diff --git a/.gitmodules b/.gitmodules
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..51dd1ef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitmodules
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+# This file maps a submodule path to an url from where the submodule
+# can be obtained. The script "submodules.sh" finds the url in this file
+# when invoked with -i to clone the submodules.
+
+git		git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/git/git.git
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 644914c..138f261 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,12 +1,11 @@
 CGIT_VERSION = 0.2
 
 prefix = /var/www/htdocs/cgit
-gitsrc = git
 
 SHA1_HEADER = <openssl/sha.h>
 
 CACHE_ROOT = /var/cache/cgit
-EXTLIBS = $(gitsrc)/libgit.a $(gitsrc)/xdiff/lib.a -lz -lcrypto
+EXTLIBS = git/libgit.a git/xdiff/lib.a -lz -lcrypto
 OBJECTS = shared.o cache.o parsing.o html.o ui-shared.o ui-repolist.o \
 	ui-summary.o ui-log.o ui-view.o ui-tree.o ui-commit.o ui-diff.o \
 	ui-snapshot.o ui-blob.o
@@ -17,28 +16,52 @@ ifdef DEBUG
 	CFLAGS += -g
 endif
 
-CFLAGS += -I$(gitsrc) -DSHA1_HEADER='$(SHA1_HEADER)'
+CFLAGS += -Igit -DSHA1_HEADER='$(SHA1_HEADER)'
 
+
+
+
+#
+# basic build rules
+#
 all: cgit
 
+cgit: cgit.c cgit.h $(OBJECTS)
+	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) -DCGIT_VERSION='"$(CGIT_VERSION)"' cgit.c -o cgit \
+		$(OBJECTS) $(EXTLIBS)
+
+$(OBJECTS): cgit.h git/libgit.a
+
+git/libgit.a:
+	./submodules.sh -i
+	$(MAKE) -C git
+
+#
+# phony targets
+#
 install: all clean-cache
 	mkdir -p $(prefix)
 	install cgit $(prefix)/cgit.cgi
 	install cgit.css $(prefix)/cgit.css
 
-cgit: cgit.c cgit.h $(OBJECTS) $(gitsrc)/libgit.a
-	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) -DCGIT_VERSION='"$(CGIT_VERSION)"' cgit.c -o cgit \
-		$(OBJECTS) $(EXTLIBS)
-
-$(OBJECTS): cgit.h
+clean-cgit:
+	rm -f cgit *.o
 
-$(gitsrc)/libgit.a:
-	$(MAKE) -C $(gitsrc)
+distclean-cgit: clean-cgit
+	git clean -d -x
 
+clean-sub:
+	$(MAKE) -C git clean
 
-.PHONY: clean
-clean:
-	rm -f cgit *.o
+distclean-sub: clean-sub
+	$(shell cd git && git clean -d -x)
 
 clean-cache:
 	rm -rf $(CACHE_ROOT)/*
+
+clean: clean-cgit clean-sub
+
+distclean: distclean-cgit distclean-sub
+
+.PHONY: all install clean clean-cgit clean-sub clean-cache \
+	distclean distclean-cgit distclean-sub
diff --git a/submodules.sh b/submodules.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..1d7b13f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/submodules.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,181 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+#
+# submodules.sh: init, update or list git submodules
+#
+# Copyright (C) 2006 Lars Hjemli
+#
+# Licensed under GNU General Public License v2
+#   (see COPYING for full license text)
+#
+
+
+usage="submodules.sh [-i | -u] [-q] [--cached] [path...]"
+init=
+update=
+quiet=
+cached=
+
+
+say()
+{
+	if test -z "$quiet"
+	then
+		echo -e "$@"
+	fi
+}
+
+
+die()
+{
+	echo >&2 -e "$@"
+	exit 1
+}
+
+
+
+#
+# Silently checkout specified submodule revision, return exit status of git-checkout
+#
+# $1 = local path
+# $2 = requested sha1
+#
+module_checkout()
+{
+	$(cd "$1" && git checkout "$2" 1>/dev/null 2>/dev/null)
+}
+
+
+#
+# Find all (requested) submodules, run clone + checkout on missing paths
+#
+# $@ = requested paths (default to all)
+#
+modules_init()
+{
+	git ls-files --stage -- $@ | grep -e '^160000 ' |
+	while read mode sha1 stage path
+	do
+		test -d "$path/.git" && continue
+
+		if test -d "$path"
+		then
+			rmdir "$path" 2>/dev/null ||
+			die "Directory '$path' exist, but not as a submodule"
+		fi
+
+		test -e "$path" && die "A file already exist at path '$path'"
+
+		url=$(sed -nre "s/^$path[ \t]+//p" .gitmodules)
+		test -z "$url" && die "No url found for $path in .gitmodules"
+
+		git clone "$url" "$path" || die "Clone of submodule '$path' failed"
+		module_checkout "$path" "$sha1" || die "Checkout of submodule '$path' failed"
+		say "Submodule '$path' initialized"
+	done
+}
+
+#
+# Checkout correct revision of each initialized submodule
+#
+# $@ = requested paths (default to all)
+#
+modules_update()
+{
+	git ls-files --stage -- $@ | grep -e '^160000 ' |
+	while read mode sha1 stage path
+	do
+		if ! test -d "$path/.git"
+		then
+			say "Submodule '$path' not initialized"
+			continue;
+		fi
+		subsha1=$(cd "$path" && git rev-parse --verify HEAD) ||
+		die "Unable to find current revision of submodule '$path'"
+		if test "$subsha1" != "$sha1"
+		then
+			module_checkout "$path" "$sha1" ||
+			die "Unable to checkout revision $sha1 of submodule '$path'"
+			say "Submodule '$path' reset to revision $sha1"
+		fi
+	done
+}
+
+#
+# List all registered submodules, prefixed with:
+#  - submodule not initialized
+#  + different version checked out
+#
+# If --cached was specified the revision in the index will be printed
+# instead of the currently checked out revision.
+#
+# $@ = requested paths (default to all)
+#
+modules_list()
+{
+	git ls-files --stage -- $@ | grep -e '^160000 ' |
+	while read mode sha1 stage path
+	do
+		if ! test -d "$path/.git"
+		then
+			say "-$sha1 $path"
+			continue;
+		fi
+		revname=$(cd "$path" && git describe $sha1)
+		if git diff-files --quiet -- "$path"
+		then
+			say " $sha1 $path\t($revname)"
+		else
+			if test -z "$cached"
+			then
+				sha1=$(cd "$path" && git rev-parse HEAD)
+				revname=$(cd "$path" && git describe HEAD)
+			fi
+			say "+$sha1 $path\t($revname)"
+		fi
+	done
+}
+
+
+while case "$#" in 0) break ;; esac
+do
+	case "$1" in
+	-i)
+		init=1
+		;;
+	-u)
+		update=1
+		;;
+	-q)
+		quiet=1
+		;;
+	--cached)
+		cached=1
+		;;
+	--)
+		break
+		;;
+	-*)
+		echo "Usage: $usage"
+		exit 1
+		;;
+	--*)
+		echo "Usage: $usage"
+		exit 1
+		;;
+	*)
+		break
+		;;
+	esac
+	shift
+done
+
+
+if test "$init" = "1"
+then
+	modules_init $@
+elif test "$update" = "1"
+then
+	modules_update $@
+else
+	modules_list $@
+fi