diff --git a/lua/github-theme/palette/mappings.lua b/lua/github-theme/palette/mappings.lua
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..093a6f1d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lua/github-theme/palette/mappings.lua
@@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
+-- Map prettylights colors json to nvim highlight groups. These mappings can be
+-- done at ci time, build time, or runtime.
+local api = vim.api
+
+---@class github-theme.prettylights.syntax
+---@field comment "#6e7781"
+---@field constant "#0550ae"
+---@field entity "#8250df"
+---@field storageModifierImport "#24292f"
+---@field entityTag "#116329"
+---@field keyword "#cf222e"
+---@field string "#0a3069"
+---@field variable "#953800"
+---@field brackethighlighterUnmatched "#82071e"
+---@field invalidIllegalText "#f6f8fa"
+---@field invalidIllegalBg "#82071e"
+---@field carriageReturnText "#f6f8fa"
+---@field carriageReturnBg "#cf222e"
+---@field stringRegexp "#116329"
+---@field markupList "#3b2300"
+---@field markupHeading "#0550ae"
+---@field markupItalic "#24292f"
+---@field markupBold "#24292f"
+---@field markupDeletedText "#82071e"
+---@field markupDeletedBg "#ffebe9"
+---@field markupInsertedText "#116329"
+---@field markupInsertedBg "#dafbe1"
+---@field markupChangedText "#953800"
+---@field markupChangedBg "#ffd8b5"
+---@field markupIgnoredText "#eaeef2"
+---@field markupIgnoredBg "#0550ae"
+---@field metaDiffRange "#8250df"
+---@field brackethighlighterAngle "#57606a"
+---@field sublimelinterGutterMark "#8c959f"
+---@field constantOtherReferenceLink "#0a3069"
+
+---@type { prettylights: { syntax: github-theme.prettylights.syntax } }
+local prim = require('github-theme.palette.primitives.dark')
+
+-- TODO: Handle rgb*() colors
+
+-- TODO: finish this
+-- In theory this could be automated instead of filling it out by-hand...but
+-- it would probably require alot of work (in particular, resolving the way
+-- in which GitHub's colors are mapped to each syntax item per language). Just
+-- fill in by-hand for now. These mappings should be the same across different
+-- colorschemes/themes, although there may be slight differences across
+-- languages that still need to be accounted for (TODO).
+local map = {}
+
+map.global = {
+  Comment = prim.prettylights.syntax.comment,
+
+  ---Constant   any constant
+  ---String     a string constant: "this is a string"
+  ---Character  a character constant: 'c', '\n'
+  ---Number     a number constant: 234, 0xff
+  ---Boolean    a boolean constant: TRUE, false
+  ---Float      a floating point constant: 2.3e10
+  Constant = prim.prettylights.syntax.constant,
+
+  -- Params. TODO: in nvim, @parameter normally links to Identifier.
+  -- Prettylights does not have an Identifier group, and its `variable`
+  -- color is yellowish in dimmed theme and isn't used to highlight actual
+  -- variables most of the time (rather variables often go un-highlighted;
+  -- i.e. they have the default foreground color). Should we keep @parameter
+  -- linked to Identifier and then change Identifier to be un-highlighted?
+  -- Or, leave Identifier as mapped to `variable` from prettylights, but
+  -- break the link from `@parmeter` (and `@variable`) to Identifier?
+  -- ['@parameter'] = 'storageModifierImport',
+
+  entityTag = '',
+
+  String = prim.prettylights.syntax.string,
+
+  --- `@variable` and `@parameter` link to this.
+  variable = 'Identifier', -- TODO
+
+  ---For function and method names within function and method declarations.
+  --`@function` and `@method` link to this.
+  Function = prim.prettylights.syntax.entity,
+
+  ---Statement   any statement
+  ---Links
+  ---Conditional if, then, else, endif, switch, etc.
+  ---Repeat      for, do, while, etc.
+  ---Label       case, default, etc.
+  ---Operator    "sizeof", "+", "*", etc.
+  ---Keyword     any other keyword—@keyword links to this
+  ---Exception   try, catch, throw
+  Statement = prim.prettylights.syntax.keyword,
+}
+
+map.c = { Operator = '' }
+map.cpp = map.c
+
+local function domap(a, b, c)
+  for key, value in pairs(assert(prettylights.syntax)) do
+  end
+end