diff --git a/src/ast/desugar.rs b/src/ast/desugar.rs
index 568068ba..18e21c9f 100644
--- a/src/ast/desugar.rs
+++ b/src/ast/desugar.rs
@@ -44,17 +44,60 @@ pub(crate) fn desugar_command(
             name,
             variants,
         } => desugar_datatype(span, name, variants),
-        Command::Rewrite(ruleset, rewrite, subsume) => desugar_rewrite(
-            ruleset,
-            rewrite.to_string().replace('\"', "'").into(),
-            &rewrite,
-            subsume,
-        ),
-        Command::BiRewrite(ruleset, rewrite) => desugar_birewrite(
-            ruleset,
-            rewrite.to_string().replace('\"', "'").into(),
-            &rewrite,
-        ),
+        Command::Datatypes { span: _, datatypes } => {
+            // first declare all the datatypes as sorts, then add all explicit sorts which could refer to the datatypes, and finally add all the variants as functions
+            let mut res = vec![];
+            for datatype in datatypes.iter() {
+                let span = datatype.0.clone();
+                let name = datatype.1;
+                if let Subdatatypes::Variants(..) = datatype.2 {
+                    res.push(NCommand::Sort(span, name, None));
+                }
+            }
+            let (variants_vec, sorts): (Vec<_>, Vec<_>) = datatypes
+                .into_iter()
+                .partition(|datatype| matches!(datatype.2, Subdatatypes::Variants(..)));
+
+            for sort in sorts {
+                let span = sort.0.clone();
+                let name = sort.1;
+                let Subdatatypes::NewSort(sort, args) = sort.2 else {
+                    unreachable!()
+                };
+                res.push(NCommand::Sort(span, name, Some((sort, args))));
+            }
+
+            for variants in variants_vec {
+                let datatype = variants.1;
+                let Subdatatypes::Variants(variants) = variants.2 else {
+                    unreachable!();
+                };
+                for variant in variants {
+                    res.push(NCommand::Function(FunctionDecl {
+                        name: variant.name,
+                        schema: Schema {
+                            input: variant.types,
+                            output: datatype,
+                        },
+                        merge: None,
+                        merge_action: Actions::default(),
+                        default: None,
+                        cost: variant.cost,
+                        unextractable: false,
+                        ignore_viz: false,
+                        span: variant.span,
+                    }));
+                }
+            }
+
+            res
+        }
+        Command::Rewrite(ruleset, rewrite, subsume) => {
+            desugar_rewrite(ruleset, rewrite_name(&rewrite).into(), &rewrite, subsume)
+        }
+        Command::BiRewrite(ruleset, rewrite) => {
+            desugar_birewrite(ruleset, rewrite_name(&rewrite).into(), &rewrite)
+        }
         Command::Include(span, file) => {
             let s = std::fs::read_to_string(&file)
                 .unwrap_or_else(|_| panic!("{} Failed to read file {file}", span.get_quote()));
@@ -356,3 +399,7 @@ fn desugar_simplify(
     res.push(NCommand::Pop(span, 1));
     res
 }
+
+pub(crate) fn rewrite_name(rewrite: &Rewrite) -> String {
+    rewrite.to_string().replace('\"', "'")
+}
diff --git a/src/ast/mod.rs b/src/ast/mod.rs
index 948f2d2e..a4556fab 100644
--- a/src/ast/mod.rs
+++ b/src/ast/mod.rs
@@ -450,6 +450,12 @@ pub type Command = GenericCommand<Symbol, Symbol>;
 
 pub type Subsume = bool;
 
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq)]
+pub enum Subdatatypes {
+    Variants(Vec<Variant>),
+    NewSort(Symbol, Vec<Expr>),
+}
+
 /// A [`Command`] is the top-level construct in egglog.
 /// It includes defining rules, declaring functions,
 /// adding to tables, and running rules (via a [`Schedule`]).
@@ -500,6 +506,10 @@ where
         name: Symbol,
         variants: Vec<Variant>,
     },
+    Datatypes {
+        span: Span,
+        datatypes: Vec<(Span, Symbol, Subdatatypes)>,
+    },
     /// Create a new user-defined sort, which can then
     /// be used in new [`Command::Function`] declarations.
     /// The [`Command::Datatype`] command desugars directly to this command, with one [`Command::Function`]
@@ -515,11 +525,7 @@ where
     /// ```
     ///
     /// Now `MathVec` can be used as an input or output sort.
-    Sort(
-        Span,
-        Symbol,
-        Option<(Symbol, Vec<GenericExpr<Symbol, Symbol>>)>,
-    ),
+    Sort(Span, Symbol, Option<(Symbol, Vec<Expr>)>),
     /// Declare an egglog function, which is a database table with a
     /// a functional dependency (also called a primary key) on its inputs to one output.
     ///
@@ -887,6 +893,18 @@ where
                 expr,
                 schedule,
             } => list!("simplify", schedule, expr),
+            GenericCommand::Datatypes { span: _, datatypes } => {
+                let datatypes: Vec<_> = datatypes
+                    .iter()
+                    .map(|(_, name, variants)| match variants {
+                        Subdatatypes::Variants(variants) => list!(name, ++ variants),
+                        Subdatatypes::NewSort(head, args) => {
+                            list!("sort", name, list!(head, ++ args))
+                        }
+                    })
+                    .collect();
+                list!("datatype*", ++ datatypes)
+            }
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/ast/parse.lalrpop b/src/ast/parse.lalrpop
index ab0479db..59ed4d35 100644
--- a/src/ast/parse.lalrpop
+++ b/src/ast/parse.lalrpop
@@ -44,11 +44,19 @@ Comma<T>: Vec<T> = {
     }
 };
 
+RecDatatype: (Span, Symbol, Subdatatypes) = {
+    <lo:LParen> <name:Ident> <variants:(Variant)*> <hi:RParen> => (Span(srcfile.clone(), lo, hi), name, Subdatatypes::Variants(variants)),
+    <lo:LParen> "sort" <name:Ident> LParen <head:Ident> <exprs:(Expr)*> RParen <hi:RParen> => (Span(srcfile.clone(), lo, hi), name, Subdatatypes::NewSort(head, exprs)),
+}
+
 Command: Command = {
     LParen "set-option" <name:Ident> <value:Expr> RParen => Command::SetOption { name, value },
     <lo:LParen> "datatype" <name:Ident> <variants:(Variant)*> <hi:RParen> => Command::Datatype { span: Span(srcfile.clone(), lo, hi), name, variants },
     <lo:LParen> "sort" <name:Ident> LParen <head:Ident> <tail:(Expr)*> RParen <hi:RParen> => Command::Sort (Span(srcfile.clone(), lo, hi), name, Some((head, tail))),
     <lo:LParen> "sort" <name:Ident> <hi:RParen> => Command::Sort (Span(srcfile.clone(), lo, hi), name, None),
+    <lo:LParen> "datatype*"
+        <datatypes:RecDatatype*>
+    <hi:RParen> => Command::Datatypes { span: Span(srcfile.clone(), lo, hi), datatypes },
     <lo:LParen> "function" <name:Ident> <schema:Schema> <cost:Cost>
         <unextractable:(":unextractable")?>
         <merge_action:(":on_merge" <List<Action>>)?>
diff --git a/tests/datatypes.egg b/tests/datatypes.egg
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9f5cfa86
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/datatypes.egg
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+(datatype*
+    (Math
+        (Add Math Math)
+        (Sum MathVec)
+        (B Bool))
+    (sort MathVec (Vec Math))
+    (Bool
+        (True)
+        (False)))
+
+(let expr (Add (Sum (vec-of (B (True)) (B (False)))) (B (True))))