diff --git a/user/linktest.c b/user/linktest.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b6f4b25
--- /dev/null
+++ b/user/linktest.c
@@ -0,0 +1,156 @@
+#include "ulib.h"
+#include "fs.h"
+
+/*
+ * Exercises the symlink/readlink/link syscalls (sysSymlink/sysReadlink/
+ * sysLink -> vfs.c -> sfs.c, sfs.h already had the on-disk machinery from an
+ * earlier wave; this wave wires it up to ring 3) against the persistent SFS
+ * filesystem under "/mnt". Kernel-side symlink target strings are resolved
+ * relative to the SFS root (sfs.h), not to "/mnt" -- so a symlink created
+ * from userspace at "/mnt/linktest/link.txt" pointing at
+ * "/mnt/linktest/real.txt" must store the target as "/linktest/real.txt"
+ * (the "/mnt" prefix stripped, exactly what vfsSymlink hands to
+ * sfsCreateSymlink) for later resolution to actually find it.
+ */
+
+static int bytesEqual(const char* a, const char* b, unsigned long n)
+{
+    for (unsigned long i = 0; i < n; i++)
+        if (a[i] != b[i])
+            return 0;
+    return 1;
+}
+
+int main(void)
+{
+    print("linktest: start, pid=");
+    printDec(userGetpid());
+    print("\n");
+
+    if (userMkdir("/mnt/linktest") != 0) {
+        print("linktest: FAIL mkdir /mnt/linktest\n");
+        return 1;
+    }
+
+    const char* payload = "frostbyte linktest payload\n";
+    unsigned long payloadLen = stringLength(payload);
+
+    int wfd = (int)userOpen("/mnt/linktest/real.txt", oReadWrite | oCreate);
+    if (wfd < 0) {
+        print("linktest: FAIL create real.txt\n");
+        return 1;
+    }
+    if (userWrite(wfd, payload, payloadLen) != (long)payloadLen) {
+        print("linktest: FAIL write real.txt\n");
+        return 1;
+    }
+    userClose(wfd);
+
+    /* Symlink resolution through open()/read(): opening the link must
+       transparently reach real.txt's data. */
+    if (userSymlink("/linktest/real.txt", "/mnt/linktest/link.txt") != 0) {
+        print("linktest: FAIL symlink create\n");
+        return 1;
+    }
+
+    int lfd = (int)userOpen("/mnt/linktest/link.txt", oReadOnly);
+    if (lfd < 0) {
+        print("linktest: FAIL open through symlink\n");
+        return 1;
+    }
+    char back[64];
+    long got = userRead(lfd, back, sizeof(back));
+    userClose(lfd);
+    if (got != (long)payloadLen || !bytesEqual(back, payload, payloadLen)) {
+        print("linktest: FAIL read through symlink mismatch\n");
+        return 1;
+    }
+    print("linktest: open/read transparently follows symlink ok\n");
+
+    /* stat() must also follow: size should match the target, not 0. */
+    FbStat st;
+    if (userStat("/mnt/linktest/link.txt", &st) != 0 || st.size != payloadLen) {
+        print("linktest: FAIL stat through symlink\n");
+        return 1;
+    }
+    print("linktest: stat follows symlink ok\n");
+
+    /* readlink() must NOT follow -- it reports the link's own target
+       string, not the target's contents. */
+    char targetBuf[64];
+    long targetLen = userReadlink("/mnt/linktest/link.txt", targetBuf, sizeof(targetBuf));
+    const char* expectedTarget = "/linktest/real.txt";
+    unsigned long expectedTargetLen = stringLength(expectedTarget);
+    if (targetLen != (long)expectedTargetLen ||
+        !bytesEqual(targetBuf, expectedTarget, expectedTargetLen)) {
+        print("linktest: FAIL readlink target mismatch\n");
+        return 1;
+    }
+    print("linktest: readlink reports target string ok\n");
+
+    /* readlink on a non-symlink must fail, not read garbage. */
+    if (userReadlink("/mnt/linktest/real.txt", targetBuf, sizeof(targetBuf)) >= 0) {
+        print("linktest: FAIL readlink on non-symlink should fail\n");
+        return 1;
+    }
+    print("linktest: readlink rejects non-symlink ok\n");
+
+    /* Hardlink: alias.txt shares real.txt's inode and data. */
+    if (userLink("/mnt/linktest/real.txt", "/mnt/linktest/alias.txt") != 0) {
+        print("linktest: FAIL hardlink create\n");
+        return 1;
+    }
+    int afd = (int)userOpen("/mnt/linktest/alias.txt", oReadOnly);
+    if (afd < 0) {
+        print("linktest: FAIL open alias.txt\n");
+        return 1;
+    }
+    got = userRead(afd, back, sizeof(back));
+    userClose(afd);
+    if (got != (long)payloadLen || !bytesEqual(back, payload, payloadLen)) {
+        print("linktest: FAIL alias.txt content mismatch\n");
+        return 1;
+    }
+    print("linktest: hardlink shares data ok\n");
+
+    /* Directories cannot be hardlinked. */
+    if (userLink("/mnt/linktest", "/mnt/linktest2") == 0) {
+        print("linktest: FAIL hardlinking a directory should be rejected\n");
+        return 1;
+    }
+    print("linktest: hardlink rejects directory ok\n");
+
+    /* Removing the original must leave the hardlinked alias alive (link
+       count keeps the inode+data around). */
+    if (userUnlink("/mnt/linktest/real.txt") != 0) {
+        print("linktest: FAIL unlink real.txt\n");
+        return 1;
+    }
+    afd = (int)userOpen("/mnt/linktest/alias.txt", oReadOnly);
+    if (afd < 0) {
+        print("linktest: FAIL alias.txt gone after unlinking real.txt\n");
+        return 1;
+    }
+    got = userRead(afd, back, sizeof(back));
+    userClose(afd);
+    if (got != (long)payloadLen || !bytesEqual(back, payload, payloadLen)) {
+        print("linktest: FAIL alias.txt data lost after unlinking real.txt\n");
+        return 1;
+    }
+    print("linktest: alias survives unlink of original ok\n");
+
+    /* Dangling symlink: creation succeeds (target is never validated), open
+       through it must fail cleanly instead of crashing. */
+    if (userSymlink("/linktest/does-not-exist.txt", "/mnt/linktest/dangling.txt") != 0) {
+        print("linktest: FAIL dangling symlink create\n");
+        return 1;
+    }
+    if (userOpen("/mnt/linktest/dangling.txt", oReadOnly) >= 0) {
+        print("linktest: FAIL open through dangling symlink should fail\n");
+        return 1;
+    }
+    print("linktest: dangling symlink open fails cleanly ok\n");
+
+    print("linktest: done\n");
+    return 0;
+}