diff --git a/codado/hotedit.py b/codado/hotedit.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2514591
--- /dev/null
+++ b/codado/hotedit.py
@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+"""
+Invoke user's editor on a temp file and present the edited contents back to the invoking code
+"""
+from __future__ import print_function
+
+import os
+import pipes
+import shlex
+import subprocess
+import tempfile
+
+
+TEMP_EXT = '.hotedit'
+EDITOR_FALLBACK = "vi"
+
+
+class HoteditException(Exception):
+    """
+    Base for any hotedit exception
+    """
+
+
+class EditingException(HoteditException):
+    """
+    Raised to signal that an edited file was left unchanged
+    """
+
+
+class Unchanged(HoteditException):
+    """
+    Raised to signal that an edited file was left unchanged
+    """
+
+
+def determine_editor(fallback=EDITOR_FALLBACK):
+    """
+    Figure out which of many possible options is the editor, starting with:
+    -- git config core.editor
+    -- EDITOR
+    -- VISUAL
+
+    If none of these is a usable editor, return the value of `fallback'.
+
+    If fallback=None, and none of these is a usable editor, raise OSError
+    """
+    try:
+        ret = subprocess.check_output(shlex.split('git config core.editor'))
+        return ret.strip()
+    except subprocess.CalledProcessError:
+        "git config core.editor didn't work, falling back to environment"
+
+    if os.environ.get('EDITOR'):
+        return os.environ['EDITOR']
+
+    if os.environ.get('VISUAL'):
+        return os.environ['VISUAL']
+
+    if fallback:
+        return fallback
+
+    raise OSError("No editor found (checked git, $EDITOR and $VISUAL)")
+
+
+_remove = os.remove
+
+
+def hotedit(initial=None, validate_unchanged=False, delete_temp=True, find_editor=determine_editor):
+    """
+    Edit `initial' string as the contents of a temp file in a local editor
+
+    With `validate_unchanged' == True, raise the Unchanged exception when the file is closed with no changes
+
+    With `delete_temp' == False, leave the temp file alone after editing, otherwise remove it by default
+
+    `find_editor' is a zero-argument callable that returns an editor string, using hotedit.determine_editor by default
+
+    Exceptions while invoking the editor are re-raised
+
+    @returns the string after editing.
+    """
+    path = None
+    try:
+        handle, path = tempfile.mkstemp(TEMP_EXT)
+        with os.fdopen(handle, 'w') as f:
+            f.write(initial)
+
+        cmd = shlex.split(find_editor()) + [path]
+        rc = subprocess.call(cmd)
+        if rc != 0:
+            quoted = " ".join([pipes.quote(x) for x in cmd])
+            raise EditingException("Command '%s' returned non-zero exit status %s" % (quoted, rc))
+
+        with open(path, 'r') as tmp:
+            edited = tmp.read()
+
+        if validate_unchanged and edited.strip() == initial.strip():
+            raise Unchanged("No changes since editing started")
+
+        return edited
+
+    finally:
+        if delete_temp and path and os.path.exists(path):
+            _remove(path)
diff --git a/codado/test/test_hotedit.py b/codado/test/test_hotedit.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e7f6c44
--- /dev/null
+++ b/codado/test/test_hotedit.py
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+"""
+Test hotedit, the tool for invoking a local editor on a temp file
+"""
+import os
+import subprocess
+
+from mock import ANY, patch
+
+from pytest import raises
+
+from codado import hotedit
+
+
+def test_determine_editor():
+    """
+    Do I figure out the right editor based on the running environment?
+    """
+    with patch.object(subprocess, 'check_output', return_value='giteditor'):
+        assert hotedit.determine_editor() == 'giteditor'
+
+    pCheckOutput = patch.object(subprocess, 'check_output',
+        side_effect=subprocess.CalledProcessError('ohh', 'noo'))
+    env = os.environ.copy()
+    pEnviron = patch.object(os, 'environ', env)
+    with pCheckOutput, pEnviron:
+        env['VISUAL'] = 'visual'
+        assert hotedit.determine_editor() == 'visual'
+
+        env['EDITOR'] = 'editor'
+        assert hotedit.determine_editor() == 'editor'
+
+        del env['VISUAL'], env['EDITOR']
+
+        assert hotedit.determine_editor() == 'vi'
+
+        with raises(OSError):
+            hotedit.determine_editor(fallback=None)
+
+
+def test_hotedit():
+    """
+    What happens if hotedit is called with an editor we can't find?
+    """
+    find_editor = lambda: '---asdfasdfwsdf---'
+
+    input_ = "asdfasdfa"
+
+    # 1. cmd does not exist -> OSError
+    with raises(OSError):
+        hotedit.hotedit(input_, find_editor=find_editor)
+
+    # 2. error while editing -> EditingException
+    pSubprocessCall = patch.object(subprocess, 'call', return_value=19)
+    with pSubprocessCall, raises(hotedit.EditingException):
+        hotedit.hotedit(input_, find_editor=find_editor)
+
+    pRemove = patch.object(hotedit, "_remove", autospec=True)
+
+    # 3. unchanged while editing + validate_unchanged -> Unchanged
+    # 5. any exception -> temp is removed
+    pSubprocessCall = patch.object(subprocess, 'call', return_value=0)
+    with pRemove as mRemove, pSubprocessCall, raises(hotedit.Unchanged):
+        hotedit.hotedit(input_, find_editor=find_editor, validate_unchanged=True)
+    mRemove.assert_called_once_with(ANY)
+
+    # 4. unchanged while editing + !validate_unchanged -> string
+    # 6. happy path -> return edited string, temp is removed
+    pSubprocessCall = patch.object(subprocess, 'call', return_value=0)
+    with pRemove as mRemove, pSubprocessCall:
+        ret = hotedit.hotedit(input_, find_editor=find_editor, validate_unchanged=False)
+        assert ret == input_
+        mRemove.assert_called_once_with(ANY)
+
+    # 7. happy path + !delete_temp -> return edited string, temp is left
+    with pRemove as mRemove, pSubprocessCall:
+        ret = hotedit.hotedit(input_, find_editor=find_editor, validate_unchanged=False, delete_temp=False)
+        assert ret == input_
+        assert mRemove.call_count == 0