diff --git a/moonscript/cmd/args.lua b/moonscript/cmd/args.lua
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..812b1ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/moonscript/cmd/args.lua
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+local parse_arguments
+parse_arguments = function(spec, args)
+  local out = { }
+  local remaining = { }
+  local last_flag = nil
+  for _index_0 = 1, #args do
+    local _continue_0 = false
+    repeat
+      local arg = args[_index_0]
+      if last_flag then
+        out[last_flag] = arg
+        _continue_0 = true
+        break
+      end
+      do
+        local flag = arg:match("-(%w+)")
+        if flag then
+          do
+            local short_name = spec[flag]
+            if short_name then
+              out[short_name] = true
+            else
+              for char in flag:gmatch(".") do
+                out[char] = true
+              end
+            end
+          end
+          _continue_0 = true
+          break
+        end
+      end
+      table.insert(remaining, arg)
+      _continue_0 = true
+    until true
+    if not _continue_0 then
+      break
+    end
+  end
+  return out, remaining
+end
+return {
+  parse_arguments = parse_arguments
+}
diff --git a/moonscript/cmd/args.moon b/moonscript/cmd/args.moon
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8ad0a9c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/moonscript/cmd/args.moon
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+
+parse_arguments = (spec, args) ->
+  out = {}
+
+  remaining = {}
+  last_flag = nil
+
+  for arg in *args
+    if last_flag
+      out[last_flag] = arg
+      continue
+
+    if flag = arg\match "-(%w+)"
+      if short_name = spec[flag]
+        out[short_name] = true
+      else
+        for char in flag\gmatch "."
+          out[char] = true
+      continue
+
+    table.insert remaining, arg
+
+  out, remaining
+
+
+
+{:parse_arguments}
diff --git a/spec/cmd_spec.moon b/spec/cmd_spec.moon
index 63e88e3..6a11758 100644
--- a/spec/cmd_spec.moon
+++ b/spec/cmd_spec.moon
@@ -76,6 +76,19 @@ describe "moonc", ->
           "cool/"
         }, watcher\get_dirs!
 
+  describe "parse args", ->
+    import parse_arguments from require "moonscript.cmd.args"
+
+    it "parses arguments", ->
+      out, res = parse_arguments {
+        print: "p"
+      }, {"hello", "word", "-gap"}
+
+      assert.same {
+        g: true
+        a: true
+        p: true
+      }, out
 
   describe "stubbed lfs", ->
     local dirs