diff --git a/src/parsec/util.cpp b/src/parsec/util.cpp
index 4ac830fa7..5efb2e64c 100644
--- a/src/parsec/util.cpp
+++ b/src/parsec/util.cpp
@@ -9,8 +9,8 @@
 #include <unordered_map>
 
 namespace cbdc::parsec {
-    auto split(const std::string& s, const std::string& delim)
-        -> std::vector<std::string> {
+    auto split(const std::string& s,
+               const std::string& delim) -> std::vector<std::string> {
         size_t pos_start{};
         size_t pos_end{};
         std::vector<std::string> ret;
@@ -192,6 +192,42 @@ namespace cbdc::parsec {
         return cfg;
     }
 
+    auto read_shard_info(int argc, char** argv) -> std::optional<config> {
+        auto opts = parse_args(argc, argv);
+        if(!opts.has_value()) {
+            return std::nullopt;
+        }
+
+        auto cfg = config{};
+
+        auto shard_endpoints = read_cluster_endpoints(opts.value(), "shard");
+        if(!shard_endpoints.has_value()) {
+            return std::nullopt;
+        }
+        cfg.m_shard_endpoints = shard_endpoints.value();
+
+        return cfg;
+    }
+
+    auto read_ticket_machine_info(int argc,
+                                  char** argv) -> std::optional<config> {
+        auto opts = parse_args(argc, argv);
+        if(!opts.has_value()) {
+            return std::nullopt;
+        }
+
+        auto cfg = config{};
+
+        auto ticket_machine_endpoints
+            = read_endpoints(opts.value(), "ticket_machine");
+        if(!ticket_machine_endpoints.has_value()) {
+            return std::nullopt;
+        }
+        cfg.m_ticket_machine_endpoints = ticket_machine_endpoints.value();
+
+        return cfg;
+    }
+
     auto put_row(const std::shared_ptr<broker::interface>& broker,
                  broker::key_type key,
                  broker::value_type value,
diff --git a/src/parsec/util.hpp b/src/parsec/util.hpp
index 201b4e30c..7e6455300 100644
--- a/src/parsec/util.hpp
+++ b/src/parsec/util.hpp
@@ -60,6 +60,18 @@ namespace cbdc::parsec {
     ///         while parsing the arguments.
     auto read_config(int argc, char** argv) -> std::optional<config>;
 
+    /// Read configuration parameters releated to connecting to shards
+    /// \param argc number of program arguments
+    /// \param argv program arguments
+    /// \return shard related config params
+    auto read_shard_info(int argc, char** argv) -> std::optional<config>;
+
+    /// Read configuration parameters related to connecting to ticket machine
+    /// \param argc number of program arguments
+    /// \param argv program arguments
+    /// \return ticket machine related config params
+    auto read_ticket_machine_info(int argc, char** argv) -> std::optional<config>;
+
     /// Asynchronously inserts the given row into the cluster.
     /// \param broker broker to use for inserting the row.
     /// \param key key at which to insert value.
diff --git a/tools/bench/parsec/lua/CMakeLists.txt b/tools/bench/parsec/lua/CMakeLists.txt
index f7cf37121..bb6ffec92 100644
--- a/tools/bench/parsec/lua/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/tools/bench/parsec/lua/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 add_executable(lua_bench lua_bench.cpp
                          wallet.cpp)
+add_executable(emplace_contract emplace_lua_contract.cpp)
 target_link_libraries(lua_bench broker
                                 directory
                                 runtime_locking_shard
@@ -14,3 +15,18 @@ target_link_libraries(lua_bench broker
                                 secp256k1
                                 ${LUA_LIBRARY}
                                 ${CMAKE_THREAD_LIBS_INIT})
+
+target_link_libraries(emplace_contract broker
+                                directory
+                                runtime_locking_shard
+                                ticket_machine
+                                parsec
+                                agent
+                                rpc
+                                network
+                                common
+                                serialization
+                                crypto
+                                secp256k1
+                                ${LUA_LIBRARY}
+                                ${CMAKE_THREAD_LIBS_INIT})
diff --git a/tools/bench/parsec/lua/contract_to_bytecode.lua b/tools/bench/parsec/lua/contract_to_bytecode.lua
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..cac4c7802
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/bench/parsec/lua/contract_to_bytecode.lua
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+function gen_bytecode(func)
+    c = string.dump(func, true)
+    tot = ""
+    for i = 1, string.len(c) do
+        hex = string.format("%x", string.byte(c, i))
+        if string.len(hex) < 2 then
+            hex = "0" .. hex
+        end
+        tot = tot .. hex
+    end
+
+    return tot
+end
diff --git a/tools/bench/parsec/lua/emplace_lua_contract.cpp b/tools/bench/parsec/lua/emplace_lua_contract.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a4a2a2f9c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/bench/parsec/lua/emplace_lua_contract.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,122 @@
+// Copyright (c) 2021 MIT Digital Currency Initiative,
+//                    Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
+// Distributed under the MIT software license, see the accompanying
+// file COPYING or http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php.
+
+#include "crypto/sha256.h"
+#include "parsec/agent/client.hpp"
+#include "parsec/broker/impl.hpp"
+#include "parsec/directory/impl.hpp"
+#include "parsec/runtime_locking_shard/client.hpp"
+#include "parsec/ticket_machine/client.hpp"
+#include "parsec/util.hpp"
+#include "wallet.hpp"
+
+#include <future>
+#include <lua.hpp>
+#include <random>
+#include <thread>
+
+auto main(int argc, char** argv) -> int {
+    auto log = std::make_shared<cbdc::logging::log>(
+        cbdc::logging::log_level::trace);
+
+    if(argc < 2) {
+        log->error("Not enough arguments");
+        return 1;
+    }
+    auto shard_cfg = cbdc::parsec::read_shard_info(argc - 3, argv);
+    if(!shard_cfg.has_value()) {
+        log->error("Error parsing shard options");
+        return 1;
+    }
+
+    auto ticket_machine_cfg
+        = cbdc::parsec::read_ticket_machine_info(argc - 3, argv);
+    if(!ticket_machine_cfg.has_value()) {
+        log->error("Error parsing ticket machine options");
+        return 1;
+    }
+
+    log->trace("Connecting to shards");
+
+    auto shards = std::vector<
+        std::shared_ptr<cbdc::parsec::runtime_locking_shard::interface>>();
+
+    for(const auto& shard_ep : shard_cfg->m_shard_endpoints) {
+        auto client = std::make_shared<
+            cbdc::parsec::runtime_locking_shard::rpc::client>(
+            std::vector<cbdc::network::endpoint_t>{shard_ep});
+        if(!client->init()) {
+            log->error("Error connecting to shard");
+            return 1;
+        }
+        shards.emplace_back(client);
+    }
+
+    log->trace("Connected to shards");
+
+    log->trace("Connecting to ticket machine");
+    auto ticketer
+        = std::make_shared<cbdc::parsec::ticket_machine::rpc::client>(
+            std::vector<cbdc::network::endpoint_t>{
+                ticket_machine_cfg->m_ticket_machine_endpoints});
+    if(!ticketer->init()) {
+        log->error("Error connecting to ticket machine");
+        return 1;
+    }
+    log->trace("Connected to ticket machine");
+
+    auto directory
+        = std::make_shared<cbdc::parsec::directory::impl>(shards.size());
+    auto broker = std::make_shared<cbdc::parsec::broker::impl>(
+        std::numeric_limits<size_t>::max(),
+        shards,
+        ticketer,
+        directory,
+        log);
+
+    auto args = cbdc::config::get_args(argc, argv);
+    auto compile_file = args[args.size() - 3];
+    auto contract_file = args[args.size() - 2];
+    auto func_name = args[args.size() - 1];
+
+    auto contract = cbdc::buffer();
+    lua_State* L = luaL_newstate();
+    luaL_openlibs(L);
+    luaL_dofile(L, compile_file.c_str());
+    luaL_dofile(L, contract_file.c_str());
+
+    lua_getglobal(L, "gen_bytecode");
+    lua_getglobal(L, func_name.c_str());
+
+    if(lua_pcall(L, 1, 1, 0) != 0) {
+        log->error("Contract bytecode generation failed, with error:",
+                   lua_tostring(L, -1));
+        return 1;
+    }
+
+    contract = cbdc::buffer::from_hex(lua_tostring(L, -1)).value();
+    log->trace(contract.to_hex());
+    auto pay_contract_key = cbdc::buffer();
+    pay_contract_key.append("con", 3);
+
+    auto prom = std::promise<void>();
+    auto fut = prom.get_future();
+    log->info("Inserting pay contract");
+    auto ret = cbdc::parsec::put_row(
+        broker,
+        pay_contract_key,
+        contract,
+        [&](bool res) {
+            if(!res) {
+                log->error("failed to instert pay contract");
+            } else {
+                log->info("Inserted pay contract");
+            }
+            prom.set_value();
+        });
+    fut.get();
+    log->trace(ret);
+    return 0;
+}