diff --git a/generate/generate.go b/generate/generate.go
index 7919219..3fd2a73 100644
--- a/generate/generate.go
+++ b/generate/generate.go
@@ -34,6 +34,19 @@ type Message interface {
 	// Method returns the method code of the message.
 	Method() uint16
 }
+
+// canAssign determines if data from the given source tag can be assigned to
+// a Go type represented by destination. It is designed to receive destination
+// values from [generate.Generator.generateCanAssign]. The eventual Go type and
+// the destination tag must come from the same (or hash-equivalent) PDL type.
+func canAssign(destination, source tape.Tag) bool {
+	if destination.Is(source) { return true }
+	if (destination == tape.SBA || destination == tape.LBA) &&
+		(source == tape.SBA || source == tape.LBA) {
+		return true
+	}
+	return false
+}
 `
 
 // Generator converts protocols into Go code.
@@ -585,6 +598,7 @@ func (this *Generator) generateDecodeBranch(hash [16]byte, typ Type) (n int, err
 				nn, err = this.iprintf("for _ = range %s {\n", lengthVar)
 				n += nn; if err != nil { return n, err }
 				this.push()
+					// FIXME: wrong tag var
 					nn, err = this.iprintf("nn, err = tape.Skim(decoder, tag)")
 					n += nn; if err != nil { return n, err }
 					nn, err = this.generateErrorCheck()
@@ -597,6 +611,12 @@ func (this *Generator) generateDecodeBranch(hash [16]byte, typ Type) (n int, err
 				return n, nil
 			}
 
+			// FIXME: the tag is validated improperly, the result of
+			// generateTag means basically nothing here because
+			// there is no data in the destination, we need another
+			// function that checks if a tag can be assigned to a
+			// PDL type
+	
 			// validate header
 			// TODO: here, validate that length is less than the
 			// max, whatever that is configured to be. the reason we
@@ -632,7 +652,102 @@ func (this *Generator) generateDecodeBranch(hash [16]byte, typ Type) (n int, err
 			n += nn; if err != nil { return n, err }
 		case TypeTableDefined:
 			// KTV: <length: UN> (<key: U16> <tag: Tag> <value>)*
-			// TODO
+			// read header
+			lengthVar := this.newTemporaryVar("length")
+			nn, err := this.iprintf("var %s uint64\n", lengthVar)
+			n += nn; if err != nil { return n, err }
+			nn, err = this.iprintf("%s, nn, err = decoder.ReadUintN(int(tag.CN()))\n", lengthVar)
+			n += nn; if err != nil { return n, err }
+			nn, err = this.generateErrorCheck()
+			n += nn; if err != nil { return n, err }
+			indexVar := this.newTemporaryVar("index")
+			nn, err = this.iprintf("%s := 0\n", indexVar)
+			n += nn; if err != nil { return n, err }
+			
+			// validate header
+			// TODO: here, validate that length is less than the
+			// max, whatever that is configured to be. if not, stop
+			// ALL decoding. skimming huge big ass data could cause
+			// problems
+
+			// read fields
+			nn, err = this.iprintf("for index = range %s {\n", lengthVar)
+			n += nn; if err != nil { return n, err }
+			this.push()
+				// read field header
+				fieldKeyVar := this.newTemporaryVar("fieldKey")
+				nn, err = this.iprintf("var %s uint16\n", fieldKeyVar)
+				n += nn; if err != nil { return n, err }
+				nn, err = this.iprintf("%s, nn, err = decoder.ReadUint16()\n", fieldKeyVar)
+				n += nn; if err != nil { return n, err }
+				nn, err = this.generateErrorCheck()
+				n += nn; if err != nil { return n, err }
+				fieldTagVar := this.newTemporaryVar("fieldTag")
+				nn, err = this.iprintf("var %s tape.Tag\n", fieldTagVar)
+				n += nn; if err != nil { return n, err }
+				nn, err = this.iprintf("%s, nn, err = decoder.ReadTag()\n", fieldTagVar)
+				n += nn; if err != nil { return n, err }
+				nn, err = this.generateErrorCheck()
+				n += nn; if err != nil { return n, err }
+
+				// abort field macro
+				abortField := func() (n int, err error) {
+					nn, err = this.iprintf("tape.Skim(decoder, %s)", fieldTagVar)
+					n += nn; if err != nil { return n, err }
+					nn, err = this.iprintf("continue")
+					n += nn; if err != nil { return n, err }
+					return n, nil
+				}
+
+				// switch on tag
+				nn, err = this.iprintf("switch %s {\n", fieldTagVar)
+				n += nn; if err != nil { return n, err }
+				this.push()
+				for _, key := range slices.Sorted(maps.Keys(typ.Fields)) {
+					field := typ.Fields[key]
+					nn, err = this.iprintf("case %s:\n", fieldTagVar)
+					n += nn; if err != nil { return n, err }
+					this.push()
+
+					// validate field header
+					nn, err = this.iprintf("if !(")
+					n += nn; if err != nil { return n, err }
+					nn, err = this.generateCanAssign(field.Type, fieldTagVar)
+					n += nn; if err != nil { return n, err }
+					nn, err = this.printf(") {\n")
+					n += nn; if err != nil { return n, err }
+					this.push()
+						nn, err = abortField()
+						n += nn; if err != nil { return n, err }
+					this.pop()
+					nn, err = this.iprintf("}\n")
+					n += nn; if err != nil { return n, err }
+
+					// decode payload
+					nn, err = this.generateDecodeValue(field.Type, fmt.Sprintf("&(this.%s)", field.Name), fieldTagVar)
+					n += nn; if err != nil { return n, err }
+					this.pop()
+				}					
+				nn, err = this.iprintf("default:\n")
+				n += nn; if err != nil { return n, err }
+				this.push()
+					abortField()
+				this.pop()
+				nn, err = this.iprintf("}\n")
+				n += nn; if err != nil { return n, err }
+			this.pop()
+			nn, err = this.iprintf("}\n")
+			n += nn; if err != nil { return n, err }
+			
+			// TODO once options are implemented, have a set of
+			// bools for each non-optional field, and check here
+			// that they are all true. a counter will not work
+			// because if someone specifies a non-optional field
+			// twice, they can neglect to specify another
+			// non-optional field and we won't even know because the
+			// count will still be even. we shouldn't use a map
+			// either because its an allocation and its way more
+			// memory than just, like 5 bools (on the stack no less)
 		default: return n, fmt.Errorf("unexpected type: %T", typ)
 		}
 
@@ -831,6 +946,19 @@ func (this *Generator) generateTypeTableDefined(typ TypeTableDefined) (n int, er
 	return n, nil
 }
 
+// generateCanAssign generates an expression which checks if the tag specified
+// by tagSource can be assigned to a Go destination generated from typ. The
+// generated code is INLINE.
+func (this *Generator) generateCanAssign(typ Type, tagSource string) (n int, err error) {
+	nn, err := this.printf("canAssign(")
+	n += nn; if err != nil { return n, err }
+	nn, err = this.generateTN(typ)
+	n += nn; if err != nil { return n, err }
+	nn, err = this.printf(", %s)", tagSource)
+	n += nn; if err != nil { return n, err }
+	return n, nil
+}
+
 func (this *Generator) validateIntBitSize(size int) error {
 	switch size {
 	case 5, 8, 16, 32, 64: return nil