diff --git a/src/rustc/metadata.rs b/src/rustc/metadata.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..2a789ff4ed2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/rustc/metadata.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+// Define the rustc API's that the metadata module has access to
+// Over time we will reduce these dependencies and, once metadata has
+// no dependencies on rustc it can move into its own crate.
+
+mod middle {
+    import ast_map = middle_::ast_map;
+    export ast_map;
+    import ty = middle_::ty;
+    export ty;
+    import trans = middle_::trans;
+    export trans;
+    import typeck = middle_::typeck;
+    export typeck;
+    import last_use = middle_::last_use;
+    export last_use;
+    import freevars = middle_::freevars;
+    export freevars;
+    import resolve = middle_::resolve;
+    export resolve;
+}
+
+mod front {
+}
+
+mod back {
+}
+
+mod driver {
+    import session = driver_::session;
+    export session;
+    import diagnostic = rustsyntax::diagnostic;
+    export diagnostic;
+}
+
+mod util {
+    import common = util_::common;
+    export common;
+    import ppaux = util_::ppaux;
+    export ppaux;
+    import filesearch = util_::filesearch;
+    export filesearch;
+}
+
+mod lib {
+    import llvm = lib_::llvm;
+    export llvm;
+}
diff --git a/src/rustc/rustc.rc b/src/rustc/rustc.rc
index cdfecad1b15..961b7c6c683 100644
--- a/src/rustc/rustc.rc
+++ b/src/rustc/rustc.rc
@@ -17,6 +17,18 @@ use rustsyntax(vers = "0.2");
 
 import core::*;
 
+/*
+Alternate names for some modules.
+
+I am using this to help extract metadata into its own crate. In metadata.rs
+it redefines all these modules in order to gate access from metadata to the
+rest of the compiler, then uses these to access the original implementation.
+*/
+import util_ = util;
+import lib_ = lib;
+import driver_ = driver;
+import middle_ = middle;
+
 mod middle {
     mod trans {
         mod common;