diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 3f9e07c..38055a6 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -5,8 +5,8 @@
 set -e
 
 mkf=config.mk
-objs='esv.o esvapi.o initial.o'
-srcs='esv.d esvapi.d initial.d'
+objs='esv.o esvapi.o util.o initial.o'
+srcs='esv.d esvapi.d util.d initial.d'
 
 # utility functions
 
diff --git a/esv.d b/esv.d
index e3bbb64..ee67571 100644
--- a/esv.d
+++ b/esv.d
@@ -27,11 +27,12 @@ import std.format  : format;
 import std.getopt  : getopt, GetOptException;
 import std.path    : baseName, dirName, expandTilde, isValidPath;
 import std.process : environment, executeShell;
-import std.stdio   : writef, writeln, writefln, File;
+import std.stdio   : writeln, writefln;
 import std.string  : splitLines;
 
 import esvapi;
 import initial;
+import util;
 
 import cf = config;
 
@@ -48,13 +49,6 @@ bool   rFlag, RFlag; /* passage references */
 string sFlag;        /* search passages */
 bool   VFlag;        /* show version */
 
-string[] mainArgs;
-File stderr;
-
-version (OpenBSD) {
-	immutable(char) *promises;
-}
-
 int
 main(string[] args)
 {
@@ -63,18 +57,7 @@ main(string[] args)
 	INIUnit ini;
 	ESVApi esv;
 
-	mainArgs = args;
-
-	version (OpenBSD) () @trusted {
-		import core.sys.openbsd.unistd : pledge;
-		import std.string : toStringz;
-
-		promises = toStringz("stdio rpath wpath cpath inet dns tty proc exec prot_exec");
-		pledge(promises, null);
-	}();
-
-	/* @safe way of opening stderr on Unix */
-	stderr = File("/dev/stderr", "w");
+	sharedInit(args);
 
 	/* Parse command-line options */
 	try {
@@ -93,7 +76,7 @@ main(string[] args)
 			"V", &VFlag,
 		);
 	} catch (GetOptException e) {
-		string opt = extractOpt(e);
+		string opt = extractFlag(e);
 
 		enforceDie(!e.msg.startsWith("Unrecognized option"),
 			"unknown option " ~ opt);
@@ -245,51 +228,6 @@ key = %s
 	return 0;
 }
 
-private void
-warn(string mesg)
-{
-	stderr.writeln(baseName(mainArgs[0]) ~ ": " ~ mesg);
-}
-
-private void
-die(string mesg) @trusted
-{
-	import core.runtime : Runtime;
-	import core.stdc.stdlib : exit;
-
-	warn(mesg);
-	Runtime.terminate();
-	exit(1);
-}
-
-private ushort
-terminalColumns() @trusted
-{
-	import core.sys.posix.sys.ioctl;
-
-	winsize w;
-
-	ioctl(1, TIOCGWINSZ, &w);
-	return w.ws_col > 72 ? 72 : w.ws_col;
-}
-
-private void
-enforceDie(A...)(bool cond, string fmt, A a)
-{
-	import std.format : format;
-
-	if (!cond)
-		die(format(fmt, a));
-}
-
-private string
-extractOpt(in GetOptException e)
-{
-	import std.regex : matchFirst;
-
-	return e.msg.matchFirst("-.")[0];
-}
-
 private void
 onLineLength(string flag, string value)
 {
@@ -299,11 +237,3 @@ onLineLength(string flag, string value)
 	catch (ConvException e)
 		die("illegal argument to -l option -- must be a positive integer");
 }
-
-private string
-parseBook(in string book)
-{
-	import std.string : tr;
-
-	return book.tr("-_", "  ");
-}
diff --git a/util.d b/util.d
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..826fff7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/util.d
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+module util;
+
+import std.getopt : GetOptException;
+import std.stdio  : File;
+
+public @safe:
+
+File stderr;
+
+private {
+	string[] mainArgs;
+
+	version (OpenBSD) {
+		immutable(char) *promises;
+	}
+}
+
+/++
+ + Common initialisation function shared between esv and esvsearch
+ +/
+void
+sharedInit(string[] args)
+{
+	mainArgs = args;
+	stderr = File("/dev/stderr", "w");
+
+	version (OpenBSD) () @trusted {
+		import core.sys.openbsd.unistd : pledge;
+		import std.string : toStringz;
+
+		promises = toStringz("stdio rpath wpath cpath inet dns tty proc exec prot_exec");
+		pledge(promises, null);
+	}();
+}
+
+void
+enforceDie(A...)(bool cond, string fmt, A a)
+{
+	import std.format : format;
+
+	if (!cond)
+		die(format(fmt, a));
+}
+
+string
+extractFlag(in GetOptException e)
+{
+	import std.regex : matchFirst;
+
+	return e.msg.matchFirst("-.")[0];
+}
+
+string
+parseBook(in string book)
+{
+	import std.string : tr;
+
+	return book.tr("-_", "  ");
+}
+
+ushort
+terminalColumns() @trusted
+{
+	import core.sys.posix.sys.ioctl;
+
+	winsize w;
+
+	ioctl(1, TIOCGWINSZ, &w);
+	return w.ws_col > 72 ? 72 : w.ws_col;
+}
+
+void
+warn(string mesg)
+{
+	import std.path : baseName;
+
+	stderr.writeln(baseName(mainArgs[0]) ~ ": " ~ mesg);
+}
+
+void
+die(string mesg) @trusted
+{
+	import core.runtime : Runtime;
+	import core.stdc.stdlib : exit;
+
+	warn(mesg);
+	Runtime.terminate();
+	exit(1);
+}