diff --git a/WhiteMagic/Assembly/IAssembler.cs b/WhiteMagic/Assembly/IAssembler.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..321c4d8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/WhiteMagic/Assembly/IAssembler.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+namespace WhiteMagic.Assembly;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Abstraction over an x86/x64 assembler. The default <see cref="StubAssembler"/>
+/// hand-emits calling-convention trampolines (no parsing, zero dep). An optional
+/// <see cref="IcedAssembler"/> (Phase 8) handles arbitrary mnemonics via the Iced
+/// library.
+/// </summary>
+public interface IAssembler
+{
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Assembles text mnemonics into machine code.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <param name="assemblyText">The assembly text (Intel syntax).</param>
+    /// <param name="origin">The base address for relative encodings.</param>
+    byte[] Assemble(string assemblyText, ulong origin = 0);
+}
diff --git a/WhiteMagic/Assembly/StubAssembler.cs b/WhiteMagic/Assembly/StubAssembler.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2d24a59
--- /dev/null
+++ b/WhiteMagic/Assembly/StubAssembler.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+namespace WhiteMagic.Assembly;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// The default <see cref="IAssembler"/> backend. Hand-emits calling-convention
+/// trampolines and injection stubs using deterministic byte emitters
+/// (<see cref="EmitU8"/>, <see cref="EmitU32"/>, <see cref="EmitU64"/>). Has
+/// no native or third-party dependency — no FASM, no Iced.
+/// </summary>
+/// <remarks>
+/// <see cref="Assemble"/> is not supported by this backend (it is a parse-free
+/// emitter, not a text assembler). Use <see cref="IcedAssembler"/> (Phase 8) for
+/// arbitrary mnemonics.
+/// </remarks>
+public class StubAssembler : IAssembler
+{
+    /// <inheritdoc />
+    /// <exception cref="NotSupportedException">Always thrown. StubAssembler does
+    /// not parse text assembly; use IcedAssembler for that.</exception>
+    public byte[] Assemble(string assemblyText, ulong origin = 0)
+    {
+        throw new NotSupportedException(
+            "StubAssembler does not parse text assembly. " +
+            "Use IcedAssembler (Phase 8) for arbitrary mnemonics.");
+    }
+
+    // ── Emit primitives ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+    /// <summary>Appends a single byte to <paramref name="buffer"/>.</summary>
+    public void EmitU8(List<byte> buffer, byte value)
+    {
+        buffer.Add(value);
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>Appends <paramref name="value"/> as 4 little-endian bytes.</summary>
+    public void EmitU32(List<byte> buffer, uint value)
+    {
+        buffer.Add((byte)value);
+        buffer.Add((byte)(value >> 8));
+        buffer.Add((byte)(value >> 16));
+        buffer.Add((byte)(value >> 24));
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>Appends <paramref name="value"/> as 8 little-endian bytes.</summary>
+    public void EmitU64(List<byte> buffer, ulong value)
+    {
+        EmitU32(buffer, (uint)value);
+        EmitU32(buffer, (uint)(value >> 32));
+    }
+}
diff --git a/WhiteMagicTest/StubAssemblerTests.cs b/WhiteMagicTest/StubAssemblerTests.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e004a53
--- /dev/null
+++ b/WhiteMagicTest/StubAssemblerTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+using WhiteMagic.Assembly;
+
+namespace WhiteMagicTest;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Tests for <see cref="StubAssembler"/> emit primitives (<see cref="StubAssembler.EmitU8"/>,
+/// <see cref="StubAssembler.EmitU32"/>, <see cref="StubAssembler.EmitU64"/>) and the
+/// <see cref="IAssembler"/> interface contract.
+/// </summary>
+public class StubAssemblerTests
+{
+    private static StubAssembler Create() => new();
+
+    // ── Emit primitives ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void EmitU8_appends_a_single_byte()
+    {
+        var sut = Create();
+        var buffer = new List<byte>();
+        sut.EmitU8(buffer, 0xAB);
+        Assert.Equal([0xAB], buffer);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void EmitU32_appends_little_endian()
+    {
+        var sut = Create();
+        var buffer = new List<byte>();
+        sut.EmitU32(buffer, 0x11223344);
+        Assert.Equal([0x44, 0x33, 0x22, 0x11], buffer);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void EmitU32_appends_zero()
+    {
+        var sut = Create();
+        var buffer = new List<byte>();
+        sut.EmitU32(buffer, 0);
+        Assert.Equal([0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00], buffer);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void EmitU64_appends_little_endian()
+    {
+        var sut = Create();
+        var buffer = new List<byte>();
+        sut.EmitU64(buffer, 0x1122334455667788);
+        byte[] expected = [0x88, 0x77, 0x66, 0x55, 0x44, 0x33, 0x22, 0x11];
+        Assert.Equal(expected, buffer);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void EmitU64_appends_high_bits()
+    {
+        var sut = Create();
+        var buffer = new List<byte>();
+        sut.EmitU64(buffer, 0xDEADBEEF_CAFEBABE);
+        byte[] expected = [0xBE, 0xBA, 0xFE, 0xCA, 0xEF, 0xBE, 0xAD, 0xDE];
+        Assert.Equal(expected, buffer);
+    }
+
+    // ── IAssembler interface ───────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void StubAssembler_is_an_IAssembler()
+    {
+        var sut = Create();
+        Assert.IsAssignableFrom<IAssembler>(sut);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void Assemble_from_StubAssembler_throws_NotSupported()
+    {
+        var sut = Create();
+        Assert.Throws<NotSupportedException>(() => sut.Assemble("nop", 0));
+    }
+}