diff --git a/.github/workflows/test-all-packages.yml b/.github/workflows/test-all-packages.yml
index 2fbbbd5af0e..559a932bdcf 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test-all-packages.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test-all-packages.yml
@@ -220,6 +220,9 @@ jobs:
       - name: yarn test (casting)
         if: (success() || failure())
         run: cd packages/casting && yarn ${{ steps.vars.outputs.test }} | $TEST_COLLECT
+      - name: yarn test (contracts)
+        if: (success() || failure())
+        run: cd packages/contracts && yarn ${{ steps.vars.outputs.test }} | $TEST_COLLECT
       - name: yarn test (internal)
         if: (success() || failure())
         run: cd packages/internal && yarn ${{ steps.vars.outputs.test }} | $TEST_COLLECT
diff --git a/packages/SwingSet/src/kernel/state/storageHelper.js b/packages/SwingSet/src/kernel/state/storageHelper.js
index 835153c785e..86b2b0d4dfa 100644
--- a/packages/SwingSet/src/kernel/state/storageHelper.js
+++ b/packages/SwingSet/src/kernel/state/storageHelper.js
@@ -26,7 +26,10 @@ export function* enumeratePrefixedKeys(kvStore, prefix, exclusiveEnd) {
   }
 }
 
-// NOTE: awkward naming: the thing that returns a stream of keys is named
+/**
+ * @param {KVStore} kvStore
+ * @param {string} prefix
+ */ // NOTE: awkward naming: the thing that returns a stream of keys is named
 // "enumerate..." while the thing that returns a stream of values is named
 // "get..."
 function* enumerateNumericPrefixedKeys(kvStore, prefix) {
@@ -43,12 +46,20 @@ function* enumerateNumericPrefixedKeys(kvStore, prefix) {
   }
 }
 
+/**
+ * @param {KVStore} kvStore
+ * @param {string} prefix
+ */
 export function* getPrefixedValues(kvStore, prefix) {
   for (const key of enumerateNumericPrefixedKeys(kvStore, prefix)) {
     yield kvStore.get(key) || Fail`enumerate ensures get`;
   }
 }
 
+/**
+ * @param {KVStore} kvStore
+ * @param {string} prefix
+ */
 export function deletePrefixedKeys(kvStore, prefix) {
   // this is kind of like a deleteRange() would be, but can be implemented
   // efficiently without backend DB support because it only looks at numeric
diff --git a/packages/agoric-cli/src/sdk-package-names.js b/packages/agoric-cli/src/sdk-package-names.js
index 1f2908ddf7b..23e5b277de0 100644
--- a/packages/agoric-cli/src/sdk-package-names.js
+++ b/packages/agoric-cli/src/sdk-package-names.js
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ export default [
   "@agoric/builders",
   "@agoric/cache",
   "@agoric/casting",
+  "@agoric/contracts",
   "@agoric/cosmic-proto",
   "@agoric/cosmic-swingset",
   "@agoric/cosmos",
diff --git a/packages/contracts/README.md b/packages/contracts/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..06d36083f31
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/contracts/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+# Contracts Support
+
+This package contains utilities that contracts tend to need.
+
+It also includes sample contracts to learn from and play with.
diff --git a/packages/contracts/package.json b/packages/contracts/package.json
new file mode 100755
index 00000000000..0e68998183a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/contracts/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+{
+  "name": "@agoric/contracts",
+  "version": "0.0.1",
+  "description": "Utilities and sample contracts to support contract development",
+  "type": "module",
+  "main": "src/index.js",
+  "engines": {
+    "node": ">=14.15.0"
+  },
+  "scripts": {
+    "build": "exit 0",
+    "prepack": "tsc --build tsconfig.build.json",
+    "postpack": "git clean -f '*.d.ts*'",
+    "test": "ava",
+    "test:xs": "exit 0",
+    "lint-fix": "yarn lint:eslint --fix",
+    "lint": "run-s --continue-on-error lint:*",
+    "lint:eslint": "eslint .",
+    "lint:types": "tsc"
+  },
+  "dependencies": {
+    "@agoric/assert": "^0.6.0",
+    "@agoric/ertp": "^0.16.2",
+    "@agoric/internal": "^0.3.2",
+    "@agoric/notifier": "^0.6.2",
+    "@agoric/store": "^0.9.2",
+    "@agoric/vat-data": "^0.5.2",
+    "@agoric/zoe": "^0.26.2",
+    "@endo/eventual-send": "^0.17.5",
+    "@endo/marshal": "^0.8.8",
+    "@endo/nat": "^4.1.31",
+    "@endo/promise-kit": "^0.2.59",
+    "anylogger": "^0.21.0",
+    "jessie.js": "^0.3.2"
+  },
+  "devDependencies": {
+    "@endo/init": "^0.5.59",
+    "ava": "^5.3.0"
+  },
+  "author": "Agoric",
+  "license": "Apache-2.0",
+  "files": [
+    "src"
+  ],
+  "publishConfig": {
+    "access": "public"
+  }
+}
diff --git a/packages/contracts/tsconfig.build.json b/packages/contracts/tsconfig.build.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..fe5ea57d603
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/contracts/tsconfig.build.json
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+{
+    "extends": [
+        "./tsconfig.json",
+        "../../tsconfig-build-options.json"
+    ]
+}
diff --git a/packages/contracts/tsconfig.json b/packages/contracts/tsconfig.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..f18d3125001
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/contracts/tsconfig.json
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+// This file can contain .js-specific Typescript compiler config.
+{
+  "extends": "../../tsconfig.json",
+  "compilerOptions": {
+    "checkJs": false, // Disable b/c @endo/init can't pass noImplicitAny
+    "noImplicitAny": true,
+    "allowSyntheticDefaultImports": true,
+    "maxNodeModuleJsDepth": 2,
+  },
+  "include": [
+    "*.js",
+    "*.ts",
+    "src/**/*.js",
+    "src/**/*.ts",
+    "test/**/*.js",
+    "test/**/*.ts"
+  ]
+}