diff --git a/plugins/TemplatePlugin.php b/plugins/TemplatePlugin.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..03daf6219c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/TemplatePlugin.php
@@ -0,0 +1,344 @@
+<?php
+/**
+ * Plugin to render old skool templates
+ *
+ * Captures rendered parts from the output buffer, passes them through a template file: tpl/index.html
+ * Adds an API method at index.php/template/update which lets you overwrite the template file
+ * Requires username/password and a single POST parameter called "template"
+ * The method is disabled unless the user is #1, the first user of the system
+ *
+ * @category  Plugin
+ * @package   Laconica
+ * @author    Brian Hendrickson <brian@megapump.com>
+ * @copyright 2009 Megapump, Inc.
+ * @license   http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/agpl-3.0.html GNU Affero General Public License version 3.0
+ * @link      http://megapump.com/
+ */
+
+if (!defined('LACONICA')) {
+    exit(1);
+}
+
+define('TEMPLATEPLUGIN_VERSION', '0.1');
+
+class TemplatePlugin extends Plugin {
+  
+  var $blocks = array();
+  
+  function __construct() {
+    parent::__construct();
+  }
+  
+  // capture the RouterInitialized event
+  // and connect a new API method
+  // for updating the template
+  function onRouterInitialized( &$m ) {
+    $m->connect( 'template/update', array(
+      'action'      => 'template',
+    ));
+  }
+  
+  
+  // <%styles%>
+  // <%scripts%>
+  // <%search%>
+  // <%feeds%>
+  // <%description%>
+  // <%head%>
+  function onStartShowHead( &$act ) {
+    $this->clear_xmlWriter($act);
+    $act->extraHead();
+    $this->blocks['head'] = $act->xw->flush();
+    $act->showStylesheets();
+    $this->blocks['styles'] = $act->xw->flush();    
+    $act->showScripts();
+    $this->blocks['scripts'] = $act->xw->flush();    
+    $act->showFeeds();
+    $this->blocks['feeds'] = $act->xw->flush();    
+    $act->showOpenSearch();
+    $this->blocks['search'] = $act->xw->flush();    
+    $act->showDescription();
+    $this->blocks['description'] = $act->xw->flush();
+    return false;
+  }
+  
+  // <%bodytext%>
+  function onStartShowContentBlock( &$act ) {
+    $this->clear_xmlWriter($act);
+    return true;
+  }
+  function onEndShowContentBlock( &$act ) {
+    $this->blocks['bodytext'] = $act->xw->flush();
+  }
+  
+  // <%localnav%>
+  function onStartShowLocalNavBlock( &$act ) {
+    $this->clear_xmlWriter($act);
+    return true;
+  }
+  function onEndShowLocalNavBlock( &$act ) {
+    $this->blocks['localnav'] = $act->xw->flush();
+  }
+  
+  // <%export%>
+  function onStartShowExportData( &$act ) {
+    $this->clear_xmlWriter($act);
+    return true;
+  }
+  function onEndShowExportData( &$act ) {
+    $this->blocks['export'] = $act->xw->flush();
+  }
+  
+  // <%subscriptions%>
+  // <%subscribers%>
+  // <%groups%>
+  // <%statistics%>
+  // <%cloud%>
+  // <%groupmembers%>
+  // <%groupstatistics%>
+  // <%groupcloud%>
+  // <%popular%>
+  // <%groupsbyposts%>
+  // <%featuredusers%>
+  // <%groupsbymembers%>
+  function onStartShowSections( &$act ) {
+    global $action;
+    $this->clear_xmlWriter($act);
+    switch ($action) {
+      case "showstream":
+        $act->showSubscriptions();
+        $this->blocks['subscriptions'] = $act->xw->flush();
+        $act->showSubscribers();
+        $this->blocks['subscribers'] = $act->xw->flush();
+        $act->showGroups();
+        $this->blocks['groups'] = $act->xw->flush();
+        $act->showStatistics();
+        $this->blocks['statistics'] = $act->xw->flush();
+        $cloud = new PersonalTagCloudSection($act, $act->user);
+        $cloud->show();
+        $this->blocks['cloud'] = $act->xw->flush();
+        break;
+      case "showgroup":
+        $act->showMembers();
+        $this->blocks['groupmembers'] = $act->xw->flush();
+        $act->showStatistics();
+        $this->blocks['groupstatistics'] = $act->xw->flush();
+        $cloud = new GroupTagCloudSection($act, $act->group);
+        $cloud->show();
+        $this->blocks['groupcloud'] = $act->xw->flush();
+        break;
+      case "public":
+        $pop = new PopularNoticeSection($act);
+        $pop->show();
+        $this->blocks['popular'] = $act->xw->flush();
+        $gbp = new GroupsByPostsSection($act);
+        $gbp->show();
+        $this->blocks['groupsbyposts'] = $act->xw->flush();
+        $feat = new FeaturedUsersSection($act);
+        $feat->show();
+        $this->blocks['featuredusers'] = $act->xw->flush();
+        break;
+      case "groups":
+        $gbp = new GroupsByPostsSection($act);
+        $gbp->show();
+        $this->blocks['groupsbyposts'] = $act->xw->flush();
+        $gbm = new GroupsByMembersSection($act);
+        $gbm->show();
+        $this->blocks['groupsbymembers'] = $act->xw->flush();
+        break;
+    }
+    return false;
+  }
+  
+  // <%logo%>
+  // <%nav%>
+  // <%notice%>
+  // <%noticeform%>
+  function onStartShowHeader( &$act ) {
+    $this->clear_xmlWriter($act);
+    $act->showLogo();
+    $this->blocks['logo'] = $act->xw->flush();
+    $act->showPrimaryNav();
+    $this->blocks['nav'] = $act->xw->flush();
+    $act->showSiteNotice();
+    $this->blocks['notice'] = $act->xw->flush();
+    if (common_logged_in()) {
+        $act->showNoticeForm();
+    } else {
+        $act->showAnonymousMessage();
+    }
+    $this->blocks['noticeform'] = $act->xw->flush();
+    return false;
+  }
+  
+  // <%secondarynav%>
+  // <%licenses%>
+  function onStartShowFooter( &$act ) {
+    $this->clear_xmlWriter($act);
+    $act->showSecondaryNav();
+    $this->blocks['secondarynav'] = $act->xw->flush();
+    $act->showLicenses();
+    $this->blocks['licenses'] = $act->xw->flush();
+    return false;
+  }
+  
+  // capture the EndHTML event
+  // and include the template
+  function onEndEndHTML($act) {
+    
+    global $action, $tags;
+    
+    // set the action and title values
+    $vars = array(
+      'action'=>$action,
+      'title'=>$act->title(). " - ". common_config('site', 'name')
+    );
+    
+    // use the PHP template
+    // unless laconica config:
+    //   $config['template']['mode'] = 'html';
+    if (!(common_config('template', 'mode') == 'html')) {
+      $tpl_file = 'tpl/index.php';
+      $tags = array_merge($vars,$this->blocks);
+      include $tpl_file;
+      return;
+    }
+    
+    $tpl_file = 'tpl/index.html';
+    
+    // read the static template
+    $output = file_get_contents( $tpl_file );
+    
+    $tags = array();
+    
+    // get a list of the <%tags%> in the template
+    $pattern='/<%([a-z]+)%>/';
+    
+    if ( 1 <= preg_match_all( $pattern, $output, $found ))
+      $tags[] = $found;
+    
+    // for each found tag, set its value from the rendered blocks
+    foreach( $tags[0][1] as $pos=>$tag ) {
+      if (isset($this->blocks[$tag]))
+        $vars[$tag] = $this->blocks[$tag];
+        
+      // didn't find a block for the tag
+      elseif (!isset($vars[$tag]))
+        $vars[$tag] = '';
+    }
+    
+    // replace the tags in the template
+    foreach( $vars as $key=>$val )
+      $output = str_replace( '<%'.$key.'%>', $val, $output );
+    
+    echo $output;
+    
+    return true;
+    
+  }
+  
+  // catching the StartShowHTML event to halt the rendering
+  function onStartShowHTML( &$act ) {
+    $this->clear_xmlWriter($act);
+    return true;
+  }
+  
+  // clear the xmlWriter
+  function clear_xmlWriter( &$act ) {
+    $act->xw->openMemory();
+    $act->xw->setIndent(true);
+  }
+  
+}
+
+/**
+ * Action for updating the template remotely
+ *
+ * "template/update" -- a POST method that requires a single
+ * parameter "template", containing the new template code
+ *
+ * @category Plugin
+ * @package  Laconica
+ * @author   Brian Hendrickson <brian@megapump.com>
+ * @license  http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/agpl-3.0.html GNU Affero General Public License version 3.0
+ * @link     http://megapump.com/
+ *
+ */
+ 
+class TemplateAction extends Action
+{
+
+  function prepare($args) {
+    parent::prepare($args);
+    return true;
+  }
+  
+  function handle($args) {
+    
+    parent::handle($args);
+    
+    if (!isset($_SERVER['PHP_AUTH_USER'])) {
+      
+      // not authenticated, show login form
+      header('WWW-Authenticate: Basic realm="Laconica API"');
+      
+      // cancelled the browser login form
+      $this->clientError(_('Authentication error!'), $code = 401);
+      
+    } else {
+      
+      $nick = $_SERVER['PHP_AUTH_USER'];
+      $pass = $_SERVER['PHP_AUTH_PW'];
+      
+      // check username and password
+      $user = common_check_user($nick,$pass);
+      
+      if ($user) {
+        
+        // verify that user is admin
+        if (!($user->id == 1))
+          $this->clientError(_('only User #1 can update the template'), $code = 401);
+        
+        // open the old template
+        $tpl_file = 'tpl/index.html';
+        $fp = fopen( $tpl_file, 'w+' );
+        
+        // overwrite with the new template
+        fwrite($fp, $this->arg('template'));
+        fclose($fp);
+        
+        header('HTTP/1.1 200 OK');
+        header('Content-type: text/plain');
+        print "Template Updated!";
+        
+      } else {
+        
+        // bad username and password
+        $this->clientError(_('Authentication error!'), $code = 401);
+        
+      }
+      
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Function for retrieving a laconica display section
+ *
+ * requires one parameter, the name of the section
+ * section names are listed in the comments of the TemplatePlugin class
+ *
+ * @category Plugin
+ * @package  Laconica
+ * @author   Brian Hendrickson <brian@megapump.com>
+ * @license  http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/agpl-3.0.html GNU Affero General Public License version 3.0
+ * @link     http://megapump.com/
+ *
+ */
+
+function section($tagname) {
+  global $tags;
+  if (isset($tags[$tagname]))
+    return $tags[$tagname];
+}
+