diff --git a/pkg/apiserver/apiserver.go b/pkg/apiserver/apiserver.go
index 96373711b5d..8d589f1e6f4 100644
--- a/pkg/apiserver/apiserver.go
+++ b/pkg/apiserver/apiserver.go
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ import (
 
 // RESTStorage is a generic interface for RESTful storage services
 type RESTStorage interface {
-	List(*url.URL) (interface{}, error)
+	List(LabelQuery) (interface{}, error)
 	Get(id string) (interface{}, error)
 	Delete(id string) error
 	Extract(body string) (interface{}, error)
@@ -141,28 +141,33 @@ func (server *ApiServer) readBody(req *http.Request) (string, error) {
 //   PUT        /foo/bar      update 'bar'
 //   DELETE     /foo/bar      delete 'bar'
 // Returns 404 if the method/pattern doesn't match one of these entries
-func (server *ApiServer) handleREST(parts []string, url *url.URL, req *http.Request, w http.ResponseWriter, storage RESTStorage) {
+func (server *ApiServer) handleREST(parts []string, requestUrl *url.URL, req *http.Request, w http.ResponseWriter, storage RESTStorage) {
 	switch req.Method {
 	case "GET":
 		switch len(parts) {
 		case 1:
-			controllers, err := storage.List(url)
+			query, err := ParseLabelQuery(requestUrl.Query().Get("labels"))
+			if err != nil {
+				server.error(err, w)
+				return
+			}
+			controllers, err := storage.List(query)
 			if err != nil {
 				server.error(err, w)
 				return
 			}
 			server.write(200, controllers, w)
 		case 2:
-			pod, err := storage.Get(parts[1])
+			item, err := storage.Get(parts[1])
 			if err != nil {
 				server.error(err, w)
 				return
 			}
-			if pod == nil {
+			if item == nil {
 				server.notFound(req, w)
 				return
 			}
-			server.write(200, pod, w)
+			server.write(200, item, w)
 		default:
 			server.notFound(req, w)
 		}
diff --git a/pkg/apiserver/apiserver_test.go b/pkg/apiserver/apiserver_test.go
index 1b80d297f10..cc53ec101ad 100644
--- a/pkg/apiserver/apiserver_test.go
+++ b/pkg/apiserver/apiserver_test.go
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@ import (
 	"io/ioutil"
 	"net/http"
 	"net/http/httptest"
-	"net/url"
 	"reflect"
 	"testing"
 )
@@ -50,7 +49,7 @@ type SimpleRESTStorage struct {
 	updated Simple
 }
 
-func (storage *SimpleRESTStorage) List(*url.URL) (interface{}, error) {
+func (storage *SimpleRESTStorage) List(LabelQuery) (interface{}, error) {
 	result := SimpleList{
 		Items: storage.list,
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/apiserver/labelquery.go b/pkg/apiserver/labelquery.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..1c7d174bf24
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/apiserver/labelquery.go
@@ -0,0 +1,221 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2014 Google Inc. All rights reserved.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package apiserver
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"strings"
+)
+
+// Labels allows you to present labels.
+type Labels interface {
+	Get(label string) (value string)
+}
+
+// A map of label:value.
+type LabelSet map[string]string
+
+func (ls LabelSet) String() string {
+	query := make([]string, 0, len(ls))
+	for key, value := range ls {
+		query = append(query, key+"="+value)
+	}
+	return strings.Join(query, ",")
+}
+
+func (ls LabelSet) Get(label string) string {
+	return ls[label]
+}
+
+// Represents a query.
+type LabelQuery interface {
+	// Returns true if this query matches the given set of labels.
+	Matches(Labels) bool
+
+	// Prints a human readable version of this label query.
+	String() string
+}
+
+// A single term of a label query.
+type labelQueryTerm struct {
+	// Not inverts the meaning of the items in this term.
+	not bool
+
+	// Exactly one of the below three items should be used.
+
+	// If non-nil, we match LabelSet l iff l[*label] == *value.
+	label, value *string
+
+	// A list of terms which must all match for this query term to return true.
+	and []labelQueryTerm
+
+	// A list of terms, any one of which will cause this query term to return true.
+	// Parsing/printing not implemented.
+	or []labelQueryTerm
+}
+
+func (l *labelQueryTerm) Matches(ls Labels) bool {
+	matches := !l.not
+	switch {
+	case l.label != nil && l.value != nil:
+		if ls.Get(*l.label) == *l.value {
+			return matches
+		}
+		return !matches
+	case len(l.and) > 0:
+		for i := range l.and {
+			if !l.and[i].Matches(ls) {
+				return !matches
+			}
+		}
+		return matches
+	case len(l.or) > 0:
+		for i := range l.or {
+			if l.or[i].Matches(ls) {
+				return matches
+			}
+		}
+		return !matches
+	}
+
+	// Empty queries match everything
+	return matches
+}
+
+func try(queryPiece, op string) (lhs, rhs string, ok bool) {
+	pieces := strings.Split(queryPiece, op)
+	if len(pieces) == 2 {
+		return pieces[0], pieces[1], true
+	}
+	return "", "", false
+}
+
+// Takes a string repsenting a label query and returns an object suitable for matching, or an error.
+func ParseLabelQuery(query string) (LabelQuery, error) {
+	parts := strings.Split(query, ",")
+	var items []labelQueryTerm
+	for _, part := range parts {
+		if part == "" {
+			continue
+		}
+		if lhs, rhs, ok := try(part, "!="); ok {
+			items = append(items, labelQueryTerm{not: true, label: &lhs, value: &rhs})
+		} else if lhs, rhs, ok := try(part, "=="); ok {
+			items = append(items, labelQueryTerm{label: &lhs, value: &rhs})
+		} else if lhs, rhs, ok := try(part, "="); ok {
+			items = append(items, labelQueryTerm{label: &lhs, value: &rhs})
+		} else {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("invalid label query: '%s'; can't understand '%s'", query, part)
+		}
+	}
+	if len(items) == 1 {
+		return &items[0], nil
+	}
+	return &labelQueryTerm{and: items}, nil
+}
+
+// Returns this query as a string in a form that ParseLabelQuery can parse.
+func (l *labelQueryTerm) String() (out string) {
+	if len(l.and) > 0 {
+		for _, part := range l.and {
+			if out != "" {
+				out += ","
+			}
+			out += part.String()
+		}
+		return
+	} else if l.label != nil && l.value != nil {
+		op := "="
+		if l.not {
+			op = "!="
+		}
+		return fmt.Sprintf("%v%v%v", *l.label, op, *l.value)
+	}
+	return ""
+}
+
+/*
+type parseErr struct {
+	Reason string
+	Pos token.Pos
+}
+
+func (p parseErr) Error() string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf("%v: %v", p.Reason, p.Pos)
+}
+
+func fromLiteral(expr *ast.BinaryExpr) (*labelQueryTerm, error) {
+	lhs, ok := expr.X.(*ast.Ident)
+	if !ok {
+		return nil, parseErr{"expected literal", expr.X.Pos()}
+	}
+
+}
+
+func fromBinaryExpr(expr *ast.BinaryExpr) (*labelQueryTerm, error) {
+	switch expr.Op {
+		case token.EQL, token.NEQ:
+			return fromLiteral(expr)
+	}
+	lhs, err := fromExpr(expr.X)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	rhs, err := fromExpr(expr.Y)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	switch expr.Op {
+		case token.AND, token.LAND:
+			return &labelQueryTerm{And: []LabelQuery{lhs, rhs}}
+		case token.OR, token.LOR:
+			return &labelQueryTerm{Or: []LabelQuery{lhs, rhs}}
+	}
+}
+
+func fromUnaryExpr(expr *ast.UnaryExpr) (*labelQueryTerm, error) {
+	if expr.Op == token.NOT {
+		lqt, err := fromExpr(expr.X)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		lqt.not = !lqt.not
+		return lqt, nil
+	}
+	return nil, parseErr{"unrecognized unary expression", expr.OpPos}
+}
+
+func fromExpr(expr ast.Expr) (*labelQueryTerm, error) {
+	switch v := expr.(type) {
+		case *ast.UnaryExpr:
+			return fromUnaryExpr(v)
+		case *ast.BinaryExpr:
+			return fromBinaryExpr(v)
+	}
+	return nil, parseErr{"unrecognized expression type", expr.Pos()}
+}
+
+// Takes a string repsenting a label query and returns an object suitable for matching, or an error.
+func ParseLabelQuery(query string) (LabelQuery, error) {
+	expr, err := parser.ParseExpr(query)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	log.Printf("%v: %v (%#v)", query, expr, expr)
+	return fromExpr(expr)
+}
+*/
diff --git a/pkg/apiserver/labelquery_test.go b/pkg/apiserver/labelquery_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..acc3964ee78
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/apiserver/labelquery_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2014 Google Inc. All rights reserved.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package apiserver
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestLabelQueryParse(t *testing.T) {
+	testGoodStrings := []string{
+		"x=a,y=b,z=c",
+		"",
+		"x!=a,y=b",
+	}
+	testBadStrings := []string{
+		"x=a||y=b",
+		"x==a==b",
+	}
+	for _, test := range testGoodStrings {
+		lq, err := ParseLabelQuery(test)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Errorf("%v: error %v (%#v)\n", test, err, err)
+		}
+		if test != lq.String() {
+			t.Errorf("%v restring gave: %v\n", test, lq.String())
+		}
+	}
+	for _, test := range testBadStrings {
+		_, err := ParseLabelQuery(test)
+		if err == nil {
+			t.Errorf("%v: did not get expected error\n", test)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func shouldMatch(t *testing.T, query string, ls LabelSet) {
+	lq, err := ParseLabelQuery(query)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("Unable to parse %v as a query\n", query)
+		return
+	}
+	if !lq.Matches(ls) {
+		t.Errorf("Wanted %s to match %s, but it did not.\n", query, ls)
+	}
+}
+
+func shouldNotMatch(t *testing.T, query string, ls LabelSet) {
+	lq, err := ParseLabelQuery(query)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("Unable to parse %v as a query\n", query)
+		return
+	}
+	if lq.Matches(ls) {
+		t.Errorf("Wanted '%s' to not match %s, but it did.", query, ls)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSimpleLabel(t *testing.T) {
+	shouldMatch(t, "", LabelSet{"x": "y"})
+	shouldMatch(t, "x=y", LabelSet{"x": "y"})
+	shouldMatch(t, "x=y,z=w", LabelSet{"x": "y", "z": "w"})
+	shouldMatch(t, "x!=y,z!=w", LabelSet{"x": "z", "z": "a"})
+	shouldNotMatch(t, "x=y", LabelSet{"x": "z"})
+	shouldNotMatch(t, "x=y,z=w", LabelSet{"x": "w", "z": "w"})
+	shouldNotMatch(t, "x!=y,z!=w", LabelSet{"x": "z", "z": "w"})
+}
diff --git a/pkg/client/client_test.go b/pkg/client/client_test.go
index eb0f619c999..9cd7cf404f6 100644
--- a/pkg/client/client_test.go
+++ b/pkg/client/client_test.go
@@ -245,30 +245,6 @@ func expectEqual(t *testing.T, expected, observed interface{}) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestEncodeDecodeLabelQuery(t *testing.T) {
-	queryIn := map[string]string{
-		"foo": "bar",
-		"baz": "blah",
-	}
-	queryString, _ := url.QueryUnescape(EncodeLabelQuery(queryIn))
-	queryOut := DecodeLabelQuery(queryString)
-	expectEqual(t, queryIn, queryOut)
-}
-
-func TestDecodeEmpty(t *testing.T) {
-	query := DecodeLabelQuery("")
-	if len(query) != 0 {
-		t.Errorf("Unexpected query: %#v", query)
-	}
-}
-
-func TestDecodeBad(t *testing.T) {
-	query := DecodeLabelQuery("foo")
-	if len(query) != 0 {
-		t.Errorf("Unexpected query: %#v", query)
-	}
-}
-
 func TestGetController(t *testing.T) {
 	expectedController := api.ReplicationController{
 		JSONBase: api.JSONBase{