diff --git a/pylons_app/lib/utils.py b/pylons_app/lib/utils.py
--- a/pylons_app/lib/utils.py
+++ b/pylons_app/lib/utils.py
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+from mercurial import ui, config
+import os
+import logging
    
 def get_repo_slug(request):
     path_info = request.environ.get('PATH_INFO')
@@ -14,3 +17,59 @@ def is_mercurial(environ):
     if http_accept and http_accept.startswith('application/mercurial'):
         return True
     return False
+
+def check_repo_dir(paths):
+    repos_path = paths[0][1].split('/')
+    if repos_path[-1] in ['*', '**']:
+        repos_path = repos_path[:-1]
+    if repos_path[0] != '/':
+        repos_path[0] = '/'
+    if not os.path.isdir(os.path.join(*repos_path)):
+        raise Exception('Not a valid repository in %s' % paths[0][1])
+        
+def make_ui(path='hgwebdir.config', checkpaths=True):        
+    """
+    A funcion that will read python rc files and make an ui from read options
+    
+    @param path: path to mercurial config file
+    """
+    if not os.path.isfile(path):
+        logging.error('Unable to read config file %s' % path)
+        return False
+    #propagated from mercurial documentation
+    sections = [
+                'alias',
+                'auth',
+                'decode/encode',
+                'defaults',
+                'diff',
+                'email',
+                'extensions',
+                'format',
+                'merge-patterns',
+                'merge-tools',
+                'hooks',
+                'http_proxy',
+                'smtp',
+                'patch',
+                'paths',
+                'profiling',
+                'server',
+                'trusted',
+                'ui',
+                'web',
+                ]
+
+    baseui = ui.ui()
+    cfg = config.config()
+    cfg.read(path)
+    if checkpaths:check_repo_dir(cfg.items('paths'))
+
+    for section in sections:
+        for k, v in cfg.items(section):
+            baseui.setconfig(section, k, v)
+    
+    return baseui
+
+
+