diff --git a/docs/spirv-ptr-ref.md b/docs/spirv-ptr-ref.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..615e12c4c1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/spirv-ptr-ref.md
@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
+# SPIR-V translation of WGSL pointers and references
+
+WGSL was updated to have two kinds of memory views: pointers and references.
+See https://github.com/gpuweb/gpuweb/pull/1569
+
+In summary:
+
+* Reference types are never explicitly mentioned in WGSL source.
+* A use of a variable is a value of reference type corresponding
+  to the reference memory view of the storage allocated for the
+  variable.
+* Let-declared constants can be of pointer type, but not reference
+  type.
+* Function parameter can be of pointer type, but not reference type.
+* A variable's store type is never a pointer type, and never a
+  reference type.
+* The "Load Rule" allows a reference to decay to the underlying
+  store type, by issuing a load of the value in the underlying memory.
+* For an assignment:
+  * The right-hand side evaluates to a non-reference type (atomic-free
+    plain type).
+  * The left-hand side evaluates to a reference type, whose store
+    type is the same as the result of evaluating the right hand side.
+* The address-of (unary `&`) operator converts a reference to a
+  pointer.
+* The dereference (unary `*`) operator converts a pointer to a
+  reference.
+
+TODO: Passing textures and samplers to helper functions might be
+done by "handler value", or by pointer-to-handle.
+
+## Writing SPIR-V from WGSL
+
+The distinction in WGSL between reference and pointer disappears
+at the SPIR-V level.  Both types map into pointer types in SPIR-V.
+
+To translate a valid WGSL program to SPIR-V:
+
+* The dereference operator (unary `*`) is the identity operation.
+* The address-of operator (unary `&`) is the identity operation.
+* Assignment maps to OpStore.
+* The Load Rule translates to OpLoad.
+
+## Reading SPIR-V to create WGSL
+
+The main changes to the SPIR-V reader are:
+
+* When translating a SPIR-V pointer expression, track whether the
+  corresponding WGSL expression is of corresponding WGSL pointer
+  type or correspoinding WGSL type.
+* Insert dereference (unary-`*`) or address-of (unary-`&`) operators
+  as needed to generate valid WGSL expressions.
+
+The choices can be made deterministic, as described below.
+
+The SPIR-V reader only supports baseline functionality in Vulkan.
+Therefore we assume no VariablePointers or VariablePointersStorageBuffer
+capabilities.  All pointers are
+[SPIR-V logical pointers](https://www.khronos.org/registry/spir-v/specs/unified1/SPIRV.html#LogicalPointerType).
+The [SPIR-V Universal Validation Rules](https://www.khronos.org/registry/spir-v/specs/unified1/SPIRV.html#_universal_validation_rules)
+specify where logical pointers can appear as results of instructions
+or operands of instructions.
+
+Each SPIR-V pointer result expression is a logical pointer, and
+therefore is one of:
+
+* OpVariable: map to the reference type.
+* OpFunctionParameter: map to the pointer type.
+* OpCopyObject:
+   * When these only have one use, then these often fold away.
+     Otherwise, they map to a a let-declared constant.
+   * Map to the pointer type.
+* OpAccessChain, OpInBoundsAccessChain:
+   * This could map to either pointer or reference, and adjustments
+     in other areas could make it work.  However, we recommend mapping
+     this to the reference type.
+* OpImageTexelPointer is not supported in WGSL.
+   It is used to get a pointer into a storage texture, for use with
+   atomic instructions.  But image atomics is not supported in
+   WebGPU/WGSL.
+
+Each SPIR-V pointer operand is also a logical pointer, and is an
+operand to one of:
+* OpLoad Pointer operand:
+   * Map to reference, inserting a dereference operator if needed.
+* OpStore Pointer operand:
+   * Map to reference, inserting a dereference operator if needed.
+* OpStore Pointer operand:
+* OpAccessChain, OpInBoundsAccessChain Base operand:
+   * WGSL array-access and subfield access only works on references.
+      * [Gpuweb issue 1530](https://github.com/gpuweb/gpuweb/issues/1530)
+        is filed to allow those operations to work on pointers.
+   * Map to reference, inserting a dereference operator if needed.
+* OpFunctionCall function argument pointer operands
+   * Function operands can't be references.
+   * Map to pointer, inserting an address-of operator if needed.
+* OpAtomic instruction Pointer operand
+   * These map to WGSL atomic builtins.
+   * Map to pointer, inserting an address-of operator if needed.
+   * Note: As of this writing, the atomic instructions are not supported
+     by the SPIR-V reader.
+* OpCopyObject source operand
+   * This could have been mapped either way, but it's easiest to
+     map to pointer, to match the choice for OpCopyObject result type.
+   * Map to pointer, inserting an address-of operator if needed.
+* OpCopyMemory, source and destination operands
+   * This acts as an assignment.
+   * Map both source and destination to reference, inserting dereference
+     operators if needed.
+   * Note: As of this writing, OpCopyMemory is not supported by the
+     SPIR-V reader.
+* Extended instruction set instructions Modf and Frexp
+   * These map to builtins.
+   * Map the pointer operand to pointer, inserting an address-of
+     operator if needed.