-/$^ (make-preserved-thread-fluid (list)))
+(define fluid-$+/ (make-preserved-thread-fluid (list)))
+(define fluid-/$+ (make-preserved-thread-fluid (list)))
+(define fluid-$?/ (make-preserved-thread-fluid (list)))
+(define fluid-/$? (make-preserved-thread-fluid (list)))
+
+(define (bind-fluids-gnu target prereqs prereqs-results thunk)
+  (let (($@ target)
+	($< (cond 
+	     ((and (list? prereqs) (not (null? prereqs))) (car prereqs))
+	     ((and (list? prereqs) (null? prereqs)) "")
+	     (else prereqs)))
+	($? (cond 
+	     ((not (list? prereqs)) 
+	      (let ((newer-prereq (list)))
+		(if (car (rule-result-wants-build? 
+			  (car prereqs-results)))
+		    (cons newer-prereq newer-prereq)
+		    newer-prereq)))
+	     ((and (list? prereqs) (null? prereqs)) prereqs)
+	     ((list? prereqs)
+	      (let for-prereqs ((newer-prereqs (list))
+				(current-prereq (car prereqs))
+				(todo-prereqs (cdr prereqs))
+				(current-result (car prereqs-results))
+				(todo-results (cdr prereqs-results)))
+		(let ((build? (if (is-rule-result? current-result)
+				  (car (rule-result-wants-build?
+					current-result))
+				  #f)))
+		  (if build?
+		      (if (not (null? todo-prereqs))
+			  (for-prereqs (cons current-prereq 
+					     newer-prereqs)
+				       (car todo-prereqs) 
+				       (cdr todo-prereqs)
+				       (car todo-results) 
+				       (cdr todo-results))
+			  newer-prereqs)
+		      (if (not (null? todo-prereqs))
+			  (for-prereqs newer-prereqs
+				       (car todo-prereqs) 
+				       (cdr todo-prereqs)
+				       (car todo-results) 
+				       (cdr todo-results))
+			  newer-prereqs)))))
+	     (else (error "no match in bind-fluids-gnu fluid-$?"))))
+	($^ (delete-duplicates! prereqs))
+	($+ prereqs)
+	($* ""))
+
+    (let-thread-fluids fluid-$@ $@ ;; $@ : file name of the target
+		       ;; $% : target member name, when target is an archive member.
+		       ;; fluid-$% target
+		       
+		       ;; $< : name of the first prerequisite
+		       fluid-$< $<
+		       
+		       ;; $? : names of all prerequisites that are newer than target
+		       fluid-$? $?
+
+		       ;; $^ : names of all the prerequisites without duplicates 
+		       ;; $+ : names of all the prerequisites
+		       fluid-$^ $^
+		       fluid-$+ $+
+
+		       ;; $* : The stem with which an implicit rule matches.
+		       fluid-$* $*
+	      
+		       ;; we have no parens so we will use the following *scheme*:
+		       ;; e.g. for $@: $@/ denotes directory part of $@
+		       ;; while        /$@ denotes file within directory of $@
+		       ;;
+		       ;; $(@D), $(@F) : directory part and file-within-directory
+		       fluid-$@/ (file-name-directory $@)
+		       fluid-/$@ (file-name-nondirectory $@)
+
+		       ;; $(*D), $(*F) : directory part and file-within-directory
+		       fluid-$*/ (file-name-directory $*)
+		       fluid-/$* (file-name-nondirectory $*)
+
+		       ;; $(%D), $(%F) : directory part and file-within-directory
+;	$%/ (file-name-directory fluid-$%)
+;	/$% (file-name-nondirectory fluid-$%)
+	
+		       ;; $(<D), $(<F) : directory part and file-within-directory
+		       fluid-$</ (file-name-directory $<)
+		       fluid-/$< (file-name-nondirectory $<)
+
+		       ;; $(^D), $(^F) : directory part and file-within-directory
+		       fluid-$^/ (map (lambda (d) 
+					(file-name-directory d))
+				      $^)
+		       fluid-/$^ (map (lambda (f) 
+					(file-name-nondirectory f))
+				      $^)
+	      
+		     ;; $(+D), $(+F) : directory part and file-within-directory
+		       fluid-$+/ (map (lambda (d) 
+					(file-name-directory d))
+				      $+)
+		       fluid-/$+ (map (lambda (f) 
+					(file-name-nondirectory f))
+				      $+)
+	      
+		       ;; $(?D), $(?F) : directory part and the
+		       ;;                file-within-directory part of $?.
+		       fluid-$?/ (map (lambda (d) 
+					(file-name-directory d))
+				      $?)
+		       fluid-/$? (map (lambda (f) 
+					(file-name-nondirectory f))
+				      $?)
+		       thunk)))
+
+(define ($@)  (thread-fluid fluid-$@))
+(define ($<)  (thread-fluid fluid-$<))
+(define ($?)  (thread-fluid fluid-$?))
+(define ($^)  (thread-fluid fluid-$^))
+(define ($+)  (thread-fluid fluid-$+))
+(define ($*)  (thread-fluid fluid-$*))
+(define ($@/) (thread-fluid fluid-$@/))
+(define (/$@) (thread-fluid fluid-/$@))
+(define ($*/) (thread-fluid fluid-$*/))
+(define (/$*) (thread-fluid fluid-/$*))
+(define ($</) (thread-fluid fluid-$</))
+(define (/$<) (thread-fluid fluid-/$<))
+(define ($^/) (thread-fluid fluid-$^/))
+(define (/$^) (thread-fluid fluid-/$^))
+(define ($+/) (thread-fluid fluid-$+/))
+(define (/$+) (thread-fluid fluid-/$+))
+(define ($?/) (thread-fluid fluid-$?/))
+(define (/$?) (thread-fluid fluid-/$?))
+
+(define (bind-fluids-human target prereqs prereqs-results thunk)
+  (display "not yet implemented."))
+
+;;; (define (bind-fluids-human target prereqs prereqs-results thunk)
+;;;   (lambda () 
+;;;     (bind-fluids-gnu target prereqs prereqs-results
+;;; 		     (lambda () 
+;;; 		       (let ((target-fname (make-preserved-thread-fluid $@))
+;;; 			     (prereqs-first (make-preserved-thread-fluid $<))
+;;; 			     (prereqs-to-build (make-preserved-thread-fluid $?))
+;;; 			     (prereqs-unique (make-preserved-thread-fluid $^))
+;;; 			     (prereqs (make-preserved-thread-fluid $+)))
+;;; 			 (thunk))))))
diff --git a/packages.scm b/packages.scm
index 1f4899c..80243de 100644
--- a/packages.scm
+++ b/packages.scm
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@
 	  rule-result-build-func
 	  rule-make))
 
-(define-structure make-rule make-rule-interface
+(define-structure make-rule-cml make-rule-interface
   (open scheme-with-scsh
 	locks
 	with-lock
@@ -149,23 +149,12 @@
 	srfi-9
 	finite-types
 	collect-channels
+	dfs
 	(with-prefix rendezvous cml-rv/)
 	(with-prefix rendezvous-channels cml-sync-ch/))
   (files make-rule))
 
-(define-interface make-rule-no-cml-interface
-  (export make-rule
-	  is-rule?
-	  make-empty-rule-set
-	  rule-set-add
-	  is-rule-set?
-	  make-rule-result
-	  is-rule-result?
-	  rule-result-wants-build?
-	  rule-result-build-func
-	  rule-make))
-
-(define-structure make-rule-no-cml make-rule-no-cml-interface
+(define-structure make-rule-no-cml make-rule-interface
   (open scheme-with-scsh
 	locks
 	with-lock
@@ -175,22 +164,23 @@
 
 (define-interface macros-interface
   (export (makefile :syntax)
-	  (rule :syntax)
+	  (file :syntax)
 	  (makefile-rule :syntax)
 	  (is-out-of-date? :syntax)
 	  (md5 :syntax)
-	  (rule-md5 :syntax)
+	  (file-md5 :syntax)
 	  (phony :syntax)
 	  (always :syntax)
 	  (is-out-of-date! :syntax)
 	  (once :syntax)
-	  (rule-once :syntax)))
+	  (file-once :syntax)))
 
 (define-structure macros macros-interface
   (open scheme-with-scsh
 	srfi-1
 	to-rule-set
 	dfs
+	autovars
 	templates
 	make-rule)
   (files macros))
@@ -215,8 +205,9 @@
 (define-interface dfs-interface
   (export make-dfs
 	  dfs->list
+	  dfs
 	  dfs-dag-show
-	  dfs))
+	  sort))
 
 (define-structure dfs dfs-interface
   (open scheme-with-scsh
@@ -238,7 +229,7 @@
   (files misc))
 
 (define-interface templates-interface
-  (export make-rule-build-func
+  (export make-file-build-func
 	  make-md5-build-func
 	  make-always-build-func
 	  make-once-build-func
@@ -249,10 +240,60 @@
 
 (define-structure templates templates-interface
   (open scheme-with-scsh
+	autovars
 	srfi-1
+	big-util
 	srfi-13)
   (files templates))
 
+(define-interface autovars-interface
+  (export bind-fluids-gnu
+	  fluid-$@  
+	  fluid-$<  
+	  fluid-$?  
+	  fluid-$^  
+	  fluid-$+  
+	  fluid-$*  
+	  fluid-$@/ 
+	  fluid-/$@ 
+	  fluid-$*/ 
+	  fluid-/$* 
+	  fluid-$</ 
+	  fluid-/$< 
+	  fluid-$^/ 
+	  fluid-/$^ 
+	  fluid-$+/ 
+	  fluid-/$+ 
+	  fluid-$?/ 
+	  fluid-/$? 
+	  $@  
+	  $<  
+	  $?  
+	  $^  
+	  $+  
+	  $*  
+	  $@/ 
+	  /$@ 
+	  $*/ 
+	  /$* 
+	  $</ 
+	  /$< 
+	  $^/ 
+	  /$^ 
+	  $+/ 
+	  /$+ 
+	  $?/ 
+	  /$? 
+	  bind-fluids-human))
+
+(define-structure autovars autovars-interface
+  (open scheme-with-scsh
+	make-rule
+	thread-fluids
+	srfi-1
+	srfi-13)
+  (files autovars))
+
 (define-structure make (export make)
   (open scheme-with-scsh
 	srfi-1
@@ -261,3 +302,5 @@
 	to-rule-set
 	make-rule)
   (files make))
+
+(define make-rule make-rule-cml)