diff --git a/pkg/installer/installer.go b/pkg/installer/installer.go
index cd414426..9698c972 100644
--- a/pkg/installer/installer.go
+++ b/pkg/installer/installer.go
@@ -206,6 +206,47 @@ func (l *LuetInstaller) download(syncedRepos Repositories, cp pkg.Packages) erro
 	return nil
 }
 
+// Reclaim adds packages to the system database
+// if files from artifacts in the repositories are found
+// in the system target
+func (l *LuetInstaller) Reclaim(s *System) error {
+	syncedRepos, err := l.SyncRepositories(true)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	var toMerge []ArtifactMatch = []ArtifactMatch{}
+
+	for _, repo := range syncedRepos {
+		for _, artefact := range repo.GetIndex() {
+		FILES:
+			for _, f := range artefact.GetFiles() {
+				if helpers.Exists(filepath.Join(s.Target, f)) {
+					toMerge = append(toMerge, ArtifactMatch{Artifact: artefact, Package: artefact.GetCompileSpec().GetPackage()})
+					break FILES
+				}
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	for _, match := range toMerge {
+		pack := match.Package
+		vers, _ := s.Database.FindPackageVersions(pack)
+
+		if len(vers) >= 1 {
+			Warning("Filtering out package " + pack.HumanReadableString() + ", already reclaimed")
+			continue
+		}
+		_, err := s.Database.CreatePackage(pack)
+		if err != nil && !l.Options.Force {
+			return errors.Wrap(err, "Failed creating package")
+		}
+		s.Database.SetPackageFiles(&pkg.PackageFile{PackageFingerprint: pack.GetFingerPrint(), Files: match.Artifact.GetFiles()})
+
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (l *LuetInstaller) install(syncedRepos Repositories, cp pkg.Packages, s *System) error {
 	var p pkg.Packages
 
diff --git a/pkg/installer/installer_test.go b/pkg/installer/installer_test.go
index 522f55cb..b9bfc68b 100644
--- a/pkg/installer/installer_test.go
+++ b/pkg/installer/installer_test.go
@@ -620,4 +620,111 @@ urls:
 
 	})
 
+	Context("Existing files", func() {
+		It("Reclaims them", func() {
+			//repo:=NewLuetSystemRepository()
+
+			tmpdir, err := ioutil.TempDir("", "tree")
+			Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+			defer os.RemoveAll(tmpdir) // clean up
+
+			generalRecipe := tree.NewCompilerRecipe(pkg.NewInMemoryDatabase(false))
+
+			err = generalRecipe.Load("../../tests/fixtures/upgrade")
+			Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+
+			Expect(len(generalRecipe.GetDatabase().GetPackages())).To(Equal(4))
+
+			c := compiler.NewLuetCompiler(backend.NewSimpleDockerBackend(), generalRecipe.GetDatabase(), compiler.NewDefaultCompilerOptions())
+
+			spec, err := c.FromPackage(&pkg.DefaultPackage{Name: "b", Category: "test", Version: "1.0"})
+			Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+			spec2, err := c.FromPackage(&pkg.DefaultPackage{Name: "b", Category: "test", Version: "1.1"})
+			Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+			spec3, err := c.FromPackage(&pkg.DefaultPackage{Name: "c", Category: "test", Version: "1.0"})
+			Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+
+			Expect(spec.GetPackage().GetPath()).ToNot(Equal(""))
+
+			tmpdir, err = ioutil.TempDir("", "tree")
+			Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+			defer os.RemoveAll(tmpdir) // clean up
+			spec.SetOutputPath(tmpdir)
+			spec2.SetOutputPath(tmpdir)
+			spec3.SetOutputPath(tmpdir)
+			c.SetConcurrency(2)
+			c.SetCompressionType(compiler.GZip)
+			_, errs := c.CompileParallel(false, compiler.NewLuetCompilationspecs(spec, spec2, spec3))
+
+			Expect(errs).To(BeEmpty())
+
+			repo, err := GenerateRepository("test", "description", "disk", []string{tmpdir}, 1, tmpdir, "../../tests/fixtures/upgrade", pkg.NewInMemoryDatabase(false))
+			Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+			Expect(repo.GetName()).To(Equal("test"))
+			Expect(helpers.Exists(spec.Rel("repository.yaml"))).ToNot(BeTrue())
+			Expect(helpers.Exists(spec.Rel(TREE_TARBALL + ".gz"))).ToNot(BeTrue())
+			Expect(helpers.Exists(spec.Rel(REPOSITORY_METAFILE + ".tar"))).ToNot(BeTrue())
+			err = repo.Write(tmpdir, false)
+			Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+			Expect(helpers.Exists(spec.Rel("b-test-1.1.package.tar.gz"))).To(BeTrue())
+			Expect(helpers.Exists(spec.Rel("b-test-1.1.package.tar"))).ToNot(BeTrue())
+
+			Expect(helpers.Exists(spec.Rel("repository.yaml"))).To(BeTrue())
+			Expect(helpers.Exists(spec.Rel(TREE_TARBALL + ".gz"))).To(BeTrue())
+			Expect(helpers.Exists(spec.Rel(REPOSITORY_METAFILE + ".tar"))).To(BeTrue())
+			Expect(repo.GetUrls()[0]).To(Equal(tmpdir))
+			Expect(repo.GetType()).To(Equal("disk"))
+
+			fakeroot, err := ioutil.TempDir("", "fakeroot")
+			Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+			defer os.RemoveAll(fakeroot) // clean up
+
+			inst := NewLuetInstaller(LuetInstallerOptions{Concurrency: 1})
+			repo2, err := NewLuetSystemRepositoryFromYaml([]byte(`
+name: "test"
+type: "disk"
+urls:
+  - "`+tmpdir+`"
+`), pkg.NewInMemoryDatabase(false))
+			Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+
+			inst.Repositories(Repositories{repo2})
+			Expect(repo.GetUrls()[0]).To(Equal(tmpdir))
+			Expect(repo.GetType()).To(Equal("disk"))
+
+			bolt, err := ioutil.TempDir("", "db")
+			Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+			defer os.RemoveAll(bolt) // clean up
+
+			systemDB := pkg.NewBoltDatabase(filepath.Join(bolt, "db.db"))
+			system := &System{Database: systemDB, Target: fakeroot}
+
+			_, err = system.Database.FindPackage(&pkg.DefaultPackage{Name: "b", Category: "test", Version: "1.0"})
+			Expect(err).To(HaveOccurred())
+
+			_, err = system.Database.FindPackage(&pkg.DefaultPackage{Name: "c", Category: "test", Version: "1.0"})
+			Expect(err).To(HaveOccurred())
+
+			Expect(len(system.Database.World())).To(Equal(0))
+			Expect(helpers.Exists(filepath.Join(fakeroot, "test5"))).To(BeFalse())
+			Expect(helpers.Exists(filepath.Join(fakeroot, "test6"))).To(BeFalse())
+			Expect(helpers.Exists(filepath.Join(fakeroot, "c"))).To(BeFalse())
+
+			Expect(helpers.Touch(filepath.Join(fakeroot, "test5"))).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+			Expect(helpers.Touch(filepath.Join(fakeroot, "test6"))).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+			Expect(helpers.Touch(filepath.Join(fakeroot, "c"))).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+
+			err = inst.Reclaim(system)
+			Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+
+			_, err = system.Database.FindPackage(&pkg.DefaultPackage{Name: "b", Category: "test", Version: "1.0"})
+			Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+
+			_, err = system.Database.FindPackage(&pkg.DefaultPackage{Name: "c", Category: "test", Version: "1.0"})
+			Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+
+			Expect(len(system.Database.World())).To(Equal(2))
+		})
+	})
+
 })
diff --git a/pkg/installer/interface.go b/pkg/installer/interface.go
index 390dfbfc..d4b0b5e4 100644
--- a/pkg/installer/interface.go
+++ b/pkg/installer/interface.go
@@ -26,6 +26,8 @@ type Installer interface {
 	Install(pkg.Packages, *System) error
 	Uninstall(pkg.Package, *System) error
 	Upgrade(s *System) error
+	Reclaim(s *System) error
+
 	Repositories([]Repository)
 	SyncRepositories(bool) (Repositories, error)
 	Swap(pkg.Packages, pkg.Packages, *System) error