diff --git a/include/osmocore/tlv.h b/include/osmocore/tlv.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..14c9910
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/osmocore/tlv.h
@@ -0,0 +1,237 @@
+#ifndef _TLV_H
+#define _TLV_H
+
+#include <stdint.h>
+#include <string.h>
+
+#include <osmocore/msgb.h>
+
+/* Terminology / wording
+		tag	length		value	(in bits)
+
+	    V	-	-		8
+	   LV	-	8		N * 8
+	  TLV	8	8		N * 8
+	TL16V	8	16		N * 8
+	TLV16	8	8		N * 16
+	 TvLV	8	8/16		N * 8
+
+*/
+
+#define LV_GROSS_LEN(x)		(x+1)
+#define TLV_GROSS_LEN(x)	(x+2)
+#define TLV16_GROSS_LEN(x)	((2*x)+2)
+#define TL16V_GROSS_LEN(x)	(x+3)
+#define L16TV_GROSS_LEN(x)	(x+3)
+
+#define TVLV_MAX_ONEBYTE	0x7f
+
+static inline uint16_t TVLV_GROSS_LEN(uint16_t len)
+{
+	if (len <= TVLV_MAX_ONEBYTE)
+		return TLV_GROSS_LEN(len);
+	else
+		return TL16V_GROSS_LEN(len);
+}
+
+/* TLV generation */
+
+static inline uint8_t *lv_put(uint8_t *buf, uint8_t len,
+				const uint8_t *val)
+{
+	*buf++ = len;
+	memcpy(buf, val, len);
+	return buf + len;
+}
+
+static inline uint8_t *tlv_put(uint8_t *buf, uint8_t tag, uint8_t len,
+				const uint8_t *val)
+{
+	*buf++ = tag;
+	*buf++ = len;
+	memcpy(buf, val, len);
+	return buf + len;
+}
+
+static inline uint8_t *tlv16_put(uint8_t *buf, uint8_t tag, uint8_t len,
+				const uint16_t *val)
+{
+	*buf++ = tag;
+	*buf++ = len;
+	memcpy(buf, val, len*2);
+	return buf + len*2;
+}
+
+static inline uint8_t *tl16v_put(uint8_t *buf, uint8_t tag, uint16_t len,
+				const uint8_t *val)
+{
+	*buf++ = tag;
+	*buf++ = len >> 8;
+	*buf++ = len & 0xff;
+	memcpy(buf, val, len);
+	return buf + len*2;
+}
+
+static inline uint8_t *tvlv_put(uint8_t *buf, uint8_t tag, uint16_t len,
+				 const uint8_t *val)
+{
+	uint8_t *ret;
+
+	if (len <= TVLV_MAX_ONEBYTE) {
+		ret = tlv_put(buf, tag, len, val);
+		buf[1] |= 0x80;
+	} else
+		ret = tl16v_put(buf, tag, len, val);
+
+	return ret;
+}
+
+static inline uint8_t *msgb_tlv16_put(struct msgb *msg, uint8_t tag, uint8_t len, const uint16_t *val)
+{
+	uint8_t *buf = msgb_put(msg, TLV16_GROSS_LEN(len));
+	return tlv16_put(buf, tag, len, val);
+}
+
+static inline uint8_t *msgb_tl16v_put(struct msgb *msg, uint8_t tag, uint16_t len,
+					const uint8_t *val)
+{
+	uint8_t *buf = msgb_put(msg, TL16V_GROSS_LEN(len));
+	return tl16v_put(buf, tag, len, val);
+}
+
+static inline uint8_t *msgb_tvlv_put(struct msgb *msg, uint8_t tag, uint16_t len,
+				      const uint8_t *val)
+{
+	uint8_t *buf = msgb_put(msg, TVLV_GROSS_LEN(len));
+	return tvlv_put(buf, tag, len, val);
+}
+
+static inline uint8_t *msgb_l16tv_put(struct msgb *msg, uint16_t len, uint8_t tag,
+                                       const uint8_t *val)
+{
+	uint8_t *buf = msgb_put(msg, L16TV_GROSS_LEN(len));
+
+	*buf++ = len >> 8;
+	*buf++ = len & 0xff;
+	*buf++ = tag;
+	memcpy(buf, val, len);
+	return buf + len;
+}
+
+static inline uint8_t *v_put(uint8_t *buf, uint8_t val)
+{
+	*buf++ = val;
+	return buf;
+}
+
+static inline uint8_t *tv_put(uint8_t *buf, uint8_t tag, 
+				uint8_t val)
+{
+	*buf++ = tag;
+	*buf++ = val;
+	return buf;
+}
+
+/* 'val' is still in host byte order! */
+static inline uint8_t *tv16_put(uint8_t *buf, uint8_t tag, 
+				 uint16_t val)
+{
+	*buf++ = tag;
+	*buf++ = val >> 8;
+	*buf++ = val & 0xff;
+	return buf;
+}
+
+static inline uint8_t *msgb_lv_put(struct msgb *msg, uint8_t len, const uint8_t *val)
+{
+	uint8_t *buf = msgb_put(msg, LV_GROSS_LEN(len));
+	return lv_put(buf, len, val);
+}
+
+static inline uint8_t *msgb_tlv_put(struct msgb *msg, uint8_t tag, uint8_t len, const uint8_t *val)
+{
+	uint8_t *buf = msgb_put(msg, TLV_GROSS_LEN(len));
+	return tlv_put(buf, tag, len, val);
+}
+
+static inline uint8_t *msgb_tv_put(struct msgb *msg, uint8_t tag, uint8_t val)
+{
+	uint8_t *buf = msgb_put(msg, 2);
+	return tv_put(buf, tag, val);
+}
+
+static inline uint8_t *msgb_v_put(struct msgb *msg, uint8_t val)
+{
+	uint8_t *buf = msgb_put(msg, 1);
+	return v_put(buf, val);
+}
+
+static inline uint8_t *msgb_tv16_put(struct msgb *msg, uint8_t tag, uint16_t val)
+{
+	uint8_t *buf = msgb_put(msg, 3);
+	return tv16_put(buf, tag, val);
+}
+
+static inline uint8_t *msgb_tlv_push(struct msgb *msg, uint8_t tag, uint8_t len, const uint8_t *val)
+{
+	uint8_t *buf = msgb_push(msg, TLV_GROSS_LEN(len));
+	return tlv_put(buf, tag, len, val);
+}
+
+static inline uint8_t *msgb_tv_push(struct msgb *msg, uint8_t tag, uint8_t val)
+{
+	uint8_t *buf = msgb_push(msg, 2);
+	return tv_put(buf, tag, val);
+}
+
+static inline uint8_t *msgb_tv16_push(struct msgb *msg, uint8_t tag, uint16_t val)
+{
+	uint8_t *buf = msgb_push(msg, 3);
+	return tv16_put(buf, tag, val);
+}
+
+/* TLV parsing */
+
+struct tlv_p_entry {
+	uint16_t len;
+	const uint8_t *val;
+};
+
+enum tlv_type {
+	TLV_TYPE_NONE,
+	TLV_TYPE_FIXED,
+	TLV_TYPE_T,
+	TLV_TYPE_TV,
+	TLV_TYPE_TLV,
+	TLV_TYPE_TL16V,
+	TLV_TYPE_TvLV,
+};
+
+struct tlv_def {
+	enum tlv_type type;
+	uint8_t fixed_len;
+};
+
+struct tlv_definition {
+	struct tlv_def def[0xff];
+};
+
+struct tlv_parsed {
+	struct tlv_p_entry lv[0xff];
+};
+
+extern struct tlv_definition tvlv_att_def;
+
+int tlv_parse_one(uint8_t *o_tag, uint16_t *o_len, const uint8_t **o_val,
+                  const struct tlv_definition *def,
+                  const uint8_t *buf, int buf_len);
+int tlv_parse(struct tlv_parsed *dec, const struct tlv_definition *def,
+	      const uint8_t *buf, int buf_len, uint8_t lv_tag, uint8_t lv_tag2);
+/* take a master (src) tlvdev and fill up all empty slots in 'dst' */
+void tlv_def_patch(struct tlv_definition *dst, const struct tlv_definition *src);
+
+#define TLVP_PRESENT(x, y)	((x)->lv[y].val)
+#define TLVP_LEN(x, y)		(x)->lv[y].len
+#define TLVP_VAL(x, y)		(x)->lv[y].val
+
+#endif /* _TLV_H */