diff --git a/src/lib9/_p9translate.c b/src/lib9/_p9translate.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4eb6eac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib9/_p9translate.c
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+#include <u.h>
+#include <libc.h>
+
+/*
+ * I don't want too many of these,
+ * but the ones we have are just too useful. 
+ */
+static struct {
+	char *old;
+	char *new;
+} replace[] = {
+	"#9", nil,	/* must be first */
+	"#d", "/dev/fd",
+};
+
+char*
+_p9translate(char *old)
+{
+	char *new;
+	int i, olen, nlen, len;
+
+	if(replace[0].new == nil){
+		replace[0].new = getenv("PLAN9");
+		if(replace[0].new == nil)
+			replace[0].new = "/usr/local/plan9";
+	}
+
+	for(i=0; i<nelem(replace); i++){
+		if(!replace[i].new)
+			continue;
+		olen = strlen(replace[i].old);
+		if(strncmp(old, replace[i].old, olen) != 0
+		|| (old[olen] != '\0' && old[olen] != '/'))
+			continue;
+		nlen = strlen(replace[i].new);
+		len = strlen(old)+nlen-olen;
+		new = malloc(len+1);
+		if(new == nil)
+			return nil;
+		strcpy(new, replace[i].new);
+		strcpy(new+nlen, old+olen);
+		assert(strlen(new) == len);
+		return new;
+	}
+	return old;
+}
diff --git a/src/lib9/access.c b/src/lib9/access.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..20b00c3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib9/access.c
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+#include <u.h>
+#define NOPLAN9DEFINES
+#include <libc.h>
+
+char *_p9translate(char*);
+
+int
+p9access(char *xname, int what)
+{
+	int ret;
+	char *name;
+
+	if((name = _p9translate(xname)) == nil)
+		return -1;
+	ret = access(name, what);
+	if(name != xname)
+		free(name);
+	return ret;
+}
diff --git a/src/lib9/getns.c b/src/lib9/getns.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..29bc857
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib9/getns.c
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+#include <u.h>
+#include <libc.h>
+#include <ctype.h>
+
+/*
+ * Absent other hints, it works reasonably well to use
+ * the X11 display name as the name space identifier.
+ * This is how sam's B has worked since the early days.
+ * Since most programs using name spaces are also using X,
+ * this still seems reasonable.  Terminal-only sessions
+ * can set $NAMESPACE.
+ */
+static char*
+nsfromdisplay(void)
+{
+	int fd;
+	Dir *d;
+	char *disp, *p;
+
+	if((disp = getenv("DISPLAY")) == nil){
+		werrstr("$DISPLAY not set");
+		return nil;
+	}
+
+	/* canonicalize: xxx:0.0 => xxx:0 */
+	p = strrchr(disp, ':');
+	if(p){
+		p++;
+		while(isdigit((uchar)*p))
+			p++;
+		if(strcmp(p, ".0") == 0)
+			*p = 0;
+	}
+
+	p = smprint("/tmp/ns.%s.%s", getuser(), disp);
+	free(disp);
+	if(p == nil){
+		werrstr("out of memory");
+		return p;
+	}
+	if((fd=create(p, OREAD, DMDIR|0700)) >= 0){
+		close(fd);
+		return p;
+	}
+	if((d = dirstat(p)) == nil){
+		free(d);
+		werrstr("stat %s: %r", p);
+		free(p);
+		return nil;
+	}
+	if((d->mode&0777) != 0700 || strcmp(d->uid, getuser()) != 0){
+		werrstr("bad name space dir %s", p);
+		free(p);
+		free(d);
+		return nil;
+	}
+	free(d);
+	return p;
+}
+
+char*
+getns(void)
+{
+	char *ns;
+
+	ns = getenv("NAMESPACE");
+	if(ns == nil)
+		ns = nsfromdisplay();
+	if(ns == nil){
+		werrstr("$NAMESPACE not set, %r");
+		return nil;
+	}
+	return ns;
+}
diff --git a/src/lib9/malloc.c b/src/lib9/malloc.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b75d2f0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib9/malloc.c
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+#include <u.h>
+#define NOPLAN9DEFINES
+#include <libc.h>
+
+void*
+p9malloc(ulong n)
+{
+	if(n == 0)
+		n++;
+	return malloc(n);
+}
diff --git a/src/lib9/open.c b/src/lib9/open.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bb597e8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib9/open.c
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+#include <u.h>
+#define NOPLAN9DEFINES
+#include <libc.h>
+
+extern char* _p9translate(char*);
+
+int
+p9open(char *xname, int mode)
+{
+	char *name;
+	int cexec, rclose;
+	int fd, umode;
+
+	umode = mode&3;
+	cexec = mode&OCEXEC;
+	rclose = mode&ORCLOSE;
+	mode &= ~(3|OCEXEC|ORCLOSE);
+	if(mode&OTRUNC){
+		umode |= O_TRUNC;
+		mode ^= OTRUNC;
+	}
+	if(mode){
+		werrstr("mode not supported");
+		return -1;
+	}
+	if((name = _p9translate(xname)) == nil)
+		return -1;
+	fd = open(name, umode);
+	if(fd >= 0){
+		if(cexec)
+			fcntl(fd, F_SETFL, FD_CLOEXEC);
+		if(rclose)
+			remove(name);
+	}
+	if(name != xname)
+		free(name);
+	return fd;
+}
diff --git a/src/lib9/pipe.c b/src/lib9/pipe.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f9fe242
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib9/pipe.c
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+#include <u.h>
+#define NOPLAN9DEFINES
+#include <libc.h>
+#include <sys/socket.h>
+
+int
+p9pipe(int fd[2])
+{
+	return socketpair(AF_UNIX, SOCK_STREAM, 0, fd);
+}
diff --git a/src/lib9/post9p.c b/src/lib9/post9p.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..35ba316
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib9/post9p.c
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+#include <u.h>
+#include <libc.h>
+
+int
+post9pservice(int fd, char *name)
+{
+	int i;
+	char *ns, *s;
+	Waitmsg *w;
+
+	if((ns = getns()) == nil)
+		return -1;
+	s = smprint("unix!%s/%s", ns, name);
+	free(ns);
+	if(s == nil)
+		return -1;
+	switch(rfork(RFPROC|RFFDG)){
+	case -1:
+		return -1;
+	case 0:
+		dup(fd, 0);
+		dup(fd, 1);
+		for(i=3; i<20; i++)
+			close(i);
+		execlp("9pserve", "9pserve", "-u", s, (char*)0);
+		fprint(2, "exec 9pserve: %r\n");
+		_exits("exec");
+	default:
+		w = wait();
+		close(fd);
+		free(s);
+		if(w->msg && w->msg[0]){
+			free(w);
+			werrstr("9pserve failed");
+			return -1;
+		}
+		free(w);
+		return 0;
+	}
+}
diff --git a/src/lib9/sendfd.c b/src/lib9/sendfd.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b3a2448
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib9/sendfd.c
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+#include <u.h>
+#define NOPLAN9DEFINES
+#include <libc.h>
+#include <sys/socket.h>
+#include <sys/uio.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+#include <errno.h>
+
+typedef struct Sendfd Sendfd;
+struct Sendfd {
+	struct cmsghdr cmsg;
+	int fd;
+};
+
+int
+sendfd(int s, int fd)
+{
+	char buf[1];
+	struct iovec iov;
+	struct msghdr msg;
+	int n;
+	Sendfd sfd;
+
+	buf[0] = 0;
+	iov.iov_base = buf;
+	iov.iov_len = 1;
+
+	memset(&msg, 0, sizeof msg);
+	msg.msg_iov = &iov;
+	msg.msg_iovlen = 1;
+
+	sfd.cmsg.cmsg_len = sizeof sfd;
+	sfd.cmsg.cmsg_level = SOL_SOCKET;
+	sfd.cmsg.cmsg_type = SCM_RIGHTS;
+	sfd.fd = fd;
+
+	msg.msg_control = &sfd;
+	msg.msg_controllen = sizeof sfd;
+
+	if((n=sendmsg(s, &msg, 0)) != iov.iov_len)
+		return -1;
+	return 0;
+}
+
+int
+recvfd(int s)
+{
+	int n;
+	char buf[1];
+	struct iovec iov;
+	struct msghdr msg;
+	Sendfd sfd;
+
+	iov.iov_base = buf;
+	iov.iov_len = 1;
+
+	memset(&msg, 0, sizeof msg);
+	msg.msg_name = 0;
+	msg.msg_namelen = 0;
+	msg.msg_iov = &iov;
+	msg.msg_iovlen = 1;
+
+	memset(&sfd, 0, sizeof sfd);
+	sfd.fd = -1;
+	sfd.cmsg.cmsg_len = sizeof sfd;
+	sfd.cmsg.cmsg_level = SOL_SOCKET;
+	sfd.cmsg.cmsg_type = SCM_RIGHTS;
+
+	msg.msg_control = &sfd;
+	msg.msg_controllen = sizeof sfd;
+
+	if((n=recvmsg(s, &msg, 0)) < 0)
+		return -1;
+	if(n==0 && sfd.fd==-1){
+		werrstr("eof in recvfd");
+		return -1;
+	}
+	return sfd.fd;
+}