diff --git a/lang/gapi.go b/lang/gapi.go
index 45a14d20..bbc95a9a 100644
--- a/lang/gapi.go
+++ b/lang/gapi.go
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/gapi"
 	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/lang/funcs/vars"
+	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/lang/inputs"
 	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/lang/interfaces"
 	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/lang/unification"
 	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/pgraph"
@@ -179,7 +180,7 @@ func (obj *GAPI) Cli(cliInfo *gapi.CliInfo) (*gapi.Deploy, error) {
 
 	// the fs input here is the local fs we're reading to get the files from
 	// this is different from the fs variable which is our output dest!!!
-	output, err := parseInput(input, localFs)
+	output, err := inputs.ParseInput(input, localFs)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, errwrap.Wrapf(err, "could not activate an input parser")
 	}
@@ -652,7 +653,7 @@ func (obj *GAPI) Get(getInfo *gapi.GetInfo) error {
 
 	// the fs input here is the local fs we're reading to get the files from
 	// this is different from the fs variable which is our output dest!!!
-	output, err := parseInput(input, localFs)
+	output, err := inputs.ParseInput(input, localFs)
 	if err != nil {
 		return errwrap.Wrapf(err, "could not activate an input parser")
 	}
diff --git a/lang/inputs.go b/lang/inputs/inputs.go
similarity index 98%
rename from lang/inputs.go
rename to lang/inputs/inputs.go
index 6c763a2b..e0594c3b 100644
--- a/lang/inputs.go
+++ b/lang/inputs/inputs.go
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
 // You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
 // along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
 
-package lang
+package inputs
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
@@ -67,9 +67,9 @@ type ParsedInput struct {
 	Workers  []func(engine.Fs) error // copy files here that aren't listed!
 }
 
-// parseInput runs the list if input parsers to know how to run the lexer,
+// ParseInput runs the list if input parsers to know how to run the lexer,
 // parser, and so on... The fs input is the source filesystem to look in.
-func parseInput(s string, fs engine.Fs) (*ParsedInput, error) {
+func ParseInput(s string, fs engine.Fs) (*ParsedInput, error) {
 	var err error
 	var output *ParsedInput
 	activated := false
diff --git a/lang/interpret_test.go b/lang/interpret_test.go
index c84b50df..d5be8c90 100644
--- a/lang/interpret_test.go
+++ b/lang/interpret_test.go
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/etcd"
 	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/lang/funcs"
 	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/lang/funcs/vars"
+	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/lang/inputs"
 	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/lang/interfaces"
 	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/lang/interpret"
 	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/lang/unification"
@@ -753,10 +754,10 @@ func TestAstFunc1(t *testing.T) {
 			input := "/"
 			logf("input: %s", input)
 
-			output, err := parseInput(input, fs) // raw code can be passed in
+			output, err := inputs.ParseInput(input, fs) // raw code can be passed in
 			if err != nil {
 				t.Errorf("test #%d: FAIL", index)
-				t.Errorf("test #%d: parseInput failed: %+v", index, err)
+				t.Errorf("test #%d: ParseInput failed: %+v", index, err)
 				return
 			}
 			for _, fn := range output.Workers {
@@ -1249,10 +1250,10 @@ func TestAstFunc2(t *testing.T) {
 			input := "/"
 			logf("input: %s", input)
 
-			output, err := parseInput(input, fs) // raw code can be passed in
+			output, err := inputs.ParseInput(input, fs) // raw code can be passed in
 			if err != nil {
 				t.Errorf("test #%d: FAIL", index)
-				t.Errorf("test #%d: parseInput failed: %+v", index, err)
+				t.Errorf("test #%d: ParseInput failed: %+v", index, err)
 				return
 			}
 			for _, fn := range output.Workers {
diff --git a/lang/lang.go b/lang/lang.go
index eef6a5cb..fececbd6 100644
--- a/lang/lang.go
+++ b/lang/lang.go
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/lang/funcs"
 	_ "github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/lang/funcs/core" // import so the funcs register
 	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/lang/funcs/vars"
+	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/lang/inputs"
 	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/lang/interfaces"
 	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/lang/interpret"
 	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/lang/unification"
@@ -99,13 +100,13 @@ func (obj *Lang) Init() error {
 	// we used to support stdin passthrough, but we we got rid of it for now
 	// the fs input here is the local fs we're reading to get the files from
 	// which is usually etcdFs.
-	output, err := parseInput(obj.Input, obj.Fs)
+	output, err := inputs.ParseInput(obj.Input, obj.Fs)
 	if err != nil {
 		return errwrap.Wrapf(err, "could not activate an input parser")
 	}
 	if len(output.Workers) > 0 {
 		// either programming error, or someone hacked in something here
-		// by the time *this* parseInput runs, we should be standardized
+		// by the time *this* ParseInput runs, we should be standardized
 		return fmt.Errorf("input contained file system workers")
 	}
 	reader := bytes.NewReader(output.Main)
diff --git a/lang/lang_test.go b/lang/lang_test.go
index 21879756..9bdccf69 100644
--- a/lang/lang_test.go
+++ b/lang/lang_test.go
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/engine"
 	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/engine/resources"
 	_ "github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/lang/funcs/core" // import so the funcs register
+	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/lang/inputs"
 	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/lang/interfaces"
 	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/pgraph"
 	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/util"
@@ -97,9 +98,9 @@ func runInterpret(t *testing.T, code string) (*pgraph.Graph, error) {
 	afs := &afero.Afero{Fs: mmFs} // wrap so that we're implementing ioutil
 	fs := &util.Fs{Afero: afs}
 
-	output, err := parseInput(code, fs) // raw code can be passed in
+	output, err := inputs.ParseInput(code, fs) // raw code can be passed in
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, errwrap.Wrapf(err, "parseInput failed")
+		return nil, errwrap.Wrapf(err, "ParseInput failed")
 	}
 	for _, fn := range output.Workers {
 		if err := fn(fs); err != nil {
diff --git a/lang/structs.go b/lang/structs.go
index 9490f25f..fcc42e7e 100644
--- a/lang/structs.go
+++ b/lang/structs.go
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/lang/funcs"
 	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/lang/funcs/bindata"
 	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/lang/funcs/structs"
+	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/lang/inputs"
 	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/lang/interfaces"
 	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/lang/types"
 	langutil "github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/lang/util"
@@ -3207,7 +3208,7 @@ func (obj *StmtProg) importSystemScope(name string) (*interfaces.Scope, error) {
 // importScopeWithInputs returns a local or remote scope from an inputs string.
 // The inputs string is the common frontend for a lot of our parsing decisions.
 func (obj *StmtProg) importScopeWithInputs(s string, scope *interfaces.Scope, parentVertex *pgraph.SelfVertex) (*interfaces.Scope, error) {
-	output, err := parseInput(s, obj.data.Fs)
+	output, err := inputs.ParseInput(s, obj.data.Fs)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, errwrap.Wrapf(err, "could not activate an input parser")
 	}