diff --git a/app/playground/main.cpp b/app/playground/main.cpp
index cde3abd..2a48764 100644
--- a/app/playground/main.cpp
+++ b/app/playground/main.cpp
@@ -1,14 +1,17 @@
 // Headers are available because we added the pls target
-#include <iostream>
-#include <functional>
-#include <array>
-#include <atomic>
-#include <memory>
-#include <typeindex>
-#include <tuple>
+#include <string>
+
+#include <cstdio>
 
 #include <pls/pls.h>
+#include <pls/dataflow/inputs.h>
+#include <pls/dataflow/outputs.h>
 
 int main() {
+  pls::dataflow::inputs<int, std::string> in;
+  pls::dataflow::outputs<int> out1;
+  pls::dataflow::outputs<std::string> out2;
 
+  out1.get<0>().connect(in.get<0>());
+  out2.get<0>().connect(in.get<1>());
 }
diff --git a/lib/pls/CMakeLists.txt b/lib/pls/CMakeLists.txt
index 8d46447..3dae953 100644
--- a/lib/pls/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/lib/pls/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -9,6 +9,14 @@ add_library(pls STATIC
         include/pls/algorithms/scan.h
         include/pls/algorithms/scan_impl.h
 
+        include/pls/dataflow/dataflow.h
+        include/pls/dataflow/token.h
+        include/pls/dataflow/graph.h
+        include/pls/dataflow/inputs.h
+        include/pls/dataflow/outputs.h
+        include/pls/dataflow/input.h
+        include/pls/dataflow/output.h
+
         include/pls/internal/base/spin_lock.h
         include/pls/internal/base/tas_spin_lock.h src/internal/base/tas_spin_lock.cpp
         include/pls/internal/base/ttas_spin_lock.h src/internal/base/ttas_spin_lock.cpp
@@ -22,6 +30,7 @@ add_library(pls STATIC
 
         include/pls/internal/data_structures/aligned_stack.h src/internal/data_structures/aligned_stack.cpp
         include/pls/internal/data_structures/aligned_stack_impl.h
+        include/pls/internal/data_structures/deque.h
         include/pls/internal/data_structures/locking_deque.h
         include/pls/internal/data_structures/locking_deque_impl.h
         include/pls/internal/data_structures/work_stealing_deque.h include/pls/internal/data_structures/work_stealing_deque_impl.h
@@ -38,7 +47,7 @@ add_library(pls STATIC
         include/pls/internal/scheduling/scheduler_impl.h
         include/pls/internal/scheduling/task.h src/internal/scheduling/task.cpp
         include/pls/internal/scheduling/scheduler_memory.h src/internal/scheduling/scheduler_memory.cpp
-        include/pls/internal/scheduling/lambda_task.h include/pls/internal/data_structures/deque.h)
+        include/pls/internal/scheduling/lambda_task.h)
 # Add everything in `./include` to be in the include path of this project
 target_include_directories(pls
         PUBLIC
diff --git a/lib/pls/include/pls/dataflow/dataflow.h b/lib/pls/include/pls/dataflow/dataflow.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b9bc7f5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/pls/include/pls/dataflow/dataflow.h
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+
+#ifndef PLS_DATAFLOW_DATAFLOW_H_
+#define PLS_DATAFLOW_DATAFLOW_H_
+
+#endif //PLS_DATAFLOW_DATAFLOW_H_
diff --git a/lib/pls/include/pls/dataflow/graph.h b/lib/pls/include/pls/dataflow/graph.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1f94b02
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/pls/include/pls/dataflow/graph.h
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+
+#ifndef PLS_DATAFLOW_GRAPH_H_
+#define PLS_DATAFLOW_GRAPH_H_
+
+namespace pls {
+namespace dataflow {
+
+template<
+class graph {
+
+};
+
+}
+}
+
+#endif //PLS_DATAFLOW_GRAPH_H_
diff --git a/lib/pls/include/pls/dataflow/input.h b/lib/pls/include/pls/dataflow/input.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c47581a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/pls/include/pls/dataflow/input.h
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+
+#ifndef PLS_DATAFLOW_INPUT_H_
+#define PLS_DATAFLOW_INPUT_H_
+
+#include "token.h"
+
+#include "pls/internal/base/error_handling.h"
+
+namespace pls {
+namespace dataflow {
+
+template<typename T>
+class input {
+  template<typename OT>
+  friend
+  class output;
+
+  token<T> token_;
+  bool filled_;
+  bool connected_;
+
+  void connect() {
+    if (connected_) {
+      PLS_ERROR("Must only connect on input once. Disconnect the output pointing to it before reconnecting.")
+    }
+    connected_ = true;
+  }
+
+ public:
+  input() : filled_{false}, connected_{false} {};
+
+  bool has_token(color color) const {
+    return filled_ && token_.color() == color;
+  }
+  const token<T> &get_token() const { return token_; }
+};
+
+}
+}
+
+#endif //PLS_DATAFLOW_INPUT_H_
diff --git a/lib/pls/include/pls/dataflow/inputs.h b/lib/pls/include/pls/dataflow/inputs.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..24f7d95
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/pls/include/pls/dataflow/inputs.h
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+
+#ifndef PLS_DATAFLOW_INPUTS_H_
+#define PLS_DATAFLOW_INPUTS_H_
+
+#include <tuple>
+
+#include "input.h"
+
+namespace pls {
+namespace dataflow {
+
+template<typename I1, typename ...I>
+class inputs {
+  using values_type = std::tuple<input<I1>, input<I>...>;
+  values_type values_;
+
+ public:
+  template<int N>
+  typename std::tuple_element<N, values_type>::type &get() {
+    return std::get<N>(values_);
+  }
+};
+
+}
+}
+
+#endif //PLS_DATAFLOW_INPUTS_H_
diff --git a/lib/pls/include/pls/dataflow/output.h b/lib/pls/include/pls/dataflow/output.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2c2c3cb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/pls/include/pls/dataflow/output.h
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+
+#ifndef PLS_DATAFLOW_OUTPUT_H_
+#define PLS_DATAFLOW_OUTPUT_H_
+
+#include "token.h"
+#include "input.h"
+
+#include "pls/internal/base/error_handling.h"
+
+namespace pls {
+namespace dataflow {
+
+template<typename T>
+class output {
+  input<T> *target_;
+  bool connected_;
+
+ public:
+  output() : target_{nullptr}, connected_{false} {};
+
+  void connect(input<T> &target) {
+    if (connected_) {
+      PLS_ERROR("Must only connect output once. Please disconnect it before reconnecting.")
+    }
+
+    target.connect();
+    target_ = &target;
+    connected_ = true;
+  }
+};
+
+}
+}
+
+#endif //PLS_DATAFLOW_OUTPUT_H_
diff --git a/lib/pls/include/pls/dataflow/outputs.h b/lib/pls/include/pls/dataflow/outputs.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..68f1f20
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/pls/include/pls/dataflow/outputs.h
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+
+#ifndef PLS_DATAFLOW_OUTPUTS_H_
+#define PLS_DATAFLOW_OUTPUTS_H_
+
+#include <tuple>
+
+#include "output.h"
+
+namespace pls {
+namespace dataflow {
+
+template<typename O1, typename ...O>
+class outputs {
+  using values_type = std::tuple<output<O1>, output<O>...>;
+  values_type values_;
+
+ public:
+  template<int N>
+  typename std::tuple_element<N, values_type>::type &get() {
+    return std::get<N>(values_);
+  }
+};
+
+}
+}
+
+#endif //PLS_DATAFLOW_OUTPUTS_H_
diff --git a/lib/pls/include/pls/dataflow/token.h b/lib/pls/include/pls/dataflow/token.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6492944
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/pls/include/pls/dataflow/token.h
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+
+#ifndef PLS_DATAFLOW_TOKEN_H_
+#define PLS_DATAFLOW_TOKEN_H_
+
+namespace pls {
+namespace dataflow {
+
+/**
+ * Parallel invocations of the same sub-graph are usually working with some kind of coloring
+ * for tokens to distinguishe different invocations. As this concept is abstract and we could
+ * change it in the future (for e.g. more advanced features/dataflows) we encapsulate it.
+ */
+struct color {
+  unsigned int clock_;
+};
+
+template<typename T>
+class token {
+  T value_;
+  color color_;
+
+ public:
+  T value() const { return value_; }
+  color color() const { return color_; }
+};
+
+}
+}
+
+#endif //PLS_DATAFLOW_TOKEN_H_
diff --git a/lib/pls/include/pls/internal/base/error_handling.h b/lib/pls/include/pls/internal/base/error_handling.h
index 381758a..341b7fb 100644
--- a/lib/pls/include/pls/internal/base/error_handling.h
+++ b/lib/pls/include/pls/internal/base/error_handling.h
@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@
 #ifndef PLS_ERROR_HANDLING_H
 #define PLS_ERROR_HANDLING_H
 
-#include <iostream>
+#include <cstdio>
+#include <cstdlib>
 
 /**
  * Called when there is an non-recoverable error/invariant in the scheduler.
@@ -10,7 +11,7 @@
  * The implementation can be changed if for example no iostream is available on a system
  * (or its inclusion adds too much overhead).
  */
-#define PLS_ERROR(msg) std::cout << msg << std::endl; exit(1);
+#define PLS_ERROR(msg) printf("%s\n", msg); exit(1);
 #define PLS_ASSERT(cond, msg) if (!cond) { PLS_ERROR(msg) }
 
 #endif //PLS_ERROR_HANDLING_H
diff --git a/lib/pls/include/pls/internal/data_structures/aligned_stack_impl.h b/lib/pls/include/pls/internal/data_structures/aligned_stack_impl.h
index 0952968..e04567b 100644
--- a/lib/pls/include/pls/internal/data_structures/aligned_stack_impl.h
+++ b/lib/pls/include/pls/internal/data_structures/aligned_stack_impl.h
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 #ifndef PLS_ALIGNED_STACK_IMPL_H
 #define PLS_ALIGNED_STACK_IMPL_H
 
+#include <utility>
+
 namespace pls {
 namespace internal {
 namespace data_structures {
diff --git a/lib/pls/include/pls/internal/data_structures/work_stealing_deque_impl.h b/lib/pls/include/pls/internal/data_structures/work_stealing_deque_impl.h
index d3316be..0730674 100644
--- a/lib/pls/include/pls/internal/data_structures/work_stealing_deque_impl.h
+++ b/lib/pls/include/pls/internal/data_structures/work_stealing_deque_impl.h
@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@
 #ifndef PLS_WORK_STEALING_DEQUE_IMPL_H_
 #define PLS_WORK_STEALING_DEQUE_IMPL_H_
 
+#include <utility>
+#include <new>
+
 namespace pls {
 namespace internal {
 namespace data_structures {