diff --git a/Makefile.in b/Makefile.in
index 4c5c8981259..8e4f2ca45ff 100644
--- a/Makefile.in
+++ b/Makefile.in
@@ -696,6 +696,7 @@ TEST_XFAILS_STAGE0 := $(FLOAT_XFAILS) \
                         threads.rs \
                         type-sizes.rs \
                         typestate-cfg-nesting.rs \
+                        use-import-export.rs \
                         user.rs \
                         utf8.rs \
                         vec-alloc-append.rs \
diff --git a/src/comp/front/ast.rs b/src/comp/front/ast.rs
index d48792d117e..349f887a2f9 100644
--- a/src/comp/front/ast.rs
+++ b/src/comp/front/ast.rs
@@ -374,8 +374,7 @@ tag native_item_ {
                    fn_decl, vec[ty_param], def_id, ann);
 }
 
-// TODO: Actually store something here.
-type external_crate_info = ();
+type external_crate_info = rec(vec[u8] data);
 
 fn index_view_item(mod_index index, @view_item it) {
     alt (it.node) {
diff --git a/src/comp/front/creader.rs b/src/comp/front/creader.rs
index 7212840c9bd..e052e94a838 100644
--- a/src/comp/front/creader.rs
+++ b/src/comp/front/creader.rs
@@ -2,11 +2,14 @@
 
 import driver.session;
 import front.ast;
+import lib.llvm.False;
+import lib.llvm.llvm;
 import lib.llvm.llvmext;
 import lib.llvm.mk_object_file;
 import lib.llvm.mk_section_iter;
 import middle.fold;
 import middle.ty;
+import back.x86;
 import util.common;
 import util.common.span;
 
@@ -19,6 +22,7 @@ import std.map.hashmap;
 
 // TODO: map to a real type here.
 type env = @rec(
+    session.session sess,
     @hashmap[str, @ast.external_crate_info] crate_cache,
     vec[str] library_search_paths
 );
@@ -204,15 +208,39 @@ impure fn parse_ty_fn(@pstate st, str_def sd) -> tup(vec[ty.arg], @ty.t) {
 }
 
 
+// Rust metadata parsing
 
-// TODO: return something
-fn load_crate(ast.ident ident, vec[str] library_search_paths) -> @() {
+// TODO
+
+
+fn load_crate(session.session sess,
+              ast.ident ident,
+              vec[str] library_search_paths) -> @ast.external_crate_info {
+    auto filename = parser.default_native_name(sess, ident);
     for (str library_search_path in library_search_paths) {
-        auto path = fs.connect(library_search_path, ident);
-        // TODO
+        auto path = fs.connect(library_search_path, filename);
+        auto pbuf = _str.buf(path);
+        auto mb = llvmext.LLVMRustCreateMemoryBufferWithContentsOfFile(pbuf);
+        if (mb as int != 0) {
+            auto of = mk_object_file(mb);
+            auto si = mk_section_iter(of.llof);
+            while (llvmext.LLVMIsSectionIteratorAtEnd(of.llof, si.llsi) ==
+                    False) {
+                auto name_buf = llvmext.LLVMGetSectionName(si.llsi);
+                auto name = _str.str_from_cstr(name_buf);
+                if (_str.eq(name, x86.get_meta_sect_name())) {
+                    auto cbuf = llvmext.LLVMGetSectionContents(si.llsi);
+                    auto csz = llvmext.LLVMGetSectionSize(si.llsi);
+                    auto cvbuf = cbuf as _vec.vbuf;
+                    ret @rec(data=_vec.vec_from_vbuf[u8](cvbuf, csz));
+                }
+            }
+        }
     }
 
-    ret @();
+    log #fmt("can't open crate '%s' (looked for '%s' in lib search paths)",
+        ident, filename);
+    fail;
 }
 
 fn fold_view_item_use(&env e, &span sp, ast.ident ident,
@@ -220,7 +248,7 @@ fn fold_view_item_use(&env e, &span sp, ast.ident ident,
         -> @ast.view_item {
     auto external_crate;
     if (!e.crate_cache.contains_key(ident)) {
-        external_crate = load_crate(ident, e.library_search_paths);
+        external_crate = load_crate(e.sess, ident, e.library_search_paths);
         e.crate_cache.insert(ident, external_crate);
     } else {
         external_crate = e.crate_cache.get(ident);
@@ -236,6 +264,7 @@ fn read_crates(session.session sess,
                @ast.crate crate,
                vec[str] library_search_paths) -> @ast.crate {
     auto e = @rec(
+        sess=sess,
         crate_cache=@common.new_str_hash[@ast.external_crate_info](),
         library_search_paths=library_search_paths
     );
diff --git a/src/comp/rustc.rc b/src/comp/rustc.rc
index a0c8aecbfca..db1f1b24b65 100644
--- a/src/comp/rustc.rc
+++ b/src/comp/rustc.rc
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ mod util {
 }
 
 auth driver.rustc.main = impure;
+auth front.creader.load_crate = unsafe;
 auth middle.metadata = unsafe;
 auth middle.trans = unsafe;
 auth middle.trans.copy_args_to_allocas = impure;
diff --git a/src/lib/_vec.rs b/src/lib/_vec.rs
index 36b529cc070..c3fc7035a84 100644
--- a/src/lib/_vec.rs
+++ b/src/lib/_vec.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import option.none;
 import option.some;
 
-import vbuf = rustrt.vbuf;
+type vbuf = rustrt.vbuf;
 
 type operator2[T,U,V] = fn(&T, &U) -> V;
 
@@ -28,6 +28,8 @@ native "rust" mod rustrt {
     fn refcount[T](vec[T] v) -> uint;
 
     fn vec_print_debug_info[T](vec[T] v);
+
+    fn vec_from_vbuf[T](vbuf v, uint n_elts) -> vec[T];
 }
 
 fn alloc[T](uint n_elts) -> vec[T] {
@@ -48,6 +50,10 @@ fn refcount[T](vec[mutable? T] v) -> uint {
     }
 }
 
+unsafe fn vec_from_vbuf[T](vbuf v, uint n_elts) -> vec[T] {
+    ret rustrt.vec_from_vbuf[T](v, n_elts);
+}
+
 type init_op[T] = fn(uint i) -> T;
 
 fn init_fn[T](&init_op[T] op, uint n_elts) -> vec[T] {
diff --git a/src/rt/rust_builtin.cpp b/src/rt/rust_builtin.cpp
index 1d8f8ba82aa..983337745b9 100644
--- a/src/rt/rust_builtin.cpp
+++ b/src/rt/rust_builtin.cpp
@@ -170,6 +170,13 @@ vec_alloc_with_data(rust_task *task,
     return new (mem) rust_vec(dom, alloc, fill * elt_size, (uint8_t*)d);
 }
 
+extern "C" CDECL rust_vec*
+vec_from_vbuf(rust_task *task, type_desc *ty, void *vbuf, size_t n_elts)
+{
+    return vec_alloc_with_data(task, n_elts, n_elts * ty->size, ty->size,
+                               vbuf);
+}
+
 extern "C" CDECL rust_str*
 str_alloc(rust_task *task, size_t n_bytes)
 {
diff --git a/src/rt/rustrt.def.in b/src/rt/rustrt.def.in
index 1f081605d24..d917aa937a1 100644
--- a/src/rt/rustrt.def.in
+++ b/src/rt/rustrt.def.in
@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@ upcall_yield
 vec_alloc
 vec_alloc_mut
 vec_buf
+vec_from_vbuf
 vec_len
 vec_len_set
 vec_print_debug_info