diff --git a/src/include/66/resolve.h b/src/include/66/resolve.h
index d34dbb82d93d201f41db931696878eb868aec710..cfab72ea0fec25606a7e803cb22e02cdda8e0d79 100644
--- a/src/include/66/resolve.h
+++ b/src/include/66/resolve.h
@@ -64,9 +64,11 @@ struct resolve_field_table_s
 
 extern resolve_wrapper_t *resolve_set_struct(uint8_t type, void *s) ;
 extern int resolve_init(resolve_wrapper_t *wres) ;
+extern int resolve_check(char const *src, char const *name) ;
 extern int resolve_read(resolve_wrapper_t *wres, char const *src, char const *name) ;
+/* convenient API: do a resolve_check then a resolve_read */
+extern int resolve_read_g(resolve_wrapper_t *wres, char const *src, char const *name) ;
 extern int resolve_write(resolve_wrapper_t *wres, char const *dst, char const *name) ;
-extern int resolve_check(char const *src, char const *name) ;
 extern int resolve_append(genalloc *ga, resolve_wrapper_t *wres) ;
 extern int resolve_search(genalloc *ga, char const *name, uint8_t type) ;
 extern int resolve_cmp(genalloc *ga, char const *name, uint8_t type) ;
diff --git a/src/lib66/resolve/resolve_read_g.c b/src/lib66/resolve/resolve_read_g.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..7999d4a32fc0fe1f3405bc48428d7a43fdc6a8fb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib66/resolve/resolve_read_g.c
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+/*
+ * resolve_read_g.c
+ *
+ * Copyright (c) 2018-2021 Eric Vidal <eric@obarun.org>
+ *
+ * All rights reserved.
+ *
+ * This file is part of Obarun. It is subject to the license terms in
+ * the LICENSE file found in the top-level directory of this
+ * distribution.
+ * This file may not be copied, modified, propagated, or distributed
+ * except according to the terms contained in the LICENSE file./
+ */
+
+#include <string.h>
+
+#include <oblibs/log.h>
+#include <oblibs/string.h>
+
+#include <66/resolve.h>
+
+int resolve_read_g(resolve_wrapper_t *wres, char const *src, char const *name)
+{
+    log_flow() ;
+
+    size_t srclen = strlen(src) ;
+    size_t namelen = strlen(name) ;
+
+    char tmp[srclen + SS_RESOLVE_LEN + 1 + namelen + 1] ;
+    auto_strings(tmp,src,SS_RESOLVE,"/",name) ;
+
+    r = scan_mode(tmp,S_IFREG) ;
+    if (r <= 0)
+        log_warnusys_return(LOG_EXIT_ZERO,"found resolve file: ", tmp) ;
+
+    if (!resolve_read_cdb(wres,tmp))
+        return 0 ;
+
+    return 1 ;
+}