diff --git a/src/comp/front/ast.rs b/src/comp/front/ast.rs
index 349f887a2f93c..0d70c993b3b69 100644
--- a/src/comp/front/ast.rs
+++ b/src/comp/front/ast.rs
@@ -194,10 +194,18 @@ tag stmt_ {
     stmt_crate_directive(@crate_directive);
 }
 
+tag init_op {
+    init_assign;
+    init_recv;
+}
+
+type initializer = rec(init_op op,
+                       @expr expr);
+
 type local = rec(option.t[@ty] ty,
                  bool infer,
                  ident ident,
-                 option.t[@expr] init,
+                 option.t[initializer] init,
                  def_id id,
                  ann ann);
 
diff --git a/src/comp/front/parser.rs b/src/comp/front/parser.rs
index 063bc0e178fb1..80130ebf679fa 100644
--- a/src/comp/front/parser.rs
+++ b/src/comp/front/parser.rs
@@ -1364,13 +1364,22 @@ impure fn parse_expr_inner(parser p) -> @ast.expr {
     }
 }
 
-impure fn parse_initializer(parser p) -> option.t[@ast.expr] {
-    if (p.peek() == token.EQ) {
-        p.bump();
-        ret some(parse_expr(p));
+impure fn parse_initializer(parser p) -> option.t[ast.initializer] {
+    alt (p.peek()) {
+        case (token.EQ) {
+            p.bump();
+            ret some(rec(op = ast.init_assign,
+                         expr = parse_expr(p)));
+        }
+        case (token.LARROW) {
+            p.bump();
+            ret some(rec(op = ast.init_recv,
+                         expr = parse_expr(p)));
+        }
+        case (_) {
+            ret none[ast.initializer];
+        }
     }
-
-    ret none[@ast.expr];
 }
 
 impure fn parse_pat(parser p) -> @ast.pat {
@@ -1612,6 +1621,8 @@ fn stmt_ends_with_semi(@ast.stmt stmt) -> bool {
                 case (ast.expr_assign(_,_,_))   { ret true; }
                 case (ast.expr_assign_op(_,_,_,_))
                     { ret true; }
+                case (ast.expr_send(_,_,_))     { ret true; }
+                case (ast.expr_recv(_,_,_))     { ret true; }
                 case (ast.expr_field(_,_,_))    { ret true; }
                 case (ast.expr_index(_,_,_))    { ret true; }
                 case (ast.expr_path(_,_,_))     { ret true; }
diff --git a/src/comp/middle/fold.rs b/src/comp/middle/fold.rs
index a1b7761201bac..9525e58b324c0 100644
--- a/src/comp/middle/fold.rs
+++ b/src/comp/middle/fold.rs
@@ -437,7 +437,7 @@ fn fold_decl[ENV](&ENV env, ast_fold[ENV] fld, @decl d) -> @decl {
     alt (d.node) {
         case (ast.decl_local(?local)) {
             auto ty_ = none[@ast.ty];
-            auto init_ = none[@ast.expr];
+            auto init_ = none[ast.initializer];
             alt (local.ty) {
                 case (some[@ast.ty](?t)) {
                     ty_ = some[@ast.ty](fold_ty(env, fld, t));
@@ -445,8 +445,9 @@ fn fold_decl[ENV](&ENV env, ast_fold[ENV] fld, @decl d) -> @decl {
                 case (_) { /* fall through */  }
             }
             alt (local.init) {
-                case (some[@ast.expr](?e)) {
-                    init_ = some[@ast.expr](fold_expr(env, fld, e));
+                case (some[ast.initializer](?init)) {
+                    auto e =  fold_expr(env, fld, init.expr);
+                    init_ = some[ast.initializer](rec(expr = e with init));
                 }
                 case (_) { /* fall through */  }
             }
diff --git a/src/comp/middle/trans.rs b/src/comp/middle/trans.rs
index a65bb284121f8..0acbb7e1461fc 100644
--- a/src/comp/middle/trans.rs
+++ b/src/comp/middle/trans.rs
@@ -4839,22 +4839,31 @@ fn trans_recv(@block_ctxt cx, @ast.expr lhs, @ast.expr rhs,
     auto data = trans_lval(bcx, lhs);
     check (data.is_mem);
     bcx = data.res.bcx;
+    auto unit_ty = node_ann_type(bcx.fcx.ccx, ann);
+
+    // FIXME: calculate copy init-ness in typestate.
+    ret recv_val(bcx, data.res.val, rhs, unit_ty, DROP_EXISTING);
+ }
+
+fn recv_val(@block_ctxt cx, ValueRef lhs, @ast.expr rhs,
+            @ty.t unit_ty, copy_action action) -> result {
+
+    auto bcx = cx;
     auto prt = trans_expr(bcx, rhs);
     bcx = prt.bcx;
 
     auto sub = trans_upcall(bcx, "upcall_recv",
-                            vec(vp2i(bcx, data.res.val),
+                            vec(vp2i(bcx, lhs),
                                 vp2i(bcx, prt.val)));
     bcx = sub.bcx;
 
-    auto unit_ty = node_ann_type(cx.fcx.ccx, ann);
-    auto data_load = load_scalar_or_boxed(bcx, data.res.val, unit_ty);
-    auto cp = copy_ty(bcx, DROP_EXISTING, data.res.val, data_load, unit_ty);
+    auto data_load = load_scalar_or_boxed(bcx, lhs, unit_ty);
+    auto cp = copy_ty(bcx, action, lhs, data_load, unit_ty);
     bcx = cp.bcx;
 
     // TODO: Any cleanup need to be done here?
 
-    ret res(bcx, data.res.val);
+    ret res(bcx, lhs);
 }
 
 fn init_local(@block_ctxt cx, @ast.local local) -> result {
@@ -4869,9 +4878,16 @@ fn init_local(@block_ctxt cx, @ast.local local) -> result {
         vec(clean(bind drop_slot(_, llptr, ty)));
 
     alt (local.init) {
-        case (some[@ast.expr](?e)) {
-            auto sub = trans_expr(bcx, e);
-            bcx = copy_ty(sub.bcx, INIT, llptr, sub.val, ty).bcx;
+        case (some[ast.initializer](?init)) {
+            alt (init.op) {
+                case (ast.init_assign) {
+                    auto sub = trans_expr(bcx, init.expr);
+                    bcx = copy_ty(sub.bcx, INIT, llptr, sub.val, ty).bcx;
+                }
+                case (ast.init_recv) {
+                    bcx = recv_val(bcx, llptr, init.expr, ty, INIT).bcx;
+                }
+            }
         }
         case (_) {
             if (middle.ty.type_has_dynamic_size(ty)) {
diff --git a/src/comp/middle/typeck.rs b/src/comp/middle/typeck.rs
index 47ef81c1952a6..1130920222e16 100644
--- a/src/comp/middle/typeck.rs
+++ b/src/comp/middle/typeck.rs
@@ -2404,17 +2404,27 @@ fn check_decl_local(&@fn_ctxt fcx, &@ast.decl decl) -> @ast.decl {
                 }
             }
 
-            auto init = local.init;
+            auto initopt = local.init;
             alt (local.init) {
-                case (some[@ast.expr](?expr)) {
-                    auto expr_0 = check_expr(fcx, expr);
+                case (some[ast.initializer](?init)) {
+                    auto expr_0 = check_expr(fcx, init.expr);
                     auto lty = plain_ty(ty.ty_local(local.id));
-                    auto expr_1 = demand_expr(fcx, lty, expr_0);
-                    init = some[@ast.expr](expr_1);
+                    auto expr_1;
+                    alt (init.op) {
+                        case (ast.init_assign) {
+                            expr_1 = demand_expr(fcx, lty, expr_0);
+                        }
+                        case (ast.init_recv) {
+                            auto port_ty = plain_ty(ty.ty_port(lty));
+                            expr_1 = demand_expr(fcx, port_ty, expr_0);
+                        }
+                    }
+                    auto init_0 = rec(expr = expr_1 with init);
+                    initopt = some[ast.initializer](init_0);
                 }
                 case (_) { /* fall through */  }
             }
-            auto local_1 = @rec(init = init with *local);
+            auto local_1 = @rec(init = initopt with *local);
             ret @rec(node=ast.decl_local(local_1)
                      with *decl);
         }
diff --git a/src/comp/pretty/pprust.rs b/src/comp/pretty/pprust.rs
index 0e30ced131da6..8c00c98419b57 100644
--- a/src/comp/pretty/pprust.rs
+++ b/src/comp/pretty/pprust.rs
@@ -78,6 +78,8 @@ impure fn print_type(ps s, &@ast.ty ty) {
     case (ast.ty_str) {wrd(s, "str");}
     case (ast.ty_box(?mt)) {wrd(s, "@"); print_mt(s, mt);}
     case (ast.ty_vec(?mt)) {wrd(s, "vec["); print_mt(s, mt); wrd(s, "]");}
+    case (ast.ty_port(?t)) {wrd(s, "port["); print_type(s, t); wrd(s, "]");}
+    case (ast.ty_chan(?t)) {wrd(s, "chan["); print_type(s, t); wrd(s, "]");}
     case (ast.ty_type) {wrd(s, "type");}
     case (ast.ty_tup(?elts)) {
       wrd(s, "tup");
@@ -481,6 +483,18 @@ impure fn print_expr(ps s, &@ast.expr expr) {
       wrd1(s, "=");
       print_expr(s, rhs);
     }
+    case (ast.expr_send(?lhs, ?rhs, _)) {
+      print_expr(s, lhs);
+      space(s);
+      wrd1(s, "<|");
+      print_expr(s, rhs);
+    }
+    case (ast.expr_recv(?lhs, ?rhs, _)) {
+      print_expr(s, lhs);
+      space(s);
+      wrd1(s, "<-");
+      print_expr(s, rhs);
+    }
     case (ast.expr_field(?expr,?id,_)) {
       print_expr(s, expr);
       wrd(s, ".");
@@ -541,6 +555,17 @@ impure fn print_expr(ps s, &@ast.expr expr) {
       }
       // TODO: extension 'body'
     }
+    case (ast.expr_port(_)) {
+      wrd(s, "port");
+      popen(s);
+      pclose(s);
+    }
+    case (ast.expr_chan(?expr, _)) {
+      wrd(s, "chan");
+      popen(s);
+      print_expr(s, expr);
+      pclose(s);
+    }
   }
   end(s);
 }
@@ -561,10 +586,17 @@ impure fn print_decl(ps s, @ast.decl decl) {
       }
       wrd(s, loc.ident);
       alt (loc.init) {
-        case (option.some[@ast.expr](?init)) {
+        case (option.some[ast.initializer](?init)) {
           space(s);
-          wrd1(s, "=");
-          print_expr(s, init);
+          alt (init.op) {
+            case (ast.init_assign) {
+              wrd1(s, "=");
+            }
+            case (ast.init_recv) {
+              wrd1(s, "<-");
+            }
+          }
+          print_expr(s, init.expr);
         }
         case (_) {}
       }
diff --git a/src/test/run-pass/decl-with-recv.rs b/src/test/run-pass/decl-with-recv.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..7698ee01aea8b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/run-pass/decl-with-recv.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+// -*- rust -*-
+
+impure fn main() {
+  let port[int] po = port();
+  let chan[int] ch = chan(po);
+
+  ch <| 10;
+  let int i <- po;
+  check (i == 10);
+
+  ch <| 11;
+  auto j <- po;
+  check (j == 11);
+}