diff --git a/config/dev-server-config.json b/config/dev-server-config.json
index b8d83879c..880eb05ae 100644
--- a/config/dev-server-config.json
+++ b/config/dev-server-config.json
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
          "handlerArgs": {
              "ownerName": ["_env", "${USER}-dev"],
              "blobRoot": "/bs-and-maybe-also-index/",
+             "statusRoot": "/status/",
              "searchRoot": "/my-search/",
              "stealth": false
          }
@@ -58,6 +59,10 @@
          }
      },
 
+     "/status/": {
+         "handler": "status"
+     },
+
       "/sync/": {
           "handler": "sync",
           "handlerArgs": {
diff --git a/pkg/server/root.go b/pkg/server/root.go
index eb44df062..56f5c4fce 100644
--- a/pkg/server/root.go
+++ b/pkg/server/root.go
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ type RootHandler struct {
 	// search root.
 	BlobRoot   string
 	SearchRoot string
+	statusRoot string
 
 	Storage blobserver.Storage // of BlobRoot, or nil
 
@@ -75,6 +76,7 @@ func newRootFromConfig(ld blobserver.Loader, conf jsonconfig.Obj) (h http.Handle
 		OwnerName:  conf.OptionalString("ownerName", u.Name),
 	}
 	root.Stealth = conf.OptionalBool("stealth", false)
+	root.statusRoot = conf.OptionalString("statusRoot", "")
 	if err = conf.Validate(); err != nil {
 		return
 	}
@@ -163,6 +165,7 @@ func (rh *RootHandler) serveDiscovery(rw http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Request)
 		"blobRoot":   rh.BlobRoot,
 		"searchRoot": rh.SearchRoot,
 		"ownerName":  rh.OwnerName,
+		"statusRoot": rh.statusRoot,
 	}
 	if gener, ok := rh.Storage.(blobserver.Generationer); ok {
 		initTime, gen, err := gener.StorageGeneration()
diff --git a/pkg/server/status.go b/pkg/server/status.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5fa8b8af3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/server/status.go
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2013 The Camlistore Authors.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package server
+
+import (
+	"net/http"
+
+	"camlistore.org/pkg/blobserver"
+	"camlistore.org/pkg/buildinfo"
+	"camlistore.org/pkg/httputil"
+	"camlistore.org/pkg/jsonconfig"
+)
+
+// StatusHandler publishes server status information.
+type StatusHandler struct {
+	Version string
+}
+
+func init() {
+	blobserver.RegisterHandlerConstructor("status", newStatusFromConfig)
+}
+
+func newStatusFromConfig(ld blobserver.Loader, conf jsonconfig.Obj) (h http.Handler, err error) {
+	sh := &StatusHandler{
+		Version: buildinfo.Version(),
+	}
+	return sh, nil
+}
+
+func (sh *StatusHandler) ServeHTTP(rw http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Request) {
+	suffix := req.Header.Get("X-PrefixHandler-PathSuffix")
+	if req.Method != "GET" {
+		http.Error(rw, "Illegal URL.", 404)
+	}
+	if suffix == "status.json" {
+		sh.serveStatus(rw, req)
+		return
+	}
+	http.Error(rw, "Illegal URL.", 404)
+}
+
+type statusResponse struct {
+	Version string `json:"version"`
+}
+
+func (sh *StatusHandler) serveStatus(rw http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Request) {
+	res := &statusResponse{
+		Version: sh.Version,
+	}
+
+	httputil.ReturnJSON(rw, res)
+}
diff --git a/pkg/serverconfig/genconfig.go b/pkg/serverconfig/genconfig.go
index 763e99198..05fcd4a13 100644
--- a/pkg/serverconfig/genconfig.go
+++ b/pkg/serverconfig/genconfig.go
@@ -253,6 +253,7 @@ func genLowLevelPrefixes(params *configPrefixesParams) (m jsonconfig.Obj) {
 		"handlerArgs": map[string]interface{}{
 			"stealth":  false,
 			"blobRoot": root,
+			"statusRoot": "/status/",
 		},
 	}
 	if haveIndex {
@@ -263,6 +264,10 @@ func genLowLevelPrefixes(params *configPrefixesParams) (m jsonconfig.Obj) {
 		"handler": "setup",
 	}
 
+	m["/status/"] = map[string]interface{}{
+		"handler": "status",
+	}
+
 	if params.shareHandler {
 		m["/share/"] = map[string]interface{}{
 			"handler": "share",
diff --git a/pkg/serverconfig/serverconfig.go b/pkg/serverconfig/serverconfig.go
index 260b4ba03..bd82afd6c 100644
--- a/pkg/serverconfig/serverconfig.go
+++ b/pkg/serverconfig/serverconfig.go
@@ -298,7 +298,7 @@ func handerTypeWantsAuth(handlerType string) bool {
 	// TODO(bradfitz): ask the handler instead? This is a bit of a
 	// weird spot for this policy maybe?
 	switch handlerType {
-	case "ui", "search", "jsonsign", "sync":
+	case "ui", "search", "jsonsign", "sync", "status":
 		return true
 	}
 	return false
diff --git a/server/camlistored/newui/index.css b/server/camlistored/newui/index.css
index 5c5c347e9..f90664dad 100644
--- a/server/camlistored/newui/index.css
+++ b/server/camlistored/newui/index.css
@@ -1,3 +1,12 @@
 .cam-index-page {
-  font: 16px/1.4 normal Arial, sans-serif;
+	font: 16px/1.4 normal Arial, sans-serif;
+}
+
+.cam-index-title {
+	display: inline-block;
+}
+
+.cam-index-serverinfo {
+	display: inline;
+	float: right;
 }
diff --git a/server/camlistored/newui/index.js b/server/camlistored/newui/index.js
index c7f4e8859..0d9af7420 100644
--- a/server/camlistored/newui/index.js
+++ b/server/camlistored/newui/index.js
@@ -10,10 +10,12 @@ goog.require('goog.dom.classes');
 goog.require('goog.events.EventHandler');
 goog.require('goog.events.EventType');
 goog.require('goog.ui.Component');
+goog.require('goog.ui.Textarea');
 goog.require('camlistore.BlobItemContainer');
 goog.require('camlistore.ServerConnection');
 goog.require('camlistore.Toolbar');
 goog.require('camlistore.Toolbar.EventType');
+goog.require('camlistore.ServerType');
 
 
 /**
@@ -47,6 +49,12 @@ camlistore.IndexPage = function(config, opt_domHelper) {
       this.connection_, opt_domHelper);
   this.blobItemContainer_.setHasCreateItem(true);
 
+  /**
+   * @type {Element}
+   * @private
+   */
+  this.serverInfo_;
+
   /**
    * @type {camlistore.Toolbar}
    * @private
@@ -81,10 +89,13 @@ camlistore.IndexPage.prototype.decorateInternal = function(element) {
   var el = this.getElement();
   goog.dom.classes.add(el, 'cam-index-page');
 
-  var titleEl = this.dom_.createDom('h1', 'cam-index-page-title');
+  var titleEl = this.dom_.createDom('h1', 'cam-index-title');
   this.dom_.setTextContent(titleEl, this.config_.ownerName + '\'s Vault');
   this.dom_.appendChild(el, titleEl);
 
+  this.serverInfo_ = this.dom_.createDom('div', 'cam-index-serverinfo');
+  this.dom_.appendChild(el, this.serverInfo_);
+
   this.addChild(this.toolbar_, true);
   this.addChild(this.blobItemContainer_, true);
 };
@@ -103,6 +114,12 @@ camlistore.IndexPage.prototype.disposeInternal = function() {
 camlistore.IndexPage.prototype.enterDocument = function() {
   camlistore.IndexPage.superClass_.enterDocument.call(this);
 
+	this.connection_.serverStatus(
+		goog.bind(function(resp) {
+			this.handleServerStatus_(resp);
+		}, this)
+	);
+
   this.eh_.listen(
       this.toolbar_, camlistore.Toolbar.EventType.BIGGER,
       function() {
@@ -273,3 +290,22 @@ camlistore.IndexPage.prototype.addItemsToSetDone_ = function(permanode) {
   this.toolbar_.toggleAddToSetButton(false);
   this.blobItemContainer_.showRecent();
 };
+
+/**
+ * @param {camlistore.ServerType.StatusResponse} resp response for a status request
+ * @private
+ */
+camlistore.IndexPage.prototype.handleServerStatus_ =
+function(resp) {
+	if (resp == null) {
+		return;
+	}
+	goog.dom.removeChildren(this.serverInfo_);
+	if (resp.version) {
+		var version = "Camlistore version: " + resp.version + "\n";
+		var div = this.dom_.createDom('div');
+		goog.dom.setTextContent(div, version);
+		goog.dom.appendChild(this.serverInfo_, div);
+	}
+};
+
diff --git a/server/camlistored/newui/server_connection.js b/server/camlistored/newui/server_connection.js
index fa990ba5c..8eebbedb8 100644
--- a/server/camlistored/newui/server_connection.js
+++ b/server/camlistored/newui/server_connection.js
@@ -142,6 +142,24 @@ function(success, opt_fail) {
 	);
 };
 
+/**
+ * @param {function(camlistore.ServerType.StatusResponse)} success.
+ * @param {?Function} opt_fail optional failure calback
+ */
+camlistore.ServerConnection.prototype.serverStatus =
+function(success, opt_fail) {
+	var path = goog.uri.utils.appendPath(
+		this.config_.statusRoot, 'status.json'
+	);
+
+	this.sendXhr_(path,
+		goog.bind(this.handleXhrResponseJson_, this,
+			success, this.safeFail_(opt_fail)
+		)
+	);
+};
+
+
 /**
  * @param {Function} success Success callback.
  * @param {?Function} opt_fail Optional fail callback.
diff --git a/server/camlistored/newui/server_type.js b/server/camlistored/newui/server_type.js
index 319164d4e..70589f1e1 100644
--- a/server/camlistored/newui/server_type.js
+++ b/server/camlistored/newui/server_type.js
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ camlistore.ServerType.DiscoveryRoot;
  *   ownerName: string,
  *   publishRoots: Array.<camlistore.ServerType.DiscoveryRoot>,
  *   searchRoot: string,
+ *   statusRoot: string,
  *   storageGeneration: string,
  *   storageInitTime: string,
  *   signing: camlistore.ServerType.SigningDiscoveryDocument,
@@ -128,3 +129,10 @@ camlistore.ServerType.SearchWithAttrResponse;
  * }}
 */
 camlistore.ServerType.DescribeResponse;
+
+/**
+ * @typedef {{
+ *   version: string,
+ * }}
+*/
+camlistore.ServerType.StatusResponse;