diff --git a/sched/message_handler.C b/sched/message_handler.C
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..eef3a8c46d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/sched/message_handler.C
@@ -0,0 +1,154 @@
+// The contents of this file are subject to the BOINC Public License
+// Version 1.0 (the "License"); you may not use this file except in
+// compliance with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at
+// http://boinc.berkeley.edu/license_1.0.txt
+//
+// Software distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS"
+// basis, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the
+// License for the specific language governing rights and limitations
+// under the License.
+//
+// The Original Code is the Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing.
+//
+// The Initial Developer of the Original Code is the SETI@home project.
+// Portions created by the SETI@home project are Copyright (C) 2002
+// University of California at Berkeley. All Rights Reserved.
+//
+// Contributor(s):
+//
+
+//
+// message_handler - check and validate new messages
+//  [-d debug_level]
+//  [-one_pass]     // make one pass through table, then exit
+//  [-asynch]       // fork, run in separate process
+//
+// int handle_message(MSG_FROM_HOST&)
+//    handle a message from the host
+//
+// return nonzero on error
+
+using namespace std;
+
+#include <unistd.h>
+
+#include "boinc_db.h"
+#include "util.h"
+#include "sched_config.h"
+#include "sched_util.h"
+#include "sched_msgs.h"
+
+SCHED_CONFIG config;
+char app_name[256];
+
+extern int handle_message(MSG_FROM_HOST&);
+
+int handle_message(MSG_FROM_HOST& mfh) {
+    int retval;
+
+    printf(
+        "got message \n%s\n",
+        mfh.xml
+        );
+    DB_MSG_TO_HOST mth;
+    mth.clear();
+    mth.create_time = time(0);
+    mth.hostid = mfh.hostid;
+    mth.handled = false;
+    strcpy(mth.xml, mfh.xml);
+    retval = mth.insert();
+    if (retval) {
+        printf("insert failed %d\n", retval);
+    }
+    return 0;
+}
+
+// make one pass through msgs_from_host with handled == 0
+// return true if there were any
+//
+bool do_message_scan() {
+    DB_MSG_FROM_HOST mfh;
+    char buf[256];
+    bool found=false;
+    int retval;
+
+    sprintf(buf, "where handled=0");
+    while (!mfh.enumerate(buf)) {
+        retval = handle_message(mfh);
+        if (!retval) {
+            mfh.handled = true;
+            mfh.update();
+        }
+        found = true;
+    }
+    return found;
+}
+
+int main_loop(bool one_pass) {
+    int retval;
+    bool did_something;
+    // char buf[256];
+
+    retval = boinc_db.open(config.db_name, config.db_host, config.db_user, config.db_passwd);
+    if (retval) {
+        log_messages.printf(SCHED_MSG_LOG::CRITICAL, "boinc_db.open failed: %d\n", retval);
+        exit(1);
+    }
+/*
+    sprintf(buf, "where name='%s'", app_name);
+    retval = app.lookup(buf);
+    if (retval) {
+        log_messages.printf(SCHED_MSG_LOG::CRITICAL, "can't find app %s\n", app.name);
+        exit(1);
+    }
+*/
+    while (1) {
+        check_stop_daemons();
+        did_something = do_message_scan();
+        if (one_pass) break;
+        if (!did_something) {
+            sleep(5);
+        }
+    }
+    return 0;
+}
+
+
+int main(int argc, char** argv) {
+    int i, retval;
+    bool asynch = false, one_pass = false;
+
+    check_stop_daemons();
+
+    for (i=1; i<argc; i++) {
+        if (!strcmp(argv[i], "-asynch")) {
+            asynch = true;
+        } else if (!strcmp(argv[i], "-one_pass")) {
+            one_pass = true;
+        } else if (!strcmp(argv[i], "-d")) {
+            log_messages.set_debug_level(atoi(argv[++i]));
+        } else {
+            log_messages.printf(SCHED_MSG_LOG::CRITICAL, "unrecognized arg: %s\n", argv[i]);
+        }
+    }
+
+    retval = config.parse_file("..");
+    if (retval) {
+        log_messages.printf(SCHED_MSG_LOG::CRITICAL,
+            "Can't parse config file: %d\n", retval
+        );
+        exit(1);
+    }
+
+    if (asynch) {
+        if (fork()) {
+            exit(0);
+        }
+    }
+
+    log_messages.printf(SCHED_MSG_LOG::NORMAL, "Starting message handler\n");
+
+    install_stop_signal_handler();
+
+    main_loop(one_pass);
+}