diff --git a/nine/src/automaton.js b/nine/src/automaton.js
index 89c64ef..7a4e395 100644
--- a/nine/src/automaton.js
+++ b/nine/src/automaton.js
@@ -43,12 +43,13 @@ export const Replace = Object.freeze({
         x.push()
         return x.symbol
     },
-    Pop: x => x.pop(),
+    Pop: x => x.pop().symbol,
     Swap: x => {
-        const tmp = x.pop()
-        x.push()
-        x.push(tmp)
-        return tmp.symbol
+        const a = x.pop()
+        const b = x.pop()
+        x.push(a)
+        x.push(b)
+        return b.symbol
     },
     ClearStack: tee(x => x.clear()),
     FromStack: x => x.peek().symbol,
@@ -281,6 +282,7 @@ const highlight = (i, arr, col = colors.cyan, spaces = 0) => {
     a[i] = a[i].padEnd(spaces + diff)
     return a
 }
+
 const range = n => [...Array(n).keys()]
 
 export class TuringMachine {
diff --git a/nine/src/index.js b/nine/src/index.js
index b80bc26..5f06e2b 100644
--- a/nine/src/index.js
+++ b/nine/src/index.js
@@ -3,84 +3,46 @@ import { resolve } from 'node:path'
 import { Rules, Rule, Predicate, Replace, Tape, TuringMachine, Seek } from './automaton.js'
 
 const { First, Last, Left, Right, Stay, SeekFromStack, JumpFromStack } = Seek
-const { ClearStack, Nothing, Push, Seq, Swap, With } = Replace
-const { InBounds, Not, OutOfBounds, True } = Predicate
+const { ClearStack, Nothing, Pop, Push, Seq, Swap, With } = Replace
+const { Every, InBounds, Not, OutOfBounds, True } = Predicate
 
-const State = Object.freeze({
-    Start: 'start',
-    ScanRight: 'scan-right',
-    FindFile: 'find-file',
-    ScanLeft: 'scan-left',
-    FindSpace: 'find-space',
-    ClearFile: 'clear-file',
-})
-
-const IsFreeSpace = Predicate.Equals('.')
-const IsNotFree = Not(IsFreeSpace)
-const IsFartherRight = x => x.peek().position <= x.position
-
-const dot = ch => ch.symbol === '.'
-const notDot = ch => !dot(ch)
-const TrySkipFiles = x => {
-    const stack = x.stack.slice()
-    const a = stack.skipUntil(dot).takeUntil(notDot)
-    const skip = !stack.done()
-    //console.log(a, 'skipping?', skip, !stack.done())
-    return skip
+const HasMemory = x => x.peek() != null
+const IsFree = Predicate.Equals('.')
+const IsFile = Not(IsFree)
+const IsMovingRight = x => {
+    return x.stack[0].position <= x.position
 }
 
-const FirstOrStack = x => {
-    // unwind the stack
-    const states = []
-    let next
-    while (next = x.pop()) {
-        if (next.position < x.position) {
-            break
-        } else {
-            states.push(next)
-            next = null
-        }
-    }
-
-
-    // rewind it
-    states.reverse()
-    let tmp
-    while (tmp = states.pop()) {
-        x.push(tmp)
-    }
-
-    return next ? next : First(x)
-    //return x.peek() ? x.pop().position : First(x)
-}
-
-const TrySkipping = Seq(InBounds(Right), TrySkipFiles)
-
-const HasMoreFiles = x => {
-    const stack = x.stack.slice()
-    stack.skipUntil(dot).skipUntil(notDot)
-    return !stack.done()
-}
-
-const ShouldContinue = Predicate.Every(OutOfBounds(Right), HasMoreFiles)
-
 //        |  From |  To |         Condition             | Next Character | Move Direction |
 //        | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
 // new Rule('q0',  'q1', reader => reader.symbol === '1', (_reader) => '0',     1) 
 
+const State = Object.freeze({
+    Start: 'start',
+    NextFree: 'next-free',
+    JumpToFile: 'jump-to-file',
+    NextFile: 'next-file',
+    JumpToFree: 'jump-to-free',
+    MoveFile: 'move-file',
+    Halt: 'halt'
+})
 const rules = new Rules([
-    new Rule(State.Start, State.ScanRight, True, Nothing, Right),
-    new Rule(State.ScanRight, State.FindFile, TrySkipping, ClearStack, Last),
-    new Rule(State.ScanRight, State.FindFile, ShouldContinue, ClearStack, Stay),
-    new Rule(State.ScanRight, State.ScanRight, InBounds(Right), Push, Right),
-    new Rule(State.FindFile, State.ScanLeft, IsNotFree, Seq(ClearStack, Push), Stay),
-    new Rule(State.FindFile, State.FindFile, IsFreeSpace, Nothing, Left),
-    new Rule(State.ScanLeft, State.ScanLeft, InBounds(Left), Nothing, FirstOrStack),
-    new Rule(State.ScanLeft, State.FindSpace, OutOfBounds(Left), Nothing, Stay),
-    new Rule(State.FindSpace, State.ScanRight, IsFartherRight, ClearStack, Right),
-    new Rule(State.FindSpace, State.ClearFile, IsFreeSpace, Swap, JumpFromStack),
-    new Rule(State.FindSpace, State.FindSpace, InBounds(Right), Nothing, Right),
-    new Rule(State.ClearFile, State.ScanRight, True, With('.'), SeekFromStack(false)),
+    new Rule(State.Start, State.NextFree, True, Nothing, Right),
+    //
+    // find free space
+    new Rule(State.NextFree, State.Halt, OutOfBounds(Right), Nothing, Stay),
+    new Rule(State.NextFree, State.NextFile, Every(IsFree, HasMemory), Nothing, JumpFromStack),
+    new Rule(State.NextFree, State.NextFile, IsFree, Push, Last),
+    new Rule(State.NextFree, State.NextFree, IsFile, Nothing, Right),
+
+    // find file
+    new Rule(State.NextFile, State.Halt, OutOfBounds(Left), Nothing, Stay),
+    new Rule(State.NextFile, State.MoveFile, IsFile, Seq(Push, Swap, With('.')), SeekFromStack(true)),
+    new Rule(State.NextFile, State.NextFile, IsFree, Nothing, Left),
+
+    // move file
+    new Rule(State.MoveFile, State.Halt, IsMovingRight, Nothing, Stay),
+    new Rule(State.MoveFile, State.NextFree, True, Seq(Pop, Pop), Right),
 ])
 
 const char = x => String.fromCodePoint(x)
@@ -113,31 +75,31 @@ const checksum = input => input.filter(notFree).map(toInt).map(mul).reduce(add)
 
 const main = input => {
     const expanded = expand(input)
-    console.log(expanded)
     const compressed = compress(expanded)
-    console.log(compressed.filter(notFree).map(toInt))
     const sum = checksum(compressed)
     return sum
 }
 
 const tests = [
-    ['2333133121414131402', 1928],
-    ['1010101010101010101010', 385],
-    ['111111111111111111111', 290],
-    ['10101010101010101010101', 506],
-    ['90909', 486]
+    //['12345', 486]
+    // ['2333133121414131402', 1928],
+    //['1010101010101010101010', 385],
+    //['111111111111111111111', 290],
+    //['10101010101010101010101', 506],
+    //['91'.repeat(100), 506],
+    //['90909', 486]
 ]
 
-tests.forEach(([input, expected]) => {
-    console.log(`input length is ${input.length}`)
+tests.forEach(([input, expected], i) => {
+    //console.log(`input length is ${input.length}`)
     const result = main(input)
-    console.log(result === expected, result)
+    console.log(i, result === expected, result)
 })
 
-//readFile(resolve('./input'), { encoding: 'utf8' })
-//    .then(x => {
-//        console.log(`input length is ${x.length}`)
-//        return main(x)
-//    })
-//    .then(console.log)
+readFile(resolve('./input'), { encoding: 'utf8' })
+    .then(x => {
+        console.log(`input length is ${x.length}`)
+        return main(x)
+    })
+    .then(console.log)