diff --git a/src/CMakeLists.txt b/src/CMakeLists.txt
index 0fbf17eb..f3da275c 100644
--- a/src/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ set (timew_SRCS Database.cpp   Database.h
                 Timeline.cpp   Timeline.h
                 classifier.cpp
                 init.cpp
+                helper.cpp
                 util.cpp)
 
 set (libshared_SRCS libshared/src/Args.cpp          libshared/src/Args.h
diff --git a/src/helper.cpp b/src/helper.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..eea998f3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/helper.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+//
+// Copyright 2015 - 2016, Paul Beckingham, Federico Hernandez.
+//
+// Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
+// of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
+// in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
+// to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
+// copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
+// furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
+//
+// The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included
+// in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+//
+// THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS
+// OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
+// FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL
+// THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
+// LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
+// OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
+// SOFTWARE.
+//
+// http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php
+//
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+
+#include <cmake.h>
+#include <timew.h>
+
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+Color tagColor (const Rules& rules, const std::string& tag)
+{
+  Color c;
+  std::string name = std::string ("tag.") + tag + ".color";
+  if (rules.has (name))
+    c = Color (rules.get (name));
+
+  return c;
+}
+
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
diff --git a/src/timew.h b/src/timew.h
index 72dccda7..f4d0e4a9 100644
--- a/src/timew.h
+++ b/src/timew.h
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
 #include <Rules.h>
 #include <Extensions.h>
 #include <Log.h>
+#include <Color.h>
 
 // init.cpp
 bool lightweightVersionCheck (const std::vector <std::string>&);
@@ -41,6 +42,9 @@ int dispatchCommand (const std::vector <std::string>&, Database&, Rules&, Extens
 // classifier.cpp
 std::vector <std::string> getKeywords (const std::vector <std::string>&);
 
+// helper.cpp
+Color tagColor (const Rules&, const std::string&);
+
 // utiŀ.cpp
 std::string osName ();
 std::string escape (const std::string&, int);