diff --git a/Makefile.local b/Makefile.local
index a890df20..296995d3 100644
--- a/Makefile.local
+++ b/Makefile.local
@@ -290,6 +290,8 @@ notmuch_client_srcs =		\
 	notmuch-show.c		\
 	notmuch-tag.c		\
 	notmuch-time.c		\
+	sprinter-json.c		\
+	sprinter-text.c		\
 	query-string.c		\
 	mime-node.c		\
 	crypto.c		\
diff --git a/sprinter-json.c b/sprinter-json.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..46496551
--- /dev/null
+++ b/sprinter-json.c
@@ -0,0 +1,187 @@
+#include <stdbool.h>
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <talloc.h>
+#include "sprinter.h"
+
+struct sprinter_json {
+    struct sprinter vtable;
+    FILE *stream;
+    /* Top of the state stack, or NULL if the printer is not currently
+     * inside any aggregate types. */
+    struct json_state *state;
+
+    /* A flag to signify that a separator should be inserted in the
+     * output as soon as possible.
+     */
+    notmuch_bool_t insert_separator;
+};
+
+struct json_state {
+    struct json_state *parent;
+    /* True if nothing has been printed in this aggregate yet.
+     * Suppresses the comma before a value. */
+    notmuch_bool_t first;
+    /* The character that closes the current aggregate. */
+    char close;
+};
+
+/* Helper function to set up the stream to print a value.  If this
+ * value follows another value, prints a comma. */
+static struct sprinter_json *
+json_begin_value (struct sprinter *sp)
+{
+    struct sprinter_json *spj = (struct sprinter_json *) sp;
+
+    if (spj->state) {
+	if (! spj->state->first) {
+	    fputc (',', spj->stream);
+	    if (spj->insert_separator) {
+		fputc ('\n', spj->stream);
+		spj->insert_separator = FALSE;
+	    } else {
+		fputc (' ', spj->stream);
+	    }
+	} else {
+	    spj->state->first = FALSE;
+	}
+    }
+    return spj;
+}
+
+/* Helper function to begin an aggregate type.  Prints the open
+ * character and pushes a new state frame. */
+static void
+json_begin_aggregate (struct sprinter *sp, char open, char close)
+{
+    struct sprinter_json *spj = json_begin_value (sp);
+    struct json_state *state = talloc (spj, struct json_state);
+
+    fputc (open, spj->stream);
+    state->parent = spj->state;
+    state->first = TRUE;
+    state->close = close;
+    spj->state = state;
+}
+
+static void
+json_begin_map (struct sprinter *sp)
+{
+    json_begin_aggregate (sp, '{', '}');
+}
+
+static void
+json_begin_list (struct sprinter *sp)
+{
+    json_begin_aggregate (sp, '[', ']');
+}
+
+static void
+json_end (struct sprinter *sp)
+{
+    struct sprinter_json *spj = (struct sprinter_json *) sp;
+    struct json_state *state = spj->state;
+
+    fputc (spj->state->close, spj->stream);
+    spj->state = state->parent;
+    talloc_free (state);
+    if (spj->state == NULL)
+	fputc ('\n', spj->stream);
+}
+
+static void
+json_string (struct sprinter *sp, const char *val)
+{
+    static const char *const escapes[] = {
+	['\"'] = "\\\"", ['\\'] = "\\\\", ['\b'] = "\\b",
+	['\f'] = "\\f",  ['\n'] = "\\n",  ['\t'] = "\\t"
+    };
+    struct sprinter_json *spj = json_begin_value (sp);
+
+    fputc ('"', spj->stream);
+    for (; *val; ++val) {
+	unsigned char ch = *val;
+	if (ch < ARRAY_SIZE (escapes) && escapes[ch])
+	    fputs (escapes[ch], spj->stream);
+	else if (ch >= 32)
+	    fputc (ch, spj->stream);
+	else
+	    fprintf (spj->stream, "\\u%04x", ch);
+    }
+    fputc ('"', spj->stream);
+}
+
+static void
+json_integer (struct sprinter *sp, int val)
+{
+    struct sprinter_json *spj = json_begin_value (sp);
+
+    fprintf (spj->stream, "%d", val);
+}
+
+static void
+json_boolean (struct sprinter *sp, notmuch_bool_t val)
+{
+    struct sprinter_json *spj = json_begin_value (sp);
+
+    fputs (val ? "true" : "false", spj->stream);
+}
+
+static void
+json_null (struct sprinter *sp)
+{
+    struct sprinter_json *spj = json_begin_value (sp);
+
+    fputs ("null", spj->stream);
+}
+
+static void
+json_map_key (struct sprinter *sp, const char *key)
+{
+    struct sprinter_json *spj = (struct sprinter_json *) sp;
+
+    json_string (sp, key);
+    fputs (": ", spj->stream);
+    spj->state->first = TRUE;
+}
+
+static void
+json_set_prefix (unused (struct sprinter *sp), unused (const char *name))
+{
+}
+
+static void
+json_separator (struct sprinter *sp)
+{
+    struct sprinter_json *spj = (struct sprinter_json *) sp;
+
+    spj->insert_separator = TRUE;
+}
+
+struct sprinter *
+sprinter_json_create (const void *ctx, FILE *stream)
+{
+    static const struct sprinter_json template = {
+	.vtable = {
+	    .begin_map = json_begin_map,
+	    .begin_list = json_begin_list,
+	    .end = json_end,
+	    .string = json_string,
+	    .integer = json_integer,
+	    .boolean = json_boolean,
+	    .null = json_null,
+	    .map_key = json_map_key,
+	    .separator = json_separator,
+	    .set_prefix = json_set_prefix,
+	    .is_text_printer = FALSE,
+	}
+    };
+    struct sprinter_json *res;
+
+    res = talloc (ctx, struct sprinter_json);
+    if (! res)
+	return NULL;
+
+    *res = template;
+    res->stream = stream;
+    return &res->vtable;
+}
diff --git a/sprinter-text.c b/sprinter-text.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b208840b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/sprinter-text.c
@@ -0,0 +1,126 @@
+#include <stdbool.h>
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <talloc.h>
+#include "sprinter.h"
+
+/* "Structured printer" interface for unstructured text printing.
+ * Note that --output=summary is dispatched and formatted in
+ * notmuch-search.c, the code in this file is only used for all other
+ * output types.
+ */
+
+struct sprinter_text {
+    struct sprinter vtable;
+    FILE *stream;
+
+    /* The current prefix to be printed with string/integer/boolean
+     * data.
+     */
+    const char *current_prefix;
+
+    /* A flag to indicate if this is the first tag. Used in list of tags
+     * for summary.
+     */
+    notmuch_bool_t first_tag;
+};
+
+static void
+text_string (struct sprinter *sp, const char *val)
+{
+    struct sprinter_text *sptxt = (struct sprinter_text *) sp;
+
+    if (sptxt->current_prefix != NULL)
+	fprintf (sptxt->stream, "%s:", sptxt->current_prefix);
+
+    fputs(val, sptxt->stream);
+}
+
+static void
+text_integer (struct sprinter *sp, int val)
+{
+    struct sprinter_text *sptxt = (struct sprinter_text *) sp;
+
+    fprintf (sptxt->stream, "%d", val);
+}
+
+static void
+text_boolean (struct sprinter *sp, notmuch_bool_t val)
+{
+    struct sprinter_text *sptxt = (struct sprinter_text *) sp;
+
+    fputs (val ? "true" : "false", sptxt->stream);
+}
+
+static void
+text_separator (struct sprinter *sp)
+{
+    struct sprinter_text *sptxt = (struct sprinter_text *) sp;
+
+    fputc ('\n', sptxt->stream);
+}
+
+static void
+text_set_prefix (struct sprinter *sp, const char *prefix)
+{
+    struct sprinter_text *sptxt = (struct sprinter_text *) sp;
+
+    sptxt->current_prefix = prefix;
+}
+
+/* The structure functions begin_map, begin_list, end and map_key
+ * don't do anything in the text formatter.
+ */
+
+static void
+text_begin_map (unused (struct sprinter *sp))
+{
+}
+
+static void
+text_begin_list (unused (struct sprinter *sp))
+{
+}
+
+static void
+text_end (unused (struct sprinter *sp))
+{
+}
+
+static void
+text_null (unused (struct sprinter *sp))
+{
+}
+
+static void
+text_map_key (unused (struct sprinter *sp), unused (const char *key))
+{
+}
+
+struct sprinter *
+sprinter_text_create (const void *ctx, FILE *stream)
+{
+    static const struct sprinter_text template = {
+	.vtable = {
+	    .begin_map = text_begin_map,
+	    .begin_list = text_begin_list,
+	    .end = text_end,
+	    .string = text_string,
+	    .integer = text_integer,
+	    .boolean = text_boolean,
+	    .null = text_null,
+	    .map_key = text_map_key,
+	    .separator = text_separator,
+	    .set_prefix = text_set_prefix,
+	    .is_text_printer = TRUE,
+	},
+    };
+    struct sprinter_text *res;
+
+    res = talloc (ctx, struct sprinter_text);
+    if (! res)
+	return NULL;
+
+    *res = template;
+    res->stream = stream;
+    return &res->vtable;
+}
diff --git a/sprinter.h b/sprinter.h
index 77dc26f3..6680d419 100644
--- a/sprinter.h
+++ b/sprinter.h
@@ -55,4 +55,14 @@ typedef struct sprinter {
     notmuch_bool_t is_text_printer;
 } sprinter_t;
 
+
+/* Create a new unstructured printer that emits the default text format
+ * for "notmuch search". */
+struct sprinter *
+sprinter_text_create (const void *ctx, FILE *stream);
+
+/* Create a new structure printer that emits JSON. */
+struct sprinter *
+sprinter_json_create (const void *ctx, FILE *stream);
+
 #endif // NOTMUCH_SPRINTER_H