diff --git a/pmb/core/pkgrepo.py b/pmb/core/pkgrepo.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8263f6c6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pmb/core/pkgrepo.py
@@ -0,0 +1,126 @@
+import os
+import glob
+from pathlib import Path
+from typing import Any, Dict, Generator, List, Optional, Tuple
+
+import pmb.config
+from pmb.core.context import get_context
+
+_cache: Dict[str, Any] = {"pkgrepo_paths": []}
+
+def pkgrepo_paths(skip_extras = False) -> List[Path]:
+    global _cache
+    if not skip_extras and _cache["pkgrepo_paths"]:
+        return _cache["pkgrepo_paths"]
+
+    config = get_context().config
+    paths = list(map(lambda x: Path(x),
+                    config.aports))
+    if not paths:
+        raise RuntimeError("No package repositories specified?")
+
+    if skip_extras:
+        return paths
+
+    out_paths = []
+    for p in paths:
+        # This isn't very generic, but we don't plan to add new extra-repos...
+        if (p / "extra-repos/systemd").is_dir() and pmb.config.is_systemd_selected(config):
+            out_paths.append(p / "extra-repos/systemd")
+        out_paths.append(p)
+
+    _cache["pkgrepo_paths"] = out_paths
+    return out_paths
+
+def pkgrepo_default_path() -> Path:
+    return pkgrepo_paths(skip_extras=True)[0]
+
+def pkgrepo_names(skip_exras = False) -> List[str]:
+    """
+    Return a list of all the package repository names.
+    """
+    return [aports.name for aports in pkgrepo_paths(skip_exras)]
+
+def pkgrepo_path(name: str) -> Path:
+    """
+    Return the absolute path to the package repository with the given name.
+    """
+    for aports in pkgrepo_paths():
+        if aports.name == name:
+            return aports
+    raise RuntimeError(f"aports '{name}' not found")
+
+def pkgrepo_name_from_subdir(subdir: Path) -> str:
+    """
+    Return the name of the package repository for the given directory.
+    e.g. "pmaports" for "$WORKDIR/pmaports/main/foobar"
+    """
+    for aports in pkgrepo_paths():
+        if subdir.is_relative_to(aports):
+            return aports.name
+    raise RuntimeError(f"aports subdir '{subdir}' not found")
+
+def pkgrepo_glob_one(path: str) -> Optional[Path]:
+    """
+    Search for the file denoted by path in all aports repositories.
+    path can be a glob.
+    """
+    for aports in pkgrepo_paths():
+        g = glob.glob(os.path.join(aports, path), recursive=True)
+        if not g:
+            continue
+
+        if len(g) != 1:
+            raise RuntimeError(f"{path} found multiple matches in {aports}")
+        if g:
+            return aports / g[0]
+
+    return None
+
+
+def pkgrepo_iglob(path: str, recursive=False) -> Generator[Path, None, None]:
+    """
+    Yield each matching glob over each aports repository.
+    """
+    for repo in pkgrepo_paths():
+        for g in glob.iglob(os.path.join(repo, path), recursive=recursive):
+            pdir = Path(g)
+            # Skip extra-repos when not parsing the extra-repo itself
+            if "extra-repos" not in repo.parts and "extra-repos" in pdir.parts:
+                continue
+            yield pdir
+
+
+def pkgrepo_iter_package_dirs(skip_extra_repos=False) -> Generator[Path, None, None]:
+    """
+    Yield each matching glob over each aports repository.
+    Detect duplicates within the same aports repository but otherwise
+    ignore all but the first. This allows for overriding packages.
+    """
+    seen: Dict[str, List[str]] = dict(map(lambda a: (a, []), pkgrepo_names(skip_extra_repos)))
+    for repo in pkgrepo_paths(skip_extra_repos):
+        for g in glob.iglob(os.path.join(repo, "**/*/APKBUILD"), recursive=True):
+            pdir = Path(g).parent
+            # Skip extra-repos when not parsing the extra-repo itself
+            if "extra-repos" not in repo.parts and "extra-repos" in pdir.parts:
+                continue
+            pkg = os.path.basename(pdir)
+            if pkg in seen[repo.name]:
+                raise RuntimeError(f"Package {pkg} found in multiple aports "
+                               "subfolders. Please put it only in one folder.")
+            if pkg in [x for li in seen.values() for x in li]:
+                continue
+            seen[repo.name].append(pkg)
+            yield pdir
+
+
+def pkgrepo_relative_path(path: Path) -> Tuple[Path, Path]:
+    """
+    Return the path relative to the first aports repository.
+    """
+    for aports in pkgrepo_paths():
+        # Cheeky hack to let us jump from an extra-repo to the
+        # main aports repository it's a part of
+        if path != aports and path.is_relative_to(aports):
+            return aports, path.relative_to(aports)
+    raise RuntimeError(f"Path '{path}' not in aports repositories")