diff --git a/ci/.gitignore b/ci/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a007feab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ci/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+build/*
diff --git a/ci/base.cue b/ci/base.cue
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4e359b9e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ci/base.cue
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"universe.dagger.io/docker"
+)
+
+let GoVersion = "1.17"
+
+// Base container images used for the CI
+images: {
+
+	// base image to build go binaries
+	goBuilder: docker.#Build & {
+		_packages: ["bash", "git"]
+
+		steps: [
+			docker.#Pull & {
+				source: "index.docker.io/golang:\(GoVersion)-alpine"
+			},
+			for pkg in _packages {
+				docker.#Run & {
+					command: {
+						name: "apk"
+						args: ["add", pkg]
+						flags: {
+							"-U":         true
+							"--no-cache": true
+						}
+					}
+				}
+			},
+		]
+	}
+}
diff --git a/ci/main.cue b/ci/main.cue
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b06fd4c7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ci/main.cue
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	// "dagger.io/dagger"
+	"dagger.io/dagger/engine"
+
+	"universe.dagger.io/bash"
+)
+
+engine.#Plan & {
+	inputs: {
+		params: {
+			// FIXME: implement condition actions using params
+		}
+
+		directories: {
+			// dagger repository
+			source: path: "../"
+		}
+	}
+
+	outputs: directories: "go binaries": {
+		contents: actions.build.export.directories["/build"].contents
+		dest:     "./build"
+	}
+
+	actions: {
+		goModCache: engine.#CacheDir & {
+			id: "go mod cache"
+		}
+
+		build: bash.#Run & {
+			input: images.goBuilder.output
+
+			script: contents: #"""
+				export GOMODCACHE=/gomodcache
+				mkdir -p /build
+				git_revision=$(git rev-parse --short HEAD)
+				GO_ENABLED=0 \
+					go build -v -o /build/dagger \
+					-ldflags '-s -w -X go.dagger.io/dagger/version.Revision='${git_revision} \
+					./cmd/dagger/
+				"""#
+
+			export: directories: "/build": _
+			workdir: "/usr/src/dagger"
+			env: GOMODCACHE: "/gomodcache"
+
+			mounts: {
+				"dagger source code": {
+					contents: inputs.directories.source.contents
+					dest:     "/usr/src/dagger"
+				}
+
+				"go mod cache": {
+					dest:     "/gomodcache"
+					contents: goModCache
+				}
+			}
+
+			workdir: mounts["dagger source code"].dest
+		}
+	}
+}