diff --git a/lib/godoc/search.txt b/lib/godoc/search.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..9ae98d5b448
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/godoc/search.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+QUERY = {Query}
+
+{.section Accurate}
+{.or}
+INDEXING IN PROGRESS - RESULT MAY BE INACCURATE
+
+{.end}
+{.section Alt}
+DID YOU MEAN
+{.repeated section Alts}
+	{@}
+{.end}
+
+{.end}
+{.section Hit}
+{.section Decls}
+PACKAGE-LEVEL DECLARATIONS
+
+{.repeated section @}
+package {Pak.Name}
+{.repeated section Files}
+{.repeated section Groups}
+{.repeated section Infos}
+	{File.Path|url-src}
+{.end}
+{.end}
+{.end}
+
+{.end}
+{.end}
+{.section Others}
+LOCAL DECLARATIONS AND USES
+
+{.repeated section @}
+package {Pak.Name}
+{.repeated section Files}
+{.repeated section Groups}
+{.repeated section Infos}
+	{File.Path|url-src}
+{.end}
+{.end}
+{.end}
+
+{.end}
+{.end}
+{.end}
+{.section Illegal}
+ILLEGAL QUERY SYNTAX
+
+A legal query is a single identifier (such as ToLower)
+or a qualified identifier (such as math.Sin).
+{.end}
diff --git a/src/cmd/godoc/doc.go b/src/cmd/godoc/doc.go
index 866cff308fd..d3333c95586 100644
--- a/src/cmd/godoc/doc.go
+++ b/src/cmd/godoc/doc.go
@@ -8,12 +8,22 @@ Godoc extracts and generates documentation for Go programs.
 
 It has two modes.
 
-Without the -http flag, it prints plain text documentation to standard output and exits.
+Without the -http flag, it runs in command-line mode and prints plain text
+documentation to standard output and exits.
 
 	godoc fmt
 	godoc fmt Printf
 
-With the -http flag, it runs as a web server and presents the documentation as a web page.
+In command-line mode, the -q flag enables search queries against a godoc running
+as a webserver. If no explicit server address is specified with the -server flag,
+godoc first tries localhost:6060 and then http://golang.org.
+
+	godoc -q Reader Writer
+	godoc -q math.Sin
+	godoc -server=:6666 -q sin
+
+With the -http flag, it runs as a web server and presents the documentation as a
+web page.
 
 	godoc -http=:6060
 
@@ -23,6 +33,10 @@ Usage:
 The flags are:
 	-v
 		verbose mode
+	-q
+		arguments are considered search queries: a legal query is a
+		single identifier (such as ToLower) or a qualified identifier
+		(such as math.Sin).
 	-src
 		print exported source in command-line mode
 	-tabwidth=4
@@ -33,8 +47,10 @@ The flags are:
 		print HTML in command-line mode
 	-goroot=$GOROOT
 		Go root directory
-	-http=
+	-http=addr
 		HTTP service address (e.g., '127.0.0.1:6060' or just ':6060')
+	-server=addr
+		webserver address for command line searches
 	-sync="command"
 		if this and -sync_minutes are set, run the argument as a
 		command every sync_minutes; it is intended to update the
diff --git a/src/cmd/godoc/godoc.go b/src/cmd/godoc/godoc.go
index 286ecc99ec6..8a8cd420ab5 100644
--- a/src/cmd/godoc/godoc.go
+++ b/src/cmd/godoc/godoc.go
@@ -744,6 +744,12 @@ func infoKindFmt(w io.Writer, x interface{}, format string) {
 
 // Template formatter for "infoLine" format.
 func infoLineFmt(w io.Writer, x interface{}, format string) {
+	// TODO(gri) The code below won't work when invoked
+	//           as part of a command-line search where
+	//           there is no index (and thus Snippets).
+	//           At the moment, the search.txt template
+	//           is not using this formatter and cannot
+	//           show line numbers.
 	info := x.(SpotInfo)
 	line := info.Lori()
 	if info.IsIndex() {
@@ -851,6 +857,7 @@ var (
 	packageHTML,
 	packageText,
 	searchHTML,
+	searchText,
 	sourceHTML *template.Template
 )
 
@@ -862,6 +869,7 @@ func readTemplates() {
 	packageHTML = readTemplate("package.html")
 	packageText = readTemplate("package.txt")
 	searchHTML = readTemplate("search.html")
+	searchText = readTemplate("search.txt")
 	sourceHTML = readTemplate("source.html")
 }
 
@@ -1322,16 +1330,21 @@ type SearchResult struct {
 	Accurate bool
 }
 
-func search(c *http.Conn, r *http.Request) {
-	query := strings.TrimSpace(r.FormValue("q"))
-	var result SearchResult
 
+func lookup(query string) (result SearchResult) {
+	result.Query = query
 	if index, timestamp := searchIndex.get(); index != nil {
-		result.Query = query
 		result.Hit, result.Alt, result.Illegal = index.(*Index).Lookup(query)
 		_, ts := fsTree.get()
 		result.Accurate = timestamp >= ts
 	}
+	return
+}
+
+
+func search(c *http.Conn, r *http.Request) {
+	query := strings.TrimSpace(r.FormValue("q"))
+	result := lookup(query)
 
 	var title string
 	if result.Hit != nil {
@@ -1369,3 +1382,20 @@ func indexer() {
 		time.Sleep(1 * 60e9) // try once a minute
 	}
 }
+
+
+// ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// IndexServer
+
+type Query struct {
+	Query string
+}
+
+
+type IndexServer struct{}
+
+
+func (s *IndexServer) Lookup(query *Query, result *SearchResult) os.Error {
+	*result = lookup(query.Query)
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/src/cmd/godoc/main.go b/src/cmd/godoc/main.go
index f640029b12c..fbc5c0d3961 100644
--- a/src/cmd/godoc/main.go
+++ b/src/cmd/godoc/main.go
@@ -34,21 +34,31 @@ import (
 	"log"
 	"os"
 	pathutil "path"
+	"rpc"
 	"time"
 )
 
+const (
+	defaultAddr = ":6060" // default webserver address
+	golangAddr  = "golang.org:http"
+)
+
 var (
 	// periodic sync
 	syncCmd   = flag.String("sync", "", "sync command; disabled if empty")
 	syncMin   = flag.Int("sync_minutes", 0, "sync interval in minutes; disabled if <= 0")
 	syncDelay delayTime // actual sync delay in minutes; usually syncDelay == syncMin, but delay may back off exponentially
 
-	// server control
-	httpaddr = flag.String("http", "", "HTTP service address (e.g., ':6060')")
+	// network
+	httpAddr   = flag.String("http", "", "HTTP service address (e.g., '"+defaultAddr+"')")
+	serverAddr = flag.String("server", "", "webserver address for command line searches")
 
 	// layout control
 	html   = flag.Bool("html", false, "print HTML in command-line mode")
 	genAST = flag.Bool("src", false, "print exported source in command-line mode")
+
+	// command-line searches
+	query = flag.Bool("q", false, "arguments are considered search queries")
 )
 
 
@@ -133,7 +143,7 @@ func dosync(c *http.Conn, r *http.Request) {
 func usage() {
 	fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr,
 		"usage: godoc package [name ...]\n"+
-			"	godoc -http=:6060\n")
+			"	godoc -http="+defaultAddr+"\n")
 	flag.PrintDefaults()
 	os.Exit(2)
 }
@@ -147,12 +157,42 @@ func loggingHandler(h http.Handler) http.Handler {
 }
 
 
+func remoteLookup(query string) (result *SearchResult, err os.Error) {
+	var client *rpc.Client
+	if *serverAddr != "" {
+		// try server only
+		client, err = rpc.DialHTTP("tcp", *serverAddr)
+		if err != nil {
+			return
+		}
+	} else {
+		// try local default client first, followed by golang.org
+		client, err = rpc.DialHTTP("tcp", defaultAddr)
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Stderrf("trying %s (no local webserver found at %s)", golangAddr, defaultAddr)
+			client, err = rpc.Dial("tcp", golangAddr)
+			if err != nil {
+				return
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	result = new(SearchResult)
+	err = client.Call("IndexServer.Lookup", &Query{query}, result)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	return
+}
+
+
 func main() {
 	flag.Usage = usage
 	flag.Parse()
 
 	// Check usage: either server and no args, or command line and args
-	if (*httpaddr != "") != (flag.NArg() == 0) {
+	if (*httpAddr != "") != (flag.NArg() == 0) {
 		usage()
 	}
 
@@ -163,12 +203,12 @@ func main() {
 	initHandlers()
 	readTemplates()
 
-	if *httpaddr != "" {
+	if *httpAddr != "" {
 		// HTTP server mode.
 		var handler http.Handler = http.DefaultServeMux
 		if *verbose {
 			log.Stderrf("Go Documentation Server\n")
-			log.Stderrf("address = %s\n", *httpaddr)
+			log.Stderrf("address = %s\n", *httpAddr)
 			log.Stderrf("goroot = %s\n", goroot)
 			log.Stderrf("tabwidth = %d\n", *tabwidth)
 			if !fsMap.IsEmpty() {
@@ -214,16 +254,36 @@ func main() {
 		// TODO(gri): Do we still need this?
 		time.Sleep(1e9)
 
+		// Register index server.
+		rpc.Register(new(IndexServer))
+		rpc.HandleHTTP()
+
 		// Start http server.
-		if err := http.ListenAndServe(*httpaddr, handler); err != nil {
-			log.Exitf("ListenAndServe %s: %v", *httpaddr, err)
+		if err := http.ListenAndServe(*httpAddr, handler); err != nil {
+			log.Exitf("ListenAndServe %s: %v", *httpAddr, err)
 		}
+
 		return
 	}
 
 	// Command line mode.
 	if *html {
 		packageText = packageHTML
+		searchText = packageHTML
+	}
+
+	if *query {
+		// Command-line queries.
+		for i := 0; i < flag.NArg(); i++ {
+			result, err := remoteLookup(flag.Arg(i))
+			if err != nil {
+				log.Exitf("remoteLookup: %s", err)
+			}
+			if err := searchText.Execute(result, os.Stdout); err != nil {
+				log.Exitf("searchText.Execute: %s", err)
+			}
+		}
+		return
 	}
 
 	// determine paths