diff --git a/tools/build-license-metadata.sh b/tools/build-license-metadata.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..8df7d2d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/build-license-metadata.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,343 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+set -u
+
+ME=$(basename $0)
+
+USAGE="Usage: ${ME} {options}
+
+Builds a license metadata specification and outputs it to stdout or {outfile}.
+
+The available options are:
+
+-k kind...              license kinds
+-c condition...         license conditions
+-p package...           license package name
+-n notice...            license notice file
+-d dependency...        license metadata file dependency
+-t target...            targets
+-m target:installed...  map dependent targets to their installed names
+-is_container           preserved dependent target name when given
+-o outfile              output file
+"
+
+# Global flag variables
+license_kinds=
+license_conditions=
+license_package_name=
+license_notice=
+license_deps=
+targets=
+installmap=
+is_container=false
+ofile=
+
+
+# Global variables
+declare -A depfiles
+effective_conditions=
+declare -A depModules
+
+# work around bug where "${#array[@]}" traps if never set
+depfiles["x"]=808      # set an arbitrary index
+unset depfiles["x"]    # delete it to make depfiles empty again
+depModules["x"]=808    # set an arbitrary index
+unset depModules["x"]  # delete it to make depModules empty again
+
+
+# Exits with a message.
+#
+# When the exit status is 2, assumes a usage error and outputs the usage message
+# to stderr before outputting the specific error message to stderr.
+#
+# Parameters:
+#   Optional numeric exit status (defaults to 2, i.e. a usage error.)
+#   Remaining args treated as an error message sent to stderr.
+function die() {
+  local status=2
+  case "${1:-}" in *[^0-9]*) ;; *) status="$1"; shift ;; esac
+  case "${status}" in 2) echo "${USAGE}" >&2; echo >&2 ;; esac
+  if [ -n "$*" ]; then
+    echo -e "$*\n" >&2
+  fi
+  exit $status
+}
+
+
+# Sets the flag variables based on the command-line.
+#
+# invoke with: process_args "$@"
+function process_args() {
+  local curr_flag=
+  local name
+  local val
+  while [ "$#" -gt '0' ]; do
+    case "${1}" in
+      -h)
+        echo "${USAGE}"
+        exit 0
+        ;;
+      -k)
+        curr_flag=kind
+        ;;
+      -c)
+        curr_flag=condition
+        ;;
+      -p)
+        curr_flag=package
+        ;;
+      -n)
+        curr_flag=notice
+        ;;
+      -d)
+        curr_flag=dependency
+        ;;
+      -t)
+        curr_flag=target
+        ;;
+      -m)
+        curr_flag=installmap
+        ;;
+      -o)
+        curr_flag=ofile
+        ;;
+      -is_container)
+        curr_flag=
+        is_container=true
+        ;;
+      -*)
+        die "Unknown flag: \"${1}\""
+        ;;
+      *)
+        case "${curr_flag}" in
+          kind)
+            license_kinds="${license_kinds}${license_kinds:+ }${1}"
+            ;;
+          condition)
+            license_conditions="${license_conditions}${license_conditions:+ }${1}"
+            ;;
+          package)
+            license_package_name="${license_package_name}${license_package_name:+ }${1}"
+            ;;
+          notice)
+            license_notice="${license_notice}${license_notice:+ }${1}"
+            ;;
+          dependency)
+            license_deps="${license_deps}${license_deps:+ }${1}"
+            ;;
+          target)
+            targets="${targets}${targets:+ }${1}"
+            ;;
+          installmap)
+            installmap="${installmap}${installmap:+ }${1}"
+            ;;
+          ofile)
+            if [ -n "${ofile}" ]; then
+              die "Output file -o appears twice as \"${ofile}\" and \"${1}\""
+            fi
+            ofile="${1}"
+            ;;
+          *)
+            die "Must precede argument \"${1}\" with type flag."
+            ;;
+        esac
+        ;;
+    esac
+    shift
+  done
+}
+
+# Reads a license metadata file from stdin, and outputs the named dependencies.
+#
+# No parameters.
+function extract_deps() {
+  awk '$1 == "dep_name:" { sub(/^"/, "", $2); sub(/"$/, "", $2); print $2; }'
+}
+
+# Populates the `depfiles` associative array mapping dependencies to license
+# metadata content.
+#
+# Starting with the dependencies enumerated in `license_deps`, calculates the
+# transitive closure of all dependencies mapping the name of each license
+# metadata file to its content.
+#
+# Dependency names ending in `.meta_module` indirectly reference license
+# metadata with 1 license metadata filename per line.
+#
+# No parameters; no output.
+function read_deps() {
+  local newdeps=$(
+    for d in ${license_deps}; do
+      case "${d}" in
+        *.meta_module) cat "${d}" ;;
+        *) echo "${d}" ;;
+      esac
+    done | sort -u
+  )
+  local alldeps=
+  local deps=
+  local content=
+  local mod=
+  local dep=
+  while [ "${#newdeps}" -gt '0' ]; do
+    deps="${newdeps}"
+    newdeps=
+    for dep in ${deps}; do
+      content=$(cat ${dep})
+      depfiles["${dep}"]="${content}"
+      alldeps="${alldeps}${alldeps:+ }"$(echo "${content}" | extract_deps)
+    done
+    alldeps=$(for d in ${alldeps}; do echo "${d}"; done | sort -u)
+    for d in ${alldeps}; do
+      deps=$(
+          case "${d}" in
+            *.meta_module) cat"${d}" ;;
+            *) echo "${d}" ;;
+          esac
+      )
+      for mod in ${deps}; do
+        if [ -z "${depfiles[${mod}]+isset}" ]; then
+          newdeps="${newdeps}${newdeps:+ }${mod}"
+        fi
+      done
+    done
+    alldeps=
+  done
+}
+
+# Returns the effective license conditions for the current license metadata.
+#
+# If a module is restricted or links in a restricted module, the effective
+# license has a restricted condition.
+function calculate_effective_conditions() {
+  local conditions="${license_conditions}"
+  local condition
+  case "${license_conditions}" in
+    *restricted*) : do nothing ;;
+    *)
+       for d in "${!depfiles[@]}"; do
+         condition=$(
+             echo "${depfiles[${d}]}" | \
+                 awk '$1 == "effective_condition:" {
+                   $1 = ""
+                   print
+                 }' \
+         )
+         case "${condition}" in
+           *restricted*)
+             conditions="${conditions}${conditions:+ }restricted"
+             break
+             ;;
+         esac
+       done
+     ;;
+  esac
+  echo "${conditions}"
+}
+
+
+process_args "$@"
+
+if [ -n "${ofile}" ]; then
+  # truncate the output file before appending results
+  : >"${ofile}"
+else
+  ofile=/dev/stdout
+fi
+
+# spit out the license metadata file content
+(
+  echo 'license_package_name: "'${license_package_name}'"'
+  for kind in ${license_kinds}; do
+    echo 'license_kind: "'${kind}'"'
+  done
+  for condition in ${license_conditions}; do
+    echo 'license_condition: "'${condition}'"'
+  done
+  for f in ${license_notice}; do
+    echo 'license_text: "'${f}'"'
+  done
+  echo "is_container: ${is_container}"
+  for t in ${targets}; do
+    echo 'target: "'${t}'"'
+  done
+  for m in ${installmap}; do
+    echo 'install_map: "'${m}'"'
+  done
+) >>"${ofile}"
+read_deps
+for dep in "${!depfiles[@]}"; do
+  m=$(expr "${dep}" : '^.*[/]\([^/]*\)[.]meta_lic$')
+  depModules["${m}"]=true
+done
+effective_conditions=$(calculate_effective_conditions)
+for condition in ${effective_conditions}; do
+  echo 'effective_condition: "'${condition}'"'
+done >>"${ofile}"
+for dep in "${!depfiles[@]}"; do
+  echo 'dep {'
+  echo "${depfiles[${dep}]}" | \
+    awk -v name="${dep}" '
+      function strip_type() {
+        $1 = ""
+        sub(/^\s*/, "")
+      }
+      BEGIN {
+        print "  dep_name: " name
+      }
+      $1 == "license_package_name:" {
+        strip_type()
+        print "  dep_package_name: "$0
+      }
+      $1 == "dep_name:" {
+        print "  dep_sub_dep: "$2
+      }
+      $1 == "license_kind:" {
+        print "  dep_license_kind: "$2
+      }
+      $1 == "license_condition:" {
+        print "  dep_license_condition: "$2
+      }
+      $1 == "is_container:" {
+        print "  dep_is_container: "$2
+      }
+      $1 == "license_text:" {
+        strip_type()
+        print "  dep_license_text: "$0
+      }
+      $1 == "target:" {
+        print "  dep_target: "$2
+      }
+      $1 == "install_map:" {
+        print "  dep_install_map: "$2
+      }
+  '
+  # The restricted license kind is contagious to all linked dependencies.
+  dep_conditions=$(echo $(
+      echo "${depfiles[${dep}]}" | awk '
+        $1 == "effective_condition:" {
+          $1 = ""
+          sub(/^\s*/, "")
+          gsub(/"/, "")
+          print
+        }
+      '
+  ))
+  for condition in ${dep_conditions}; do
+    echo '  dep_effective_condition: "'${condition}'"'
+  done
+  if ! ${is_container}; then
+    case "${dep_conditions}" in
+      *restricted*) : already restricted -- nothing to inherit ;;
+      *)
+        case "${effective_conditions}" in
+          *restricted*)
+            # "contagious" restricted infects everything linked to restricted
+            echo '  dep_effective_condition: "restricted"'
+            ;;
+        esac
+        ;;
+    esac
+  fi
+  echo '}'
+done >>"${ofile}"