diff --git a/lib/go/http/url.go b/lib/go/http/url.go
index c666d01bc..129d4ff06 100644
--- a/lib/go/http/url.go
+++ b/lib/go/http/url.go
@@ -458,6 +458,9 @@ Error:
 }
 
 // ParseURLReference is like ParseURL but allows a trailing #fragment.
+//
+// Per RFC 2396, 
+//    URI-reference = [ absoluteURI | relativeURI ] [ "#" fragment ]
 func ParseURLReference(rawurlref string) (url *URL, err os.Error) {
 	// Cut off #frag.
 	rawurl, frag := split(rawurlref, '#', false)
@@ -516,6 +519,88 @@ func (url *URL) String() string {
 	return result
 }
 
+func (url *URL) IsAbsolute() bool {
+	return url.Scheme != ""
+}
+
+// Add resolves a URI reference to an absolute URI from an absolute base URI, per
+// RFC 2396 Section 5.2.  The URI reference may be relative or absolute.  Note
+// that Add always returns a new URL instance, even if the returned URL is identical
+// to either the base or reference.
+func (base *URL) Add(ref *URL) *URL {
+	url := new(URL)
+	switch {
+	case ref.IsAbsolute():
+		*url = *ref
+	default:
+		// relativeURI   = ( net_path | abs_path | rel_path ) [ "?" query ]
+		*url = *base
+		if ref.RawAuthority != "" {
+			// The "net_path" case.
+			url.RawAuthority = ref.RawAuthority
+			url.Host = ref.Host
+			url.RawUserinfo = ref.RawUserinfo
+		}
+		switch {
+		case url.OpaquePath:
+			url.Path = ref.Path
+			url.RawPath = ref.RawPath
+			url.RawQuery = ref.RawQuery
+		case strings.HasPrefix(ref.Path, "/"):
+			// The "abs_path" case.
+			url.Path = ref.Path
+			url.RawPath = ref.RawPath
+			url.RawQuery = ref.RawQuery
+		default:
+			// The "rel_path" case.
+			segs := strings.Split(base.Path, "/", -1)
+			refSegs := strings.Split(ref.Path, "/", -1)
+			segs = applyReferenceSegments(segs, refSegs)
+			path := strings.Join(segs, "/")
+			if !strings.HasPrefix(path, "/") {
+				path = "/" + path
+			}
+			url.Path = path
+			url.RawPath = url.Path
+			url.RawQuery = ref.RawQuery
+			if ref.RawQuery != "" {
+				url.RawPath += "?" + url.RawQuery
+			}
+		}
+
+		url.Fragment = ref.Fragment
+	}
+	url.Raw = url.String()
+	return url
+}
+
+// Note: mutates 'base'
+func applyReferenceSegments(base []string, refs []string) []string {
+	if len(base) == 0 {
+		base = []string{""}
+	}
+	for idx, ref := range refs {
+		switch {
+		case ref == ".":
+			base[len(base)-1] = ""
+		case ref == "..":
+			newLen := len(base) - 1
+			if newLen < 1 {
+				newLen = 1
+			}
+			base = base[0:newLen]
+			base[len(base)-1] = ""
+		default:
+			if idx == 0 || base[len(base)-1] == "" {
+				base[len(base)-1] = ref
+			} else {
+				base = append(base, ref)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return base
+}
+
 // cleanURLForRequest cleans URLs as parsed from ReadRequest.
 // ReadRequest uses ParseURL which accepts a superset of URL formats
 // which are valid for web requests (scheme-relative URLs, for example)
diff --git a/lib/go/http/url_test.go b/lib/go/http/url_test.go
index f1f8c605f..0f549ee55 100644
--- a/lib/go/http/url_test.go
+++ b/lib/go/http/url_test.go
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"reflect"
+	"strings"
 	"testing"
 )
 
@@ -568,3 +569,87 @@ func TestCleanURLForHTTPRequest(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("Expected path %q; got %q", path, url.Path)
 	}
 }
+
+func mustParseURL(t *testing.T, url string) *URL {
+	u, err := ParseURLReference(url)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Expected URL to parse: %q, got error: %v", url, err)
+	}
+	return u
+}
+
+func TestApplyReferenceSegments(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		base, ref, expected string
+	}{
+		{"a/b", ".", "a/"},
+		{"a/b", "c", "a/c"},
+		{"a/b", "..", ""},
+		{"a/", "..", ""},
+		{"a/", "../..", ""},
+		{"a/b/c", "..", "a/"},
+		{"a/b/c", "../d", "a/d"},
+		{"a/b/c", ".././d", "a/d"},
+		{"a/b", "./..", ""},
+	}
+	for _, test := range tests {
+		segs := strings.Split(test.base, "/", -1)
+		refSegs := strings.Split(test.ref, "/", -1)
+		got := strings.Join(applyReferenceSegments(segs, refSegs), "/")
+		if got != test.expected {
+			t.Errorf("For %q + %q got %q; expected %q", test.base, test.ref, got, test.expected)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestURLAdd(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		base, rel, expected string
+	}{
+		// Absolute URL references
+		{"http://foo.com?a=b", "https://bar.com/", "https://bar.com/"},
+		{"http://foo.com/", "https://bar.com/?a=b", "https://bar.com/?a=b"},
+		{"http://foo.com/bar", "mailto:foo@example.com", "mailto:foo@example.com"},
+
+		// Path-absolute references
+		{"http://foo.com/bar", "/baz", "http://foo.com/baz"},
+		{"http://foo.com/bar?a=b#f", "/baz", "http://foo.com/baz"},
+		{"http://foo.com/bar?a=b", "/baz?c=d", "http://foo.com/baz?c=d"},
+
+		// Scheme-relative
+		{"https://foo.com/bar?a=b", "//bar.com/quux", "https://bar.com/quux"},
+
+		// Path-relative references:
+
+		// ... current directory
+		{"http://foo.com", ".", "http://foo.com/"},
+		{"http://foo.com/bar", ".", "http://foo.com/"},
+		{"http://foo.com/bar/", ".", "http://foo.com/bar/"},
+
+		// ... going down
+		{"http://foo.com", "bar", "http://foo.com/bar"},
+		{"http://foo.com/", "bar", "http://foo.com/bar"},
+		{"http://foo.com/bar/baz", "quux", "http://foo.com/bar/quux"},
+
+		// ... going up
+		{"http://foo.com/bar/baz", "../quux", "http://foo.com/quux"},
+		{"http://foo.com/bar/baz", "../../../../../quux", "http://foo.com/quux"},
+		{"http://foo.com/bar", "..", "http://foo.com/"},
+		{"http://foo.com/bar/baz", "./..", "http://foo.com/"},
+
+		// Triple dot isn't special
+		{"http://foo.com/bar", "...", "http://foo.com/..."},
+
+		// Fragment
+		{"http://foo.com/bar", ".#frag", "http://foo.com/#frag"},
+	}
+	for _, test := range tests {
+		base := mustParseURL(t, test.base)
+		rel := mustParseURL(t, test.rel)
+		url := base.Add(rel)
+		urlStr := url.String()
+		if urlStr != test.expected {
+			t.Errorf("Adding %q + %q != %q; got %q", test.base, test.rel, test.expected, urlStr)
+		}
+	}
+}