diff --git a/src/pkg/exp/template/Makefile b/src/pkg/exp/template/Makefile
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..19d0ae9641d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/pkg/exp/template/Makefile
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+# Copyright 2011 The Go Authors. All rights reserved.
+# Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style
+# license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+include ../../../Make.inc
+
+TARG=template
+GOFILES=\
+	lex.go\
+
+include ../../../Make.pkg
diff --git a/src/pkg/exp/template/lex.go b/src/pkg/exp/template/lex.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..574b97829b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/pkg/exp/template/lex.go
@@ -0,0 +1,302 @@
+// Copyright 2011 The Go Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style
+// license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+package template
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"strings"
+	"unicode"
+	"utf8"
+)
+
+// item represents a token or text string returned from the scanner.
+type item struct {
+	typ itemType
+	val string
+}
+
+// itemType identifies the type of lex item.
+type itemType int
+
+const (
+	itemError      itemType = iota // error occurred; value is text of error
+	itemText                       // plain text
+	itemLeftMeta                   // left meta-string
+	itemRightMeta                  // right meta-string
+	itemPipe                       // pipe symbol
+	itemIdentifier                 // alphanumeric identifier
+	itemNumber                     // number
+	itemRawString                  // raw quoted string (includes quotes)
+	itemString                     // quoted string (includes quotes)
+	itemEOF
+)
+
+const eof = -1
+
+// stateFn represents the state of the scanner as a function that returns the next state.
+type stateFn func(*lexer) stateFn
+
+// lexer holds the state of the scanner.
+type lexer struct {
+	name  string    // the name of the input; used only for error reports.
+	input string    // the string being scanned.
+	pos   int       // current position in the input.
+	start int       // start position of this item.
+	width int       // width of last rune read from input.
+	items chan item // channel of scanned items.
+}
+
+// next returns the next rune in the input.
+func (l *lexer) next() (rune int) {
+	if l.pos >= len(l.input) {
+		return eof
+	}
+	rune, l.width = utf8.DecodeRuneInString(l.input[l.pos:])
+	l.pos += l.width
+	return rune
+}
+
+// peek returns but does not consume the next rune in the input.
+func (l *lexer) peek() int {
+	rune := l.next()
+	l.backup()
+	return rune
+}
+
+// backup steps back one rune. Can only be called once per call of next.
+func (l *lexer) backup() {
+	l.pos -= l.width
+}
+
+// emit passes an item back to the client.
+func (l *lexer) emit(t itemType) {
+	start := l.start
+	l.start = l.pos
+	l.items <- item{t, l.input[start:l.pos]}
+}
+
+// ignore discards whatever input is before this point.
+func (l *lexer) ignore() {
+	l.start = l.pos
+}
+
+// accept consumes the next rune if it's from the valid set.
+func (l *lexer) accept(valid string) bool {
+	if strings.IndexRune(valid, l.next()) >= 0 {
+		return true
+	}
+	l.backup()
+	return false
+}
+
+// acceptRun consumes a run of runes from the valid set.
+func (l *lexer) acceptRun(valid string) {
+	for strings.IndexRune(valid, l.next()) >= 0 {
+	}
+	l.backup()
+}
+
+// lineNumber reports which line we're on. Doing it this way
+// means we don't have to worry about peek double counting.
+func (l *lexer) lineNumber() int {
+	return 1 + strings.Count(l.input[:l.pos], "\n")
+}
+
+// error returns an error token and terminates the scan by passing
+// back a nil pointer that will be the next state, terminating l.run.
+func (l *lexer) error(format string, args ...interface{}) stateFn {
+	format = fmt.Sprintf("%s:%d %s", l.name, l.lineNumber(), format)
+	l.items <- item{itemError, fmt.Sprintf(format, args...)}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// run lexes the input by execute state functions until nil.
+func (l *lexer) run() {
+	for state := lexText; state != nil; {
+		state = state(l)
+	}
+	close(l.items)
+}
+
+// lex launches a new scanner and returns the channel of items.
+func lex(name, input string) chan item {
+	l := &lexer{
+		name:  name,
+		input: input,
+		items: make(chan item),
+	}
+	go l.run()
+	return l.items
+}
+
+// state functions
+
+const leftMeta = "{{"
+const rightMeta = "}}"
+
+// lexText scans until a metacharacter
+func lexText(l *lexer) stateFn {
+	for {
+		if strings.HasPrefix(l.input[l.pos:], leftMeta) {
+			if l.pos > l.start {
+				l.emit(itemText)
+			}
+			return lexLeftMeta
+		}
+		if l.next() == eof {
+			break
+		}
+	}
+	// Correctly reached EOF.
+	if l.pos > l.start {
+		l.emit(itemText)
+	}
+	l.emit(itemEOF)
+	return nil
+}
+
+// leftMeta scans the left "metacharacter", which is known to be present.
+func lexLeftMeta(l *lexer) stateFn {
+	l.pos += len(leftMeta)
+	l.emit(itemLeftMeta)
+	return lexInsideAction
+}
+
+// rightMeta scans the right "metacharacter", which is known to be present.
+func lexRightMeta(l *lexer) stateFn {
+	l.pos += len(rightMeta)
+	l.emit(itemRightMeta)
+	return lexText
+}
+
+// lexInsideAction scans the elements inside "metacharacters".
+func lexInsideAction(l *lexer) stateFn {
+	// Either number, quoted string, or identifier.
+	// Spaces separate and are ignored.
+	// Pipe symbols separate and are emitted.
+	for {
+		if strings.HasPrefix(l.input[l.pos:], rightMeta) {
+			return lexRightMeta
+		}
+		switch r := l.next(); {
+		case r == eof || r == '\n':
+			return l.error("unclosed action")
+		case isSpace(r):
+			l.ignore()
+		case r == '|':
+			l.emit(itemPipe)
+		case r == '"':
+			return lexQuote
+		case r == '`':
+			return lexRawQuote
+		case r == '+' || r == '-' || r == '.' || ('0' <= r && r <= '9'):
+			l.backup()
+			return lexNumber
+		case isAlphaNumeric(r):
+			l.backup()
+			return lexIdentifier
+		default:
+			return l.error("unrecognized character in action: %#U", r)
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// lexIdentifier scans an alphanumeric.
+func lexIdentifier(l *lexer) stateFn {
+Loop:
+	for {
+		switch r := l.next(); {
+		case isAlphaNumeric(r):
+			// absorb
+		default:
+			l.backup()
+			l.emit(itemIdentifier)
+			break Loop
+		}
+	}
+	return lexInsideAction
+}
+
+// lexNumber scans a number: decimal, octal, hex, float, or imaginary.  This
+// isn't a perfect number scanner - for instance it accepts "." and "0x0.2"
+// and "089" - but when it's wrong the input is invalid and the parser (via
+// strconv) will notice.
+// TODO: without expressions you can do imaginary but not complex.
+func lexNumber(l *lexer) stateFn {
+	// Optional leading sign.
+	l.accept("+-")
+	// Is it hex?
+	digits := "0123456789"
+	if l.accept("0") && l.accept("xX") {
+		digits = "0123456789abcdefABCDEF"
+	}
+	l.acceptRun(digits)
+	if l.accept(".") {
+		l.acceptRun(digits)
+	}
+	if l.accept("eE") {
+		l.accept("+-")
+		l.acceptRun("0123456789")
+	}
+	// Is it imaginary?
+	l.accept("i")
+	// Next thing mustn't be alphanumeric.
+	if isAlphaNumeric(l.peek()) {
+		l.next()
+		return l.error("bad number syntax: %q", l.input[l.start:l.pos])
+	}
+	l.emit(itemNumber)
+	return lexInsideAction
+}
+
+// lexQuote scans a quoted string.
+func lexQuote(l *lexer) stateFn {
+Loop:
+	for {
+		switch l.next() {
+		case '\\':
+			if r := l.next(); r != eof && r != '\n' {
+				break
+			}
+			fallthrough
+		case eof, '\n':
+			return l.error("unterminated quoted string")
+		case '"':
+			break Loop
+		}
+	}
+	l.emit(itemString)
+	return lexInsideAction
+}
+
+// lexRawQuote scans a raw quoted string.
+func lexRawQuote(l *lexer) stateFn {
+Loop:
+	for {
+		switch l.next() {
+		case eof, '\n':
+			return l.error("unterminated raw quoted string")
+		case '`':
+			break Loop
+		}
+	}
+	l.emit(itemRawString)
+	return lexInsideAction
+}
+
+// isSpace reports whether r is a space character.
+func isSpace(r int) bool {
+	switch r {
+	case ' ', '\t', '\n', '\r':
+		return true
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+// isAlphaNumeric reports whether r is an alphabetic, digit, or underscore.
+func isAlphaNumeric(r int) bool {
+	return r == '_' || unicode.IsLetter(r) || unicode.IsDigit(r)
+}
diff --git a/src/pkg/exp/template/lex_test.go b/src/pkg/exp/template/lex_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..ae48f937a96
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/pkg/exp/template/lex_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,126 @@
+// Copyright 2011 The Go Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style
+// license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+package template
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"reflect"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// Make the types prettyprint.
+var itemName = map[itemType]string{
+	itemError:      "Error",
+	itemText:       "Text",
+	itemLeftMeta:   "LeftMeta",
+	itemRightMeta:  "RightMeta",
+	itemPipe:       "Pipe",
+	itemIdentifier: "Identifier",
+	itemNumber:     "Number",
+	itemRawString:  "RawString",
+	itemString:     "String",
+	itemEOF:        "EOF",
+}
+
+func (i itemType) String() string {
+	s := itemName[i]
+	if s == "" {
+		return fmt.Sprintf("item%d", int(i))
+	}
+	return s
+}
+
+type lexTest struct {
+	name  string
+	input string
+	items []item
+}
+
+var (
+	tEOF      = item{itemEOF, ""}
+	tLeft     = item{itemLeftMeta, "{{"}
+	tRight    = item{itemRightMeta, "}}"}
+	tPipe     = item{itemPipe, "|"}
+	tFor      = item{itemIdentifier, "for"}
+	tQuote    = item{itemString, `"abc \n\t\" "`}
+	raw       = "`" + `abc\n\t\" ` + "`"
+	tRawQuote = item{itemRawString, raw}
+)
+
+var lexTests = []lexTest{
+	{"empty", "", []item{tEOF}},
+	{"spaces", " \t\n", []item{{itemText, " \t\n"}, tEOF}},
+	{"text", `now is the time`, []item{{itemText, "now is the time"}, tEOF}},
+	{"empty action", `{{}}`, []item{tLeft, tRight, tEOF}},
+	{"for", `{{for }}`, []item{tLeft, tFor, tRight, tEOF}},
+	{"quote", `{{"abc \n\t\" "}}`, []item{tLeft, tQuote, tRight, tEOF}},
+	{"raw quote", "{{" + raw + "}}", []item{tLeft, tRawQuote, tRight, tEOF}},
+	{"numbers", "{{1 02 0x14 -7.2i 1e3 +1.2e-4}}", []item{
+		tLeft,
+		{itemNumber, "1"},
+		{itemNumber, "02"},
+		{itemNumber, "0x14"},
+		{itemNumber, "-7.2i"},
+		{itemNumber, "1e3"},
+		{itemNumber, "+1.2e-4"},
+		tRight,
+		tEOF,
+	}},
+	{"pipeline", `intro {{echo hi 1.2 |noargs|args 1 "hi"}} outro`, []item{
+		{itemText, "intro "},
+		tLeft,
+		{itemIdentifier, "echo"},
+		{itemIdentifier, "hi"},
+		{itemNumber, "1.2"},
+		tPipe,
+		{itemIdentifier, "noargs"},
+		tPipe,
+		{itemIdentifier, "args"},
+		{itemNumber, "1"},
+		{itemString, `"hi"`},
+		tRight,
+		{itemText, " outro"},
+		tEOF,
+	}},
+	// errors
+	{"badchar", "#{{#}}", []item{
+		{itemText, "#"},
+		tLeft,
+		{itemError, "badchar:1 unrecognized character in action: U+0023 '#'"},
+	}},
+	{"unclosed action", "{{\n}}", []item{
+		tLeft,
+		{itemError, "unclosed action:2 unclosed action"},
+	}},
+	{"unclosed quote", "{{\"\n\"}}", []item{
+		tLeft,
+		{itemError, "unclosed quote:2 unterminated quoted string"},
+	}},
+	{"unclosed raw quote", "{{`xx\n`}}", []item{
+		tLeft,
+		{itemError, "unclosed raw quote:2 unterminated raw quoted string"},
+	}},
+	{"bad number", "{{3k}}", []item{
+		tLeft,
+		{itemError, `bad number:1 bad number syntax: "3k"`},
+	}},
+}
+
+// collect gathers the emitted items into a slice.
+func collect(t *lexTest) (items []item) {
+	for i := range lex(t.name, t.input) {
+		items = append(items, i)
+	}
+	return
+}
+
+func TestLex(t *testing.T) {
+	for _, test := range lexTests {
+		items := collect(&test)
+		if !reflect.DeepEqual(items, test.items) {
+			t.Errorf("%s: got\n\t%v; expected\n\t%v", test.name, items, test.items)
+		}
+	}
+}