diff --git a/tests/f b/tests/f
new file mode 100755
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/f
@@ -0,0 +1,158 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+
+"""
+Utility for inspecting files in various ways.
+
+This tool is like the collection of tools found in a unix environment but are
+cross platform and stable and suitable for our needs in the test suite.
+
+This can be used instead of tools like:
+  [
+  dd
+  find
+  head
+  hexdump
+  ls
+  md5sum
+  readlink
+  sha1sum
+  stat
+  tail
+  test
+  readlink.py
+  md5sum.py
+"""
+
+import sys, os, errno, re, glob, optparse
+
+def visit(opts, filenames, outfile):
+    """Process filenames in the way specified in opts, writing output to
+    outfile."""
+    for f in sorted(filenames):
+        isstdin = f == '-'
+        if not isstdin and not os.path.lexists(f):
+            outfile.write('%s: file not found\n' % f)
+            continue
+        quiet = opts.quiet and not opts.recurse or isstdin
+        isdir = os.path.isdir(f)
+        islink = os.path.islink(f)
+        isfile = os.path.isfile(f) and not islink
+        dirfiles = None
+        content = None
+        facts = []
+        if isfile:
+            if opts.type:
+                facts.append('file')
+            if opts.hexdump or opts.dump or opts.md5:
+                content = file(f).read()
+        elif islink:
+            if opts.type:
+                facts.append('link')
+            content = os.readlink(f)
+        elif isstdin:
+            content = sys.stdin.read()
+            if opts.size:
+                facts.append('size=%s' % len(content))
+        elif isdir:
+            if opts.recurse or opts.type:
+                dirfiles = glob.glob(f + '/*')
+                facts.append('directory with %s files' % len(dirfiles))
+        elif opts.type:
+            facts.append('type unknown')
+        if not isstdin:
+            stat = os.lstat(f)
+            if opts.size:
+                facts.append('size=%s' % stat.st_size)
+            if opts.mode:
+                facts.append('mode=%o' % (stat.st_mode & 0777))
+            if opts.links:
+                facts.append('links=%s' % stat.st_nlink)
+            if opts.newer:
+                # mtime might be in whole seconds so newer file might be same
+                if stat.st_mtime >= os.stat(opts.newer).st_mtime:
+                    facts.append('newer than %s' % opts.newer)
+                else:
+                    facts.append('older than %s' % opts.newer)
+        if opts.md5 and content is not None:
+            try:
+                from hashlib import md5
+            except ImportError:
+                from md5 import md5
+            facts.append('md5=%s' % md5(content).hexdigest()[:opts.bytes])
+        if opts.sha1 and content is not None:
+            try:
+                from hashlib import sha1
+            except ImportError:
+                from sha import sha as sha1
+            facts.append('sha1=%s' % sha1(content).hexdigest()[:opts.bytes])
+        if isstdin:
+            outfile.write(', '.join(facts) + '\n')
+        elif facts:
+            outfile.write('%s: %s\n' % (f, ', '.join(facts)))
+        elif not quiet:
+            outfile.write('%s:\n' % f)
+        if content is not None:
+            chunk = content
+            if not islink:
+                if opts.lines:
+                    if opts.lines >= 0:
+                        chunk = ''.join(chunk.splitlines(True)[:opts.lines])
+                    else:
+                        chunk = ''.join(chunk.splitlines(True)[opts.lines:])
+                if opts.bytes:
+                    if opts.bytes >= 0:
+                        chunk = chunk[:opts.bytes]
+                    else:
+                        chunk = chunk[opts.bytes:]
+            if opts.hexdump:
+                for i in range(0, len(chunk), 16):
+                    s = chunk[i:i+16]
+                    outfile.write('%04x: %-47s |%s|\n' %
+                                  (i, ' '.join('%02x' % ord(c) for c in s),
+                                   re.sub('[^ -~]', '.', s)))
+            if opts.dump:
+                if not quiet:
+                    outfile.write('>>>\n')
+                outfile.write(chunk)
+                if not quiet:
+                    if chunk.endswith('\n'):
+                        outfile.write('<<<\n')
+                    else:
+                        outfile.write('\n<<< no trailing newline\n')
+        if opts.recurse and dirfiles:
+            assert not isstdin
+            visit(opts, dirfiles, outfile)
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    parser = optparse.OptionParser("%prog [options] [filenames]")
+    parser.add_option("-t", "--type", action="store_true",
+                      help="show file type (file or directory)")
+    parser.add_option("-m", "--mode", action="store_true",
+                      help="show file mode")
+    parser.add_option("-l", "--links", action="store_true",
+                      help="show number of links")
+    parser.add_option("-s", "--size", action="store_true",
+                      help="show size of file")
+    parser.add_option("-n", "--newer", action="store",
+                      help="check if file is newer (or same)")
+    parser.add_option("-r", "--recurse", action="store_true",
+                      help="recurse into directories")
+    parser.add_option("-S", "--sha1", action="store_true",
+                      help="show sha1 hash of the content")
+    parser.add_option("-M", "--md5", action="store_true",
+                      help="show md5 hash of the content")
+    parser.add_option("-D", "--dump", action="store_true",
+                      help="dump file content")
+    parser.add_option("-H", "--hexdump", action="store_true",
+                      help="hexdump file content")
+    parser.add_option("-B", "--bytes", type="int",
+                      help="number of characters to dump")
+    parser.add_option("-L", "--lines", type="int",
+                      help="number of lines to dump")
+    parser.add_option("-q", "--quiet", action="store_true",
+                      help="no default output")
+    (opts, filenames) = parser.parse_args(sys.argv[1:])
+    if not filenames:
+        filenames = ['-']
+
+    visit(opts, filenames, sys.stdout)
diff --git a/tests/test-tools.t b/tests/test-tools.t
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test-tools.t
@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+Tests of the file helper tool
+
+  $ f -h
+  Usage: f [options] [filenames]
+  
+  Options:
+    -h, --help            show this help message and exit
+    -t, --type            show file type (file or directory)
+    -m, --mode            show file mode
+    -l, --links           show number of links
+    -s, --size            show size of file
+    -n NEWER, --newer=NEWER
+                          check if file is newer (or same)
+    -r, --recurse         recurse into directories
+    -S, --sha1            show sha1 hash of the content
+    -M, --md5             show md5 hash of the content
+    -D, --dump            dump file content
+    -H, --hexdump         hexdump file content
+    -B BYTES, --bytes=BYTES
+                          number of characters to dump
+    -L LINES, --lines=LINES
+                          number of lines to dump
+    -q, --quiet           no default output
+
+  $ mkdir dir
+  $ cd dir
+
+  $ f --size
+  size=0
+
+  $ echo hello | f --md5 --size
+  size=6, md5=b1946ac92492d2347c6235b4d2611184
+
+  $ f foo
+  foo: file not found
+
+  $ echo foo > foo
+  $ f foo
+  foo:
+
+  $ f foo --mode
+  foo: mode=644
+
+  $ seq 10 > bar
+  $ chmod +x bar
+  $ f bar --newer foo --mode --type --size --dump --links --bytes 7
+  bar: file, size=21, mode=755, links=1, newer than foo
+  >>>
+  1
+  2
+  3
+  4
+  <<< no trailing newline
+
+  $ ln bar baz
+  $ f bar -n baz -l --hexdump -t --sha1 --lines=9 -B 20
+  bar: file, links=2, newer than baz, sha1=612ca68d0305c821750a
+  0000: 31 0a 32 0a 33 0a 34 0a 35 0a 36 0a 37 0a 38 0a |1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.|
+  0010: 39 0a                                           |9.|
+
+  $ ln -s yadda l
+  $ f . --recurse -MStmsB4
+  .: directory with 4 files, size=120, mode=755
+  ./bar: file, size=21, mode=755, md5=3b03, sha1=612c
+  ./baz: file, size=21, mode=755, md5=3b03, sha1=612c
+  ./foo: file, size=4, mode=644, md5=d3b0, sha1=f1d2
+  ./l: link, size=5, mode=777, md5=2faa, sha1=af93
+
+  $ f --quiet bar -DL 3
+  1
+  2
+  3
+
+  $ cd ..
+
+  $ f -qr dir -HB 17
+  dir: directory with 4 files
+  dir/bar:
+  0000: 31 0a 32 0a 33 0a 34 0a 35 0a 36 0a 37 0a 38 0a |1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.|
+  0010: 39                                              |9|
+  dir/baz:
+  0000: 31 0a 32 0a 33 0a 34 0a 35 0a 36 0a 37 0a 38 0a |1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.|
+  0010: 39                                              |9|
+  dir/foo:
+  0000: 66 6f 6f 0a                                     |foo.|
+  dir/l:
+  0000: 79 61 64 64 61                                  |yadda|