diff --git a/src/Init/Lean/Attributes.lean b/src/Init/Lean/Attributes.lean
index 37cf871873..ffab094f2e 100644
--- a/src/Init/Lean/Attributes.lean
+++ b/src/Init/Lean/Attributes.lean
@@ -38,11 +38,6 @@ structure AttributeImpl :=
 -/
 (applicationTime := AttributeApplicationTime.afterTypeChecking)
 
-/- Auxiliary function for parsing attribute arguments -/
-def Syntax.hasArgs : Syntax → Bool
-| Syntax.node _ args => args.size > 0
-| _                  => false
-
 instance AttributeImpl.inhabited : Inhabited AttributeImpl :=
 ⟨{ name := arbitrary _, descr := arbitrary _, add := fun env _ _ _ => pure env }⟩
 
@@ -60,11 +55,32 @@ initializing ← IO.initializing;
 unless initializing $ throw (IO.userError ("failed to register attribute, attributes can only be registered during initialization"));
 attributeMapRef.modify (fun m => m.insert attr.name attr)
 
+abbrev AttributeImplBuilder := List DataValue → Except String AttributeImpl
+abbrev AttributeImplBuilderTable := HashMap Name AttributeImplBuilder
+
+def mkAttributeImplBuilderTable : IO (IO.Ref AttributeImplBuilderTable) := IO.mkRef {}
+@[init mkAttributeImplBuilderTable] constant attributeImplBuilderTableRef : IO.Ref AttributeImplBuilderTable := arbitrary _
+
+def registerAttributeImplBuilder (builderId : Name) (builder : AttributeImplBuilder) : IO Unit := do
+table ← attributeImplBuilderTableRef.get;
+when (table.contains builderId) $ throw (IO.userError ("attribute implementation builder '" ++ toString builderId ++ "' has already been declared"));
+attributeImplBuilderTableRef.modify $ fun table => table.insert builderId builder
+
+def mkAttributeImplOfBuilder (builderId : Name) (args : List DataValue) : IO AttributeImpl := do
+table ← attributeImplBuilderTableRef.get;
+match table.find? builderId with
+| none         => throw (IO.userError ("unknown attribute implementation builder '" ++ toString builderId ++ "'"))
+| some builder => IO.ofExcept $ builder args
+
+inductive AttributeExtensionOLeanEntry
+| decl (declName : Name) -- `declName` has type `AttributeImpl`
+| builder (builderId : Name) (args : List DataValue)
+
 structure AttributeExtensionState :=
-(newEntries : List Name := [])
+(newEntries : List AttributeExtensionOLeanEntry := [])
 (map        : PersistentHashMap Name AttributeImpl)
 
-abbrev AttributeExtension := PersistentEnvExtension Name (Name × AttributeImpl) AttributeExtensionState
+abbrev AttributeExtension := PersistentEnvExtension AttributeExtensionOLeanEntry (AttributeExtensionOLeanEntry × AttributeImpl) AttributeExtensionState
 
 instance AttributeExtensionState.inhabited : Inhabited AttributeExtensionState := ⟨{ map := {} }⟩
 
@@ -83,19 +99,24 @@ match env.find? declName with
 @[implementedBy mkAttributeImplOfConstantUnsafe]
 constant mkAttributeImplOfConstant (env : Environment) (declName : Name) : Except String AttributeImpl := arbitrary _
 
-private def AttributeExtension.addImported (env : Environment) (es : Array (Array Name)) : IO AttributeExtensionState := do
+def mkAttributeImplOfEntry (env : Environment) (e : AttributeExtensionOLeanEntry) : IO AttributeImpl :=
+match e with
+| AttributeExtensionOLeanEntry.decl declName          => IO.ofExcept $ mkAttributeImplOfConstant env declName
+| AttributeExtensionOLeanEntry.builder builderId args => mkAttributeImplOfBuilder builderId args
+
+private def AttributeExtension.addImported (env : Environment) (es : Array (Array AttributeExtensionOLeanEntry)) : IO AttributeExtensionState := do
 map ← attributeMapRef.get;
 map ← es.foldlM
   (fun map entries =>
     entries.foldlM
-      (fun (map : PersistentHashMap Name AttributeImpl) declName => do
-        attrImpl ← IO.ofExcept $ mkAttributeImplOfConstant env declName;
+      (fun (map : PersistentHashMap Name AttributeImpl) entry => do
+        attrImpl ← mkAttributeImplOfEntry env entry;
         pure $ map.insert attrImpl.name attrImpl)
       map)
   map;
 pure { map := map }
 
-private def AttributeExtension.addEntry (s : AttributeExtensionState) (e : Name × AttributeImpl) : AttributeExtensionState :=
+private def AttributeExtension.addEntry (s : AttributeExtensionState) (e : AttributeExtensionOLeanEntry × AttributeImpl) : AttributeExtensionState :=
 { map := s.map.insert e.2.name e.2, newEntries := e.1 :: s.newEntries, .. s }
 
 def mkAttributeExtension : IO AttributeExtension :=
@@ -144,13 +165,19 @@ match m.find? attrName with
 | some attr => pure attr
 | none      => throw ("unknown attribute '" ++ toString attrName ++ "'")
 
-def registerAttribute (env : Environment) (attrDeclName : Name) : Except String Environment := do
--- TODO: fix... we should not communicate attribute implementation using Lean.Declaration. Reason: user would need to have a big chunk of Init.Lean in the environment
+def registerAttributeOfDecl (env : Environment) (attrDeclName : Name) : Except String Environment := do
 attrImpl ← mkAttributeImplOfConstant env attrDeclName;
 if isAttribute env attrImpl.name then
   throw ("invalid builtin attribute declaration, '" ++ toString attrImpl.name ++ "' has already been used")
 else
-  pure $ attributeExtension.addEntry env (attrDeclName, attrImpl)
+  pure $ attributeExtension.addEntry env (AttributeExtensionOLeanEntry.decl attrDeclName, attrImpl)
+
+def registerAttributeOfBuilder (env : Environment) (builderId : Name) (args : List DataValue) : IO Environment := do
+attrImpl ← mkAttributeImplOfBuilder builderId args;
+if isAttribute env attrImpl.name then
+  throw (IO.userError ("invalid builtin attribute declaration, '" ++ toString attrImpl.name ++ "' has already been used"))
+else
+  pure $ attributeExtension.addEntry env (AttributeExtensionOLeanEntry.builder builderId args, attrImpl)
 
 namespace Environment
 
diff --git a/src/Init/Lean/Elab/Command.lean b/src/Init/Lean/Elab/Command.lean
index 7d4cf2209f..39a3692583 100644
--- a/src/Init/Lean/Elab/Command.lean
+++ b/src/Init/Lean/Elab/Command.lean
@@ -544,9 +544,8 @@ fun stx => do
   let catName  := stx.getIdAt 1;
   let attrName := catName.appendAfter "Parser";
   env ← getEnv;
-  match Parser.registerParserCategory env attrName catName with
-  | Except.error errMsg => throwError stx errMsg
-  | Except.ok env       => setEnv env
+  env ← liftIO stx $ Parser.registerParserCategory env attrName catName;
+  setEnv env
 
 @[inline] def withDeclId (declId : Syntax) (f : Name → CommandElabM Unit) : CommandElabM Unit := do
 -- ident >> optional (".{" >> sepBy1 ident ", " >> "}")
diff --git a/src/Init/Lean/Parser/Parser.lean b/src/Init/Lean/Parser/Parser.lean
index 2b3d75a401..3cf208274a 100644
--- a/src/Init/Lean/Parser/Parser.lean
+++ b/src/Init/Lean/Parser/Parser.lean
@@ -1693,19 +1693,15 @@ def mkParserAttributeImpl (attrName : Name) (catName : Name) : AttributeImpl :=
 def registerBuiltinDynamicParserAttribute (attrName : Name) (catName : Name) : IO Unit := do
 registerBuiltinAttribute (mkParserAttributeImpl attrName catName)
 
-def declareAttributeImplFor (env : Environment) (attrDeclName : Name) (attrName : Name) (catName : Name) : Except String Environment :=
-let type := mkConst `Lean.AttributeImpl;
-let val  := mkAppN (mkConst `Lean.Parser.mkParserAttributeImpl) #[toExpr attrName, toExpr catName];
-let decl := Declaration.defnDecl { name := attrDeclName, lparams := [], type := type, value := val, hints := ReducibilityHints.opaque, isUnsafe := false };
-match env.addAndCompile {} decl with
-| Except.error ex => throw $ "failed to emit attribute implementation code for parser attribute '" ++ toString attrName ++ "', " ++ toString (fmt (ex.toMessageData {}))
-| Except.ok env  => pure env
+@[init] private def registerParserAttributeImplBuilder : IO Unit :=
+registerAttributeImplBuilder `parserAttr $ fun args =>
+  match args with
+  | [DataValue.ofName attrName, DataValue.ofName catName] => pure $ mkParserAttributeImpl attrName catName
+  | _ => throw ("invalid parser attribute implementation builder arguments")
 
-def registerParserCategory (env : Environment) (attrName : Name) (catName : Name) : Except String Environment := do
-env ← addParserCategory env catName;
-let attrDeclName := `_attr_impl ++ attrName;
-env ← declareAttributeImplFor env attrDeclName attrName catName;
-registerAttribute env attrDeclName
+def registerParserCategory (env : Environment) (attrName : Name) (catName : Name) : IO Environment := do
+env ← IO.ofExcept $ addParserCategory env catName;
+registerAttributeOfBuilder env `parserAttr [DataValue.ofName attrName, DataValue.ofName catName]
 
 -- declare `termParser` here since it is used everywhere via antiquotations
 
diff --git a/src/Init/Lean/Syntax.lean b/src/Init/Lean/Syntax.lean
index 3686318918..6d54e7847c 100644
--- a/src/Init/Lean/Syntax.lean
+++ b/src/Init/Lean/Syntax.lean
@@ -539,6 +539,10 @@ def isCharLit? : Syntax → Option Char
     none
 | _ => none
 
+def hasArgs : Syntax → Bool
+| Syntax.node _ args => args.size > 0
+| _                  => false
+
 end Syntax
 
 /-- Create an identifier using `SourceInfo` from `src` -/
diff --git a/tests/lean/run/new_frontend2.lean b/tests/lean/run/new_frontend2.lean
index 6f6e4b00f5..f50d257c2e 100644
--- a/tests/lean/run/new_frontend2.lean
+++ b/tests/lean/run/new_frontend2.lean
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 new_frontend
 
+declare_syntax_cat foo
+
 variable {m : Type → Type}
 variable [s : Functor m]