diff --git a/src/lib/comm.rs b/src/lib/comm.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..7fcac262a5c1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/comm.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+import sys;
+
+export _chan;
+export _port;
+
+export mk_port;
+export mk_chan;
+
+native "rust" mod rustrt {
+    type rust_chan;
+    type rust_port;
+
+    fn new_chan(po : *rust_port) -> *rust_chan;
+    fn del_chan(ch : *rust_chan);
+    fn drop_chan(ch : *rust_chan);
+
+    fn new_port(unit_sz : uint) -> *rust_port;
+    fn del_port(po : *rust_port);
+    fn drop_port(po : *rust_port);
+}
+
+resource chan_ptr(ch: *rustrt::rust_chan) {
+    rustrt::drop_chan(ch);
+    rustrt::drop_chan(ch); // FIXME: We shouldn't have to do this
+                           // twice.
+    rustrt::del_chan(ch);
+}
+
+tag _chan[T] { _chan(@chan_dtor); }
+
+resource port_ptr(po: *rustrt::rust_port) {
+    rustrt::drop_port(po);
+    rustrt::del_port(po);
+}
+
+tag _port[T] { _port(@port_dtor); }
+
+fn mk_port[T]() -> _port[T] {
+    _port(@port_dtor(rustrt::new_port(sys::size_of[T]())))
+}
+
+fn mk_chan[T](po : &_port[T]) -> _chan[T] {
+    alt po {
+      _port(_po) {
+        _chan(@chan_dtor(rustrt::new_chan(**_po)))
+      }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/lib/std.rc b/src/lib/std.rc
index 622a9563c874..822997149626 100644
--- a/src/lib/std.rc
+++ b/src/lib/std.rc
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ mod io;
 mod ioivec;
 mod sys;
 mod task;
+mod comm;
 
 // Utility modules.
 
diff --git a/src/rt/rust_builtin.cpp b/src/rt/rust_builtin.cpp
index 662ec3318d54..143a0b22f73e 100644
--- a/src/rt/rust_builtin.cpp
+++ b/src/rt/rust_builtin.cpp
@@ -868,6 +868,53 @@ sched_threads(rust_task *task) {
     return task->kernel->num_threads;
 }
 
+extern "C" CDECL rust_port*
+new_port(rust_task *task, size_t unit_sz) {
+    LOG(task, comm, "new_port(task=0x%" PRIxPTR " (%s), unit_sz=%d)",
+        (uintptr_t) task, task->name, unit_sz);
+    // take a reference on behalf of the port
+    task->ref();
+    return new (task->kernel, "rust_port") rust_port(task, unit_sz);
+}
+
+extern "C" CDECL void
+del_port(rust_task *task, rust_port *port) {
+    LOG(task, comm, "del_port(0x%" PRIxPTR ")", (uintptr_t) port);
+    I(task->sched, !port->ref_count);
+    delete port;
+
+    // FIXME: this should happen in the port.
+    task->deref();
+}
+
+extern "C" CDECL rust_chan*
+new_chan(rust_task *task, rust_port *port) {
+    rust_scheduler *sched = task->sched;
+    LOG(task, comm, "new_chan("
+        "task=0x%" PRIxPTR " (%s), port=0x%" PRIxPTR ")",
+        (uintptr_t) task, task->name, port);
+    I(sched, port);
+    return new (task->kernel, "rust_chan")
+        rust_chan(task->kernel, port, port->unit_sz);
+}
+
+extern "C" CDECL
+void del_chan(rust_task *task, rust_chan *chan) {
+    LOG(task, comm, "del_chan(0x%" PRIxPTR ")", (uintptr_t) chan);
+    chan->destroy();
+}
+
+extern "C" CDECL
+void drop_chan(rust_task *task, rust_chan *chan) {
+    chan->ref_count--;
+}
+
+extern "C" CDECL
+void drop_port(rust_task *, rust_port *port) {
+    port->ref_count--;
+>>>>>>> Started working on a library-based comm system. Creating and deleting ports work.
+}
+
 //
 // Local Variables:
 // mode: C++
diff --git a/src/rt/rust_upcall.cpp b/src/rt/rust_upcall.cpp
index 57512fd8c2ae..c8d71165a8a3 100644
--- a/src/rt/rust_upcall.cpp
+++ b/src/rt/rust_upcall.cpp
@@ -95,40 +95,33 @@ upcall_trace_str(rust_task *task, char const *c) {
     task->sched->log(task, 2, "trace: %s", c);
 }
 
+extern "C" CDECL rust_port*
+new_port(rust_task *task, size_t unit_sz);
 extern "C" CDECL rust_port*
 upcall_new_port(rust_task *task, size_t unit_sz) {
     LOG_UPCALL_ENTRY(task);
     LOG(task, comm, "upcall_new_port(task=0x%" PRIxPTR " (%s), unit_sz=%d)",
         (uintptr_t) task, task->name, unit_sz);
-    // take a reference on behalf of the port
-    task->ref();
-    return new (task->kernel, "rust_port") rust_port(task, unit_sz);
+    return new_port(task, unit_sz);
 }
 
+extern "C" CDECL void
+del_port(rust_task *task, rust_port *port);
 extern "C" CDECL void
 upcall_del_port(rust_task *task, rust_port *port) {
     LOG_UPCALL_ENTRY(task);
-    LOG(task, comm, "upcall del_port(0x%" PRIxPTR ")", (uintptr_t) port);
-    I(task->sched, !port->ref_count);
-    delete port;
-
-    // FIXME: this should happen in the port.
-    task->deref();
+    return del_port(task, port);
 }
 
 /**
  * Creates a new channel pointing to a given port.
  */
 extern "C" CDECL rust_chan*
+new_chan(rust_task *task, rust_port *port);
+extern "C" CDECL rust_chan*
 upcall_new_chan(rust_task *task, rust_port *port) {
     LOG_UPCALL_ENTRY(task);
-    rust_scheduler *sched = task->sched;
-    LOG(task, comm, "upcall_new_chan("
-        "task=0x%" PRIxPTR " (%s), port=0x%" PRIxPTR ")",
-        (uintptr_t) task, task->name, port);
-    I(sched, port);
-    return new (task->kernel, "rust_chan")
-        rust_chan(task->kernel, port, port->unit_sz);
+    return new_chan(task, port);
 }
 
 /**
@@ -148,11 +141,11 @@ upcall_flush_chan(rust_task *task, rust_chan *chan) {
  * appear to be live, causing modify-after-free errors.
  */
 extern "C" CDECL
+void del_chan(rust_task *task, rust_chan *chan);
+extern "C" CDECL
 void upcall_del_chan(rust_task *task, rust_chan *chan) {
     LOG_UPCALL_ENTRY(task);
-
-    LOG(task, comm, "upcall del_chan(0x%" PRIxPTR ")", (uintptr_t) chan);
-    chan->destroy();
+    del_chan(task, chan);
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/src/rt/rustrt.def.in b/src/rt/rustrt.def.in
index ffe2a8228285..49e2cbc9c1e5 100644
--- a/src/rt/rustrt.def.in
+++ b/src/rt/rustrt.def.in
@@ -5,11 +5,15 @@ debug_box
 debug_fn
 debug_obj
 debug_opaque
+del_chan
+del_port
 debug_ptrcast
 debug_tag
 debug_trap
 debug_tydesc
 do_gc
+drop_chan
+drop_port
 get_time
 hack_allow_leaks
 ivec_copy_from_buf
@@ -20,6 +24,8 @@ ivec_reserve_shared
 ivec_to_ptr
 last_os_error
 nano_time
+new_chan
+new_port
 pin_task
 unpin_task
 rand_free
diff --git a/src/test/run-pass/task-comm-chan-chan.rs b/src/test/run-pass/task-comm-chan-chan.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..5c05b16ce62d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/run-pass/task-comm-chan-chan.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+// xfail-stage0
+// xfail-stage1
+// xfail-stage2
+// xfail-stage3
+
+// Test case for issue #763, provided by robarnold.
+
+use std;
+import std::task;
+
+tag request {
+  quit;
+  close(int, chan[bool]);
+}
+
+type ctx = chan[request];
+
+fn request_task(c : chan[ctx]) {
+    let p = port();
+    c <| chan(p);
+    let req;
+    while (true) {
+        p |> req;
+        alt (req) {
+            quit. {
+                ret;
+            }
+            close(what, status) {
+                log "closing now";
+                log what;
+                status <| true;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+fn new() -> ctx {
+    let p = port();
+    let t = spawn request_task(chan(p));
+    let cx;
+    p |> cx;
+    ret cx;
+}
+
+fn main() {
+    let cx = new();
+
+    let p = port();
+    cx <| close(4, chan(p));
+    let result;
+    p |> result;
+    cx <| quit;
+}
diff --git a/src/test/stdtest/comm.rs b/src/test/stdtest/comm.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..040593be9ba7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/stdtest/comm.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+use std;
+import std::comm;
+
+#[test]
+fn create_port_and_chan() {
+    let p = comm::mk_port[int]();
+    let c = comm::mk_chan(p);
+}
diff --git a/src/test/stdtest/stdtest.rc b/src/test/stdtest/stdtest.rc
index e313b77bd0c2..bdce3b5ec532 100644
--- a/src/test/stdtest/stdtest.rc
+++ b/src/test/stdtest/stdtest.rc
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ use std;
 
 mod bitv;
 mod box;
+mod comm;
 mod deque;
 mod either;
 mod fs;