diff --git a/SessionZero.sln b/SessionZero.sln
index a8146a5..d56de21 100644
--- a/SessionZero.sln
+++ b/SessionZero.sln
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ Project("{FAE04EC0-301F-11D3-BF4B-00C04F79EFBC}") = "SessionZero.Client", "src\S
 EndProject
 Project("{FAE04EC0-301F-11D3-BF4B-00C04F79EFBC}") = "SessionZero.Server", "src\SessionZero.Server\SessionZero.Server.csproj", "{54824F5A-0499-4BC9-AC8E-88E943C66256}"
 EndProject
+Project("{FAE04EC0-301F-11D3-BF4B-00C04F79EFBC}") = "szpack", "tools\szpack\szpack.csproj", "{70FDB950-CAE6-4C38-A476-3FC10BFCF6E6}"
+EndProject
 Global
 	GlobalSection(SolutionConfigurationPlatforms) = preSolution
 		Debug|Any CPU = Debug|Any CPU
@@ -24,5 +26,9 @@ Global
 		{54824F5A-0499-4BC9-AC8E-88E943C66256}.Debug|Any CPU.Build.0 = Debug|Any CPU
 		{54824F5A-0499-4BC9-AC8E-88E943C66256}.Release|Any CPU.ActiveCfg = Release|Any CPU
 		{54824F5A-0499-4BC9-AC8E-88E943C66256}.Release|Any CPU.Build.0 = Release|Any CPU
+		{70FDB950-CAE6-4C38-A476-3FC10BFCF6E6}.Debug|Any CPU.ActiveCfg = Debug|Any CPU
+		{70FDB950-CAE6-4C38-A476-3FC10BFCF6E6}.Debug|Any CPU.Build.0 = Debug|Any CPU
+		{70FDB950-CAE6-4C38-A476-3FC10BFCF6E6}.Release|Any CPU.ActiveCfg = Release|Any CPU
+		{70FDB950-CAE6-4C38-A476-3FC10BFCF6E6}.Release|Any CPU.Build.0 = Release|Any CPU
 	EndGlobalSection
 EndGlobal
diff --git a/src/SessionZero.Shared/Services/DatapackService.cs b/src/SessionZero.Shared/Services/DatapackService.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b657d63
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/SessionZero.Shared/Services/DatapackService.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,172 @@
+using System.Text.Json;
+using SessionZero.Shared.Models;
+using System.IO;
+using System.Threading.Tasks;
+using System;
+using System.Collections.Generic;
+using System.IO.Compression;
+
+namespace SessionZero.Shared.Services;
+
+public static class DatapackService
+{
+    private static readonly JsonSerializerOptions JsonOptions = new()
+    {
+        WriteIndented = true,
+        PropertyNamingPolicy = JsonNamingPolicy.CamelCase
+    };
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Creates a new Datapack model with required metadata.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <param name="name">The display name of the datapack.</param>
+    /// <param name="version">The initial version string (e.g., "1.0.0").</param>
+    /// <param name="author">The pack creator's name.</param>
+    /// <param name="license">The license (e.g., "CC-BY-SA-4.0").</param>
+    /// <returns>A fully initialized Datapack model.</returns>
+    public static Datapack CreateEmptyDatapack(string name, string version, string author, string license)
+    {
+        return new Datapack
+        {
+            Id = Guid.NewGuid(),
+            Name = name,
+            Version = version,
+            Author = author,
+            License = license,
+            Description = String.Empty,
+            CreatedAt = DateTime.UtcNow,
+            SessionZeroVersion = "0.0.1", 
+            Dependencies = new()
+        };
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Serializes a Datapack model and saves it to a file named 'szpack.json'
+    /// inside a new subdirectory named after the datapack's slug.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <param name="datapack">The Datapack object to save.</param>
+    /// <param name="parentDirectoryPath">The directory where the new datapack folder will be created.</param>
+    /// <returns>The full path to the created szpack.json file.</returns>
+    public static async Task<string> SaveDatapackMetadataAsync(Datapack datapack, string parentDirectoryPath)
+    {
+        var packDirectoryName = datapack.Name.ToLower().Replace(' ', '-').Trim();
+        var packRootDirectory = Path.Combine(parentDirectoryPath, packDirectoryName);
+
+        Directory.CreateDirectory(packRootDirectory);
+        
+        var filePath = Path.Combine(packRootDirectory, "szpack.json");
+        
+        var jsonString = JsonSerializer.Serialize(datapack, JsonOptions);
+        await File.WriteAllTextAsync(filePath, jsonString);
+        
+        return filePath;
+    }
+    
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Serializes an SzObject (Dataset, Template, etc.) and saves it to a file.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <typeparam name="T">The type of the object, must inherit from SzObject.</typeparam>
+    /// <param name="szObject">The object to save.</param>
+    /// <param name="directoryPath">The specific subdirectory (e.g., 'datasets') within the datapack root.</param>
+    /// <returns>The full path to the created JSON file.</returns>
+    public static async Task<string> SaveSzObjectAsync<T>(T szObject, string directoryPath) where T : SzObject
+    {
+        Directory.CreateDirectory(directoryPath);
+        
+        var fileName = $"{szObject.Id}.json"; 
+        var filePath = Path.Combine(directoryPath, fileName);
+        var jsonString = JsonSerializer.Serialize(szObject, JsonOptions);
+        await File.WriteAllTextAsync(filePath, jsonString);
+        
+        return filePath;
+    }
+    
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Defines and creates the standard directory structure for a SessionZero datapack.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <param name="rootPath">The root directory path of the new datapack.</param>
+    /// <returns>A dictionary containing the standard folder names and their absolute paths.</returns>
+    public static Dictionary<string, string> CreateDatapackDirectoryStructure(string rootPath)
+    {
+        var structure = new Dictionary<string, string>
+        {
+            { "datasets", Path.Combine(rootPath, "datasets") },
+            { "character_templates", Path.Combine(rootPath, "characters") },
+            { "session_templates", Path.Combine(rootPath, "sessions") },
+            { "media", Path.Combine(rootPath, "media") },
+            { "images", Path.Combine(rootPath, "media", "images") }
+        };
+        
+        foreach (var path in structure.Values)
+        {
+            Directory.CreateDirectory(path);
+        }
+
+        return structure;
+    }
+    
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Compresses a datapack directory into a .szpack zip archive.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <param name="sourceDirectoryPath">The path to the datapack's root directory.</param>
+    /// <param name="outputFilePath">The full path and filename for the output .szpack file.</param>
+    public static void PackDatapack(string sourceDirectoryPath, string outputFilePath)
+    {
+        if (!Directory.Exists(sourceDirectoryPath))
+        {
+            throw new DirectoryNotFoundException($"Source directory not found: {sourceDirectoryPath}");
+        }
+
+        if (File.Exists(outputFilePath))
+        {
+            File.Delete(outputFilePath);
+        }
+
+        ZipFile.CreateFromDirectory(sourceDirectoryPath, outputFilePath);
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Extracts a .szpack zip archive into a target directory.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <param name="sourceFilePath">The path to the .szpack file.</param>
+    /// <param name="destinationDirectoryPath">The directory where the contents will be extracted.</param>
+    public static void UnpackDatapack(string sourceFilePath, string destinationDirectoryPath)
+    {
+        if (!File.Exists(sourceFilePath))
+        {
+            throw new FileNotFoundException($"Datapack file not found: {sourceFilePath}");
+        }
+
+        Directory.CreateDirectory(destinationDirectoryPath);
+
+        ZipFile.ExtractToDirectory(sourceFilePath, destinationDirectoryPath, overwriteFiles: true);
+    }
+    
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Deserializes and loads the core Datapack metadata (szpack.json) from a directory.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <param name="datapackRootPath">The path to the datapack's root directory.</param>
+    /// <returns>A Datapack model containing the metadata.</returns>
+    /// <exception cref="FileNotFoundException">Thrown if szpack.json is not found.</exception>
+    /// <exception cref="JsonException">Thrown if deserialization fails.</exception>
+    public static async Task<Datapack> LoadDatapackMetadataAsync(string datapackRootPath)
+    {
+        var filePath = Path.Combine(datapackRootPath, "szpack.json");
+
+        if (!File.Exists(filePath))
+        {
+            throw new FileNotFoundException($"The required metadata file 'szpack.json' was not found in: {datapackRootPath}", filePath);
+        }
+        
+        var jsonString = await File.ReadAllTextAsync(filePath);
+        
+        var datapack = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<Datapack>(jsonString, JsonOptions);
+
+        if (datapack is null)
+        {
+            throw new JsonException($"Failed to deserialize szpack.json from {filePath}. The file may be corrupt or invalid.");
+        }
+        
+        return datapack;
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/SessionZero.Shared/Validation/DatapackValidator.cs b/src/SessionZero.Shared/Validation/DatapackValidator.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..828e9b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/SessionZero.Shared/Validation/DatapackValidator.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+using SessionZero.Shared.Models;
+
+namespace SessionZero.Shared.Validation;
+
+public static class DatapackValidator
+{
+    public static List<string> ValidateDatapack(Datapack datapack)
+    {
+        var errors = new List<string>();
+
+        if (datapack.Id == Guid.Empty) errors.Add("Datapack 'Id' is required and must not be an empty GUID.");
+        
+        ValidateRequiredString(errors, datapack.Name, nameof(datapack.Name));
+        ValidateRequiredString(errors, datapack.Version, nameof(datapack.Version));
+        ValidateRequiredString(errors, datapack.Author, nameof(datapack.Author));
+        ValidateRequiredString(errors, datapack.License, nameof(datapack.License));
+        ValidateRequiredString(errors, datapack.SessionZeroVersion, nameof(datapack.SessionZeroVersion));
+        
+        if (datapack.CreatedAt == DateTime.MinValue) errors.Add("Datapack 'CreatedAt' is required and must not be an empty DateTime.");
+        
+        return errors;
+    }
+    
+    public static List<string> ValidateSzObject(SzObject szObject)
+    {
+        var errors = new List<string>();
+        var objectName = szObject.Id;
+        
+        ValidateRequiredString(errors, szObject.Id, $"{objectName}'s Id");
+        ValidateRequiredString(errors, szObject.Name, $"{objectName}'s Name");
+        ValidateRequiredString(errors, szObject.SzType, $"{objectName}'s SzType");
+        ValidateRequiredString(errors, szObject.Version, $"{objectName}'s Version");
+        ValidateRequiredString(errors, szObject.SchemaVersion, $"{objectName}'s SchemaVersion");
+        
+        // 2. Validate Icon path format (optional/future: e.g., only allows alphanumeric + slashes + extension)
+        // For now, we'll only check if it's not null, which is done by the property definition in SzObject.
+        
+        return errors;
+    }
+
+    private static void ValidateRequiredString(List<string> errors, string? value, string fieldName)
+    {
+        if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(value)) errors.Add($"'{fieldName}' is required and must not be empty.");
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tools/szpack/CreateCommand.cs b/tools/szpack/CreateCommand.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6a1fd25
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/szpack/CreateCommand.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,107 @@
+/*
+ * WARNING:
+ * This tool was created by an LLM based on the SessionZero shared lib project, therefore it is subject to errors and does not reflect the architecture of the SessionZero project.
+ * It was created to be used as a quick and dirty validation tool for the szpack format.
+*/
+
+using SessionZero.Shared.Models;
+using SessionZero.Shared.Services;
+using Spectre.Console;
+using Spectre.Console.Cli;
+using System.ComponentModel;
+using System.Diagnostics.CodeAnalysis;
+
+namespace SessionZero.Tools.Packer;
+
+// Settings class defines the command-line arguments
+public class CreateSettings : CommandSettings
+{
+    [CommandArgument(0, "<name>")]
+    [Description("The display name of the datapack (e.g., 'My Fantasy Spells').")]
+    public required string Name { get; init; }
+
+    [CommandArgument(1, "[author]")]
+    [Description("The author's name.")]
+    [DefaultValue("Test Author")]
+    public string Author { get; init; } = "Test Author";
+
+    [CommandOption("-o|--output")]
+    [Description("The parent directory where the new pack folder will be created.")]
+    [DefaultValue(".")]
+    public string Output { get; init; } = Environment.CurrentDirectory;
+}
+
+public class CreateCommand : AsyncCommand<CreateSettings>
+{
+    public override async Task<int> ExecuteAsync([NotNull] CommandContext context, [NotNull] CreateSettings settings, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
+    {
+        AnsiConsole.MarkupLine($"\n[bold white on blue] --- Creating Datapack: '{settings.Name}' --- [/]");
+
+        try
+        {
+            // 1. Create the top-level model and save szpack.json
+            var newPack = DatapackService.CreateEmptyDatapack(settings.Name, "1.0.0", settings.Author, "MIT");
+            var szpackPath = await DatapackService.SaveDatapackMetadataAsync(newPack, settings.Output);
+            var packRootDirectory = Path.GetDirectoryName(szpackPath)!;
+            
+            AnsiConsole.MarkupLine($"[green]✅ Created metadata file at: {szpackPath}[/]");
+
+            // 2. Create the standard directory structure
+            var structure = DatapackService.CreateDatapackDirectoryStructure(packRootDirectory);
+            AnsiConsole.MarkupLine($"[green]✅ Created standard directories at: {packRootDirectory}[/]");
+            
+            // 3. Create and save test objects
+            await CreateTestObjects(packRootDirectory, structure);
+            
+            AnsiConsole.MarkupLine("\n[bold]Creation Complete![/] Use 'szpack pack' to compress it.");
+            return 0;
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex)
+        {
+            AnsiConsole.MarkupLine($"\n[bold white on red]❌ ERROR:[/] Failed to create datapack. Details: {ex.Message}");
+            return 1;
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Helper method for creating test objects (copied from previous Program.cs)
+    private static async Task CreateTestObjects(string rootPath, Dictionary<string, string> structure)
+    {
+        // ... (Test object creation logic remains the same, ensure you have the necessary usings in this file)
+        
+        // --- Test object creation logic (omitted for brevity, assume the previous logic is here) ---
+        var testDataset = new Dataset { /* ... test data ... */ Id = "basic-attributes", Name = "Basic Character Attributes", SzType = "Dataset", Version = "1.0.0", SchemaVersion = "1.0.0", DatasetType = "Attribute", Entries = new() };
+        var dsPath = await DatapackService.SaveSzObjectAsync(testDataset, structure["datasets"]);
+        AnsiConsole.MarkupLine($"  -> Saved Test Dataset: [yellow]{Path.GetFileName(dsPath)}[/]");
+
+        var testCharTemplate = new CharacterTemplate { /* ... test data ... */ Id = "default-char-sheet", Name = "Default Character Template", SzType = "Template", Version = "1.0.0", SchemaVersion = "1.0.0", Sections = new() };
+        var charPath = await DatapackService.SaveSzObjectAsync(testCharTemplate, structure["character_templates"]);
+        AnsiConsole.MarkupLine($"  -> Saved Test Character Template: [yellow]{Path.GetFileName(charPath)}[/]");
+
+        var testSessionTemplate = new SessionTemplate
+        {
+            /* ... test data ... */ Id = "basic-encounter",
+            Name = "Basic Encounter Template", 
+            SzType = "Template", 
+            Version = "1.0.0", 
+            SchemaVersion = "1.0.0", 
+            CharacterTemplateLink = new()
+            {
+                DatapackId = Guid.Empty,
+                TemplateId = testCharTemplate.Id,
+                Version = testCharTemplate.Version
+            }, 
+            RequiredDatasets = new()
+            {
+                new()
+                {
+                    DatapackId = Guid.Empty,
+                    DatasetId = testDataset.Id,
+                    Version = testDataset.Version
+                }
+            }, 
+            Sections = new()
+        };
+        var sessionPath = await DatapackService.SaveSzObjectAsync(testSessionTemplate, structure["session_templates"]);
+        AnsiConsole.MarkupLine($"  -> Saved Test Session Template: [yellow]{Path.GetFileName(sessionPath)}[/]");
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tools/szpack/PackCommand.cs b/tools/szpack/PackCommand.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7e6c411
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/szpack/PackCommand.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+/*
+ * WARNING:
+ * This tool was created by an LLM based on the SessionZero shared lib project, therefore it is subject to errors and does not reflect the architecture of the SessionZero project.
+ * It was created to be used as a quick and dirty validation tool for the szpack format.
+*/
+
+using SessionZero.Shared.Services;
+using Spectre.Console;
+using Spectre.Console.Cli;
+using System.ComponentModel;
+using System.Diagnostics.CodeAnalysis;
+
+namespace SessionZero.Tools.Packer;
+
+public class PackSettings : CommandSettings
+{
+    [CommandArgument(0, "<input>")]
+    [Description("The root directory of the datapack to pack.")]
+    public required string Input { get; init; }
+}
+
+public class PackCommand : Command<PackSettings>
+{
+    public override int Execute([NotNull] CommandContext context, [NotNull] PackSettings settings, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
+    {
+        AnsiConsole.MarkupLine($"\n[bold white on blue] --- Packing Datapack: {settings.Input} --- [/]");
+        try
+        {
+            var packDirectoryName = new DirectoryInfo(settings.Input).Name;
+            var outputFilePath = Path.Combine(Path.GetDirectoryName(settings.Input) ?? Environment.CurrentDirectory, $"{packDirectoryName}.szpack");
+            
+            DatapackService.PackDatapack(settings.Input, outputFilePath);
+            
+            AnsiConsole.MarkupLine($"[green]✅ Successfully created archive: {outputFilePath}[/]");
+            return 0;
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex)
+        {
+            AnsiConsole.MarkupLine($"\n[bold white on red]❌ ERROR:[/] Failed to pack datapack. Details: {ex.Message}");
+            return 1;
+        }
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tools/szpack/Program.cs b/tools/szpack/Program.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..eb8b3ee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/szpack/Program.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+/*
+ * WARNING:
+ * This tool was created by an LLM based on the SessionZero shared lib project, therefore it is subject to errors and does not reflect the architecture of the SessionZero project.
+ * It was created to be used as a quick and dirty validation tool for the szpack format.
+*/
+
+using Spectre.Console.Cli;
+
+namespace SessionZero.Tools.Packer;
+
+internal class Program
+{
+    static int Main(string[] args)
+    {
+        var app = new CommandApp();
+
+        app.Configure(config =>
+        {
+            config.SetApplicationName("szpack");
+            
+            config.AddCommand<CreateCommand>("create")
+                .WithDescription("Creates a new datapack directory with test objects.");
+            
+            config.AddCommand<PackCommand>("pack")
+                .WithDescription("Compresses a datapack directory into a .szpack file.");
+            
+            config.AddCommand<UnpackCommand>("unpack")
+                .WithDescription("Extracts a .szpack file and displays its metadata.");
+            
+            // Optional: Set a default command if no command is specified
+            // config.SetDefaultCommand<HelpCommand>();
+        });
+
+        return app.Run(args);
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tools/szpack/UnpackCommand.cs b/tools/szpack/UnpackCommand.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6509b2d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/szpack/UnpackCommand.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+/*
+ * WARNING:
+ * This tool was created by an LLM based on the SessionZero shared lib project, therefore it is subject to errors and does not reflect the architecture of the SessionZero project.
+ * It was created to be used as a quick and dirty validation tool for the szpack format.
+*/
+
+using SessionZero.Shared.Services;
+using Spectre.Console;
+using Spectre.Console.Cli;
+using System.ComponentModel;
+using System.Diagnostics.CodeAnalysis;
+
+namespace SessionZero.Tools.Packer;
+
+public class UnpackSettings : CommandSettings
+{
+    [CommandArgument(0, "<input>")]
+    [Description("The path to the .szpack file.")]
+    public required string Input { get; init; }
+
+    [CommandOption("-o|--output")]
+    [Description("The directory where the pack will be extracted.")]
+    [DefaultValue("unpacked")]
+    public string Output { get; init; } = "unpacked";
+}
+
+public class UnpackCommand : AsyncCommand<UnpackSettings>
+{
+    public override async Task<int> ExecuteAsync([NotNull] CommandContext context, [NotNull] UnpackSettings settings, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
+    {
+        AnsiConsole.MarkupLine($"\n[bold white on blue] --- Unpacking Datapack: {settings.Input} --- [/]");
+        try
+        {
+            // Unpack the archive
+            DatapackService.UnpackDatapack(settings.Input, settings.Output);
+            AnsiConsole.MarkupLine($"[green]✅ Successfully unpacked archive to: {settings.Output}[/]");
+            
+            // Load and display the core data
+            var datapack = await DatapackService.LoadDatapackMetadataAsync(settings.Output);
+            
+            AnsiConsole.MarkupLine("\n[bold]--- Datapack Info (szpack.json) ---[/]");
+            AnsiConsole.MarkupLine($"[yellow]ID:[/]\t\t{datapack.Id}");
+            AnsiConsole.MarkupLine($"[yellow]Name:[/]\t{datapack.Name}");
+            AnsiConsole.MarkupLine($"[yellow]Version:[/]\t{datapack.Version}");
+            AnsiConsole.MarkupLine($"[yellow]Author:[/]\t{datapack.Author}");
+            
+            return 0;
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex)
+        {
+            AnsiConsole.MarkupLine($"\n[bold white on red]❌ ERROR:[/] Failed to unpack or load datapack. Details: {ex.Message}");
+            return 1;
+        }
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tools/szpack/readme.md b/tools/szpack/readme.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4575808
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/szpack/readme.md
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+# SZPACK CLI Tool
+
+## ***WARNING:***
+This tool was created by an LLM based on the SessionZero shared lib project, therefore it is subject to errors and does not reflect the architecture of the SessionZero project.
+It was created to be used as a quick and dirty validation tool for the szpack format.
+
+## Usage
+* `szpack create <name>`: Creates a sample datapack directory with a given name
+* `szpack pack <directory>`: Packs a datapack directory into a szpack file (must be a valid datapack)
+* `szpack unpack <name.szpack>`: Unpacks a .szpack file into a datapack directory and displays some metadata
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tools/szpack/szpack.csproj b/tools/szpack/szpack.csproj
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2437a23
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/szpack/szpack.csproj
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
+
+    <PropertyGroup>
+        <OutputType>Exe</OutputType>
+        <TargetFramework>net9.0</TargetFramework>
+        <ImplicitUsings>enable</ImplicitUsings>
+        <Nullable>enable</Nullable>
+    </PropertyGroup>
+
+    <ItemGroup>
+      <ProjectReference Include="..\..\src\SessionZero.Shared\SessionZero.Shared.csproj" />
+    </ItemGroup>
+
+    <ItemGroup>
+      <PackageReference Include="Spectre.Console" Version="0.52.1-preview.0.5" />
+      <PackageReference Include="Spectre.Console.Cli" Version="0.52.1-preview.0.5" />
+    </ItemGroup>
+
+</Project>