diff --git a/src/libstd/io/buffered.rs b/src/libstd/io/buffered.rs
index f5c6c15857aec..b34a23a4b2fc1 100644
--- a/src/libstd/io/buffered.rs
+++ b/src/libstd/io/buffered.rs
@@ -115,6 +115,18 @@ impl<R: Reader> Reader for BufferedReader<R> {
         self.pos += nread;
         Ok(nread)
     }
+
+    fn skip_exact(&mut self, n: uint) -> IoResult<()> {
+        if self.pos + n <= self.cap {
+            self.pos += n;
+        }
+        else {
+            let skip = n - (self.cap - self.pos);
+            self.pos = self.cap;
+            try!(self.inner.skip_exact(skip));
+        }
+        Ok(())
+    }
 }
 
 /// Wraps a Writer and buffers output to it
@@ -356,6 +368,10 @@ impl<S: Stream> Reader for BufferedStream<S> {
     fn read(&mut self, buf: &mut [u8]) -> IoResult<uint> {
         self.inner.read(buf)
     }
+
+    fn skip_exact(&mut self, n: uint) -> IoResult<()> {
+        self.inner.skip_exact(n)
+    }
 }
 
 impl<S: Stream> Writer for BufferedStream<S> {
diff --git a/src/libstd/io/fs.rs b/src/libstd/io/fs.rs
index 5c2a5c3512d32..777d42b399f4b 100644
--- a/src/libstd/io/fs.rs
+++ b/src/libstd/io/fs.rs
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ fs::unlink(&path);
 use clone::Clone;
 use io::standard_error;
 use io::{FilePermission, Write, Open, FileAccess, FileMode};
-use io::{IoResult, IoError, FileStat, SeekStyle, Seek, Writer, Reader};
+use io::{IoResult, IoError, FileStat, SeekStyle, Seek, SeekCur, Writer, Reader};
 use io::{Read, Truncate, ReadWrite, Append};
 use io::UpdateIoError;
 use io;
@@ -67,6 +67,7 @@ use result::{Err, Ok};
 use slice::SlicePrelude;
 use string::String;
 use vec::Vec;
+use num::ToPrimitive;
 
 use sys::fs as fs_imp;
 use sys_common;
@@ -706,6 +707,13 @@ impl Reader for File {
             Err(e) => Err(e)
         }
     }
+
+    fn skip_exact(&mut self, n: uint) -> IoResult<()> {
+        match n.to_i64() {
+          Some(i) => self.seek(i, SeekCur),
+          None    => Err(io::standard_error(io::InvalidInput)),
+        }
+    }
 }
 
 impl Writer for File {
diff --git a/src/libstd/io/mem.rs b/src/libstd/io/mem.rs
index 51935862600d0..5099c650db7c8 100644
--- a/src/libstd/io/mem.rs
+++ b/src/libstd/io/mem.rs
@@ -159,6 +159,19 @@ impl Reader for MemReader {
 
         return Ok(write_len);
     }
+
+    #[inline]
+    fn skip_exact(&mut self, n: uint) -> IoResult<()> {
+        let remaining = self.buf.len() - self.pos;
+        if remaining < n {
+            self.pos = self.buf.len();
+            Err(io::standard_error(io::EndOfFile))
+        }
+        else {
+            self.pos += n;
+            Ok(())
+        }
+    }
 }
 
 impl Seek for MemReader {
@@ -305,6 +318,19 @@ impl<'a> Reader for BufReader<'a> {
 
         return Ok(write_len);
      }
+
+     #[inline]
+     fn skip_exact(&mut self, n: uint) -> IoResult<()> {
+        let remaining = self.buf.len() - self.pos;
+        if remaining < n {
+            self.pos = self.buf.len();
+            Err(io::standard_error(io::EndOfFile))
+        }
+        else {
+            self.pos += n;
+            Ok(())
+        }
+     }
 }
 
 impl<'a> Seek for BufReader<'a> {
diff --git a/src/libstd/io/mod.rs b/src/libstd/io/mod.rs
index 90345cb0535eb..85ff4ad38f646 100644
--- a/src/libstd/io/mod.rs
+++ b/src/libstd/io/mod.rs
@@ -846,6 +846,12 @@ pub trait Reader {
     fn read_i8(&mut self) -> IoResult<i8> {
         self.read_byte().map(|i| i as i8)
     }
+
+    /// Skip `n` bytes of input.
+    fn skip_exact(&mut self, n: uint) -> IoResult<()> {
+        try!(self.read_exact(n));
+        Ok(())
+    }
 }
 
 /// A reader which can be converted to a RefReader.
@@ -903,10 +909,21 @@ impl<'a> Reader for Box<Reader+'a> {
         let reader: &mut Reader = &mut **self;
         reader.read(buf)
     }
+
+    fn skip_exact(&mut self, n: uint) -> IoResult<()> {
+        let reader: &mut Reader = &mut **self;
+        reader.skip_exact(n)
+    }
 }
 
 impl<'a> Reader for &'a mut Reader+'a {
-    fn read(&mut self, buf: &mut [u8]) -> IoResult<uint> { (*self).read(buf) }
+    fn read(&mut self, buf: &mut [u8]) -> IoResult<uint> {
+        (*self).read(buf)
+    }
+
+    fn skip_exact(&mut self, n: uint) -> IoResult<()> {
+        (*self).skip_exact(n)
+    }
 }
 
 /// Returns a slice of `v` between `start` and `end`.
@@ -963,7 +980,13 @@ pub struct RefReader<'a, R:'a> {
 }
 
 impl<'a, R: Reader> Reader for RefReader<'a, R> {
-    fn read(&mut self, buf: &mut [u8]) -> IoResult<uint> { self.inner.read(buf) }
+    fn read(&mut self, buf: &mut [u8]) -> IoResult<uint> {
+        self.inner.read(buf)
+    }
+
+    fn skip_exact(&mut self, n: uint) -> IoResult<()> {
+        self.inner.skip_exact(n)
+    }
 }
 
 impl<'a, R: Buffer> Buffer for RefReader<'a, R> {
diff --git a/src/libstd/io/util.rs b/src/libstd/io/util.rs
index 765af0dfbc0d9..ba5d50b472da2 100644
--- a/src/libstd/io/util.rs
+++ b/src/libstd/io/util.rs
@@ -93,6 +93,11 @@ impl Reader for ZeroReader {
         buf.set_memory(0);
         Ok(buf.len())
     }
+
+    #[inline]
+    fn skip_exact(&mut self, _: uint) -> io::IoResult<()> {
+        Ok(())
+    }
 }
 
 impl Buffer for ZeroReader {