diff --git a/ucl/ast.go b/ucl/ast.go
index 29478ab..250587d 100644
--- a/ucl/ast.go
+++ b/ucl/ast.go
@@ -86,6 +86,7 @@ type astCmdArg struct {
 	Literal    *astLiteral    `parser:"@@"`
 	Ident      *astIdentNames `parser:"| @@"`
 	Var        *string        `parser:"| DOLLAR @Ident"`
+	PseudoVar  *string        `parser:"| AT @Ident"`
 	MaybeSub   *astMaybeSub   `parser:"| LP @@ RP"`
 	ListOrHash *astListOrHash `parser:"| @@"`
 	Block      *astBlock      `parser:"| @@"`
@@ -129,6 +130,7 @@ var scanner = lexer.MustStateful(lexer.Rules{
 		{"SingleStringStart", `'`, lexer.Push("SingleString")},
 		{"Int", `[-]?[0-9][0-9]*`, nil},
 		{"DOLLAR", `\$`, nil},
+		{"AT", `@`, nil},
 		{"COLON", `\:`, nil},
 		{"DOT", `[.]`, nil},
 		{"LP", `\(`, lexer.Push("Root")},
diff --git a/ucl/builtins.go b/ucl/builtins.go
index 96db044..59faca9 100644
--- a/ucl/builtins.go
+++ b/ucl/builtins.go
@@ -180,6 +180,7 @@ func modBuiltin(ctx context.Context, args invocationArgs) (Object, error) {
 	return IntObject(n), nil
 }
 
+// TODO: this may need to be a macro
 func setBuiltin(ctx context.Context, args invocationArgs) (Object, error) {
 	if err := args.expectArgn(2); err != nil {
 		return nil, err
@@ -188,10 +189,32 @@ func setBuiltin(ctx context.Context, args invocationArgs) (Object, error) {
 	name, err := args.stringArg(0)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
+	} else if len(name) == 0 {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("attempt to set empty string")
 	}
 
 	newVal := args.args[1]
 
+	if strings.HasPrefix(name, "@") {
+		pname := name[1:]
+		pvar, ok := args.ec.getPseudoVar(pname)
+		if ok {
+			if err := pvar.set(ctx, pname, newVal); err != nil {
+				return nil, err
+			}
+			return newVal, nil
+		}
+
+		if pvar := args.inst.missingPseudoVarHandler; pvar != nil {
+			if err := pvar.set(ctx, pname, newVal); err != nil {
+				return nil, err
+			}
+			return newVal, nil
+		}
+
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("attempt to set '%v' to a non-existent pseudo-variable", name)
+	}
+
 	args.ec.setOrDefineVar(name, newVal)
 	return newVal, nil
 }
diff --git a/ucl/env.go b/ucl/env.go
index 0a3d52f..3d217ca 100644
--- a/ucl/env.go
+++ b/ucl/env.go
@@ -1,11 +1,12 @@
 package ucl
 
 type evalCtx struct {
-	root     *evalCtx
-	parent   *evalCtx
-	commands map[string]invokable
-	macros   map[string]macroable
-	vars     map[string]Object
+	root       *evalCtx
+	parent     *evalCtx
+	commands   map[string]invokable
+	macros     map[string]macroable
+	vars       map[string]Object
+	pseudoVars map[string]pseudoVar
 }
 
 func (ec *evalCtx) forkAndIsolate() *evalCtx {
@@ -72,6 +73,14 @@ func (ec *evalCtx) getVar(name string) (Object, bool) {
 	return nil, false
 }
 
+func (ec *evalCtx) getPseudoVar(name string) (pseudoVar, bool) {
+	if ec.root.pseudoVars == nil {
+		return nil, false
+	}
+	pvar, ok := ec.root.pseudoVars[name]
+	return pvar, ok
+}
+
 func (ec *evalCtx) lookupInvokable(name string) invokable {
 	if ec == nil {
 		return nil
diff --git a/ucl/eval.go b/ucl/eval.go
index 237864b..ab9f26a 100644
--- a/ucl/eval.go
+++ b/ucl/eval.go
@@ -187,6 +187,16 @@ func (e evaluator) evalArg(ctx context.Context, ec *evalCtx, n astCmdArg) (Objec
 			return v, nil
 		}
 		return nil, nil
+	case n.PseudoVar != nil:
+		if v, ok := ec.getPseudoVar(*n.PseudoVar); ok {
+			return v.get(ctx, *n.PseudoVar)
+		}
+
+		if mph := e.inst.missingPseudoVarHandler; mph != nil {
+			return mph.get(ctx, *n.PseudoVar)
+		}
+
+		return nil, errors.New("unknown pseudo-variable: " + *n.Var)
 	case n.MaybeSub != nil:
 		sub := n.MaybeSub.Sub
 		if sub == nil {
@@ -357,3 +367,8 @@ func (e evaluator) evalSub(ctx context.Context, ec *evalCtx, n *astPipeline) (Ob
 	}
 	return pipelineRes, nil
 }
+
+type pseudoVar interface {
+	get(ctx context.Context, name string) (Object, error)
+	set(ctx context.Context, name string, v Object) error
+}
diff --git a/ucl/inst.go b/ucl/inst.go
index 81974ba..74dbdcf 100644
--- a/ucl/inst.go
+++ b/ucl/inst.go
@@ -9,9 +9,10 @@ import (
 )
 
 type Inst struct {
-	out                   io.Writer
-	missingBuiltinHandler MissingBuiltinHandler
-	echoPrinter           EchoPrinter
+	out                     io.Writer
+	missingBuiltinHandler   MissingBuiltinHandler
+	missingPseudoVarHandler pseudoVar
+	echoPrinter             EchoPrinter
 
 	rootEC *evalCtx
 }
@@ -121,6 +122,17 @@ func (inst *Inst) SetVar(name string, value any) {
 	inst.rootEC.setOrDefineVar(name, obj)
 }
 
+func (inst *Inst) SetPseudoVar(name string, h PseudoVarHandler) {
+	if inst.rootEC.pseudoVars == nil {
+		inst.rootEC.pseudoVars = make(map[string]pseudoVar)
+	}
+	inst.rootEC.pseudoVars[name] = nativePseudoVarHandler{h: h}
+}
+
+func (inst *Inst) SetMissingPseudoVarHandler(h MissingPseudoVarHandler) {
+	inst.missingPseudoVarHandler = nativeMissingPseudoVarHandler{h: h}
+}
+
 func (inst *Inst) Out() io.Writer {
 	if inst.out == nil {
 		return os.Stdout
@@ -156,3 +168,73 @@ func (inst *Inst) eval(ctx context.Context, expr string) (Object, error) {
 	// TODO: this should be a separate forkAndIsolate() session
 	return eval.evalScript(ctx, inst.rootEC, ast)
 }
+
+type PseudoVarHandler interface {
+	Get(ctx context.Context) (any, error)
+}
+
+type ModifiablePseudoVarHandler interface {
+	PseudoVarHandler
+	Set(ctx context.Context, v any) error
+}
+
+type MissingPseudoVarHandler interface {
+	Get(ctx context.Context, name string) (any, error)
+}
+
+type MissingModifiablePseudoVarHandler interface {
+	MissingPseudoVarHandler
+	Set(ctx context.Context, string, v any) error
+}
+
+type nativePseudoVarHandler struct {
+	h PseudoVarHandler
+}
+
+func (n nativePseudoVarHandler) get(ctx context.Context, name string) (Object, error) {
+	gv, err := n.h.Get(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return fromGoValue(gv)
+}
+
+func (n nativePseudoVarHandler) set(ctx context.Context, name string, v Object) error {
+	mpvh, ok := n.h.(ModifiablePseudoVarHandler)
+	if !ok {
+		return errors.New("cannot set read-only pseudo-var")
+	}
+
+	gv, ok := toGoValue(v)
+	if !ok {
+		return errors.New("cannot set non-matching type")
+	}
+
+	return mpvh.Set(ctx, gv)
+}
+
+type nativeMissingPseudoVarHandler struct {
+	h MissingPseudoVarHandler
+}
+
+func (n nativeMissingPseudoVarHandler) get(ctx context.Context, name string) (Object, error) {
+	gv, err := n.h.Get(ctx, name)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return fromGoValue(gv)
+}
+
+func (n nativeMissingPseudoVarHandler) set(ctx context.Context, name string, v Object) error {
+	mpvh, ok := n.h.(MissingModifiablePseudoVarHandler)
+	if !ok {
+		return errors.New("cannot set read-only pseudo-var")
+	}
+
+	gv, ok := toGoValue(v)
+	if !ok {
+		return errors.New("cannot set non-matching type")
+	}
+
+	return mpvh.Set(ctx, name, gv)
+}
diff --git a/ucl/inst_test.go b/ucl/inst_test.go
index 429b35b..069927e 100644
--- a/ucl/inst_test.go
+++ b/ucl/inst_test.go
@@ -124,6 +124,49 @@ func TestInst_Eval(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestInst_SetPseudoVar(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		desc       string
+		expr       string
+		wantRes    any
+		wantBarVar string
+		wantErr    bool
+	}{
+		{desc: "read var 1", expr: `@foo`, wantRes: "this is foo"},
+		{desc: "read var 2", expr: `@bar`, wantRes: "this is bar"},
+		{desc: "read var 3", expr: `@fla`, wantRes: "missing value of fla"},
+
+		{desc: "write var 1", expr: `set "@foo" "hello" ; @foo`, wantRes: "hello"},
+		{desc: "write var 2", expr: `set "@bar" "world" ; @bar`, wantRes: "world", wantBarVar: "world"},
+		{desc: "write var 3", expr: `set "@blong" "hello"`, wantErr: true},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.desc, func(t *testing.T) {
+			bar := &stringPseudoVar{str: "this is bar"}
+
+			inst := ucl.New(ucl.WithTestBuiltin())
+			inst.SetPseudoVar("foo", &stringPseudoVar{str: "this is foo"})
+			inst.SetPseudoVar("bar", bar)
+			inst.SetMissingPseudoVarHandler(missingPseudoVarType{})
+
+			res, err := inst.Eval(t.Context(), tt.expr)
+
+			if tt.wantErr {
+				assert.Error(t, err)
+				return
+			}
+
+			assert.NoError(t, err)
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.wantRes, res)
+
+			if tt.wantBarVar != "" {
+				assert.Equal(t, tt.wantBarVar, bar.str)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 var parseComments1 = `
 	proc lookup { |file|
 		foreach { |toks|
@@ -162,3 +205,22 @@ var parseComments4 = `
 		}	
 	}
 # this use to fail`
+
+type stringPseudoVar struct {
+	str string
+}
+
+func (s *stringPseudoVar) Get(ctx context.Context) (any, error) {
+	return s.str, nil
+}
+
+func (s *stringPseudoVar) Set(ctx context.Context, v any) error {
+	s.str = v.(string)
+	return nil
+}
+
+type missingPseudoVarType struct{}
+
+func (missingPseudoVarType) Get(ctx context.Context, name string) (any, error) {
+	return "missing value of " + name, nil
+}