diff --git a/src/core/src/ffi/index/revindex.rs b/src/core/src/ffi/index/revindex.rs
index 3597121bce..a0ce0b348b 100644
--- a/src/core/src/ffi/index/revindex.rs
+++ b/src/core/src/ffi/index/revindex.rs
@@ -248,3 +248,141 @@ unsafe fn revindex_signatures(
     Ok(Box::into_raw(b) as *mut *mut SourmashSignature)
 }
 }
+
+//--------------------------------------------------
+
+pub struct SourmashLinearIndex;
+
+impl ForeignObject for SourmashLinearIndex {
+    type RustObject = LinearRevIndex;
+}
+
+ffi_fn! {
+unsafe fn linearindex_new(
+    storage_ptr: *mut SourmashZipStorage,
+    manifest_ptr: *mut SourmashManifest,
+    selection_ptr: *mut SourmashSelection,
+    use_manifest: bool,
+) -> Result<*mut SourmashLinearIndex> {
+    let storage = Arc::try_unwrap(*SourmashZipStorage::into_rust(storage_ptr)).ok().unwrap();
+
+    let manifest = if manifest_ptr.is_null() {
+        if use_manifest {
+        // Load manifest from zipstorage
+            Some(Manifest::from_reader(storage.load("SOURMASH-MANIFEST.csv")?.as_slice())?)
+        } else {
+            None
+        }
+    } else {
+        Some(*SourmashManifest::into_rust(manifest_ptr))
+    };
+
+    let _selection = if !selection_ptr.is_null() {
+        Some(SourmashSelection::into_rust(selection_ptr))
+    } else {
+        None
+    };
+    // TODO: how to extract a template? Probably from selection?
+    let max_hash = max_hash_for_scaled(100);
+    let template = Sketch::MinHash(
+        KmerMinHash::builder()
+            .num(0u32)
+            .ksize(57)
+            .hash_function(crate::encodings::HashFunctions::murmur64_protein)
+            .max_hash(max_hash)
+            .build(),
+    );
+
+    /*
+    def __init__(self, storage, *, selection_dict=None,
+                 traverse_yield_all=False, manifest=None, use_manifest=True):
+        sig_files: Manifest,
+        template: &Sketch,
+        keep_sigs: bool,
+        ref_sigs: Option<Vec<Signature>>,
+        storage: Option<ZipStorage>,
+    */
+
+    let linear_index = LinearRevIndex::new(manifest, &template, false, None, Some(storage));
+
+    Ok(SourmashLinearIndex::from_rust(linear_index))
+}
+}
+
+#[no_mangle]
+pub unsafe extern "C" fn linearindex_free(ptr: *mut SourmashLinearIndex) {
+    SourmashLinearIndex::drop(ptr);
+}
+
+#[no_mangle]
+pub unsafe extern "C" fn linearindex_manifest(
+    ptr: *const SourmashLinearIndex,
+) -> *const SourmashManifest {
+    let index = SourmashLinearIndex::as_rust(ptr);
+    SourmashManifest::from_rust(index.manifest())
+}
+
+ffi_fn! {
+unsafe fn linearindex_set_manifest(
+    ptr: *mut SourmashLinearIndex,
+    manifest_ptr: *mut SourmashManifest,
+) -> Result<()> {
+    let index = SourmashLinearIndex::as_rust_mut(ptr);
+    let manifest = SourmashManifest::into_rust(manifest_ptr);
+
+    index.set_manifest(*manifest)?;
+    Ok(())
+}
+}
+
+#[no_mangle]
+pub unsafe extern "C" fn linearindex_len(ptr: *const SourmashLinearIndex) -> u64 {
+    let index = SourmashLinearIndex::as_rust(ptr);
+    index.len() as u64
+}
+
+#[no_mangle]
+pub unsafe extern "C" fn linearindex_location(ptr: *const SourmashLinearIndex) -> SourmashStr {
+    let index = SourmashLinearIndex::as_rust(ptr);
+    match index.location() {
+        Some(x) => x,
+        None => "".into(),
+    }
+    .into()
+}
+
+#[no_mangle]
+pub unsafe extern "C" fn linearindex_storage(
+    ptr: *const SourmashLinearIndex,
+) -> *const SourmashZipStorage {
+    let index = SourmashLinearIndex::as_rust(ptr);
+    let storage = index.storage();
+
+    match storage {
+        Some(st) => SourmashZipStorage::from_rust(st),
+        None => std::ptr::null::<SourmashZipStorage>(),
+    }
+}
+
+#[no_mangle]
+pub unsafe extern "C" fn linearindex_signatures(
+    ptr: *const SourmashLinearIndex,
+) -> *mut SourmashSignatureIter {
+    let index = SourmashLinearIndex::as_rust(ptr);
+
+    let iter = Box::new(index.signatures_iter());
+    SourmashSignatureIter::from_rust(SignatureIterator { iter })
+}
+
+ffi_fn! {
+unsafe fn linearindex_select(
+    ptr: *mut SourmashLinearIndex,
+    selection_ptr: *const SourmashSelection,
+) -> Result<*mut SourmashLinearIndex> {
+    let index = SourmashLinearIndex::into_rust(ptr);
+    let selection = SourmashSelection::as_rust(selection_ptr);
+
+    let new_index = index.select(selection)?;
+    Ok(SourmashLinearIndex::from_rust(new_index))
+}
+}
diff --git a/src/sourmash/index/__init__.py b/src/sourmash/index/__init__.py
index 08068255e5..141e1fcbde 100644
--- a/src/sourmash/index/__init__.py
+++ b/src/sourmash/index/__init__.py
@@ -1167,3 +1167,131 @@ def select(self, **kwargs):
         new_manifest = self.manifest.select_to_manifest(**kwargs)
         return StandaloneManifestIndex(new_manifest, self._location,
                                        prefix=self.prefix)
+
+
+class RustLinearIndex(Index, RustObject):
+    """\
+    A read-only collection of signatures in a zip file.
+
+    Does not support `insert` or `save`.
+
+    Concrete class; signatures dynamically loaded from disk; uses manifests.
+    """
+    is_database = True
+
+    __dealloc_func__ = lib.linearindex_free
+
+    def __init__(self, storage, *, selection_dict=None,
+                 traverse_yield_all=False, manifest=None, use_manifest=True):
+
+        self._selection_dict = selection_dict
+        self._traverse_yield_all = traverse_yield_all
+        self._use_manifest = use_manifest
+
+        # Taking ownership of the storage
+        storage_ptr = storage._take_objptr()
+
+        manifest_ptr = ffi.NULL
+        # do we have a manifest already? if not, try loading.
+        if use_manifest:
+            if manifest is not None:
+                debug_literal('RustLinearIndex using passed-in manifest')
+                manifest_ptr = manifest._as_rust()._take_objptr()
+
+        selection_ptr = ffi.NULL
+
+        self._objptr = rustcall(lib.linearindex_new, storage_ptr,
+                                manifest_ptr, selection_ptr, use_manifest)
+
+        """
+        if self.manifest is not None:
+            assert not self.selection_dict, self.selection_dict
+        if self.selection_dict:
+            assert self.manifest is None
+        """
+
+    @property
+    def manifest(self):
+        return CollectionManifest._from_rust(self._methodcall(lib.linearindex_manifest))
+
+    @manifest.setter
+    def manifest(self, value):
+        if value is None:
+            return  # FIXME: can't unset manifest in a Rust Linear Index
+        self._methodcall(lib.linearindex_set_manifest, value._as_rust()._take_objptr())
+
+    def __bool__(self):
+        "Are there any matching signatures in this zipfile? Avoid calling len."
+        return self._methodcall(lib.linearindex_len) > 0
+
+    def __len__(self):
+        "calculate number of signatures."
+        return self._methodcall(lib.linearindex_len)
+
+    @property
+    def location(self):
+        return decode_str(self._methodcall(lib.linearindex_location))
+
+    @property
+    def storage(self):
+        from ..sbt_storage import ZipStorage
+
+        ptr = self._methodcall(lib.linearindex_storage)
+        return ZipStorage._from_objptr(ptr)
+
+    def insert(self, signature):
+        raise NotImplementedError
+
+    def save(self, path):
+        raise NotImplementedError
+
+    @classmethod
+    def load(cls, location, traverse_yield_all=False, use_manifest=True):
+        "Class method to load a zipfile."
+        from ..sbt_storage import ZipStorage
+
+        # we can only load from existing zipfiles in this method.
+        if not os.path.exists(location):
+            raise FileNotFoundError(location)
+
+        storage = ZipStorage(location)
+        return cls(storage, traverse_yield_all=traverse_yield_all,
+                   use_manifest=use_manifest)
+
+    def _signatures_with_internal(self):
+        """Return an iterator of tuples (ss, internal_location).
+
+        Note: does not limit signatures to subsets.
+        """
+        # list all the files, without using the Storage interface; currently,
+        # 'Storage' does not provide a way to list all the files, so :shrug:.
+        for filename in self.storage._filenames():
+            # should we load this file? if it ends in .sig OR we are forcing:
+            if filename.endswith('.sig') or \
+               filename.endswith('.sig.gz') or \
+               self._traverse_yield_all:
+                sig_data = self.storage.load(filename)
+                for ss in load_signatures(sig_data):
+                    yield ss, filename
+
+    def signatures(self):
+        "Load all signatures in the zip file."
+        attached_refs = weakref.WeakKeyDictionary()
+        iterator = self._methodcall(lib.linearindex_signatures)
+
+        next_sig = rustcall(lib.signatures_iter_next, iterator)
+        while next_sig != ffi.NULL:
+            attached_refs[next_sig] = iterator
+            yield SourmashSignature._from_objptr(next_sig)
+            next_sig = rustcall(lib.signatures_iter_next, iterator)
+
+    def select(self, **kwargs: Unpack[Selection]):
+        "Select signatures in zip file based on ksize/moltype/etc."
+
+        selection = _selection_as_rust(kwargs)
+
+        # select consumes the current index
+        ptr = self._take_objptr()
+        ptr = rustcall(lib.linearindex_select, ptr, selection)
+
+        return RustLinearIndex._from_objptr(ptr)