diff --git a/src/compose/compose-block-map.ts b/src/compose/compose-block-map.ts
index b2b8f8fc..4a42ed1f 100644
--- a/src/compose/compose-block-map.ts
+++ b/src/compose/compose-block-map.ts
@@ -13,11 +13,10 @@ export function composeBlockMap(
   const start = offset
   const map = new YAMLMap(doc.schema)
   if (anchor) doc.anchors.setAnchor(map, anchor)
-  const onRelError = (rel: number, msg: string) => onError(offset + rel, msg)
 
   for (const { start, key, sep, value } of items) {
     // key properties
-    const keyProps = resolveProps(start, 'explicit-key-ind', onRelError)
+    const keyProps = resolveProps(start, 'explicit-key-ind', offset, onError)
     if (!keyProps.found) {
       // implicit key
       if (keyProps.anchor || keyProps.tagName || sep) {
@@ -49,7 +48,7 @@ export function composeBlockMap(
     }
 
     // value properties
-    const valueProps = resolveProps(sep || [], 'map-value-ind', onRelError)
+    const valueProps = resolveProps(sep || [], 'map-value-ind', offset, onError)
     offset += valueProps.length
 
     if (valueProps.found) {
diff --git a/src/compose/compose-block-seq.ts b/src/compose/compose-block-seq.ts
index 7ff66f1a..b12fed17 100644
--- a/src/compose/compose-block-seq.ts
+++ b/src/compose/compose-block-seq.ts
@@ -14,9 +14,7 @@ export function composeBlockSeq(
   const seq = new YAMLSeq(doc.schema)
   if (anchor) doc.anchors.setAnchor(seq, anchor)
   for (const { start, value } of items) {
-    const props = resolveProps(start, 'seq-item-ind', (o, m) =>
-      onError(offset + o, m)
-    )
+    const props = resolveProps(start, 'seq-item-ind', offset, onError)
     offset += props.length
     if (!props.found) {
       if (props.anchor || props.tagName || value) {
diff --git a/src/compose/compose-doc.ts b/src/compose/compose-doc.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..74ceb9b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/compose/compose-doc.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+import { Document } from '../doc/Document.js'
+import type { Options } from '../options.js'
+import type * as Parser from '../parse/parser.js'
+import { composeNode } from './compose-node.js'
+import { resolveEnd } from './resolve-end.js'
+import { resolveProps } from './resolve-props.js'
+import { StreamDirectives } from './stream-directives.js'
+
+export function composeDoc(
+  options: Options | null,
+  directives: StreamDirectives,
+  { offset, start, value, end }: Parser.Document,
+  onError: (offset: number, message: string, warning?: boolean) => void
+) {
+  const doc = new Document(undefined, options || undefined) as Document.Parsed
+  doc.version = directives.yaml.version
+  doc.setSchema() // FIXME: always do this in the constructor
+
+  const props = resolveProps(start, 'doc-start', offset, onError)
+  if (props.found) doc.directivesEndMarker = true
+
+  let to = offset + props.length
+  const token = value || { type: 'scalar', offset: to, indent: -1, source: '' }
+  doc.contents = composeNode(doc, token, props, onError)
+  if (doc.contents.range) to = doc.contents.range[1]
+  else {
+    // FIXME: remove once verified never happens
+    onError(to, 'Resolved child node has no range')
+    if (value) {
+      if ('offset' in value) to = value.offset
+      if ('source' in value && value.source) to += value.source.length
+    }
+  }
+  const { comment, length } = resolveEnd(end)
+  if (comment) doc.comment = comment
+
+  doc.range = [offset, to + length]
+  return doc
+}
diff --git a/src/compose/parse-docs.ts b/src/compose/parse-docs.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3179b42a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/compose/parse-docs.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+import { Document } from '../doc/Document'
+import { Parser } from '../parse/parser'
+import { composeDoc } from './compose-doc'
+import { StreamDirectives } from './stream-directives'
+
+export function parseDocs(source: string) {
+  const directives = new StreamDirectives()
+  const docs: Document.Parsed[] = []
+  const lines: number[] = []
+
+  const onError = (offset: number, message: string, warning?: boolean) => {
+    console.error(warning ? '???' : '!!!', { offset, message })
+  }
+
+  const parser = new Parser(
+    token => {
+      switch (token.type) {
+        case 'directive':
+          directives.add(token.source, onError)
+          break
+        case 'document':
+          docs.push(composeDoc(null, directives, token, onError))
+          break
+        default:
+          console.log('###', token)
+      }
+    },
+    n => lines.push(n)
+  )
+  parser.parse(source)
+
+  return docs
+}
diff --git a/src/compose/resolve-props.ts b/src/compose/resolve-props.ts
index ad1dc8b6..2e3575e5 100644
--- a/src/compose/resolve-props.ts
+++ b/src/compose/resolve-props.ts
@@ -11,8 +11,13 @@ export interface Props {
 
 export function resolveProps(
   start: SourceToken[],
-  indicator: 'explicit-key-ind' | 'map-value-ind' | 'seq-item-ind',
-  onError: (relOffset: number, message: string) => void
+  indicator:
+    | 'doc-start'
+    | 'explicit-key-ind'
+    | 'map-value-ind'
+    | 'seq-item-ind',
+  offset: number,
+  onError: (offset: number, message: string) => void
 ) {
   let length = 0
   let spaceBefore = false
@@ -50,7 +55,7 @@ export function resolveProps(
         found = true
         break
       default:
-        onError(length, `Unexpected ${token.type} token`)
+        onError(offset + length, `Unexpected ${token.type} token`)
     }
     if (token.source) length += token.source.length
   }
diff --git a/src/compose/stream-directives.ts b/src/compose/stream-directives.ts
index 1f089c35..35ad8335 100644
--- a/src/compose/stream-directives.ts
+++ b/src/compose/stream-directives.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 export class StreamDirectives {
   tags: Record<string, string> = { '!!': 'tag:yaml.org,2002:' }
-  yaml: { version: '1.1' | '1.2' } = { version: '1.2' }
+  yaml: { version: '1.1' | '1.2' | undefined } = { version: undefined }
 
   static from(src: StreamDirectives) {
     const res = new StreamDirectives()