diff --git a/core/items.go b/core/items.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5e695dd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/items.go
@@ -0,0 +1,200 @@
+package core
+
+import (
+	"database/sql"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+
+	_ "github.com/mattn/go-sqlite3"
+)
+
+func AddItems(db DB, items []Item) error {
+	return db.Transact(func(tx DB) error {
+		stmt, err := tx.Prepare(`
+			insert into items (source, id, active, title, author, body, link, time, action)
+			values (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, jsonb(?))
+		`)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("failed to prepare insert: %v", err)
+		}
+		for _, item := range items {
+			actions, err := json.Marshal(item.Action)
+			if err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("failed to marshal actions for %s/%s: %v", item.Source, item.Id, err)
+			}
+			_, err = stmt.Exec(item.Source, item.Id, true, item.Title, item.Author, item.Body, item.Link, item.Time, actions)
+			if err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("failed to insert %s/%s: %v", item.Source, item.Id, err)
+			}
+		}
+		return nil
+	})
+}
+
+// Set fields in the new item to match the old item where the new item's fields are zero-valued.
+// This allows sources to omit fields and let an action set them without a later fetch overwriting
+// the value from the action, e.g. an on-create action archiving a page and setting the link to
+// point to the archive.
+func BackfillItem(new *Item, old *Item) {
+	new.Active = old.Active
+	new.Created = old.Created
+	if new.Author == "" {
+		new.Author = old.Author
+	}
+	if new.Body == "" {
+		new.Body = old.Body
+	}
+	if new.Link == "" {
+		new.Link = old.Link
+	}
+	if new.Time == 0 {
+		new.Time = old.Time
+	}
+	if new.Title == "" {
+		new.Title = old.Title
+	}
+}
+
+func UpdateItems(db DB, items []Item) error {
+	return db.Transact(func(tx DB) error {
+		stmt, err := tx.Prepare(`
+			update items
+			set
+				title = ?,
+				author = ?,
+				body = ?,
+				link = ?,
+				time = ?,
+				action = jsonb(?)
+			where source = ?
+			and id = ?
+		`)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		for _, item := range items {
+			actions, err := json.Marshal(item.Action)
+			if err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("failed to marshal actions for %s/%s: %v", item.Source, item.Id, err)
+			}
+			_, err = stmt.Exec(item.Title, item.Author, item.Body, item.Link, item.Time, actions, item.Source, item.Id)
+			if err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+		}
+		return nil
+	})
+}
+
+// Deactivate an item, returning its previous active state.
+func DeactivateItem(db DB, source string, id string) (bool, error) {
+	row := db.QueryRow(`
+		select active
+		from items
+		where source = ? and id = ?
+	`, source, id)
+	var active bool
+	err := row.Scan(&active)
+	if err != nil && errors.Is(err, sql.ErrNoRows) {
+		return false, fmt.Errorf("item %s/%s not found", source, id)
+	}
+
+	_, err = db.Exec(`
+		update items
+		set active = 0
+		where source = ? and id = ?
+	`, source, id)
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, err
+	}
+	return active, nil
+}
+
+func DeleteItem(db DB, source string, id string) (int64, error) {
+	res, err := db.Exec(`
+		delete from items
+		where source = ?
+		and id = ?
+	`, source, id)
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, err
+	}
+	return res.RowsAffected()
+}
+
+func getItems(db DB, query string, args ...any) ([]Item, error) {
+	rows, err := db.Query(query, args...)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	var items []Item
+	for rows.Next() {
+		var item Item
+		err = rows.Scan(&item.Source, &item.Id, &item.Created, &item.Active, &item.Title, &item.Author, &item.Body, &item.Link, &item.Time, &item.Action)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		items = append(items, item)
+	}
+	return items, nil
+}
+
+func GetItem(db DB, source string, id string) (Item, error) {
+	items, err := getItems(db, `
+		select source, id, created, active, title, author, body, link, time, json(action)
+		from items
+		where source = ?
+		and id = ?
+		order by case when time = 0 then created else time end, id
+	`, source, id)
+	if err != nil {
+		return Item{}, err
+	}
+	if len(items) == 0 {
+		return Item{}, fmt.Errorf("no item in %s with id %s", source, id)
+	}
+	return items[0], nil
+}
+
+func GetAllActiveItems(db DB) ([]Item, error) {
+	return getItems(db, `
+		select
+			source, id, created, active, title, author, body, link, time, json(action)
+		from items
+		where active <> 0
+		order by case when time = 0 then created else time end, id
+	`)
+}
+
+func GetAllItems(db DB) ([]Item, error) {
+	return getItems(db, `
+		select
+			source, id, created, active, title, author, body, link, time, json(action)
+		from items
+		order by case when time = 0 then created else time end, id
+	`)
+}
+
+func GetActiveItemsForSource(db DB, source string) ([]Item, error) {
+	return getItems(db, `
+		select
+			source, id, created, active, title, author, body, link, time, json(action)
+		from items
+		where
+			source = ?
+		and active <> 0
+		order by case when time = 0 then created else time end, id
+	`, source)
+}
+
+func GetAllItemsForSource(db DB, source string) ([]Item, error) {
+	return getItems(db, `
+		select
+			source, id, created, active, title, author, body, link, time, json(action)
+		from items
+		where
+			source = ?
+		order by case when time = 0 then created else time end, id
+	`, source)
+}
diff --git a/core/items_test.go b/core/items_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1ca07bc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/items_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+package core
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"testing"
+
+	_ "github.com/mattn/go-sqlite3"
+)
+
+func AssertItemIs(t *testing.T, item Item, expected string) {
+	actual := fmt.Sprintf(
+		"%s/%s/%t/%s/%s/%s/%s/%d",
+		item.Source,
+		item.Id,
+		item.Active,
+		item.Title,
+		item.Author,
+		item.Body,
+		item.Link,
+		item.Time,
+	)
+	if actual != expected {
+		t.Fatalf("expected %s, got %s", expected, actual)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAddItem(t *testing.T) {
+	db := EphemeralDb(t)
+	if err := AddSource(db, "test"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to add source: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	if err := AddItems(db, []Item{
+		{"test", "one", 0, true, "", "", "", "", 0, nil},
+		{"test", "two", 0, true, "title", "author", "body", "link", 123456, nil},
+	}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to add items: %v", err)
+	}
+	items, err := GetActiveItemsForSource(db, "test")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to get active items: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(items) != 2 {
+		t.Fatal("should get two items")
+	}
+	// order is by (time ?? created) so this ordering is correct as long as you don't run it in early 1970
+	AssertItemIs(t, items[0], "test/two/true/title/author/body/link/123456")
+	AssertItemIs(t, items[1], "test/one/true/////0")
+
+	if _, err = DeactivateItem(db, "test", "one"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	items, err = GetActiveItemsForSource(db, "test")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if len(items) != 1 {
+		t.Fatal("should get one item")
+	}
+
+	items, err = GetAllItemsForSource(db, "test")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if len(items) != 2 {
+		t.Fatal("should get two items")
+	}
+
+	deleted, err := DeleteItem(db, "test", "one")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if deleted != 1 {
+		t.Fatal("expected one deletion")
+	}
+
+	deleted, err = DeleteItem(db, "test", "one")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if deleted != 0 {
+		t.Fatal("expected no deletion")
+	}
+
+	items, err = GetAllItemsForSource(db, "test")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if len(items) != 1 {
+		t.Fatal("should get one item")
+	}
+}