diff --git a/src/nix/cat.cc b/src/nix/cat.cc
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2405a8cb4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/nix/cat.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+#include "command.hh"
+#include "store-api.hh"
+#include "fs-accessor.hh"
+#include "nar-accessor.hh"
+
+using namespace nix;
+
+struct MixCat : virtual Args
+{
+    std::string path;
+
+    void cat(ref<FSAccessor> accessor)
+    {
+        auto st = accessor->stat(path);
+        if (st.type == FSAccessor::Type::tMissing)
+            throw Error(format("path ‘%1%’ does not exist") % path);
+        if (st.type != FSAccessor::Type::tRegular)
+            throw Error(format("path ‘%1%’ is not a regular file") % path);
+
+        std::cout << accessor->readFile(path);
+    }
+};
+
+struct CmdCatStore : StoreCommand, MixCat
+{
+    CmdCatStore()
+    {
+        expectArg("path", &path);
+    }
+
+    std::string name() override
+    {
+        return "cat-store";
+    }
+
+    std::string description() override
+    {
+        return "print the contents of a store file on stdout";
+    }
+
+    void run(ref<Store> store) override
+    {
+        cat(store->getFSAccessor());
+    }
+};
+
+struct CmdCatNar : StoreCommand, MixCat
+{
+    Path narPath;
+
+    CmdCatNar()
+    {
+        expectArg("nar", &narPath);
+        expectArg("path", &path);
+    }
+
+    std::string name() override
+    {
+        return "cat-nar";
+    }
+
+    std::string description() override
+    {
+        return "print the contents of a file inside a NAR file";
+    }
+
+    void run(ref<Store> store) override
+    {
+        cat(makeNarAccessor(make_ref<std::string>(readFile(narPath))));
+    }
+};
+
+static RegisterCommand r1(make_ref<CmdCatStore>());
+static RegisterCommand r2(make_ref<CmdCatNar>());
diff --git a/src/nix/ls.cc b/src/nix/ls.cc
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3476dfb05
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/nix/ls.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,123 @@
+#include "command.hh"
+#include "store-api.hh"
+#include "fs-accessor.hh"
+#include "nar-accessor.hh"
+
+using namespace nix;
+
+struct MixLs : virtual Args
+{
+    std::string path;
+
+    bool recursive = false;
+    bool verbose = false;
+    bool showDirectory = false;
+
+    MixLs()
+    {
+        mkFlag('R', "recursive", "list subdirectories recursively", &recursive);
+        mkFlag('l', "long", "show more file information", &verbose);
+        mkFlag('d', "directory", "show directories rather than their contents", &showDirectory);
+    }
+
+    void list(ref<FSAccessor> accessor)
+    {
+        std::function<void(const FSAccessor::Stat &, const Path &, const std::string &, bool)> doPath;
+
+        auto showFile = [&](const Path & curPath, const std::string & relPath) {
+            if (verbose) {
+                auto st = accessor->stat(curPath);
+                std::string tp =
+                    st.type == FSAccessor::Type::tRegular ?
+                        (st.isExecutable ? "-r-xr-xr-x" : "-r--r--r--") :
+                    st.type == FSAccessor::Type::tSymlink ? "lrwxrwxrwx" :
+                    "dr-xr-xr-x";
+                std::cout <<
+                    (format("%s %20d %s") % tp % st.fileSize % relPath);
+                if (st.type == FSAccessor::Type::tSymlink)
+                    std::cout << " -> " << accessor->readLink(curPath)
+                    ;
+                std::cout << "\n";
+                if (recursive && st.type == FSAccessor::Type::tDirectory)
+                    doPath(st, curPath, relPath, false);
+            } else {
+                std::cout << relPath << "\n";
+                if (recursive) {
+                    auto st = accessor->stat(curPath);
+                    if (st.type == FSAccessor::Type::tDirectory)
+                        doPath(st, curPath, relPath, false);
+                }
+            }
+        };
+
+        doPath = [&](const FSAccessor::Stat & st , const Path & curPath,
+            const std::string & relPath, bool showDirectory)
+        {
+            if (st.type == FSAccessor::Type::tDirectory && !showDirectory) {
+                auto names = accessor->readDirectory(curPath);
+                for (auto & name : names)
+                    showFile(curPath + "/" + name, relPath + "/" + name);
+            } else
+                showFile(curPath, relPath);
+        };
+
+        auto st = accessor->stat(path);
+        if (st.type == FSAccessor::Type::tMissing)
+            throw Error(format("path ‘%1%’ does not exist") % path);
+        doPath(st, path,
+            st.type == FSAccessor::Type::tDirectory ? "." : baseNameOf(path),
+            showDirectory);
+    }
+};
+
+struct CmdLsStore : StoreCommand, MixLs
+{
+    CmdLsStore()
+    {
+        expectArg("path", &path);
+    }
+
+    std::string name() override
+    {
+        return "ls-store";
+    }
+
+    std::string description() override
+    {
+        return "show information about a store path";
+    }
+
+    void run(ref<Store> store) override
+    {
+        list(store->getFSAccessor());
+    }
+};
+
+struct CmdLsNar : Command, MixLs
+{
+    Path narPath;
+
+    CmdLsNar()
+    {
+        expectArg("nar", &narPath);
+        expectArg("path", &path);
+    }
+
+    std::string name() override
+    {
+        return "ls-nar";
+    }
+
+    std::string description() override
+    {
+        return "show information about the contents of a NAR file";
+    }
+
+    void run() override
+    {
+        list(makeNarAccessor(make_ref<std::string>(readFile(narPath))));
+    }
+};
+
+static RegisterCommand r1(make_ref<CmdLsStore>());
+static RegisterCommand r2(make_ref<CmdLsNar>());