diff --git a/packages/ui/src/core.ts b/packages/ui/src/core.ts
index 3d92fa2..8ce36a4 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/core.ts
+++ b/packages/ui/src/core.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
 export * from './core/api.ts';
 export * from './core/context.ts';
+export * from './core/lifecycle.ts';
 export * from './core/node.ts';
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/core/lifecycle.test.ts b/packages/ui/src/core/lifecycle.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6d72944
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/ui/src/core/lifecycle.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+import { describe, expect, test } from 'vitest';
+import { lifecycle, LifecycleApi } from './lifecycle.ts';
+import type { Node } from './node.ts';
+
+describe('lifecycle', () => {
+	describe('create', () => {
+		test('with no parent, roots the node in the global scope', () => {
+			const node = lifecycle.create();
+			expect(node.parent).toBeDefined();
+		});
+
+		test('wires the child into its parent', () => {
+			const parent = lifecycle.create();
+			const child = lifecycle.create(parent);
+			expect(child.parent).toBe(parent);
+			expect(parent.children.has(child)).toBe(true);
+		});
+
+		test('autogenerates an id', () => {
+			const node = lifecycle.create();
+			expect(typeof lifecycle.id(node)).toBe('string');
+			expect(lifecycle.id(node).length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+		});
+
+		test('autogenerated ids are distinct', () => {
+			expect(lifecycle.id(lifecycle.create())).not.toBe(lifecycle.id(lifecycle.create()));
+		});
+
+		test('a child owns its id rather than inheriting its parent’s', () => {
+			const parent = lifecycle.create();
+			const child = lifecycle.create(parent);
+			expect(lifecycle.id(child)).not.toBe(lifecycle.id(parent));
+		});
+
+		test('hooks fire through create middleware', () => {
+			const created: Node[] = [];
+			const root = lifecycle.create();
+			LifecycleApi.decorate(root, () => ({
+				create(parent) {
+					const node = super.create(parent);
+					created.push(node);
+					return node;
+				},
+			}));
+			const a = LifecycleApi.at(root).create(root);
+			const b = LifecycleApi.at(a).create(a);
+			expect(created).toEqual([a, b]);
+		});
+	});
+
+	describe('destroy', () => {
+		test('detaches a node from its parent', () => {
+			const parent = lifecycle.create();
+			const child = lifecycle.create(parent);
+			lifecycle.destroy(child);
+			expect(parent.children.has(child)).toBe(false);
+		});
+
+		test('cascades to descendants', () => {
+			const root = lifecycle.create();
+			const parent = lifecycle.create(root);
+			const child = lifecycle.create(parent);
+			lifecycle.destroy(root);
+			expect(root.children.has(parent)).toBe(false);
+			expect(parent.children.has(child)).toBe(false);
+		});
+
+		test('tears down bottom-up, each node running its destroy middleware', () => {
+			const order: Node[] = [];
+			const root = lifecycle.create();
+			LifecycleApi.decorate(root, () => ({
+				destroy(node) {
+					const result = super.destroy(node);
+					order.push(node);
+					return result;
+				},
+			}));
+			const parent = lifecycle.create(root);
+			const child = lifecycle.create(parent);
+			LifecycleApi.at(root).destroy(root);
+			expect(order).toEqual([child, parent, root]);
+		});
+	});
+});
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/core/lifecycle.ts b/packages/ui/src/core/lifecycle.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7046349
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/ui/src/core/lifecycle.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+import { Node } from './node.ts';
+import { createContext } from './context.ts';
+import { Api } from './api.ts';
+
+export class LifecycleApi extends Api {
+	ids = 0;
+	global: Node;
+	constructor(global: Node) {
+		super(global);
+		this.global = global;
+		IdContext.set(this.global, 'root');
+	}
+
+	create(parent: Node = this.global) {
+		const node = new Node(parent);
+		parent.children.add(node);
+		IdContext.set(node, `${this.ids++}`);
+		return node;
+	}
+
+	destroy(node: Node) {
+		for (const child of node.children) {
+			this.destroy(child);
+		}
+		node.parent?.children.delete(node);
+	}
+
+	id(node: Node): string {
+		return IdContext.expect(node);
+	}
+}
+
+const IdContext = createContext<string>('id');
+
+export const lifecycle = LifecycleApi.init(new Node());