diff --git a/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/misc/BlockExtractor.kt b/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/misc/BlockExtractor.kt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..52cdb694
--- /dev/null
+++ b/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/misc/BlockExtractor.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+package com.beust.kobalt.misc
+
+import com.beust.kobalt.homeDir
+import java.io.File
+
+fun main(argv: Array<String>) {
+    val lines = File(homeDir("kotlin/kobalt/kobalt/src/Build.kt")).readLines()
+    val result = BlockExtractor("buildScript", '{', '}').extractBlock(lines)
+
+    BlockExtractor("plugins", '(', ')').extractBlock(lines)
+}
+
+class BlockExtractor(val keyword: String, val opening: Char, val closing: Char) {
+
+    fun extractBlock(lines: List<String>): String? {
+        var foundKeyword = false
+        var foundOpening = false
+        var foundClosing = false
+        var count = 0
+        val result = StringBuffer()
+
+        fun updateCount(line: String) {
+            val onlyBlanks = foundKeyword && ! foundOpening
+            var blanks = true
+            line.toCharArray().forEach { c ->
+                if (c == opening) {
+                    count++
+                    if (onlyBlanks && blanks) foundOpening = true
+                }
+                if (c == closing) {
+                    count--
+                    foundClosing = true
+                }
+                if (c != ' ' && c != '\t' && c != '\n') blanks = false
+                result.append(c)
+            }
+            result.append("\n")
+        }
+
+        lines.forEach { line ->
+            if (! foundKeyword) {
+                val index = line.indexOf(keyword)
+                if (index >= 0) {
+                    foundKeyword = true
+                    result.append(keyword)
+                    updateCount(line.substring(index + keyword.length))
+                }
+            } else {
+                updateCount(line)
+            }
+
+            if (foundKeyword && foundOpening && foundClosing && count == 0) {
+                println("Done extracting: @$result@")
+                return result.toString()
+            }
+        }
+
+        return null
+    }
+}