diff --git a/.changeset/tiny-tables-mix.md b/.changeset/tiny-tables-mix.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5cfc909
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/tiny-tables-mix.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"windpipe": minor
+---
+
+create `single` consumption method
diff --git a/src/index.ts b/src/index.ts
index c95b12a..d59bda7 100644
--- a/src/index.ts
+++ b/src/index.ts
@@ -17,4 +17,6 @@ export type {
 // Re-export useful utility types
 export type { MaybePromise, Truthy, CallbackOrStream, NodeCallback } from "./util";
 
+export { WindpipeConsumptionError } from "./stream";
+
 export default Stream;
diff --git a/src/stream/consumption.ts b/src/stream/consumption.ts
index 0a859ff..195641e 100644
--- a/src/stream/consumption.ts
+++ b/src/stream/consumption.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,12 @@ import { isOk, type Atom } from "../atom";
 import { StreamBase } from "./base";
 import { exhaust } from "../util";
 
+export class WindpipeConsumptionError extends Error {
+    static noItems() {
+        return new WindpipeConsumptionError("no items found whilst consuming stream");
+    }
+}
+
 export class StreamConsumption<T, E> extends StreamBase {
     /**
      * Create an iterator that will emit each atom in the stream.
@@ -53,6 +59,47 @@ export class StreamConsumption<T, E> extends StreamBase {
         };
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Pull the stream once and remove the first item. This will not consume the rest of the
+     * stream.
+     *
+     * @note This method can only be called once on a given stream.
+     */
+    single(options: { atom: true; optional: true }): Promise<Atom<T, E> | undefined>;
+    single(options: { atom: true; optional?: false }): Promise<Atom<T, E>>;
+    single(options: { atom?: false; optional: true }): Promise<T | undefined>;
+    single(options?: { atom?: false; optional?: false }): Promise<T>;
+    async single({
+        atom = false,
+        optional = false,
+    }: {
+        atom?: boolean;
+        optional?: boolean;
+    } = {}): Promise<T | Atom<T, E> | undefined> {
+        const it = this[Symbol.asyncIterator]();
+
+        const { value, done } = await it.next();
+
+        if (done) {
+            if (optional) {
+                // Fine to return undefined
+                return undefined;
+            }
+
+            throw WindpipeConsumptionError.noItems();
+        }
+
+        if (atom) {
+            return value;
+        }
+
+        if (isOk(value)) {
+            return value.value;
+        }
+
+        throw value.value;
+    }
+
     /**
      * Iterate through each atom in the stream, and return them as a single array.
      *
diff --git a/src/stream/index.ts b/src/stream/index.ts
index 68e7f1f..ab78f89 100644
--- a/src/stream/index.ts
+++ b/src/stream/index.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import {
 import { HigherOrderStream } from "./higher-order";
 
 export type { StreamEnd } from "./base";
+export { WindpipeConsumptionError } from "./consumption";
 
 /**
  * @template T - Type of the 'values' on the stream.
diff --git a/test/consumption.test.ts b/test/consumption.test.ts
index b90ce68..3c3c885 100644
--- a/test/consumption.test.ts
+++ b/test/consumption.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-import { describe, test } from "vitest";
-import $ from "../src";
+import { describe, test, vi } from "vitest";
+import $, { WindpipeConsumptionError } from "../src";
 import { Readable } from "node:stream";
 
 describe.concurrent("stream consumption", () => {
@@ -29,6 +29,145 @@ describe.concurrent("stream consumption", () => {
         });
     });
 
+    describe.concurrent("single", () => {
+        describe("single ok atom", () => {
+            test("with no params", async ({ expect }) => {
+                expect.assertions(1);
+
+                const s = $.of($.ok(1));
+
+                expect(s.single()).resolves.toEqual(1);
+            });
+
+            test("with optional false", async ({ expect }) => {
+                expect.assertions(1);
+
+                const s = $.of($.ok(1));
+
+                expect(s.single({ optional: false })).resolves.toEqual(1);
+            });
+
+            test("with optional true", async ({ expect }) => {
+                expect.assertions(1);
+
+                const s = $.of($.ok(1));
+
+                expect(s.single({ optional: true })).resolves.toEqual(1);
+            });
+
+            test("with atom false", async ({ expect }) => {
+                expect.assertions(1);
+
+                const s = $.of($.ok(1));
+
+                expect(s.single({ atom: false })).resolves.toEqual(1);
+            });
+
+            test("with atom true", async ({ expect }) => {
+                expect.assertions(1);
+
+                const s = $.of($.ok(1));
+
+                expect(s.single({ atom: true })).resolves.toEqual($.ok(1));
+            });
+        });
+
+        describe("single error atom", () => {
+            test("with no params", async ({ expect }) => {
+                expect.assertions(1);
+
+                const s = $.of($.error(1));
+
+                expect(s.single()).rejects.toEqual(1);
+            });
+
+            test("with optional false", async ({ expect }) => {
+                expect.assertions(1);
+
+                const s = $.of($.error(1));
+
+                expect(s.single({ optional: false })).rejects.toEqual(1);
+            });
+
+            test("with optional true", async ({ expect }) => {
+                expect.assertions(1);
+
+                const s = $.of($.error(1));
+
+                expect(s.single({ optional: true })).rejects.toEqual(1);
+            });
+
+            test("with atom false", async ({ expect }) => {
+                expect.assertions(1);
+
+                const s = $.of($.error(1));
+
+                expect(s.single({ atom: false })).rejects.toEqual(1);
+            });
+
+            test("with atom true", async ({ expect }) => {
+                expect.assertions(1);
+
+                const s = $.of($.error(1));
+
+                expect(s.single({ atom: true })).resolves.toEqual($.error(1));
+            });
+        });
+
+        describe("empty stream", () => {
+            test("with no params", async ({ expect }) => {
+                expect.assertions(1);
+
+                const s = $.from([]);
+
+                expect(s.single()).rejects.toThrow(WindpipeConsumptionError);
+            });
+
+            test("with optional false", async ({ expect }) => {
+                expect.assertions(1);
+
+                const s = $.from([]);
+
+                expect(s.single({ optional: false })).rejects.toThrow(WindpipeConsumptionError);
+            });
+
+            test("with optional true", async ({ expect }) => {
+                expect.assertions(1);
+
+                const s = $.from([]);
+
+                expect(s.single({ optional: true })).resolves.toEqual(undefined);
+            });
+
+            test("with atom false", async ({ expect }) => {
+                expect.assertions(1);
+
+                const s = $.from([]);
+
+                expect(s.single({ atom: false })).rejects.toThrow(WindpipeConsumptionError);
+            });
+
+            test("with atom true", async ({ expect }) => {
+                expect.assertions(1);
+
+                const s = $.from([]);
+
+                expect(s.single({ atom: true })).rejects.toThrow(WindpipeConsumptionError);
+            });
+        });
+
+        test("single pull", async ({ expect }) => {
+            expect.assertions(2);
+
+            const fn = vi.fn().mockReturnValue(Promise.resolve(1));
+
+            const s = $.fromNext(fn);
+
+            expect(s.single()).resolves.toEqual(1);
+            expect(fn).toBeCalledTimes(1);
+        });
+    });
+
     describe.concurrent("toArray", () => {
         test("values", async ({ expect }) => {
             expect.assertions(1);