diff --git a/evaluate.ts b/evaluate.ts
index 16eeac2..5ac12b3 100644
--- a/evaluate.ts
+++ b/evaluate.ts
@@ -85,7 +85,32 @@ export function createYSEnv(parent = global): PSEnv {
       } else if (value.type === "map") {
         let entries: [PSMapKey, PSValue][] = [];
         for (let [k, v] of value.value.entries()) {
-          entries.push([k, yield* env.eval(v)]);
+          let target = yield* env.eval(v);
+          if (k.type === "string" && !k.quote && k.value == "<<") {
+            if (target.type === "map") {
+              for (let [subkey, subvalue] of target.value.entries()) {
+                entries.push([subkey, subvalue]);
+              }
+            } else if (target.type === "list") {
+              for (let item of target.value) {
+                if (item.type === "map") {
+                  for (let [subkey, subvalue] of item.value.entries()) {
+                    entries.push([subkey, subvalue]);
+                  }
+                } else {
+                  throw new Error(
+                    `merge key value must be either a map, or a sequence of maps`,
+                  );
+                }
+              }
+            } else {
+              throw new Error(
+                `merge key value must be either a map, or a sequence of maps`,
+              );
+            }
+          } else {
+            entries.push([k, target]);
+          }
         }
         return { type: "map", value: new Map(entries) };
       } else if (value.type === "list") {
diff --git a/test/merge-key.test.ts b/test/merge-key.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1b92631
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/merge-key.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "./suite.ts";
+
+import * as ps from "../mod.ts";
+import { lookup$ } from "../psmap.ts";
+
+// https://yaml.org/type/merge.html
+
+describe("merge keys", () => {
+  it("mix in all the properties of a map", async () => {
+    let interp = ps.createPlatformScript();
+    let program = ps.parse(`
+<<:
+  one: 1
+  two: 2
+`);
+    let map = await interp.eval(program) as ps.PSMap;
+    expect(lookup$("one", map)).toEqual(ps.number(1));
+    expect(lookup$("two", map)).toEqual(ps.number(2));
+  });
+  it("mix in all the maps in a seq", async () => {
+    let interp = ps.createPlatformScript();
+    let program = ps.parse(`
+<<:
+  -
+    one: 1
+    two: 2
+  -
+    three: 3
+    four: 4
+`);
+    let map = await interp.eval(program) as ps.PSMap;
+    expect(lookup$("one", map)).toEqual(ps.number(1));
+    expect(lookup$("two", map)).toEqual(ps.number(2));
+    expect(lookup$("three", map)).toEqual(ps.number(3));
+    expect(lookup$("four", map)).toEqual(ps.number(4));
+  });
+  it("throw an error if the mapping points to a non-collection", async () => {
+    // TODO: this is a type error when we implement type system.
+    let program = ps.parse(`<<: not a map`);
+    let interp = ps.createPlatformScript();
+    try {
+      await interp.eval(program);
+      throw new Error(
+        "expected mapping a non-collection to fail, but it did not",
+      );
+    } catch (error) {
+      expect(error.message).toMatch(/merge key/);
+    }
+  });
+  it("can invoke a function", async () => {
+    let program = ps.parse(`
+$let:
+  id(x): $x
+$do: {<<: { $id: { hello: world } } }
+`);
+    let interp = ps.createPlatformScript();
+    let map = await interp.eval(program) as ps.PSMap;
+    expect(lookup$("hello", map)).toEqual(ps.string("world"));
+  });
+});