diff --git a/src/nodely/engine/applicative.clj b/src/nodely/engine/applicative.clj
index 0c18820..0aafc47 100644
--- a/src/nodely/engine/applicative.clj
+++ b/src/nodely/engine/applicative.clj
@@ -90,6 +90,13 @@
     (app/fmap (partial async/put! chan) contextual-v)
     chan))
 
+(defn schedule
+  "schedule key k to be evaluated within env, returns lazy environment"
+  [env k opts]
+  (let [lazy-env (lazy-env/lazy-env env eval-in-context opts)
+        _ (get lazy-env k)]
+    lazy-env))
+
 (defn eval
   [env k opts]
   (let [lazy-env (lazy-env/lazy-env env eval-in-context opts)]
@@ -97,4 +104,4 @@
     (merge env
            (reduce (fn [acc [k v]] (assoc acc k (protocols/-extract v)))
                    {}
-                   (lazy-env/scheduled-nodes lazy-env)))))
\ No newline at end of file
+                   (lazy-env/scheduled-nodes lazy-env)))))
diff --git a/test/nodely/engine/applicative_test.clj b/test/nodely/engine/applicative_test.clj
index b308299..7339d53 100644
--- a/test/nodely/engine/applicative_test.clj
+++ b/test/nodely/engine/applicative_test.clj
@@ -289,3 +289,9 @@
     promesa/context     java.util.concurrent.CompletableFuture
     core-async/context  clojure.core.async.impl.channels.ManyToManyChannel
     synchronous/context nodely.engine.applicative.synchronous.Box))
+
+(deftest schedule
+  (let [lazy-env (applicative/schedule {:a (data/value 1)} :a {::applicative/context core-async/context})]
+    (is (= nodely.engine.lazy_env.LazySchedulingEnvironment  (type lazy-env)))
+    (is (= (data/value 1) (async/<!! (get lazy-env :a))))))
+