diff --git a/src/librustdoc/frontmatter.rs b/src/librustdoc/frontmatter.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..6e2d37aed0bac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/librustdoc/frontmatter.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,285 @@
+// Copyright 2014 The Rust Project Developers. See the COPYRIGHT
+// file at the top-level directory of this distribution and at
+// http://rust-lang.org/COPYRIGHT.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 <LICENSE-APACHE or
+// http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0> or the MIT license
+// <LICENSE-MIT or http://opensource.org/licenses/MIT>, at your
+// option. This file may not be copied, modified, or distributed
+// except according to those terms.
+
+use std::io::{Buffer, IoResult, IoError, OtherIoError};
+use std::char::is_alphanumeric;
+use std::collections::hashmap::HashMap;
+
+#[deriving(PartialEq, Show, Clone)]
+pub enum Token {
+    Noop,
+    Matter,
+    Colon,
+    Ident(String),
+    TString(String)
+}
+
+#[deriving(Hash, PartialEq, Show)]
+pub enum Value {
+    VString(String),
+    VBool(bool),
+    VInt(int),
+    VUint(uint)
+}
+
+pub struct Frontmatter<R> {
+    lexer: Lexer<R>,
+    pub keys: HashMap<String, Value>
+}
+
+impl<R: Buffer> Frontmatter<R> {
+    pub fn new(buf: R) -> Frontmatter<R> {
+        Frontmatter {
+            lexer: Lexer::new(buf),
+            keys: HashMap::new()
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub fn expect(&mut self, tok: Token) -> bool {
+        match self.lexer.bump() {
+            Ok(ref t) if t == &tok => true,
+            _ => false
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub fn parse_pair(&mut self, key: String) -> Result<(), &'static str> {
+        if !self.expect(Colon) {
+            return Err("Expected a colon");
+        }
+
+        match self.lexer.bump() {
+            Ok(ref v) => {
+                let val = match v {
+                    &TString(ref s) => VString(s.clone()),
+                    _ => return Err("Further types have not been implemented yet.")
+                };
+                self.keys.insert(key, val);
+            },
+            _ => return Err("Failed!")
+        }
+
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    pub fn parse_keys(&mut self) -> Result<(), &'static str> {
+
+        loop {
+            match self.lexer.bump() {
+                Ok(Ident(f)) => {
+                    try!(self.parse_pair(f));
+                },
+                _ => break
+            }
+        }
+
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    pub fn parse(&mut self) -> Result<Vec<u8>, &'static str> {
+        if !self.expect(Matter) {
+            return Err("Expected a matter token.");
+        }
+
+        try!(self.parse_keys());
+
+        if !self.expect(Matter) {
+            return Err("Expected a matter token.");
+        }
+
+        Ok(self.lexer.buf.read_to_end().unwrap())
+    }
+}
+
+pub struct Lexer<R> {
+    buf: R,
+    next_token: Option<Token>
+}
+
+impl<R: Buffer> Lexer<R> {
+    pub fn new(buf: R) -> Lexer<R> {
+        Lexer {
+            buf: buf,
+            next_token: None
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub fn bump(&mut self) -> IoResult<Token> {
+        if self.next_token.is_some() {
+            return Ok(self.next_token.take().unwrap());
+        }
+
+        let ch = try!(self.buf.read_char());
+
+        match ch {
+            '-' => {
+                let line = try!(self.buf.read_line());
+                if line.as_slice() == "--" || line.as_slice() == "--\n" {
+                    return Ok(Matter);
+                }
+            },
+            ':' => return Ok(Colon),
+            '\n' => { return self.bump() },
+            ' ' => { return self.bump() },
+            '"' => {
+                let mut val = String::new();
+
+                loop {
+                    let next_ch = try!(self.buf.read_char());
+
+                    if next_ch == '"' {
+                        break;
+                    } else {
+                        val.push_char(next_ch);
+                    }
+                }
+
+                return Ok(TString(val));
+            },
+            'A'..'Z' | 'a'..'z' => {
+                let mut ident = String::new();
+                ident.push_char(ch);
+
+                loop {
+                    let next_ch = try!(self.buf.read_char());
+                    if is_alphanumeric(next_ch) {
+                        ident.push_char(next_ch);
+                        continue;
+                    } else if next_ch == ':' {
+                        self.next_token = Some(Colon);
+                    }
+
+                    break;
+                }
+
+                return Ok(Ident(ident));
+            },
+            _ => {}
+        }
+
+        Err(IoError { kind: OtherIoError, desc: "Invalid token", detail: None })
+    }
+}
+
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+    use std::io::MemReader;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn empty_source() {
+        let buf = MemReader::new(vec![]);
+        let mut lex = Lexer::new(buf);
+
+        assert!(lex.bump().is_err());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn matter_one() {
+        let src = String::from_str("---").into_bytes();
+        let buf = MemReader::new(src);
+        let mut lex = Lexer::new(buf);
+
+        assert_eq!(lex.bump().unwrap(), Matter);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn matter_two() {
+        let src = String::from_str("---\n---").into_bytes();
+        let buf = MemReader::new(src);
+        let mut lex = Lexer::new(buf);
+
+        assert_eq!(lex.bump().unwrap(), Matter);
+        assert_eq!(lex.bump().unwrap(), Matter);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn ident() {
+        let src = String::from_str("---\nfoon\n---").into_bytes();
+        let buf = MemReader::new(src);
+        let mut lex = Lexer::new(buf);
+
+        assert_eq!(lex.bump().unwrap(), Matter);
+        assert_eq!(lex.bump().unwrap(), Ident("foon".to_string()));
+        assert_eq!(lex.bump().unwrap(), Matter);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn ident_colon() {
+        let src = String::from_str("---\nfoon:\n---").into_bytes();
+        let buf = MemReader::new(src);
+        let mut lex = Lexer::new(buf);
+
+        assert_eq!(lex.bump().unwrap(), Matter);
+        assert_eq!(lex.bump().unwrap(), Ident("foon".to_string()));
+        assert_eq!(lex.bump().unwrap(), Colon);
+        assert_eq!(lex.bump().unwrap(), Matter);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn ident_colon_value_str() {
+        let src = String::from_str("---\nfoon: \"bar\"\n---").into_bytes();
+        let buf = MemReader::new(src);
+        let mut lex = Lexer::new(buf);
+
+        assert_eq!(lex.bump().unwrap(), Matter);
+        assert_eq!(lex.bump().unwrap(), Ident("foon".to_string()));
+        assert_eq!(lex.bump().unwrap(), Colon);
+        assert_eq!(lex.bump().unwrap(), TString("bar".to_string()));
+        assert_eq!(lex.bump().unwrap(), Matter);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn ident_colon_value_multiline_str() {
+        let src = String::from_str("---\nfoon: \"b\nar\"\n---").into_bytes();
+        let buf = MemReader::new(src);
+        let mut lex = Lexer::new(buf);
+
+        assert_eq!(lex.bump().unwrap(), Matter);
+        assert_eq!(lex.bump().unwrap(), Ident("foon".to_string()));
+        assert_eq!(lex.bump().unwrap(), Colon);
+        assert_eq!(lex.bump().unwrap(), TString("b\nar".to_string()));
+        assert_eq!(lex.bump().unwrap(), Matter);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn ident_colon_value_bool() {
+        let src = String::from_str("---\nfoon: true\n---").into_bytes();
+        let buf = MemReader::new(src);
+        let mut lex = Lexer::new(buf);
+
+        assert_eq!(lex.bump().unwrap(), Matter);
+        assert_eq!(lex.bump().unwrap(), Ident("foon".to_string()));
+        assert_eq!(lex.bump().unwrap(), Colon);
+        assert_eq!(lex.bump().unwrap(), Ident("true".to_string()));
+        assert_eq!(lex.bump().unwrap(), Matter);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_keyval() {
+        let src = String::from_str("---\nfoon: \"bar\"\n---").into_bytes();
+        let buf = MemReader::new(src);
+        let mut matter = Frontmatter::new(buf);
+        matter.parse();
+
+        assert_eq!(matter.keys.get(&"foon".to_string()), &VString("bar".to_string()));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_multi_keyval() {
+        let src = String::from_str("---\nfoon: \"bar\"\ntitle: \"Something\"\n---").into_bytes();
+        let buf = MemReader::new(src);
+        let mut matter = Frontmatter::new(buf);
+        matter.parse();
+
+        assert_eq!(matter.keys.get(&"foon".to_string()), &VString("bar".to_string()));
+        assert_eq!(matter.keys.get(&"title".to_string()), &VString("Something".to_string()));
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/librustdoc/lib.rs b/src/librustdoc/lib.rs
index fb974403858a0..68a17e1052d59 100644
--- a/src/librustdoc/lib.rs
+++ b/src/librustdoc/lib.rs
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ use externalfiles::ExternalHtml;
 // reexported from `clean` so it can be easily updated with the mod itself
 pub use clean::SCHEMA_VERSION;
 
+pub mod frontmatter;
 pub mod clean;
 pub mod core;
 pub mod doctree;