diff --git a/Doc/tools/cvsinfo.py b/Doc/tools/cvsinfo.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..58a32c25382
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Doc/tools/cvsinfo.py
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+"""Utility class and function to get information about the CVS repository
+based on checked-out files.
+"""
+
+import os
+
+
+def get_repository_list(paths):
+    d = {}
+    for name in paths:
+        if os.path.isfile(name):
+            dir = os.path.dirname(name)
+        else:
+            dir = name
+        rootfile = os.path.join(name, "CVS", "Root")
+        root = open(rootfile).readline().strip()
+        if not d.has_key(root):
+            d[root] = RepositoryInfo(dir), [name]
+        else:
+            d[root][1].append(name)
+    return d.values()
+
+
+class RepositoryInfo:
+    """Record holding information about the repository we want to talk to."""
+    cvsroot_path = None
+    branch = None
+
+    # type is '', ':ext', or ':pserver:'
+    type = ""
+
+    def __init__(self, dir=None):
+        if dir is None:
+            dir = os.getcwd()
+        dir = os.path.join(dir, "CVS")
+        root = open(os.path.join(dir, "Root")).readline().strip()
+        if root.startswith(":pserver:"):
+            self.type = ":pserver:"
+            root = root[len(":pserver:"):]
+        elif ":" in root:
+            if root.startswith(":ext:"):
+                root = root[len(":ext:"):]
+            self.type = ":ext:"
+        self.repository = root
+        if ":" in root:
+            host, path = root.split(":", 1)
+            self.cvsroot_path = path
+        else:
+            self.cvsroot_path = root
+        fn = os.path.join(dir, "Tag")
+        if os.path.isfile(fn):
+            self.branch = open(fn).readline().strip()[1:]
+
+    def get_cvsroot(self):
+        return self.type + self.repository
+
+    _repository_dir_cache = {}
+
+    def get_repository_file(self, path):
+        filename = os.path.abspath(path)
+        if os.path.isdir(path):
+            dir = path
+            join = 0
+        else:
+            dir = os.path.dirname(path)
+            join = 1
+        try:
+            repodir = self._repository_dir_cache[dir]
+        except KeyError:
+            repofn = os.path.join(dir, "CVS", "Repository")
+            repodir = open(repofn).readline().strip()
+            repodir = os.path.join(self.cvsroot_path, repodir)
+            self._repository_dir_cache[dir] = repodir
+        if join:
+            fn = os.path.join(repodir, os.path.basename(path))
+        else:
+            fn = repodir
+        return fn[len(self.cvsroot_path)+1:]
+
+    def __repr__(self):
+        return "<RepositoryInfo for %s>" % `self.get_cvsroot()`