diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 2b80c19..8dbe90a 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -120,6 +120,10 @@ Any options that are not specified when calling `setup` will take on their defau
   -- Current options: "iron" for iron.nvim, "toggleterm" for toggleterm.nvim,
   -- or "auto" which checks which of the above are installed
   repl_provider = "auto",
+  -- If `true`, folding will be based on expression for buffers with a valid
+  -- cell marker and cells will be folded on entering the buffer
+  -- * NOTE: This will replace any previously set foldmethod for those buffers
+  cell_folding = true
 }
 ```
 
diff --git a/doc/NotebookNavigator.txt b/doc/NotebookNavigator.txt
index 58518db..e1376af 100644
--- a/doc/NotebookNavigator.txt
+++ b/doc/NotebookNavigator.txt
@@ -120,6 +120,10 @@ Default values:
     -- Current options: "iron" for iron.nvim, "toggleterm" for toggleterm.nvim,
     -- or "auto" which checks which of the above are installed
     repl_provider = "auto",
+    -- If `true`, folding will be based on expression for buffers with a valid
+    -- cell marker and cells will be folded on entering the buffer
+    -- * NOTE: This will replace any previously set foldmethod for those buffers
+    cell_folding = true
   }
 <
 
@@ -138,4 +142,4 @@ Usage~
    any config parameter which you not pass will take on its default value.
 
 
- vim:tw=78:ts=8:noet:ft=help:norl:
\ No newline at end of file
+ vim:tw=78:ts=8:noet:ft=help:norl:
diff --git a/lua/notebook-navigator/folding.lua b/lua/notebook-navigator/folding.lua
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..63c364d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lua/notebook-navigator/folding.lua
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+local M = {}
+
+local parse_foldexpr_output = function(fold_info)
+  local parsed_fold_info
+  if type(fold_info) == "number" then
+    if fold_info == 0 then
+      parsed_fold_info = { type = "no", value = 0 }
+    elseif parsed_fold_info == -1 then
+      parsed_fold_info = { type = "undefined", value = -1 }
+    elseif parsed_fold_info > 0 then
+      parsed_fold_info = { type = "number", value = fold_info }
+    else
+      print "Not valid treesitter_foldlevel"
+    end
+  elseif type(fold_info) == "string" then
+    local fold_type = string.sub(fold_info, 1, 1)
+    -- Check if the fold_type can casted to a number
+    local fold_info_as_number = tonumber(fold_type)
+
+    if fold_info_as_number then
+      parsed_fold_info = { type = "number", value = fold_info_as_number }
+    else
+      local number_part = string.sub(fold_info, 2)
+      parsed_fold_info = { type = fold_type, value = tonumber(number_part) }
+    end
+  end
+
+  return parsed_fold_info
+end
+
+local unparse_foldexpr_output = function(fold_info)
+  if fold_info.type == "no" then
+    return "0"
+  elseif fold_info.type == "undefined" then
+    return "-1"
+  elseif fold_info.type == "number" then
+    return tostring(fold_info.value)
+  else
+    -- one of { "<", ">", "="}
+    return fold_info.type .. fold_info.value
+  end
+end
+
+-- this is currently just a passthrough of the expr and ignores the pattern
+M.create_foldexpr_function = function(pattern)
+  local foldexpr = function(lnum)
+    -- here we just used the expr set by the user
+    local treesitter_foldlevel = vim.treesitter.foldexpr(lnum)
+    local parsed_fold_info = parse_foldexpr_output(treesitter_foldlevel)
+
+    -- Somehow check if we are inside a cell or start of cell and then modify the parsed_fold_info
+    -- and then unparse it
+    -- One way to do the first thing is to regex match to the top
+    -- but then performance...
+    -- Plan b is to just query the extmarks created by hipattenrs! We can even
+    -- give them a namespace if that is allowed otherwise just check them all against
+    -- the regex
+    local new_fold_info
+    local inside_cell = false -- ????
+    if inside_cell then
+      -- Do clever stuff to modify parsed_fold_info
+      parsed_fold_info = parsed_fold_info
+
+      new_fold_info = unparse_foldexpr_output(parsed_fold_info)
+    else
+      new_fold_info = treesitter_foldlevel
+    end
+
+    return new_fold_info
+  end
+
+  return foldexpr
+end
+
+return M
diff --git a/lua/notebook-navigator/init.lua b/lua/notebook-navigator/init.lua
index 55b01c5..a9381f6 100644
--- a/lua/notebook-navigator/init.lua
+++ b/lua/notebook-navigator/init.lua
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ local got_hydra, hydra = pcall(require, "hydra")
 
 local core = require "notebook-navigator.core"
 local utils = require "notebook-navigator.utils"
+local folding = require "notebook-navigator.folding"
 
 local cell_marker = function()
   return utils.get_cell_marker(0, M.config.cell_markers)
@@ -209,6 +210,10 @@ M.config = {
   -- Current options: "iron" for iron.nvim, "toggleterm" for toggleterm.nvim,
   -- or "auto" which checks which of the above are installed
   repl_provider = "auto",
+  -- If `true`, folding will be based on expression for buffers with a valid
+  -- cell marker and cells will be folded on entering the buffer
+  -- * NOTE: This will replace any previously set foldmethod for those buffers
+  cell_folding = true,
 }
 --minidoc_afterlines_end
 
@@ -258,6 +263,24 @@ M.setup = function(config)
   if (M.config.activate_hydra_keys ~= nil) and got_hydra then
     activate_hydra(M.config)
   end
+
+  -- make it global for now
+  notebook_navigator_foldexpr = folding.create_foldexpr_function "^# %%"
+
+  local folding_au_group = vim.api.nvim_create_augroup("NotebookNavigatorCellFolding", { clear = true })
+  vim.api.nvim_create_autocmd("BufEnter", {
+    pattern = { "*" },
+    group = folding_au_group,
+    callback = function(ev)
+      local ft = vim.api.nvim_get_option_value("filetype", { buf = ev.buf })
+      if M.config.cell_markers[ft] then
+        -- should use setlocal
+        vim.cmd [[set foldmethod=expr]]
+        vim.cmd [[set foldexpr=v:lua.notebook_navigator_foldexpr(v:lnum)]]
+      end
+    end,
+  })
 end
+-- should have a BufLeave too to restore things
 
 return M