diff --git a/examples/smoldot/new_rpc_manual.eg.ts b/examples/smoldot/new_rpc_manual.eg.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..013aabe2f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/smoldot/new_rpc_manual.eg.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+import { metadata } from "@capi/polkadot"
+import { hex } from "capi"
+
+import { delay } from "../../deps/std/async.ts"
+
+const ws = new WebSocket("wss://rpc.polkadot.io")
+
+await new Promise((resolve) => ws.addEventListener("open", resolve))
+
+init()
+async function init() {
+  ws.addEventListener("message", (e) => {
+    const message = JSON.parse(e.data)
+    console.log("<<<", message)
+    onMessage(message)
+  })
+}
+
+let count = 0
+send("chainHead_unstable_follow", [false])
+function send(method: string, params: unknown[]) {
+  const message = {
+    jsonrpc: "2.0",
+    id: count++,
+    method,
+    params,
+  }
+  console.log(">>>", message)
+  ws.send(JSON.stringify(message))
+}
+
+let followSubscription: string | undefined
+async function onMessage(message: Record<string, any>) {
+  if (
+    ["chainHead_unstable_followEvent", "chainHead_unstable_follow"].includes(message.method)
+    && message.params.result.event === "initialized"
+  ) {
+    followSubscription = message.params.subscription
+    const finalizedBlockHash = message.params.result.finalizedBlockHash
+
+    for (const _attempt of new Array(15)) {
+      // send("chainHead_unstable_header", [followSubscription, finalizedBlockHash])
+      await delay(1000)
+      send("chainHead_unstable_storage", [
+        followSubscription,
+        finalizedBlockHash,
+        hex.encodePrefixed(metadata.pallets.Timestamp.storage.Now.key.encode()),
+        // null,
+        // "value",
+        // null,
+      ])
+    }
+  } else if (
+    ["chainHead_unstable_storageEvent", "chainHead_unstable_storage"].includes(message.method)
+    && message.params.result.event === "done"
+  ) {
+    console.log(
+      "timestamp",
+      metadata.pallets.Timestamp.storage.Now.value.decode(hex.decode(message.params.result.result)),
+    )
+  }
+}
diff --git a/examples/smoldot/smoldot_client.eg.ts b/examples/smoldot/smoldot_client.eg.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4ccb3f007
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/smoldot/smoldot_client.eg.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,241 @@
+import { metadata } from "@capi/polkadot"
+import { hex } from "capi"
+import { Client, ClientOptions, start } from "../../deps/smoldot.ts"
+import { deferred, delay, retry } from "../../deps/std/async.ts"
+import { relayChainSpec } from "./fetch_chainspec.eg.ts"
+
+class RpcClient {
+  client
+  relayChain
+  constructor(relayChainSpec: string, readonly debug = false) {
+    this.client = start({
+      forbidTcp: true,
+      forbidNonLocalWs: true,
+      cpuRateLimit: .25,
+    } as ClientOptions) as Client
+    this.relayChain = this.client.addChain({
+      chainSpec: relayChainSpec,
+    })
+    this.#init()
+  }
+
+  chainHeadFollowStateMachine = createStateMachine(
+    "idle",
+    {
+      idle: {
+        onEnter(context) {
+          context.finalizedBlockHash = undefined
+          context.followSubscription = undefined
+        },
+        transitions: {
+          initializing: {
+            target: "initializing",
+            action: () => {
+              this.#send(this.#nextId(), "chainHead_unstable_follow", [false])
+            },
+          },
+        },
+      },
+      initializing: {
+        transitions: {
+          initialized: {
+            target: "initialized",
+            action(context, meta) {
+              context.finalizedBlockHash = meta.params.result.finalizedBlockHash
+              context.followSubscription = meta.params.subscription
+            },
+          },
+        },
+      },
+      initialized: {
+        onEnter: (context) => {
+          this.pendingStorageRequests.forEach(([id, method, params]) =>
+            this.#send(
+              id,
+              method,
+              // TODO: support other methods pending requests that require subscription + blockHash
+              method === "chainHead_unstable_storage"
+                ? [
+                  context.followSubscription,
+                  context.finalizedBlockHash,
+                  ...params,
+                ]
+                : params,
+            )
+          )
+          this.pendingStorageRequests = []
+        },
+        transitions: {
+          finalized: {
+            target: "initialized",
+            action: (context, meta) => {
+              context.finalizedBlockHash = (meta.params.result.finalizedBlockHashes as string[])
+                .pop()!
+              ;[
+                ...meta.params.result.finalizedBlockHashes,
+                ...meta.params.result.prunedBlockHashes,
+              ].forEach((blockHash) => {
+                this.#send(this.#nextId(), "chainHead_unstable_unpin", [
+                  context.followSubscription,
+                  blockHash,
+                ])
+              })
+            },
+          },
+          stop: { target: "idle" },
+          // See https://paritytech.github.io/json-rpc-interface-spec/api/chainHead.html#usage
+          // TODO: handle newBlock?
+          // TODO: handle bestBlockChanged?
+        },
+      },
+    },
+    {} as {
+      followSubscription?: string
+      finalizedBlockHash?: string
+    },
+  )
+  pendingStorageRequests: [id: number, method: string, params: string[]][] = []
+  async chainHeadStorage(key: string) {
+    const id = this.#nextId()
+    if (this.chainHeadFollowStateMachine.value === "idle") {
+      this.chainHeadFollowStateMachine.transition("initializing")
+      this.pendingStorageRequests.push([id, "chainHead_unstable_storage", [key]])
+    } else if (this.chainHeadFollowStateMachine.value === "initializing") {
+      this.pendingStorageRequests.push([id, "chainHead_unstable_storage", [key]])
+    } else if (this.chainHeadFollowStateMachine.value === "initialized") {
+      this.#send(id, "chainHead_unstable_storage", [
+        this.chainHeadFollowStateMachine.context.followSubscription,
+        this.chainHeadFollowStateMachine.context.finalizedBlockHash,
+        key,
+      ])
+    } else {
+      throw new Error("unable to read storage")
+    }
+    return await this.#subscribe(id, "done", ["inaccessible"])
+  }
+
+  async #send(id: number, method: string, params: any[]) {
+    const message = {
+      jsonrpc: "2.0",
+      id,
+      method,
+      params,
+    }
+    this.#debug(">>>", message)
+    ;(await this.relayChain).sendJsonRpc(JSON.stringify(message))
+  }
+
+  #onMessage(message: Record<string, any>) {
+    if (isMessageOf(message, "chainHead_unstable_followEvent")) {
+      this.chainHeadFollowStateMachine.transition(message.params.result.event, message)
+    }
+    if (message.id) {
+      this.pendingResponses.get(message.id)?.(message)
+    } else if (message.params?.subscription) {
+      this.subscriptions.get(message.params?.subscription)?.(message)
+    }
+  }
+
+  async #init() {
+    const chain = await this.relayChain
+    while (true) {
+      // TODO: break with AbortController
+      const message = JSON.parse(await chain.nextJsonRpcResponse())
+      this.#debug("<<<", message)
+      this.#onMessage(message)
+    }
+  }
+
+  pendingResponses = new Map<number, (message: Record<string, any>) => void>()
+  subscriptions = new Map<string, (message: Record<string, any>) => void>()
+  #subscribe(id: number, resolveEvent: string, rejectEvents: string[]) {
+    const result = deferred<Record<string, any>>()
+    this.pendingResponses.set(id, (message) => {
+      this.pendingResponses.delete(id)
+      if (!message.result) return result.reject(message)
+      const subscriptionId = message.result
+      this.subscriptions.set(subscriptionId, (message) => {
+        if (message.error || rejectEvents.includes(message.params?.result.event)) {
+          this.subscriptions.delete(subscriptionId)
+          return result.reject(message)
+        } else if (message.params?.result.event === resolveEvent) {
+          this.subscriptions.delete(subscriptionId)
+          return result.resolve(message)
+        }
+        console.log("ignored", message)
+      })
+    })
+    return result
+  }
+
+  messageId = 0
+  #nextId() {
+    return ++this.messageId
+  }
+
+  #debug(...args: any[]) {
+    this.debug && console.log(...args)
+  }
+}
+
+function isMessageOf(message: Record<string, any>, method: string, event?: string) {
+  return message.method === method
+    && (!event || message.params.result.event === event)
+}
+
+type StateDefinition<TContext> = {
+  onEnter?: (context: TContext) => void
+  onExit?: (context: TContext) => void
+  transitions: Record<string, { target: string; action?: (context: TContext, meta: any) => void }>
+}
+
+type StateMachineDefinition<TContext> = { [state: string]: StateDefinition<TContext> }
+
+function createStateMachine<TContext>(
+  initialState: string,
+  stateMachineDefinition: StateMachineDefinition<TContext>,
+  context: TContext,
+) {
+  return {
+    value: initialState,
+    context,
+    transition(event: string, eventMeta?: any) {
+      const currentStateDefinition = stateMachineDefinition[this.value]
+      const destinationTransition = currentStateDefinition?.transitions[event]
+      if (!destinationTransition) {
+        console.log(`Unhandled transition from "${this.value}" for "${event}"`)
+        return
+      }
+      const destinationState = destinationTransition.target
+      const destinationStateDefinition = stateMachineDefinition[destinationState]
+      currentStateDefinition.onExit?.(this.context)
+      destinationTransition.action?.(this.context, eventMeta)
+      destinationStateDefinition?.onEnter?.(this.context)
+      this.value = destinationState
+      return this.value
+    },
+  }
+}
+
+async function readTimestampNow() {
+  return retry(async () => {
+    const chainHeadStorage = await rpcClient.chainHeadStorage(
+      hex.encodePrefixed(metadata.pallets.Timestamp.storage.Now.key.encode()),
+    )
+    return metadata.pallets.Timestamp.storage.Now.value.decode(
+      hex.decode(chainHeadStorage.params.result.value),
+    )
+  })
+}
+
+const rpcClient = new RpcClient(relayChainSpec)
+
+console.log({ timestampNow: await readTimestampNow() })
+await delay(6000)
+console.log({ timestampNow: await readTimestampNow() })
+await delay(6000)
+console.log({ timestampNow: await readTimestampNow() })
+await delay(6000)
+console.log({ timestampNow: await readTimestampNow() })
+
+// TODO: stop rpcClient
diff --git a/examples/smoldot/smoldot_manual.eg.ts b/examples/smoldot/smoldot_manual.eg.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a70170968
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/smoldot/smoldot_manual.eg.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+import { metadata } from "@capi/polkadot"
+import { hex } from "capi"
+import { Client, ClientOptions, start } from "../../deps/smoldot.ts"
+
+import { delay } from "../../deps/std/async.ts"
+import { relayChainSpec } from "./fetch_chainspec.eg.ts"
+
+const client: Client = start({
+  forbidTcp: true,
+  forbidNonLocalWs: true,
+  cpuRateLimit: .25,
+} as ClientOptions)
+
+const relayChain = await client.addChain({
+  chainSpec: relayChainSpec,
+  // disableJsonRpc: true,
+})
+
+init()
+async function init() {
+  while (true) {
+    const message = JSON.parse(await relayChain.nextJsonRpcResponse())
+    console.log("<<<", message)
+    onMessage(message)
+  }
+}
+
+let count = 0
+send("chainHead_unstable_follow", [false])
+function send(method: string, params: unknown[]) {
+  const message = {
+    jsonrpc: "2.0",
+    id: count++,
+    method,
+    params,
+  }
+  console.log(">>>", message)
+  relayChain.sendJsonRpc(JSON.stringify(message))
+}
+
+let followSubscription: string | undefined
+async function onMessage(message: Record<string, any>) {
+  if (
+    message.method === "chainHead_unstable_followEvent"
+    && message.params.result.event === "initialized"
+  ) {
+    followSubscription = message.params.subscription
+    const finalizedBlockHash = message.params.result.finalizedBlockHash
+
+    for (const _attempt of new Array(15)) {
+      // send("chainHead_unstable_header", [followSubscription, finalizedBlockHash])
+      await delay(1000)
+      send("chainHead_unstable_storage", [
+        followSubscription,
+        finalizedBlockHash,
+        hex.encodePrefixed(metadata.pallets.Timestamp.storage.Now.key.encode()),
+        // null,
+        // "value",
+        // null,
+      ])
+    }
+  } else if (
+    message.method === "chainHead_unstable_storageEvent"
+    && message.params.result.event === "done"
+  ) {
+    console.log(
+      "timestamp",
+      metadata.pallets.Timestamp.storage.Now.value.decode(hex.decode(message.params.result.value)),
+    )
+  }
+}