diff --git a/src/bin/rustfmt.rs b/src/bin/rustfmt.rs
index 062c60e1065..aced6f6348c 100644
--- a/src/bin/rustfmt.rs
+++ b/src/bin/rustfmt.rs
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ extern crate toml;
 extern crate env_logger;
 extern crate getopts;
 
-use rustfmt::{run, run_from_stdin};
+use rustfmt::{run, run_from_stdin, check};
 use rustfmt::config::{Config, WriteMode};
 
 use std::env;
@@ -54,6 +54,11 @@ enum Operation {
     InvalidInput {
         reason: String,
     },
+    /// Check for any style issues, returning non-zero error code if any problems are found
+    Check {
+        files: Vec<PathBuf>,
+        config_path: Option<PathBuf>,
+    },
     /// No file specified, read from stdin
     Stdin {
         input: String,
@@ -147,6 +152,7 @@ fn execute() -> i32 {
     opts.optflag("h", "help", "show this message");
     opts.optflag("V", "version", "show version information");
     opts.optflag("v", "verbose", "show progress");
+    opts.optflag("c", "check", "check for style errors, don't modify files");
     opts.optopt("",
                 "write-mode",
                 "mode to write in (not usable when piping from stdin)",
@@ -200,11 +206,12 @@ fn execute() -> i32 {
             run_from_stdin(input, &config);
             0
         }
-        Operation::Format { files, config_path } => {
+        Operation::Format { ref files, ref config_path } |
+        Operation::Check { ref files, ref config_path } => {
             let mut config = Config::default();
             let mut path = None;
             // Load the config path file if provided
-            if let Some(config_file) = config_path {
+            if let Some(ref config_file) = *config_path {
                 let (cfg_tmp, path_tmp) = resolve_config(config_file.as_ref())
                                               .expect(&format!("Error resolving config for {:?}",
                                                                config_file));
@@ -214,6 +221,9 @@ fn execute() -> i32 {
             if let Some(path) = path.as_ref() {
                 msg!("Using rustfmt config file {}", path.display());
             }
+
+            let mut error_result: i32 = 0;
+
             for file in files {
                 // Check the file directory if the config-path could not be read or not provided
                 if path.is_none() {
@@ -233,9 +243,15 @@ fn execute() -> i32 {
                     print_usage(&opts, &e);
                     return 1;
                 }
-                run(&file, &config);
+
+                if let Operation::Check { files: _, config_path: _ } = operation {
+                    error_result += check(&file, &config);
+                } else {
+                    run(&file, &config);
+                }
             }
-            0
+
+            error_result
         }
     }
 }
@@ -309,6 +325,13 @@ fn determine_operation(matches: &Matches) -> Operation {
 
     let files: Vec<_> = matches.free.iter().map(PathBuf::from).collect();
 
+    if matches.opt_present("check") {
+        return Operation::Check {
+            files: files,
+            config_path: config_path,
+        };
+    }
+
     Operation::Format {
         files: files,
         config_path: config_path,
diff --git a/src/filemap.rs b/src/filemap.rs
index f41915b8cff..ca8c4dc354d 100644
--- a/src/filemap.rs
+++ b/src/filemap.rs
@@ -80,6 +80,51 @@ pub fn write_system_newlines<T>(writer: T,
     }
 }
 
+fn source_and_formatted_text(text: &StringBuffer,
+                             filename: &str,
+                             config: &Config)
+                             -> Result<(String, String), io::Error> {
+    let mut f = try!(File::open(filename));
+    let mut ori_text = String::new();
+    try!(f.read_to_string(&mut ori_text));
+    let mut v = Vec::new();
+    try!(write_system_newlines(&mut v, text, config));
+    let fmt_text = String::from_utf8(v).unwrap();
+    Ok((ori_text, fmt_text))
+}
+
+fn create_diff(filename: &str,
+               text: &StringBuffer,
+               config: &Config)
+               -> Result<Vec<Mismatch>, io::Error> {
+    let (ori, fmt) = try!(source_and_formatted_text(text, filename, config));
+    Ok(make_diff(&ori, &fmt, 3))
+}
+
+pub fn check_all_files<T>(file_map: &FileMap, mut out: T, config: &Config) -> usize
+    where T: Write
+{
+    let mut error_count = 0;
+    for filename in file_map.keys() {
+        let diff = create_diff(filename, &file_map[filename], config);
+        match diff {
+            Ok(result) => {
+                let file_errors = result.len();
+                if file_errors > 0 {
+                    error_count += file_errors;
+                    let _ = write!(out, "{} contains {} errors\n", filename, file_errors);
+                }
+            }
+            Err(error) => {
+                error_count += 1;
+                let _ = write!(out, "Error processing {}: {}", filename, error);
+            }
+        };
+    }
+
+    error_count
+}
+
 pub fn write_file<T>(text: &StringBuffer,
                      filename: &str,
                      out: &mut T,
@@ -87,28 +132,6 @@ pub fn write_file<T>(text: &StringBuffer,
                      -> Result<Option<String>, io::Error>
     where T: Write
 {
-
-    fn source_and_formatted_text(text: &StringBuffer,
-                                 filename: &str,
-                                 config: &Config)
-                                 -> Result<(String, String), io::Error> {
-        let mut f = try!(File::open(filename));
-        let mut ori_text = String::new();
-        try!(f.read_to_string(&mut ori_text));
-        let mut v = Vec::new();
-        try!(write_system_newlines(&mut v, text, config));
-        let fmt_text = String::from_utf8(v).unwrap();
-        Ok((ori_text, fmt_text))
-    }
-
-    fn create_diff(filename: &str,
-                   text: &StringBuffer,
-                   config: &Config)
-                   -> Result<Vec<Mismatch>, io::Error> {
-        let (ori, fmt) = try!(source_and_formatted_text(text, filename, config));
-        Ok(make_diff(&ori, &fmt, 3))
-    }
-
     match config.write_mode {
         WriteMode::Replace => {
             if let Ok((ori, fmt)) = source_and_formatted_text(text, filename, config) {
diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index 3443db338cf..f3f1daeaa08 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -440,6 +440,13 @@ pub fn run(file: &Path, config: &Config) {
     }
 }
 
+pub fn check(file: &Path, config: &Config) -> i32 {
+    let mut result = format(file, config);
+    print!("{}", fmt_lines(&mut result, config));
+    let out = stdout();
+    filemap::check_all_files(&result, out, config) as i32
+}
+
 // Similar to run, but takes an input String instead of a file to format
 pub fn run_from_stdin(input: String, config: &Config) {
     let mut result = format_string(input, config);