diff --git a/projects/samskivert/src/java/com/samskivert/swing/Controller.java b/projects/samskivert/src/java/com/samskivert/swing/Controller.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..cae11dc3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/projects/samskivert/src/java/com/samskivert/swing/Controller.java
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+//
+// $Id: Controller.java,v 1.1 2001/08/09 01:08:50 mdb Exp $
+
+package com.threerings.yohoho.client;
+
+import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
+
+/**
+ * The controller class provides a basis for the separation of user
+ * interface code into display code and control code. The display code
+ * lives in a panel class and the control code lives in the controller
+ * class. All of the primary user interfaces in the Yohoho client are
+ * separated thus.
+ *
+ * <p> The controller philosophy is thus: The panel class (and its UI
+ * components) convert basic user interface actions into higher level
+ * actions that more cleanly encapsulate the action desired by the user
+ * and they pass those actions on to their controller. The controller then
+ * performs abstract processing based on the users desires and the
+ * changing state of the application and calls back to the panel to affect
+ * changes to the display.
+ */
+public abstract class Controller
+{
+    /**
+     * Instructs this controller to process this action event. When an
+     * action is posted by a user interface element, it will be posted to
+     * the controller in closest scope for that element. If that
+     * controller handles the event, it should return true from this
+     * method to indicate that processing should stop. If it cannot handle
+     * the event, it can return false to indicate that the event should be
+     * propagated to the next controller up the chain.
+     *
+     * <p> This method will be called on the AWT thread, so the controller
+     * can safely manipulate user interface components while handling an
+     * action. However, this means that action handling cannot block and
+     * should not take an undue amount of time. If the controller needs to
+     * perform complicated, lengthy processing it should do so with a
+     * separate thread, for example via {@link
+     * com.samskivert.swing.util.TaskMaster}.
+     *
+     * @param action The action to be processed.
+     *
+     * @return true if the action was processed, false if it should be
+     * propagated up to the next controller in scope.
+     */
+    public abstract boolean handleAction (ActionEvent action);
+}
diff --git a/projects/samskivert/src/java/com/samskivert/swing/ControllerProvider.java b/projects/samskivert/src/java/com/samskivert/swing/ControllerProvider.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4b8d7523
--- /dev/null
+++ b/projects/samskivert/src/java/com/samskivert/swing/ControllerProvider.java
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+//
+// $Id: ControllerProvider.java,v 1.1 2001/08/09 01:08:50 mdb Exp $
+
+package com.threerings.yohoho.client;
+
+/**
+ * The controller provider interface is implemented by user interface
+ * elements that have an associated controller. The hierarchy of the user
+ * interface elements defines the hierarchy of controllers and at any
+ * point in the UI element hierarchy, an element can implement controller
+ * provider and provide a controller that will process actions received at
+ * that scope or below.
+ */
+public interface ControllerProvider
+{
+    /**
+     * Returns the controller to be used at the scope of the UI element
+     * that implements controller provider.
+     */
+    public Controller getController ();
+}