diff --git a/lib/flapjack/inifile.rb b/lib/flapjack/inifile.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..03d715750
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/flapjack/inifile.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env ruby 
+
+# Nothing Flapjack-specific here - feel free to reuse.
+
+module Flapjack
+  class Inifile
+  
+    def initialize(string)
+      @data = {}
+  
+      string.split("\n").each do |line|
+        if line =~ /^\s*\[(.+)\]\s*(;.+)*$/
+          @current_section = $1
+          @data[@current_section] = {}
+        end
+        if line =~ /^\s*(.+)\s*=\s*([^;]+)\s*(;.+)*$/ # after = captures up to ; then groups everything after ;
+          key = $1.strip
+          value = $2.strip
+          @data[@current_section][key] = value
+        end
+      end
+    end
+  
+    def [](key)
+      @data[key]
+    end
+  
+    def keys
+      @data.keys
+    end
+  
+    def self.read(filename)
+      self.new(File.read(filename))
+    end
+  
+  end
+end
+
diff --git a/spec/inifile_spec.rb b/spec/inifile_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..72fb411d5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/inifile_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env ruby 
+
+require File.join(File.dirname(__FILE__), '..', 'lib', 'flapjack', 'inifile')
+require File.join(File.dirname(__FILE__), 'helpers')
+
+describe "inifile reader" do 
+
+  it "should turn sections into keys" do 
+    example = "[forks]\nhello = world\n[spoons]\nfoo = bar\n[splades]\nbar = baz"
+    ini = Flapjack::Inifile.new(example)
+    ini.keys.sort.should == %w{forks splades spoons}
+  end
+
+  it "should nest parameters under a section" do
+    example = "[forks]\nhello = world\n[spoons]\nfoo = bar\n[splades]\nbar = baz"
+    ini = Flapjack::Inifile.new(example)
+    ini['forks']['hello'].should == "world"
+    ini['spoons']['foo'].should == "bar"
+    ini['splades']['bar'].should == "baz"
+  end
+
+  it "should read a file" do 
+    filename = File.join(File.dirname(__FILE__), 'simple.ini')
+    ini = Flapjack::Inifile.read(filename)
+    ini['forks']['hello'].should == "world"
+    ini['spoons']['foo'].should == "bar"
+    ini['splades']['bar'].should == "baz"
+  end
+
+  it "should ignore commented lines" do 
+    example = "[forks]\nhello = world\n[spoons]\nfoo = bar\n# comment goes here\n[splades]\nbar = baz"
+    ini = Flapjack::Inifile.new(example)
+    ini['spoons'].keys.include?(/#/).should be_false
+    ini['spoons'].keys.include?(/comment goes here/).should be_false
+    ini['spoons'].values.include?(/#/).should be_false
+    ini['spoons'].values.include?(/comment goes here/).should be_false
+  end
+
+  it "should ignore blank lines" do 
+    example = "\n\n\n\n\n\n\n[spoons]\n\n\n\n[of]\n[doom]"
+    ini = Flapjack::Inifile.new(example)
+    ini.keys.sort.should == %w(doom of spoons)
+  end
+
+  it "should ignore mid-line comments" do 
+    example = "[forks] ; a comment \nhello = world ; another comment\n\n"
+    ini = Flapjack::Inifile.new(example)
+    ini.keys.include?("forks").should be_true
+    ini['forks']['hello'].should == 'world'
+  end
+
+end
diff --git a/spec/simple.ini b/spec/simple.ini
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0dd2cf14d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/simple.ini
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+[forks]
+hello = world
+[spoons]
+foo = bar
+[splades]
+bar = baz
\ No newline at end of file