diff --git a/mercurial/templatefilters.py b/mercurial/templatefilters.py
--- a/mercurial/templatefilters.py
+++ b/mercurial/templatefilters.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 
 import cgi, re, os, time, urllib
 import encoding, node, util
+import hbisect
 
 def addbreaks(text):
     """:addbreaks: Any text. Add an XHTML "<br />" tag before the end of
@@ -268,6 +269,14 @@ def short(text):
     """
     return text[:12]
 
+def shortbisect(text):
+    """:shortbisect: Any text. Treats `text` as a bisection status, and
+    returns a single-character representing the status (G: good, B: bad,
+    S: skipped, U: untested, I: ignored). Returns single space if `text`
+    is not a valid bisection status.
+    """
+    return hbisect.shortlabel(text) or ' '
+
 def shortdate(text):
     """:shortdate: Date. Returns a date like "2006-09-18"."""
     return util.shortdate(text)
@@ -347,6 +356,7 @@ filters = {
     "rfc3339date": rfc3339date,
     "rfc822date": rfc822date,
     "short": short,
+    "shortbisect": shortbisect,
     "shortdate": shortdate,
     "stringescape": stringescape,
     "stringify": stringify,
diff --git a/mercurial/templatekw.py b/mercurial/templatekw.py
--- a/mercurial/templatekw.py
+++ b/mercurial/templatekw.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 
 from node import hex
 import patch, util, error
+import hbisect
 
 def showlist(name, values, plural=None, **args):
     '''expand set of values.
@@ -145,6 +146,10 @@ def showauthor(repo, ctx, templ, **args)
     """:author: String. The unmodified author of the changeset."""
     return ctx.user()
 
+def showbisect(repo, ctx, templ, **args):
+    """:bisect: String. The changeset bisection status."""
+    return hbisect.label(repo, ctx.node())
+
 def showbranch(**args):
     """:branch: String. The name of the branch on which the changeset was
     committed.
@@ -288,6 +293,7 @@ def showtags(**args):
 # revcache - a cache dictionary for the current revision
 keywords = {
     'author': showauthor,
+    'bisect': showbisect,
     'branch': showbranch,
     'branches': showbranches,
     'bookmarks': showbookmarks,
diff --git a/tests/test-bisect3.t b/tests/test-bisect3.t
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test-bisect3.t
@@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
+# Here we create a simple DAG which has just enough of the required
+# topology to test all the bisection status labels:
+#
+#           13--14
+#          /
+#   0--1--2--3---------9--10--11--12
+#       \             /
+#        4--5--6--7--8
+
+
+  $ hg init
+
+  $ echo '0' >a
+  $ hg add a
+  $ hg ci -u test -d '0 0' -m '0'
+  $ echo '1' >a
+  $ hg ci -u test -d '0 1' -m '1'
+
+branch 2-3
+
+  $ echo '2' >b
+  $ hg add b
+  $ hg ci -u test -d '0 2' -m '2'
+  $ echo '3' >b
+  $ hg ci -u test -d '0 3' -m '3'
+
+branch 4-8
+
+  $ hg up -r 1
+  0 files updated, 0 files merged, 1 files removed, 0 files unresolved
+  $ echo '4' >c
+  $ hg add c
+  $ hg ci -u test -d '0 4' -m '4'
+  created new head
+  $ echo '5' >c
+  $ hg ci -u test -d '0 5' -m '5'
+  $ echo '6' >c
+  $ hg ci -u test -d '0 6' -m '6'
+  $ echo '7' >c
+  $ hg ci -u test -d '0 7' -m '7'
+  $ echo '8' >c
+  $ hg ci -u test -d '0 8' -m '8'
+
+merge
+
+  $ hg merge -r 3
+  1 files updated, 0 files merged, 0 files removed, 0 files unresolved
+  (branch merge, don't forget to commit)
+  $ hg ci -u test -d '0 9' -m '9=8+3'
+
+  $ echo '10' >a
+  $ hg ci -u test -d '0 10' -m '10'
+  $ echo '11' >a
+  $ hg ci -u test -d '0 11' -m '11'
+  $ echo '12' >a
+  $ hg ci -u test -d '0 12' -m '12'
+
+unrelated branch
+
+  $ hg up -r 3
+  1 files updated, 0 files merged, 1 files removed, 0 files unresolved
+  $ echo '13' >d
+  $ hg add d
+  $ hg ci -u test -d '0 13' -m '13'
+  created new head
+  $ echo '14' >d
+  $ hg ci -u test -d '0 14' -m '14'
+
+mark changesets
+
+  $ hg bisect --reset
+  $ hg bisect --good 4
+  $ hg bisect --good 6
+  $ hg bisect --bad 12
+  Testing changeset 9:8bcbdb072033 (6 changesets remaining, ~2 tests)
+  1 files updated, 0 files merged, 1 files removed, 0 files unresolved
+  $ hg bisect --bad 10
+  Testing changeset 8:3cd112f87d77 (4 changesets remaining, ~2 tests)
+  0 files updated, 0 files merged, 1 files removed, 0 files unresolved
+  $ hg bisect --skip 7
+  Testing changeset 8:3cd112f87d77 (4 changesets remaining, ~2 tests)
+  0 files updated, 0 files merged, 0 files removed, 0 files unresolved
+
+test template
+
+  $ hg log --template '{rev}:{node|short} {bisect}\n'
+  14:cecd84203acc 
+  13:86f7c8cdb6df 
+  12:a76089b5f47c bad
+  11:5c3eb122d29c bad (implicit)
+  10:b097cef2be03 bad
+  9:8bcbdb072033 untested
+  8:3cd112f87d77 untested
+  7:577e237a73bd skipped
+  6:e597fa2707c5 good
+  5:b9cea37a76bc good (implicit)
+  4:da6b357259d7 good
+  3:e7f031aee8ca ignored
+  2:b1ad1b6bcc5c ignored
+  1:37f42ae8b45e good (implicit)
+  0:b4e73ffab476 good (implicit)
+  $ hg log --template '{bisect|shortbisect} {rev}:{node|short}\n'
+    14:cecd84203acc
+    13:86f7c8cdb6df
+  B 12:a76089b5f47c
+  B 11:5c3eb122d29c
+  B 10:b097cef2be03
+  U 9:8bcbdb072033
+  U 8:3cd112f87d77
+  S 7:577e237a73bd
+  G 6:e597fa2707c5
+  G 5:b9cea37a76bc
+  G 4:da6b357259d7
+  I 3:e7f031aee8ca
+  I 2:b1ad1b6bcc5c
+  G 1:37f42ae8b45e
+  G 0:b4e73ffab476