diff --git a/rust/composefs/Cargo.toml b/rust/composefs/Cargo.toml
index 64c1fba9..03dbc341 100644
--- a/rust/composefs/Cargo.toml
+++ b/rust/composefs/Cargo.toml
@@ -24,5 +24,6 @@ libc = "0.2"
 composefs-sys = { version = "0.1.0", path = "../composefs-sys" }
 
 [dev-dependencies]
+similar-asserts = "1.5.0"
 tar = "0.4.38"
 tempfile = "3.2.0"
diff --git a/rust/composefs/src/dumpfile.rs b/rust/composefs/src/dumpfile.rs
index 94a36bd6..35f7d7cf 100644
--- a/rust/composefs/src/dumpfile.rs
+++ b/rust/composefs/src/dumpfile.rs
@@ -8,9 +8,12 @@ use std::ffi::OsStr;
 use std::ffi::OsString;
 use std::fmt::Display;
 use std::fmt::Write as WriteFmt;
+use std::fs::File;
+use std::io::BufRead;
 use std::io::Write;
 use std::os::unix::ffi::{OsStrExt, OsStringExt};
 use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
+use std::process::Command;
 use std::str::FromStr;
 
 use anyhow::Context;
@@ -478,10 +481,69 @@ impl<'p> Display for Entry<'p> {
     }
 }
 
+/// Configuration for parsing a dumpfile
+#[derive(Debug, Default)]
+pub struct DumpConfig<'a> {
+    /// Only dump these toplevel filenames
+    pub filters: Option<&'a [&'a str]>,
+}
+
+/// Parse the provided composefs into dumpfile entries.
+pub fn dump<F>(input: File, config: DumpConfig, mut handler: F) -> Result<()>
+where
+    F: FnMut(Entry<'_>) -> Result<()> + Send,
+{
+    let mut proc = Command::new("composefs-info");
+    proc.arg("dump");
+    if let Some(filter) = config.filters {
+        proc.args(filter.iter().flat_map(|f| ["--filter", f]));
+    }
+    proc.args(["/dev/stdin"])
+        .stdin(std::process::Stdio::from(input))
+        .stderr(std::process::Stdio::piped())
+        .stdout(std::process::Stdio::piped());
+    let mut proc = proc.spawn().context("Spawning composefs-info")?;
+
+    // SAFETY: we set up these streams
+    let child_stdout = proc.stdout.take().unwrap();
+    let child_stderr = proc.stderr.take().unwrap();
+
+    std::thread::scope(|s| {
+        let stderr_copier = s.spawn(move || {
+            let mut child_stderr = std::io::BufReader::new(child_stderr);
+            let mut buf = Vec::new();
+            std::io::copy(&mut child_stderr, &mut buf)?;
+            anyhow::Ok(buf)
+        });
+
+        let child_stdout = std::io::BufReader::new(child_stdout);
+        for line in child_stdout.lines() {
+            let line = line.context("Reading dump stdout")?;
+            let entry = Entry::parse(&line)?.filter_special();
+            handler(entry)?;
+        }
+
+        let r = proc.wait()?;
+        let stderr = stderr_copier.join().unwrap()?;
+        if !r.success() {
+            let stderr = String::from_utf8_lossy(&stderr);
+            let stderr = stderr.trim();
+            anyhow::bail!("composefs-info dump failed: {r}: {stderr}")
+        }
+
+        Ok(())
+    })
+}
+
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
+    use std::fs::File;
+
+    use crate::mkcomposefs::{mkcomposefs_from_buf, Config};
+
     use super::*;
 
+    const SPECIAL_DUMP: &str = include_str!("../../../tests/assets/special.dump");
     const SPECIALS: &[&str] = &["", "foo=bar=baz", r"\x01\x02", "-"];
     const UNQUOTED: &[&str] = &["foo!bar", "hello-world", "--"];
 
@@ -621,4 +683,44 @@ mod tests {
             );
         }
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_load_cfs() -> Result<()> {
+        let td = tempfile::tempdir()?;
+        let out_cfs = td.path().join("out.cfs");
+        let o = File::create_new(&out_cfs)?;
+        mkcomposefs_from_buf(Config::default(), SPECIAL_DUMP, o).unwrap();
+        let mut entries = String::new();
+        let input = File::open(&out_cfs)?;
+        dump(input, DumpConfig::default(), |e| {
+            writeln!(entries, "{e}")?;
+            Ok(())
+        })
+        .unwrap();
+        similar_asserts::assert_eq!(SPECIAL_DUMP, &entries);
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_load_cfs_filtered() -> Result<()> {
+        const FILTERED: &str =
+            "/ 4096 40555 2 0 0 0 1633950376.0 - - - trusted.foo1=bar-1 user.foo2=bar-2\n\
+/blockdev 0 60777 1 0 0 107690 1633950376.0 - - - trusted.bar=bar-2\n\
+/inline 15 100777 1 0 0 0 1633950376.0 - FOOBAR\\nINAFILE\\n - user.foo=bar-2\n";
+        let td = tempfile::tempdir()?;
+        let out_cfs = td.path().join("out.cfs");
+        let o = File::create_new(&out_cfs)?;
+        mkcomposefs_from_buf(Config::default(), SPECIAL_DUMP, o).unwrap();
+        let mut entries = String::new();
+        let input = File::open(&out_cfs)?;
+        let mut filter = DumpConfig::default();
+        filter.filters = Some(&["blockdev", "inline"]);
+        dump(input, filter, |e| {
+            writeln!(entries, "{e}")?;
+            Ok(())
+        })
+        .unwrap();
+        similar_asserts::assert_eq!(FILTERED, &entries);
+        Ok(())
+    }
 }
diff --git a/rust/composefs/src/mkcomposefs.rs b/rust/composefs/src/mkcomposefs.rs
index 12c39e07..d77591d9 100644
--- a/rust/composefs/src/mkcomposefs.rs
+++ b/rust/composefs/src/mkcomposefs.rs
@@ -75,29 +75,35 @@ pub fn mkcomposefs(
     })
 }
 
-#[test]
-fn test_mkcomposefs() -> Result<()> {
-    use super::dumpfile::Entry;
-    use std::fmt::Write as _;
-    let td = tempfile::tempdir()?;
-    let td = td.path();
-    let outpath = &td.join("out");
-    let o = File::create(outpath)?;
+// Generate a composefs from an input string, which must
+// be a textual composefs dump file.
+#[cfg(test)]
+pub(crate) fn mkcomposefs_from_buf(config: Config, buf: &str, output: File) -> Result<()> {
     let (send, recv) = mpsc::sync_channel(5);
-    const CONTENT: &str = include_str!("../../../tests/assets/special.dump");
     std::thread::scope(|s| {
         let producer = s.spawn(move || {
-            for line in CONTENT.lines() {
-                if send.send(Entry::parse(line)?).is_err() {
+            for line in buf.lines() {
+                if send.send(crate::dumpfile::Entry::parse(line)?).is_err() {
                     break;
                 }
             }
             anyhow::Ok(())
         });
-        mkcomposefs(Config::default(), recv, o)?;
+        mkcomposefs(config, recv, output)?;
         producer.join().unwrap()?;
         anyhow::Ok(())
-    })?;
+    })
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn test_mkcomposefs() -> Result<()> {
+    use std::fmt::Write as _;
+    let td = tempfile::tempdir()?;
+    let td = td.path();
+    let outpath = &td.join("out");
+    let o = File::create(outpath)?;
+    const CONTENT: &str = include_str!("../../../tests/assets/special.dump");
+    mkcomposefs_from_buf(Config::default(), CONTENT, o)?;
     let mut reparsed_content = String::new();
     let o = File::open(outpath)?;
     super::dump(o, |entry| {