diff --git a/py/stencila/schema/__main__.py b/py/stencila/schema/__main__.py
index 4fffa753c5..b30117b95c 100644
--- a/py/stencila/schema/__main__.py
+++ b/py/stencila/schema/__main__.py
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 from sys import argv, stderr, stdout
 
 from .interpreter import execute_from_cli
+from .listener import start_stdio_interpreter
 
 
 def cli_execute():
@@ -25,16 +26,22 @@ def cli_compile():
     execute_from_cli(argv[2:], True)
 
 
+def interpreter_listen():
+    start_stdio_interpreter()
+
+
 def main():
     """The main entry point to this module, read the first CLI arg and call out to the corresponding function."""
     command = argv[1] if len(argv) > 1 else ''
 
+    logging.basicConfig(stream=stdout, level=logging.DEBUG)
+
     if command == 'execute':
-        logging.basicConfig(stream=stdout, level=logging.DEBUG)
         cli_execute()
     elif command == 'compile':
-        logging.basicConfig(stream=stdout, level=logging.DEBUG)
         cli_compile()
+    elif command == 'listen':
+        interpreter_listen()
     else:
         stderr.write('Unknown command "{}"\n'.format(command))
 
diff --git a/py/stencila/schema/code_parsing.py b/py/stencila/schema/code_parsing.py
index 4bae6affe2..670ebd1c00 100644
--- a/py/stencila/schema/code_parsing.py
+++ b/py/stencila/schema/code_parsing.py
@@ -111,6 +111,21 @@ def set_code_error(code: typing.Union[CodeChunk, CodeExpression],
     code.errors.append(error)
 
 
+def simple_code_chunk_parse(code: CodeChunk) -> CodeChunkExecution:
+    """
+    "Build a CodeChunkExecution from CodeChunk.
+
+    This is the most basic information that is needed to execute a CodeChunk in the interpreter.
+    """
+    parser = CodeChunkParser()
+    cc_result = parser.parse(code)
+
+    if cc_result.error:
+        set_code_error(code, cc_result.error)
+
+    return CodeChunkExecution(code, cc_result)
+
+
 class CodeChunkParser:
     """Parse a `CodeChunk` by parsing its `text` into an AST and traversing it."""
 
diff --git a/py/stencila/schema/listener.py b/py/stencila/schema/listener.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..49dc5d1943
--- /dev/null
+++ b/py/stencila/schema/listener.py
@@ -0,0 +1,106 @@
+import json
+import logging
+import sys
+import typing
+from io import BytesIO
+
+from stencila.schema.code_parsing import simple_code_chunk_parse
+from stencila.schema.interpreter import Interpreter
+from stencila.schema.types import CodeChunk
+from stencila.schema.util import to_json, from_dict
+
+
+def _byte(b: typing.Any) -> bytes:
+    return bytes((b,))
+
+
+def encode(number: int) -> bytes:
+    """Pack `number` into varint bytes"""
+    buf = b''
+    while True:
+        towrite = number & 0x7f
+        number >>= 7
+        if number:
+            buf += _byte(towrite | 0x80)
+        else:
+            buf += _byte(towrite)
+            break
+    return buf
+
+
+def decode_stream(stream: typing.IO) -> int:
+    """Read a varint from `stream`"""
+    shift = 0
+    result = 0
+    while True:
+        i = _read_one(stream)
+        result |= (i & 0x7f) << shift
+        shift += 7
+        if not (i & 0x80):
+            break
+
+    return result
+
+
+def decode_bytes(buf: bytes) -> int:
+    """Read a varint from from `buf` bytes"""
+    return decode_stream(BytesIO(buf))
+
+
+def _read_one(stream: typing.IO) -> int:
+    """Read a byte from the file (as an integer)
+    raises EOFError if the stream ends while reading bytes.
+    """
+    if hasattr(stream, 'recv'):
+        c = stream.recv(1)
+    elif hasattr(stream, 'buffer'):
+        c = stream.buffer.read(1)
+    else:
+        c = stream.read(1)
+    if c == b'':
+        raise EOFError("Unexpected EOF while reading bytes")
+    return ord(c)
+
+
+class InterpreterListener:
+    input_stream: typing.IO
+    output_stream: typing.IO
+    interpreter: Interpreter
+
+    def __init__(self, input_stream: typing.IO, output_stream: typing.IO, interpreter: Interpreter) -> None:
+        self.input_stream = input_stream
+        self.output_stream = output_stream
+        self.interpreter = interpreter
+
+    def read_message(self) -> typing.Iterable[bytes]:
+        while True:
+            message_len = decode_stream(self.input_stream)
+            yield self.input_stream.read(message_len)
+
+    def write_message(self, s: bytes) -> None:
+        self.output_stream.write(encode(len(s)))
+        self.output_stream.write(s)
+        self.output_stream.flush()
+
+    def run_interpreter(self) -> None:
+        for message in self.read_message():
+            envelope = json.loads(message.decode('utf8'))
+
+            code = from_dict(envelope['body'])
+
+            if isinstance(code, CodeChunk):
+                code = simple_code_chunk_parse(code)
+
+            self.interpreter.execute([code], {})
+            envelope['body'] = code
+            self.write_message(to_json(envelope).encode('utf8'))
+
+
+def start_stdio_interpreter() -> None:
+    il = InterpreterListener(sys.stdin.buffer, sys.stdout.buffer, Interpreter())
+    il.run_interpreter()
+
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    logging.basicConfig(stream=sys.stdout, level=logging.DEBUG)
+    start_stdio_interpreter()