diff --git a/tests/irdl/test_attr_declarative_assembly_format.py b/tests/irdl/test_attr_declarative_assembly_format.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..df548df5bd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/irdl/test_attr_declarative_assembly_format.py
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+"""Tests for the attribute/type declarative assembly format plumbing.
+
+These tests drive ``AttrFormatProgram`` directly. At this stage only the empty
+format is supported; concrete directives are added in later commits.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from io import StringIO
+
+import pytest
+
+from xdsl.context import Context
+from xdsl.ir import Attribute, ParametrizedAttribute, TypeAttribute
+from xdsl.irdl import irdl_attr_definition
+from xdsl.irdl.declarative_assembly_format import AttrFormatProgram
+from xdsl.parser import Parser
+from xdsl.printer import Printer
+from xdsl.utils.exceptions import ParseError
+
+
+@irdl_attr_definition
+class EmptyType(ParametrizedAttribute, TypeAttribute):
+    name = "test_af.empty"
+
+
+def _program(format_str: str) -> AttrFormatProgram:
+    return AttrFormatProgram.from_str(format_str, EmptyType.get_irdl_definition())
+
+
+def _print(format_str: str) -> str:
+    output = StringIO()
+    _program(format_str).print(Printer(stream=output), EmptyType())
+    return output.getvalue()
+
+
+def _parse(format_str: str, body: str) -> list[Attribute]:
+    parser = Parser(Context(allow_unregistered=True), body)
+    return _program(format_str).parse(parser, EmptyType.get_irdl_definition())
+
+
+def test_empty_format_produces_empty_program():
+    assert _program("").stmts == ()
+
+
+def test_empty_format_prints_and_parses_nothing():
+    assert _print("") == ""
+    assert _parse("", "") == []
+
+
+def test_parse_attribute_end_to_end():
+    ctx = Context()
+    ctx.load_attr_or_type(EmptyType)
+    assert Parser(ctx, "!test_af.empty").parse_type() == EmptyType()
+
+
+def test_error_unexpected_token():
+    with pytest.raises(ParseError, match="unexpected token"):
+        _program("$foo")
diff --git a/xdsl/irdl/declarative_assembly_format.py b/xdsl/irdl/declarative_assembly_format.py
index 72bd0781b3..e45cc00917 100644
--- a/xdsl/irdl/declarative_assembly_format.py
+++ b/xdsl/irdl/declarative_assembly_format.py
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@
     IRDLOperationInvT,
     OpDef,
     OptionalDef,
+    ParamAttrDef,
     Successor,
     VarIRConstruct,
     VarOperand,
@@ -44,7 +45,7 @@
     is_const_classvar,
     verify_variadic_same_size,
 )
-from xdsl.parser import Parser, UnresolvedOperand
+from xdsl.parser import AttrParser, Parser, UnresolvedOperand
 from xdsl.printer import Printer
 from xdsl.utils.exceptions import PyRDLError, VerifyException
 from xdsl.utils.hints import isa
@@ -1486,3 +1487,82 @@ def set_empty(self, state: ParsingState) -> None:
             element.set_empty(state)
         for element in self.else_elements:
             element.set_empty(state)
+
+
+# ===========================================================================
+# Attribute/Type declarative assembly format
+# ===========================================================================
+
+
+@dataclass
+class AttrParsingState:
+    """
+    State during parsing of a ParametrizedAttribute using declarative format.
+    """
+
+    parameters: list[Attribute | None]
+    attr_def: ParamAttrDef
+
+    def __init__(self, attr_def: ParamAttrDef):
+        self.attr_def = attr_def
+        self.parameters = [None] * len(attr_def.parameters)
+
+
+@dataclass(frozen=True)
+class AttrFormatDirective(ABC):
+    """
+    Base class for attribute/type format directives.
+
+    Separate from FormatDirective because operation formats parse full ops
+    (operands, results, regions, etc.) using Parser and ParsingState, while
+    attribute/type formats only fill parameter slots of a ParametrizedAttribute
+    using AttrParser and AttrParsingState.
+    """
+
+    @abstractmethod
+    def parse(self, parser: AttrParser, state: AttrParsingState) -> bool:
+        """
+        Parse the directive, returning True if input was consumed.
+        """
+
+    @abstractmethod
+    def print(
+        self, printer: Printer, state: PrintingState, attr: ParametrizedAttribute, /
+    ) -> None:
+        """
+        Print the directive.
+        """
+
+
+@dataclass(frozen=True)
+class AttrFormatProgram:
+    """
+    The toplevel data structure of a declarative assembly format program
+    for attributes/types.
+    """
+
+    stmts: tuple[AttrFormatDirective, ...]
+    """
+    The statements composing the program. They are executed in order.
+    """
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def from_str(format_str: str, attr_def: ParamAttrDef) -> AttrFormatProgram:
+        from xdsl.irdl.declarative_assembly_format_parser import AttrFormatParser
+
+        return AttrFormatParser(format_str, attr_def).parse_format()
+
+    def parse(self, parser: AttrParser, attr_def: ParamAttrDef) -> list[Attribute]:
+        """
+        Return the parsed parameter values.
+
+        Only the empty format is supported at this stage, so there are no
+        directives to run yet; IRDL constraint verification runs when the
+        attribute is constructed, not during this parse step.
+        """
+        assert not self.stmts
+        state = AttrParsingState(attr_def)
+        return cast(list[Attribute], state.parameters)
+
+    def print(self, printer: Printer, attr: ParametrizedAttribute) -> None:
+        assert not self.stmts
diff --git a/xdsl/irdl/declarative_assembly_format_parser.py b/xdsl/irdl/declarative_assembly_format_parser.py
index b67b1a26b1..71576e82ab 100644
--- a/xdsl/irdl/declarative_assembly_format_parser.py
+++ b/xdsl/irdl/declarative_assembly_format_parser.py
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@
     OptSingleBlockRegionDef,
     OptSuccessorDef,
     ParamAttrConstraint,
+    ParamAttrDef,
     ParsePropInAttrDict,
     SameVariadicOperandSize,
     SameVariadicResultSize,
@@ -45,6 +46,8 @@
 )
 from xdsl.irdl.declarative_assembly_format import (
     AttrDictDirective,
+    AttrFormatDirective,
+    AttrFormatProgram,
     AttributeVariable,
     DenseArrayAttributeVariable,
     Directive,
@@ -900,3 +903,23 @@ def create_results_directive(self, inside_ref: bool) -> ResultsDirective:
         if not inside_ref:
             self.seen_result_types = [True] * len(self.seen_result_types)
         return ResultsDirective()
+
+
+@dataclass(init=False)
+class AttrFormatParser(BaseParser):
+    """Parser for attribute/type declarative assembly format strings."""
+
+    attr_def: ParamAttrDef
+
+    def __init__(self, input_str: str, attr_def: ParamAttrDef):
+        super().__init__(ParserState(FormatLexer(Input(input_str, "<attr-format>"))))
+        self.attr_def = attr_def
+
+    def parse_format(self) -> AttrFormatProgram:
+        elements: list[AttrFormatDirective] = []
+        while self._current_token.kind != MLIRTokenKind.EOF:
+            elements.append(self.parse_format_directive())
+        return AttrFormatProgram(tuple(elements))
+
+    def parse_format_directive(self) -> AttrFormatDirective:
+        self.raise_error(f"unexpected token '{self._current_token.text}'")