diff --git a/pkg/schema/fileread_test.go b/pkg/schema/fileread_test.go
index 1cfb91143..d507171fb 100644
--- a/pkg/schema/fileread_test.go
+++ b/pkg/schema/fileread_test.go
@@ -19,11 +19,13 @@ package schema
 import (
 	"bytes"
 	"fmt"
+	"io"
 	"io/ioutil"
 	"math/rand"
 	"os"
 	"testing"
 
+	"camlistore.org/pkg/blob"
 	"camlistore.org/pkg/test"
 )
 
@@ -297,6 +299,72 @@ func TestReaderEfficiency(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestReaderForeachChunk(t *testing.T) {
+	fileSize := 4 << 20
+	if testing.Short() {
+		fileSize = 1 << 20
+	}
+	bigFile := make([]byte, fileSize)
+	rnd := rand.New(rand.NewSource(1))
+	for i := range bigFile {
+		bigFile[i] = byte(rnd.Intn(256))
+	}
+	sto := new(test.Fetcher) // in-memory blob storage
+	fileMap := NewFileMap("testfile")
+	fileref, err := WriteFileMap(sto, fileMap, bytes.NewReader(bigFile))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("WriteFileMap: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	fr, err := NewFileReader(sto, fileref)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	var back bytes.Buffer
+	var totSize uint64
+	err = fr.ForeachChunk(func(sref blob.Ref, p BytesPart) error {
+		if !sref.Valid() {
+			t.Fatal("invalid schema blob")
+		}
+		if p.BytesRef.Valid() {
+			t.Fatal("should never see a valid BytesRef")
+		}
+		if !p.BlobRef.Valid() {
+			t.Fatal("saw part with invalid blobref")
+		}
+		rc, size, err := sto.Fetch(p.BlobRef)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("Error fetching blobref of chunk %+v: %v", p, err)
+		}
+		defer rc.Close()
+		totSize += p.Size
+		if uint64(size) != p.Size {
+			return fmt.Errorf("fetched size %d doesn't match expected for chunk %+v", size, p)
+		}
+		n, err := io.Copy(&back, rc)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		if n != int64(size) {
+			return fmt.Errorf("Copied unexpected %d bytes of chunk %+v", n, p)
+		}
+		return nil
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal("ForeachChunk = %v", err)
+	}
+	if back.Len() != fileSize {
+		t.Fatalf("Read file is %d bytes; want %d", back.Len(), fileSize)
+	}
+	if totSize != uint64(fileSize) {
+		t.Errorf("sum of parts = %d; want %d", totSize, fileSize)
+	}
+	if !bytes.Equal(back.Bytes(), bigFile) {
+		t.Errorf("file read mismatch")
+	}
+}
+
 type summary []byte
 
 func (s summary) String() string {
diff --git a/pkg/schema/filereader.go b/pkg/schema/filereader.go
index ad4b778fa..4570dc775 100644
--- a/pkg/schema/filereader.go
+++ b/pkg/schema/filereader.go
@@ -82,6 +82,7 @@ func NewFileReader(fetcher blob.Fetcher, fileBlobRef blob.Ref) (*FileReader, err
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("schema/filereader: decoding file schema blob: %v", err)
 	}
+	ss.BlobRef = fileBlobRef
 	if ss.Type != "file" && ss.Type != "bytes" {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("schema/filereader: expected \"file\" or \"bytes\" schema blob, got %q", ss.Type)
 	}
@@ -186,6 +187,43 @@ func (fr *FileReader) ReadAt(p []byte, offset int64) (n int, err error) {
 	return n, err
 }
 
+// ForeachChunk calls fn for each chunk of fr, in order.
+//
+// The schema argument will be the "file" or "bytes" schema blob in
+// which the part is defined. The BytesPart will be the actual
+// chunk. The fn function will not be called with BytesParts
+// referencing a "BytesRef"; those are followed recursively instead.
+//
+// If fn returns an error, iteration stops and that error is returned
+// from ForeachChunk. Other errors may be returned from ForeachChunk
+// if schema blob fetches fail.
+func (fr *FileReader) ForeachChunk(fn func(schema blob.Ref, p BytesPart) error) error {
+	for _, bp := range fr.ss.Parts {
+		if bp.BytesRef.Valid() && bp.BlobRef.Valid() {
+			return fmt.Errorf("part in %v illegally contained both a blobRef and bytesRef", fr.ss.BlobRef)
+		}
+		if bp.BytesRef.Valid() {
+			ss, err := fr.getSuperset(bp.BytesRef)
+			if err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+			subfr, err := ss.NewFileReader(fr.fetcher)
+			if err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+			subfr.parent = fr
+			if err := subfr.ForeachChunk(fn); err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+		} else {
+			if err := fn(fr.ss.BlobRef, *bp); err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
 // GetChunkOffsets sends c each of the file's chunk offsets.
 // The offsets are not necessarily sent in order, and all ranges of the file
 // are not necessarily represented if the file contains zero holes.
@@ -207,7 +245,7 @@ func (fr *FileReader) sendPartsChunks(c chan<- int64, firstErrc chan error, off
 	for _, p := range parts {
 		switch {
 		case p.BlobRef.Valid() && p.BytesRef.Valid():
-			return fmt.Errorf("part illegally contained both a blobRef and bytesRef")
+			return fmt.Errorf("part in %v illegally contained both a blobRef and bytesRef", fr.ss.BlobRef)
 		case !p.BlobRef.Valid() && !p.BytesRef.Valid():
 			// Don't send
 		case p.BlobRef.Valid():
@@ -301,6 +339,7 @@ func (fr *FileReader) getSuperset(br blob.Ref) (*superset, error) {
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
+		ss.BlobRef = br
 		fr.ssmmu.Lock()
 		defer fr.ssmmu.Unlock()
 		fr.ssm[br] = ss