diff --git a/schema/dmt/compile.go b/schema/dmt/compile.go
index afb4ee15..8f0f7bd9 100644
--- a/schema/dmt/compile.go
+++ b/schema/dmt/compile.go
@@ -27,37 +27,14 @@ import (
 // It supports several validations for logical coherency of schemas,
 // but may not yet successfully reject all invalid schemas.
 func Compile(ts *schema.TypeSystem, node *Schema) error {
-	// Prelude; probably belongs elsewhere.
-	{
-		ts.Accumulate(schema.SpawnBool("Bool"))
-		ts.Accumulate(schema.SpawnInt("Int"))
-		ts.Accumulate(schema.SpawnFloat("Float"))
-		ts.Accumulate(schema.SpawnString("String"))
-		ts.Accumulate(schema.SpawnBytes("Bytes"))
+	// Add basic types
+	schema.SpawnDefaultBasicTypes(ts)
 
-		ts.Accumulate(schema.SpawnAny("Any"))
-
-		ts.Accumulate(schema.SpawnMap("Map", "String", "Any", false))
-		ts.Accumulate(schema.SpawnList("List", "Any", false))
-
-		// Should be &Any, really.
-		ts.Accumulate(schema.SpawnLink("Link"))
-
-		// TODO: schema package lacks support?
-		// ts.Accumulate(schema.SpawnUnit("Null", NullRepr))
+	// Add the schema types
+	err := SpawnSchemaTypes(ts, node)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
 	}
-
-	for _, name := range node.Types.Keys {
-		defn := node.Types.Values[name]
-
-		// TODO: once ./schema supports anonymous/inline types, remove the ts argument.
-		typ, err := spawnType(ts, name, defn)
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-		ts.Accumulate(typ)
-	}
-
 	// TODO: if this fails and the user forgot to check Compile's returned error,
 	// we can leave the TypeSystem in an unfortunate broken state:
 	// they can obtain types out of the TypeSystem and they are non-nil,
@@ -73,6 +50,24 @@ func Compile(ts *schema.TypeSystem, node *Schema) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+// SpawnSchemaTypes is a lighter verion of compile that doesn't add basic types and doesn't validate the graph --
+// for use when you want to build a type system from multiple sources and validate later
+func SpawnSchemaTypes(ts *schema.TypeSystem, node *Schema) error {
+
+	for _, name := range node.Types.Keys {
+		defn := node.Types.Values[name]
+
+		// TODO: once ./schema supports anonymous/inline types, remove the ts argument.
+		typ, err := spawnType(ts, name, defn)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		ts.Accumulate(typ)
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
 // Note that the parser and compiler support defaults. We're lacking support in bindnode.
 func todoFromImplicitlyFalseBool(b *bool) bool {
 	if b == nil {
diff --git a/schema/tmpBuilders.go b/schema/tmpBuilders.go
index affbab81..80914ce1 100644
--- a/schema/tmpBuilders.go
+++ b/schema/tmpBuilders.go
@@ -149,6 +149,93 @@ func SpawnEnum(name TypeName, members []string, repr EnumRepresentation) *TypeEn
 	return &TypeEnum{typeBase{name, nil}, members, repr}
 }
 
+// Utility function adding default basic types to schema type system
+func SpawnDefaultBasicTypes(ts *TypeSystem) {
+	ts.Accumulate(SpawnBool("Bool"))
+	ts.Accumulate(SpawnInt("Int"))
+	ts.Accumulate(SpawnFloat("Float"))
+	ts.Accumulate(SpawnString("String"))
+	ts.Accumulate(SpawnBytes("Bytes"))
+
+	ts.Accumulate(SpawnAny("Any"))
+
+	ts.Accumulate(SpawnMap("Map", "String", "Any", false))
+	ts.Accumulate(SpawnList("List", "Any", false))
+
+	// Should be &Any, really.
+	ts.Accumulate(SpawnLink("Link"))
+
+	// TODO: schema package lacks support?
+	// ts.Accumulate(schema.SpawnUnit("Null", NullRepr))
+}
+
+// Clone creates a copy of a type that is not in the original's universe (so it can be used elsewhere safely)
+func Clone(typ Type) Type {
+	switch kindedType := typ.(type) {
+	case *TypeBool:
+		return SpawnBool(kindedType.Name())
+	case *TypeString:
+		return SpawnString(kindedType.Name())
+	case *TypeBytes:
+		return SpawnBytes(kindedType.Name())
+	case *TypeInt:
+		return SpawnInt(kindedType.Name())
+	case *TypeFloat:
+		return SpawnFloat(kindedType.Name())
+	case *TypeAny:
+		return SpawnAny(kindedType.Name())
+	case *TypeMap:
+		return SpawnMap(kindedType.Name(),
+			kindedType.KeyType().Name(),
+			kindedType.ValueType().Name(),
+			kindedType.ValueIsNullable())
+	case *TypeList:
+		return SpawnList(kindedType.Name(), kindedType.ValueType().Name(), kindedType.ValueIsNullable())
+	case *TypeLink:
+		if kindedType.HasReferencedType() {
+			return SpawnLinkReference(kindedType.Name(), kindedType.ReferencedType().Name())
+		} else {
+			return SpawnLink(kindedType.Name())
+		}
+	case *TypeUnion:
+		members := kindedType.Members()
+		memberNames := make([]TypeName, 0, len(members))
+		for _, member := range members {
+			memberNames = append(memberNames, member.Name())
+		}
+		return SpawnUnion(kindedType.Name(), memberNames, kindedType.RepresentationStrategy())
+	case *TypeStruct:
+		oldFields := kindedType.Fields()
+		newFields := make([]StructField, 0, len(oldFields))
+		for _, oldField := range oldFields {
+			newFields = append(newFields, SpawnStructField(oldField.Name(), oldField.Type().Name(), oldField.IsOptional(), oldField.IsNullable()))
+		}
+		return SpawnStruct(kindedType.Name(), newFields, kindedType.RepresentationStrategy())
+	case *TypeEnum:
+		return SpawnEnum(kindedType.Name(), kindedType.Members(), kindedType.RepresentationStrategy())
+	default:
+		panic("unexpected type, don't know how to clone")
+	}
+}
+
+func MergeTypeSystem(target *TypeSystem, source *TypeSystem, ignoreDups bool) {
+	for _, name := range source.Names() {
+		typ := Clone(source.TypeByName(name))
+		if ignoreDups {
+			accumulateWithRecovery(target, typ)
+		} else {
+			target.Accumulate(typ)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func accumulateWithRecovery(ts *TypeSystem, typ Type) {
+	defer func() {
+		_ = recover()
+	}()
+	ts.Accumulate(typ)
+}
+
 // The methods relating to TypeSystem are also mutation-heavy and placeholdery.
 
 func (ts *TypeSystem) Init() {