diff --git a/daemon/CMakeLists.txt b/daemon/CMakeLists.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ae92695
--- /dev/null
+++ b/daemon/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-2-Clause
+#
+# daedalus-v4l2 userspace daemon — CMake build.
+#
+# Notes:
+#   - FFmpeg is dlopen'd at runtime (Option γ), so we link only
+#     -ldl + -lpthread.  Headers from libavformat-dev /
+#     libavcodec-dev / libavutil-dev are used at compile time
+#     for struct definitions.
+#   - Strict warnings enforced.
+
+cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.20)
+project(daedalus_v4l2_daemon C)
+
+set(CMAKE_C_STANDARD 11)
+set(CMAKE_C_STANDARD_REQUIRED ON)
+
+if (NOT CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE)
+	set(CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE Release)
+endif()
+
+add_compile_options(-Wall -Wextra -Wpedantic
+		    -Wno-unused-parameter)
+
+# FFmpeg headers (we dlopen the libs but include the headers for
+# struct definitions).  pkg-config is the canonical way.
+find_package(PkgConfig REQUIRED)
+pkg_check_modules(FFMPEG REQUIRED IMPORTED_TARGET
+	libavformat libavcodec libavutil)
+
+add_executable(daedalus_v4l2_daemon
+	src/main.c
+	src/ffmpeg_loader.c
+	src/log.c
+	src/parser.c
+)
+
+target_include_directories(daedalus_v4l2_daemon
+	PRIVATE
+		src
+		${FFMPEG_INCLUDE_DIRS}
+)
+
+# dl for dlopen, pthread for future threading work.
+target_link_libraries(daedalus_v4l2_daemon
+	PRIVATE
+		dl
+		pthread
+)
+
+install(TARGETS daedalus_v4l2_daemon
+	RUNTIME DESTINATION /usr/local/bin)
diff --git a/daemon/src/ffmpeg_loader.c b/daemon/src/ffmpeg_loader.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..76e5fb6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/daemon/src/ffmpeg_loader.c
@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
+/* SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-2-Clause */
+/*
+ * ffmpeg_loader.c — runtime FFmpeg loader.
+ */
+#include "ffmpeg_loader.h"
+#include "log.h"
+
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <dlfcn.h>
+
+/*
+ * SONAME versions match Debian Trixie / FFmpeg 7.1.3 today.  If
+ * the system FFmpeg changes major, the daemon needs a rebuild;
+ * we could add fallback paths (.so.60, .so.59, ...) but for
+ * Phase 8.3 the pinned version is fine.
+ */
+#define LIBAVFORMAT_SONAME	"libavformat.so.61"
+#define LIBAVCODEC_SONAME	"libavcodec.so.61"
+#define LIBAVUTIL_SONAME	"libavutil.so.59"
+
+/*
+ * Resolve a symbol from a dlopen'd handle.  Logs the failure
+ * and goto's `out_fail` if missing.  Use only inside
+ * ffmpeg_loader_init.
+ *
+ * The `*(void **) &loader->sym = dlsym(...)` form is the
+ * POSIX-recommended workaround for the ISO C "function pointer
+ * is not a void pointer" rule (POSIX.1-2017 dlsym(3p), RATIONALE).
+ * POSIX requires the conversion to work; ISO C does not.
+ */
+#define RESOLVE(handle_field, soname, sym)				\
+	do {								\
+		*(void **) &loader->sym =				\
+			dlsym(loader->handle_field, #sym);		\
+		if (!loader->sym) {					\
+			log_err("dlsym(%s, %s): %s",			\
+				soname, #sym, dlerror());		\
+			goto out_fail;					\
+		}							\
+	} while (0)
+
+int ffmpeg_loader_init(struct ffmpeg_loader *loader)
+{
+	memset(loader, 0, sizeof(*loader));
+
+	loader->libavformat = dlopen(LIBAVFORMAT_SONAME, RTLD_LAZY);
+	if (!loader->libavformat) {
+		log_err("dlopen(%s): %s", LIBAVFORMAT_SONAME, dlerror());
+		goto out_fail;
+	}
+	loader->libavcodec = dlopen(LIBAVCODEC_SONAME, RTLD_LAZY);
+	if (!loader->libavcodec) {
+		log_err("dlopen(%s): %s", LIBAVCODEC_SONAME, dlerror());
+		goto out_fail;
+	}
+	loader->libavutil = dlopen(LIBAVUTIL_SONAME, RTLD_LAZY);
+	if (!loader->libavutil) {
+		log_err("dlopen(%s): %s", LIBAVUTIL_SONAME, dlerror());
+		goto out_fail;
+	}
+
+	/* libavformat */
+	RESOLVE(libavformat, LIBAVFORMAT_SONAME, avformat_alloc_context);
+	RESOLVE(libavformat, LIBAVFORMAT_SONAME, avformat_free_context);
+	RESOLVE(libavformat, LIBAVFORMAT_SONAME, avformat_open_input);
+	RESOLVE(libavformat, LIBAVFORMAT_SONAME, avformat_close_input);
+	RESOLVE(libavformat, LIBAVFORMAT_SONAME, avformat_find_stream_info);
+	RESOLVE(libavformat, LIBAVFORMAT_SONAME, av_find_best_stream);
+	RESOLVE(libavformat, LIBAVFORMAT_SONAME, av_read_frame);
+	RESOLVE(libavformat, LIBAVFORMAT_SONAME, avformat_version);
+
+	/* libavcodec */
+	RESOLVE(libavcodec, LIBAVCODEC_SONAME, av_packet_alloc);
+	RESOLVE(libavcodec, LIBAVCODEC_SONAME, av_packet_free);
+	RESOLVE(libavcodec, LIBAVCODEC_SONAME, av_packet_unref);
+	RESOLVE(libavcodec, LIBAVCODEC_SONAME, av_frame_alloc);
+	RESOLVE(libavcodec, LIBAVCODEC_SONAME, av_frame_free);
+	RESOLVE(libavcodec, LIBAVCODEC_SONAME, av_frame_unref);
+	RESOLVE(libavcodec, LIBAVCODEC_SONAME, avcodec_find_decoder);
+	RESOLVE(libavcodec, LIBAVCODEC_SONAME, avcodec_alloc_context3);
+	RESOLVE(libavcodec, LIBAVCODEC_SONAME, avcodec_free_context);
+	RESOLVE(libavcodec, LIBAVCODEC_SONAME, avcodec_parameters_to_context);
+	RESOLVE(libavcodec, LIBAVCODEC_SONAME, avcodec_open2);
+	RESOLVE(libavcodec, LIBAVCODEC_SONAME, avcodec_send_packet);
+	RESOLVE(libavcodec, LIBAVCODEC_SONAME, avcodec_receive_frame);
+
+	/* libavutil */
+	RESOLVE(libavutil, LIBAVUTIL_SONAME, av_log_set_level);
+	RESOLVE(libavutil, LIBAVUTIL_SONAME, av_get_media_type_string);
+	RESOLVE(libavutil, LIBAVUTIL_SONAME, av_version_info);
+
+	{
+		unsigned int v = loader->avformat_version();
+		log_info("FFmpeg loaded: %s (libavformat %u.%u.%u)",
+			 loader->av_version_info(),
+			 (v >> 16) & 0xff, (v >> 8) & 0xff, v & 0xff);
+	}
+	return 0;
+
+out_fail:
+	ffmpeg_loader_cleanup(loader);
+	return -1;
+}
+
+void ffmpeg_loader_cleanup(struct ffmpeg_loader *loader)
+{
+	if (!loader)
+		return;
+	if (loader->libavformat) dlclose(loader->libavformat);
+	if (loader->libavcodec)  dlclose(loader->libavcodec);
+	if (loader->libavutil)   dlclose(loader->libavutil);
+	memset(loader, 0, sizeof(*loader));
+}
diff --git a/daemon/src/ffmpeg_loader.h b/daemon/src/ffmpeg_loader.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5484f51
--- /dev/null
+++ b/daemon/src/ffmpeg_loader.h
@@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
+/* SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-2-Clause */
+/*
+ * ffmpeg_loader.h — runtime FFmpeg loader for daedalus-v4l2 daemon.
+ *
+ * Loads libavformat.so + libavcodec.so + libavutil.so via dlopen
+ * at startup, resolves the function-pointer subset we use, and
+ * exposes them through a stable struct.  This keeps the daemon
+ * link-clean from FFmpeg (the system version can change without
+ * rebuilding the daemon) and matches Phase 8 architecture
+ * decision "Option γ: dlopen FFmpeg at runtime".
+ *
+ * Usage:
+ *   if (ffmpeg_loader_init(&loader)) bail();
+ *   loader.av_log_set_level(AV_LOG_QUIET);
+ *   ... use loader.avformat_open_input(...) etc.
+ *   ffmpeg_loader_cleanup(&loader);
+ */
+#ifndef DAEDALUS_V4L2_FFMPEG_LOADER_H
+#define DAEDALUS_V4L2_FFMPEG_LOADER_H
+
+#include <stdint.h>
+
+/*
+ * Pull in the FFmpeg headers for type definitions.  We dlopen
+ * the libraries at runtime (no link dependency), but the
+ * function pointer signatures need the real enum + struct
+ * definitions to be type-safe.  Including these headers makes
+ * the daemon build-time-coupled to a specific FFmpeg minor
+ * version (matched in CMakeLists via pkg_check_modules) but
+ * runtime-decoupled (we can load a different patch version's
+ * .so file as long as the ABI is compatible).
+ */
+#include <libavformat/avformat.h>
+#include <libavcodec/avcodec.h>
+#include <libavutil/avutil.h>
+
+/**
+ * struct ffmpeg_loader - resolved FFmpeg API entry points
+ * @libavformat:	dlopen handle (close in cleanup)
+ * @libavcodec:		dlopen handle (close in cleanup)
+ * @libavutil:		dlopen handle (close in cleanup)
+ *
+ * All function pointers are NULL until ffmpeg_loader_init().
+ */
+struct ffmpeg_loader {
+	void *libavformat;
+	void *libavcodec;
+	void *libavutil;
+
+	/* libavformat */
+	struct AVFormatContext *(*avformat_alloc_context)(void);
+	void  (*avformat_free_context)(struct AVFormatContext *);
+	int   (*avformat_open_input)(struct AVFormatContext **,
+				     const char *, const struct AVInputFormat *,
+				     struct AVDictionary **);
+	void  (*avformat_close_input)(struct AVFormatContext **);
+	int   (*avformat_find_stream_info)(struct AVFormatContext *,
+					   struct AVDictionary **);
+	int   (*av_find_best_stream)(struct AVFormatContext *,
+				     enum AVMediaType, int, int,
+				     const struct AVCodec **, int);
+	int   (*av_read_frame)(struct AVFormatContext *,
+			       struct AVPacket *);
+	unsigned int (*avformat_version)(void);
+
+	/* libavcodec */
+	struct AVPacket *(*av_packet_alloc)(void);
+	void  (*av_packet_free)(struct AVPacket **);
+	void  (*av_packet_unref)(struct AVPacket *);
+	struct AVFrame *(*av_frame_alloc)(void);
+	void  (*av_frame_free)(struct AVFrame **);
+	void  (*av_frame_unref)(struct AVFrame *);
+	const struct AVCodec *(*avcodec_find_decoder)(enum AVCodecID);
+	struct AVCodecContext *(*avcodec_alloc_context3)(const struct AVCodec *);
+	void  (*avcodec_free_context)(struct AVCodecContext **);
+	int   (*avcodec_parameters_to_context)(struct AVCodecContext *,
+					       const struct AVCodecParameters *);
+	int   (*avcodec_open2)(struct AVCodecContext *,
+			       const struct AVCodec *, struct AVDictionary **);
+	int   (*avcodec_send_packet)(struct AVCodecContext *,
+				     const struct AVPacket *);
+	int   (*avcodec_receive_frame)(struct AVCodecContext *,
+				       struct AVFrame *);
+
+	/* libavutil */
+	void  (*av_log_set_level)(int);
+	const char *(*av_get_media_type_string)(enum AVMediaType);
+	const char *(*av_version_info)(void);
+};
+
+/**
+ * ffmpeg_loader_init - dlopen + resolve all needed symbols
+ *
+ * Return: 0 on success, -1 on any failure (errno-style; logged
+ * to stderr via the daemon's logging facility).
+ */
+int  ffmpeg_loader_init(struct ffmpeg_loader *loader);
+
+/**
+ * ffmpeg_loader_cleanup - dlclose handles + zero the struct
+ */
+void ffmpeg_loader_cleanup(struct ffmpeg_loader *loader);
+
+#endif /* DAEDALUS_V4L2_FFMPEG_LOADER_H */
diff --git a/daemon/src/log.c b/daemon/src/log.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..451ac9b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/daemon/src/log.c
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+/* SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-2-Clause */
+/*
+ * log.c — minimal logging facade.
+ *
+ * Phase 8.3: stderr-only.  Phase 8.5+ will add syslog/journal
+ * routing when the daemon runs under systemd; the API surface
+ * (log_init/log_err/...) stays unchanged.
+ */
+#include "log.h"
+
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdarg.h>
+#include <time.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+
+static int g_min_level = LOG_INFO;
+
+void log_init(int min_level)
+{
+	g_min_level = min_level;
+}
+
+void log_cleanup(void)
+{
+	fflush(stderr);
+}
+
+static const char *level_str(int level)
+{
+	switch (level) {
+	case LOG_ERR:		return "ERR ";
+	case LOG_WARNING:	return "WARN";
+	case LOG_INFO:		return "INFO";
+	case LOG_DEBUG:		return "DBG ";
+	default:		return "    ";
+	}
+}
+
+static void log_emit(int level, const char *fmt, va_list ap)
+{
+	if (level > g_min_level)
+		return;
+	struct timespec ts;
+	clock_gettime(CLOCK_REALTIME, &ts);
+	struct tm tm;
+	localtime_r(&ts.tv_sec, &tm);
+	char tbuf[32];
+	snprintf(tbuf, sizeof(tbuf),
+		 "%04d-%02d-%02d %02d:%02d:%02d.%03ld",
+		 tm.tm_year + 1900, tm.tm_mon + 1, tm.tm_mday,
+		 tm.tm_hour, tm.tm_min, tm.tm_sec,
+		 ts.tv_nsec / 1000000);
+	fprintf(stderr, "[%s %s] ", tbuf, level_str(level));
+	vfprintf(stderr, fmt, ap);
+	fputc('\n', stderr);
+}
+
+#define LOG_FN(name, lvl)					\
+void name(const char *fmt, ...)					\
+{								\
+	va_list ap; va_start(ap, fmt);				\
+	log_emit(lvl, fmt, ap);					\
+	va_end(ap);						\
+}
+
+LOG_FN(log_err,   LOG_ERR)
+LOG_FN(log_warn,  LOG_WARNING)
+LOG_FN(log_info,  LOG_INFO)
+LOG_FN(log_debug, LOG_DEBUG)
diff --git a/daemon/src/log.h b/daemon/src/log.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e0534ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/daemon/src/log.h
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+/* SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-2-Clause */
+/*
+ * log.h — minimal logging facade for daedalus-v4l2 daemon.
+ *
+ * Routes to stderr in interactive mode; switches to syslog when
+ * the daemon detects it's running under systemd / not on a tty.
+ * Levels match syslog convention (LOG_ERR / LOG_WARNING /
+ * LOG_INFO / LOG_DEBUG).
+ *
+ * Use:
+ *   log_init(LOG_INFO);                  // raise minimum
+ *   log_info("daemon up: pid=%d", getpid());
+ *   log_err("open(%s): %s", path, strerror(errno));
+ *   log_cleanup();
+ */
+#ifndef DAEDALUS_V4L2_LOG_H
+#define DAEDALUS_V4L2_LOG_H
+
+#include <syslog.h>
+
+void log_init(int min_level);
+void log_cleanup(void);
+
+void log_err   (const char *fmt, ...) __attribute__((format(printf, 1, 2)));
+void log_warn  (const char *fmt, ...) __attribute__((format(printf, 1, 2)));
+void log_info  (const char *fmt, ...) __attribute__((format(printf, 1, 2)));
+void log_debug (const char *fmt, ...) __attribute__((format(printf, 1, 2)));
+
+#endif /* DAEDALUS_V4L2_LOG_H */
diff --git a/daemon/src/main.c b/daemon/src/main.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b658f8e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/daemon/src/main.c
@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
+/* SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-2-Clause */
+/*
+ * main.c — daedalus-v4l2 userspace daemon entry point.
+ *
+ * Phase 8.3 mode of operation: CLI tool.
+ *   daedalus_v4l2_daemon parse <file>
+ *
+ * Phase 8.4+ adds the daemon mode that opens the chardev
+ * /dev/daedalus-v4l2 and services REQ_DECODE etc.
+ */
+#include "ffmpeg_loader.h"
+#include "parser.h"
+#include "log.h"
+
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <signal.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+#include <errno.h>
+
+#include <libavutil/log.h>
+
+static volatile sig_atomic_t g_terminate = 0;
+
+static void on_signal(int sig)
+{
+	(void) sig;
+	g_terminate = 1;
+}
+
+static int install_signal_handlers(void)
+{
+	struct sigaction sa = { 0 };
+	sa.sa_handler = on_signal;
+	sigemptyset(&sa.sa_mask);
+	if (sigaction(SIGINT,  &sa, NULL) < 0 ||
+	    sigaction(SIGTERM, &sa, NULL) < 0) {
+		log_err("sigaction: %s", strerror(errno));
+		return -1;
+	}
+	return 0;
+}
+
+static int cmd_parse(struct ffmpeg_loader *fm, int argc, char **argv)
+{
+	if (argc < 1) {
+		fprintf(stderr, "usage: parse <path-to-media-file>\n");
+		return 2;
+	}
+	int rc = daedalus_parse_file(fm, argv[0]);
+	return rc < 0 ? 1 : 0;
+}
+
+static void usage(const char *progname)
+{
+	fprintf(stderr,
+		"usage: %s <command> [args]\n\n"
+		"commands:\n"
+		"  parse <file>     Phase 8.3: demux+enumerate frames\n"
+		"\n"
+		"options:\n"
+		"  -v, --verbose    enable debug logging\n"
+		"  -h, --help       this message\n",
+		progname);
+}
+
+int main(int argc, char **argv)
+{
+	int verbose = 0;
+	int i;
+
+	for (i = 1; i < argc; i++) {
+		if (strcmp(argv[i], "-v") == 0 ||
+		    strcmp(argv[i], "--verbose") == 0)
+			verbose = 1;
+		else if (strcmp(argv[i], "-h") == 0 ||
+			 strcmp(argv[i], "--help") == 0) {
+			usage(argv[0]);
+			return 0;
+		} else {
+			break;	/* first non-option = command */
+		}
+	}
+	if (i >= argc) {
+		usage(argv[0]);
+		return 2;
+	}
+
+	log_init(verbose ? LOG_DEBUG : LOG_INFO);
+	if (install_signal_handlers() < 0)
+		return 1;
+
+	struct ffmpeg_loader fm;
+	if (ffmpeg_loader_init(&fm) < 0) {
+		log_err("ffmpeg_loader_init failed");
+		return 1;
+	}
+	/* Mute FFmpeg's own chattiness unless the user asked. */
+	fm.av_log_set_level(verbose ? AV_LOG_INFO : AV_LOG_WARNING);
+
+	int rc;
+	const char *cmd = argv[i++];
+	if (strcmp(cmd, "parse") == 0) {
+		rc = cmd_parse(&fm, argc - i, argv + i);
+	} else {
+		fprintf(stderr, "unknown command: %s\n", cmd);
+		usage(argv[0]);
+		rc = 2;
+	}
+
+	ffmpeg_loader_cleanup(&fm);
+	log_cleanup();
+	return rc;
+}
diff --git a/daemon/src/parser.c b/daemon/src/parser.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b815462
--- /dev/null
+++ b/daemon/src/parser.c
@@ -0,0 +1,112 @@
+/* SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-2-Clause */
+/*
+ * parser.c — Phase 8.3 parse-path tool.
+ *
+ * Opens a media file via FFmpeg's avformat demuxer (dlopen'd
+ * by ffmpeg_loader), finds the first video stream, and logs
+ * per-frame metadata (size, pts, dts, flags) without decoding.
+ *
+ * Run:
+ *   daedalus_v4l2_daemon parse /path/to/sample.ivf
+ *
+ * For Phase 8.3 acceptance: parses any container FFmpeg
+ * supports; logs frame counts + per-codec confirmation.
+ * Block-level metadata extraction (the actual per-block QPU
+ * dispatch info) is Phase 8.4 work.
+ */
+#include "parser.h"
+#include "ffmpeg_loader.h"
+#include "log.h"
+
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <errno.h>
+
+#include <libavformat/avformat.h>
+#include <libavcodec/avcodec.h>
+#include <libavutil/avutil.h>
+
+/* AVERROR_EOF without dragging the macro from FFmpeg's averror.h. */
+#ifndef AVERROR_EOF
+#define AVERROR_EOF (-('E' | ('O' << 8) | ('F' << 16) | (' ' << 24)))
+#endif
+
+int daedalus_parse_file(struct ffmpeg_loader *fm, const char *path)
+{
+	AVFormatContext *fmt_ctx = NULL;
+	const AVCodec *codec = NULL;
+	AVPacket *pkt = NULL;
+	int video_stream = -1;
+	int ret;
+
+	fmt_ctx = fm->avformat_alloc_context();
+	if (!fmt_ctx) {
+		log_err("avformat_alloc_context returned NULL");
+		return -ENOMEM;
+	}
+
+	ret = fm->avformat_open_input(&fmt_ctx, path, NULL, NULL);
+	if (ret < 0) {
+		log_err("avformat_open_input(%s): code %d", path, ret);
+		return -EIO;
+	}
+
+	ret = fm->avformat_find_stream_info(fmt_ctx, NULL);
+	if (ret < 0) {
+		log_err("avformat_find_stream_info: code %d", ret);
+		fm->avformat_close_input(&fmt_ctx);
+		return -EIO;
+	}
+
+	video_stream = fm->av_find_best_stream(fmt_ctx, AVMEDIA_TYPE_VIDEO,
+					       -1, -1, &codec, 0);
+	if (video_stream < 0) {
+		log_err("no video stream found in %s", path);
+		fm->avformat_close_input(&fmt_ctx);
+		return -ENOENT;
+	}
+
+	{
+		AVStream *st = fmt_ctx->streams[video_stream];
+		log_info("video stream #%d: codec=%s (%s) %dx%d, %d/%d fps",
+			 video_stream,
+			 codec ? codec->name : "?",
+			 codec ? codec->long_name : "?",
+			 st->codecpar->width, st->codecpar->height,
+			 st->avg_frame_rate.num, st->avg_frame_rate.den);
+	}
+
+	pkt = fm->av_packet_alloc();
+	if (!pkt) {
+		log_err("av_packet_alloc returned NULL");
+		fm->avformat_close_input(&fmt_ctx);
+		return -ENOMEM;
+	}
+
+	int n_frames = 0, n_keyframes = 0;
+	size_t total_bytes = 0;
+	while ((ret = fm->av_read_frame(fmt_ctx, pkt)) >= 0) {
+		if (pkt->stream_index == video_stream) {
+			n_frames++;
+			total_bytes += pkt->size;
+			if (pkt->flags & AV_PKT_FLAG_KEY)
+				n_keyframes++;
+			log_debug("frame %d: size=%d pts=%lld dts=%lld flags=0x%x",
+				  n_frames, pkt->size,
+				  (long long) pkt->pts, (long long) pkt->dts,
+				  pkt->flags);
+		}
+		fm->av_packet_unref(pkt);
+	}
+
+	if (ret != AVERROR_EOF) {
+		log_warn("av_read_frame terminated abnormally (code %d)", ret);
+	}
+
+	log_info("parse complete: %d frames (%d key) total %zu bytes",
+		 n_frames, n_keyframes, total_bytes);
+
+	fm->av_packet_free(&pkt);
+	fm->avformat_close_input(&fmt_ctx);
+	return n_frames > 0 ? 0 : -ENODATA;
+}
diff --git a/daemon/src/parser.h b/daemon/src/parser.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a259d0d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/daemon/src/parser.h
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+/* SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-2-Clause */
+#ifndef DAEDALUS_V4L2_PARSER_H
+#define DAEDALUS_V4L2_PARSER_H
+
+struct ffmpeg_loader;
+
+/**
+ * daedalus_parse_file - demux + iterate frames in a media file
+ * @fm:   initialised FFmpeg loader
+ * @path: container file (.ivf, .mp4, .webm — anything FFmpeg
+ *        can demux)
+ *
+ * Returns 0 on success (parsed at least one video frame),
+ * negative errno on failure.  Phase 8.3 scope: per-frame
+ * metadata only; no decode; no block-level info.
+ */
+int daedalus_parse_file(struct ffmpeg_loader *fm, const char *path);
+
+#endif
diff --git a/docs/phase_8_3_closure.md b/docs/phase_8_3_closure.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..10c7e9e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/phase_8_3_closure.md
@@ -0,0 +1,131 @@
+# Phase 8.3 closure — daemon with FFmpeg dlopen + parse path
+
+**Status:** closed 2026-05-18.
+
+Userspace daemon scaffold that loads FFmpeg via `dlopen` at
+runtime (Option γ, per locked Phase 8 architecture), opens
+container files via libavformat, and iterates per-frame
+metadata.  No V4L2 / chardev / decode work yet — pure
+parse-path validation.
+
+## What lands
+
+- `daemon/CMakeLists.txt` — CMake build; pkg-config for FFmpeg
+  headers; `-Wall -Wextra -Wpedantic` clean.
+- `daemon/src/main.c` — entry point, signal handlers, command
+  dispatcher.  Currently exposes `parse <file>`.
+- `daemon/src/ffmpeg_loader.{c,h}` — runtime FFmpeg loader.
+  dlopens `libavformat.so.61`, `libavcodec.so.61`,
+  `libavutil.so.59`; resolves the 22 function pointers we use.
+- `daemon/src/parser.{c,h}` — demux loop using
+  `avformat_open_input` + `av_read_frame`; logs per-frame
+  metadata.
+- `daemon/src/log.{c,h}` — minimal logging facade
+  (stderr-only Phase 8.3; syslog/journal in Phase 8.5+).
+
+## Build
+
+```sh
+cd ~/src/daedalus-v4l2/daemon
+mkdir build && cd build
+cmake ..
+cmake --build .
+```
+
+Build dependencies (Debian Trixie):
+`libavformat-dev libavcodec-dev libavutil-dev`.  Runtime
+dependencies are just `ffmpeg` (or rather: any package shipping
+the `.so.61`/`.so.59` files).
+
+## Verification
+
+```
+$ ffmpeg -hide_banner -f lavfi -i testsrc=duration=2:size=320x240:rate=30 \
+        -c:v libvpx-vp9 -y /tmp/testsrc.ivf
+$ ls /tmp/testsrc.ivf
+-rw-rw-r-- 1 mfritsche mfritsche 18611 May 18 17:09 /tmp/testsrc.ivf
+
+$ ~/src/daedalus-v4l2/daemon/build/daedalus_v4l2_daemon parse /tmp/testsrc.ivf
+[2026-05-18 17:09:54 INFO] FFmpeg loaded: 7.1.3-0+deb13u1+rpt1 (libavformat 61.7.100)
+[2026-05-18 17:09:54 INFO] video stream #0: codec=vp9 (Google VP9) 320x240, 0/0 fps
+[2026-05-18 17:09:54 INFO] parse complete: 60 frames (1 key) total 17859 bytes
+```
+
+60-frame VP9 file demuxed correctly; keyframe count and byte
+total match expectations.  `-v` flag enables per-frame DEBUG
+logs (size/pts/dts/flags).
+
+### Error paths
+
+```
+$ daedalus_v4l2_daemon parse /tmp/does_not_exist
+[INFO] FFmpeg loaded: ...
+[ERR ] avformat_open_input(/tmp/does_not_exist): code -2
+
+$ daedalus_v4l2_daemon
+usage: daedalus_v4l2_daemon <command> [args]
+...
+```
+
+Clean error reporting; exits with non-zero code.
+
+## Design notes
+
+### Why dlopen instead of static or dynamic-link?
+
+- **No version lock**: the daemon binary works against any
+  FFmpeg `.so.61` even if the patch version differs from build
+  time.  Future FFmpeg updates on the host don't force daemon
+  rebuilds.
+- **No transitive license issues**: linking dynamically against
+  FFmpeg (LGPL-2.1+) is fine for our BSD-2-Clause daemon, but
+  dlopen makes it explicit and inspection-friendly.
+- **Optional**: callers that don't need parsing (e.g., a
+  pre-parsed-bitstream test mode) can skip `ffmpeg_loader_init`
+  entirely.
+
+### Headers vs runtime
+
+We `#include <libavformat/avformat.h>` etc. at compile time for
+the struct + enum definitions (so our function-pointer
+signatures are type-safe).  We do NOT link against FFmpeg —
+the only loader dependency is `-ldl`.
+
+### POSIX dlsym to function pointer
+
+The dlsym → function pointer assignment uses the POSIX-
+recommended `*(void **) &fn_ptr = dlsym(...)` form to avoid
+the ISO C "function pointer is not a void pointer" warning.
+POSIX.1-2017 dlsym(3p) Rationale explicitly endorses this
+pattern.
+
+## What's NOT here
+
+- **Per-block metadata**: Phase 8.3 only demuxes containers
+  and logs frame-level info.  Per-block VP9/H.264 metadata
+  (block positions, MVs, coefficients) is Phase 8.4 work and
+  requires either FFmpeg internal APIs or our own bitstream
+  parsing.
+- **V4L2 / chardev wiring**: the daemon doesn't yet open
+  `/dev/daedalus-v4l2`.  Phase 8.4 connects the parse output
+  to the chardev request/response loop.
+- **Daemon mode**: no fork / setsid / pid file / systemd unit
+  yet.  Phase 8.5+ adds those when the daemon needs to run as
+  a long-running service.
+
+## Phase 8.4 plan
+
+1. Open `/dev/daedalus-v4l2` chardev.
+2. Wait for REQ_DECODE messages from kernel.
+3. For each request:
+   - Feed the bitstream blob into FFmpeg's parse path.
+   - Get an `AVFrame` back (FFmpeg decodes on CPU initially).
+   - Send RESP_FRAME with the decoded frame back.
+4. Validate end-to-end via a userspace V4L2 client that pushes
+   a VP9 file at the kernel module and reads decoded frames.
+
+The QPU dispatch via `daedalus_dispatch_*` from the sibling
+daedalus-fourier kernel library lands in Phase 8.4 as well —
+once the FFmpeg-driven decoder is working with CPU paths, we
+can substitute QPU dispatch for the kernels that benefit
+(cycles 1, 2, 4).