diff --git a/include/ircd/m/room.h b/include/ircd/m/room.h
index e62950604..0a5277dbf 100644
--- a/include/ircd/m/room.h
+++ b/include/ircd/m/room.h
@@ -104,6 +104,7 @@ struct ircd::m::room
 	struct state;
 	struct members;
 	struct origins;
+	struct head;
 
 	using id = m::id::room;
 	using alias = m::id::room_alias;
@@ -342,6 +343,30 @@ struct ircd::m::room::origins
 	{}
 };
 
+/// Interface to the room head
+///
+/// This interface helps compute and represent aspects of the room graph,
+/// specifically concerning the "head" or the "front" or the "top" of this
+/// graph where events are either furthest from the m.room.create genesis,
+/// or are yet unreferenced by another event. Usage of this interface is
+/// fundamental when composing the references of a new event on the graph.
+///
+struct ircd::m::room::head
+{
+	using closure = std::function<void (const event::idx &, const event::id &)>;
+	using closure_bool = std::function<bool (const event::idx &, const event::id &)>;
+
+	m::room room;
+
+	bool for_each(const closure_bool &) const;
+	void for_each(const closure &) const;
+	size_t count() const;
+
+	head(const m::room &room)
+	:room{room}
+	{}
+};
+
 /// Tuple to represent fundamental room state singletons (state_key = "")
 ///
 /// This is not a complete representation of room state. Missing from here
diff --git a/ircd/m/room.cc b/ircd/m/room.cc
index aec801c42..95cfb7102 100644
--- a/ircd/m/room.cc
+++ b/ircd/m/room.cc
@@ -567,7 +567,7 @@ ircd::m::room::state::state(const m::room &room,
 	room.event_id?
 		event::id::buf{room.event_id}:
 	opts.snapshot?
-		head(room_id):
+		m::head(room_id):
 	event::id::buf{}
 }
 ,root_id
@@ -1492,6 +1492,69 @@ const
 	return false;
 }
 
+//
+// room::head
+//
+
+size_t
+ircd::m::room::head::count()
+const
+{
+	size_t ret(0);
+	for_each([&ret]
+	(const event::idx &event_idx, const event::id &event_id)
+	{
+		++ret;
+	});
+
+	return ret;
+}
+
+void
+ircd::m::room::head::for_each(const closure &closure)
+const
+{
+	for_each(closure_bool{[&closure]
+	(const event::idx &event_idx, const event::id &event_id)
+	{
+		closure(event_idx, event_id);
+		return true;
+	}});
+}
+
+bool
+ircd::m::room::head::for_each(const closure_bool &closure)
+const
+{
+	auto &index
+	{
+		dbs::room_head
+	};
+
+	auto it
+	{
+		index.begin(room.room_id)
+	};
+
+	for(; it; ++it)
+	{
+		const event::id &event_id
+		{
+			dbs::room_head_key(it->first)
+		};
+
+		const event::idx &event_idx
+		{
+			byte_view<event::idx>{it->second}
+		};
+
+		if(!closure(event_idx, event_id))
+			return false;
+	}
+
+	return true;
+}
+
 //
 // room::state::tuple
 //