diff --git a/trunk/daemon/sbin/core-manage b/trunk/daemon/sbin/core-manage
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..522584a4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/trunk/daemon/sbin/core-manage
@@ -0,0 +1,210 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+#
+# CORE
+# Copyright (c)2014 the Boeing Company.
+# See the LICENSE file included in this distribution.
+#
+# author: Jeff Ahrenholz <jeffrey.m.ahrenholz@boeing.com>
+#
+'''
+core-manage: Helper tool to add, remove, or check for services and models in 
+a CORE installation.
+'''
+
+import os
+import sys
+import ast
+import optparse
+
+from core import pycore
+from core.constants import CORE_CONF_DIR
+
+# core-manage add emane_model RfPipeNew
+# core-manage add service MyService
+
+class FileUpdater(object):
+    ''' Helper class for changing configuration files.
+    '''
+    actions = ("add", "remove", "check")
+    targets = ("service", "model")
+
+    def __init__(self, action, target, data, verbose=False):
+        '''
+        '''
+        self.action = action
+        self.target = target
+        self.data = data
+        self.verbose = verbose
+        self.search, self.filename = self.get_filename(target)
+
+    def process(self):
+        ''' Invoke update_file() using a helper method depending on target.
+        '''
+        if self.verbose:
+            txt = "Updating"
+            if self.action == "check":
+                txt = "Checking"
+            sys.stdout.write("%s file: '%s'\n" % (txt, self.filename))
+
+        if self.target == "service":
+            r = self.update_file(fn=self.update_services)
+        elif self.target == "model":
+            r = self.update_file(fn=self.update_emane_models)
+
+        if self.verbose:
+            txt = ""
+            if not r:
+                txt = "NOT "
+            if self.action == "check":
+                sys.stdout.write("String %sfound.\n" % txt)
+            else:
+                sys.stdout.write("File %supdated.\n" % txt)
+
+        return r
+
+    def update_services(self, line):
+        ''' Modify the __init__.py file having this format:
+        __all__ = ["quagga", "nrl", "xorp", "bird", ]
+        Returns True or False when "check" is the action, a modified line
+        otherwise.
+        '''
+        line = line.strip('\n')
+        key, valstr = line.split('= ')
+        vals = ast.literal_eval(valstr)
+        r = self.update_keyvals(key, vals)
+        if self.action == "check":
+            return r
+        valstr = '%s' % r
+        return '= '.join([key, valstr]) + '\n'
+
+
+    def update_emane_models(self, line):
+        ''' Modify the core.conf file having this format:
+        emane_models = RfPipe, Ieee80211abg, CommEffect, Bypass
+        Returns True or False when "check" is the action, a modified line
+        otherwise.
+        '''
+        line = line.strip('\n')
+        key, valstr = line.split('= ')
+        vals = valstr.split(', ')
+        r = self.update_keyvals(key, vals)
+        if self.action == "check":
+            return r
+        valstr = ', '.join(r)
+        return '= '.join([key, valstr]) + '\n'
+
+    def update_keyvals(self, key, vals):
+        '''  Perform self.action on (key, vals).
+        Returns True or False when "check" is the action, a modified line
+        otherwise.
+        '''
+        if self.action == "check":
+            if self.data in vals:
+                return True
+            else:
+                return False
+        elif self.action == "add":
+            if self.data not in vals:
+                vals.append(self.data)
+        elif self.action == "remove":
+            try:
+                vals.remove(self.data)
+            except ValueError:
+                pass
+        return vals
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def get_filename(target):
+        ''' Return search string and filename based on target.
+        '''
+        if target == "service":
+            pypath = os.path.dirname(pycore.__file__)
+            filename = os.path.join(pypath, "services", "__init__.py")
+            search = "__all__ ="
+        elif target == "model":
+            filename = os.path.join(CORE_CONF_DIR, "core.conf")
+            search = "emane_models ="
+        else:
+            raise ValueError, "unknown target"
+        if not os.path.exists(filename):
+            raise ValueError, "file '%s' does not exist" % filename
+        return search, filename
+
+    def update_file(self, fn=None):
+        ''' Open a file and search for self.search, invoking the supplied
+        function on the matching line. Write file changes if necessary.
+        Returns True if the file has changed (or action is "check" and the
+        search string is found), False otherwise.
+        '''
+        changed = False
+        output = "" # this accumulates output, assumes input is small
+        with open(self.filename, "r") as f:
+            for line in f:
+                if line[:len(self.search)] == self.search:
+                    r = fn(line) # line may be modified by fn() here
+                    if self.action == "check":
+                        return r
+                    else:
+                        if line != r:
+                            changed = True
+                        line = r
+                output += line
+        if changed:
+            with open(self.filename, "w") as f:
+                f.write(output)
+                
+        return changed
+
+
+def main():
+    usagestr = "usage: %prog [-h] [options] <action> <target> <string>\n"
+    usagestr += "\nHelper tool to add, remove, or check for "
+    usagestr += "services and models in a CORE\ninstallation.\n"
+    usagestr += "\nExamples:\n  %prog add service newrouting"
+    usagestr += "\n  %prog -v check model RfPipe\n"
+    usagestr += "\nArguments:\n  <action> should be one of: %s" % \
+                ', '.join(FileUpdater.actions)
+    usagestr += "\n  <target> should be one of: %s" % \
+                ', '.join(FileUpdater.targets)
+    usagestr += "\n  <string> is the text to %s" % \
+                ', '.join(FileUpdater.actions)
+    parser = optparse.OptionParser(usage = usagestr)
+    parser.set_defaults(verbose = False,)
+
+    parser.add_option("-v", "--verbose", dest = "verbose", action="store_true",
+                      help = "be verbose when performing action")
+
+    def usage(msg = None, err = 0):
+        sys.stdout.write("\n")
+        if msg:
+            sys.stdout.write(msg + "\n\n")
+        parser.print_help()
+        sys.exit(err)
+
+    (options, args) = parser.parse_args()
+
+    if len(args) != 3:
+        usage("Missing required arguments!", 1)
+
+    action = args[0]
+    if action not in FileUpdater.actions:
+        usage("invalid action '%s'" % action, 1)
+
+    target = args[1]
+    if target not in FileUpdater.targets:
+        usage("invalid target '%s'" % target, 1)
+
+    data = args[2]
+
+    try:
+        up = FileUpdater(action, target, data, verbose=options.verbose)
+        r = up.process()
+    except Exception, e:
+        sys.stderr.write("Exception: %s\n" % e)
+        sys.exit(1)
+    if not r:
+        sys.exit(1)
+    sys.exit(0)
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()
diff --git a/trunk/doc/man/Makefile.am b/trunk/doc/man/Makefile.am
index 30405928..d08c5445 100755
--- a/trunk/doc/man/Makefile.am
+++ b/trunk/doc/man/Makefile.am
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ if WANT_GUI
 endif
 if WANT_DAEMON
   DAEMON_MANS	= vnoded.1 vcmd.1 netns.1 core-daemon.1 coresendmsg.1 \
-		  core-cleanup.1 core-xen-cleanup.1
+		  core-cleanup.1 core-xen-cleanup.1 core-manage.1
 endif
 man_MANS	= $(GUI_MANS) $(DAEMON_MANS)
 
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ generate-mans:
 	$(HELP2MAN) --version-string=$(CORE_VERSION) --no-info --source CORE $(top_srcdir)/daemon/sbin/coresendmsg -o coresendmsg.1.new
 	$(HELP2MAN) --version-string=$(CORE_VERSION) --no-info --source CORE $(top_srcdir)/daemon/sbin/core-cleanup -o core-cleanup.1.new
 	$(HELP2MAN) --version-string=$(CORE_VERSION) --no-info --source CORE $(top_srcdir)/daemon/sbin/core-xen-cleanup -o core-xen-cleanup.1.new
+	$(HELP2MAN) --version-string=$(CORE_VERSION) --no-info --source CORE $(top_srcdir)/daemon/sbin/core-manage -o core-manage.1.new
 
 .PHONY: diff
 diff:
diff --git a/trunk/doc/man/core-manage.1 b/trunk/doc/man/core-manage.1
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..fd300bf7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/trunk/doc/man/core-manage.1
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+.\" DO NOT MODIFY THIS FILE!  It was generated by help2man 1.40.4.
+.TH CORE-MANAGE "1" "July 2014" "CORE" "User Commands"
+.SH NAME
+core-manage \- helper tool to add, remove, or check for services and models in a CORE installation.
+.SH SYNOPSIS
+.B core-manage
+[\fI-h\fR] [\fIoptions\fR] \fI<action> <target> <string>\fR
+.SH DESCRIPTION
+.TP
+<action> should be one of: add, remove, check
+.TP
+<target> should be one of: service, model
+.TP
+<string> is the text to add, remove, check
+.SH OPTIONS
+.TP
+\fB\-h\fR, \fB\-\-help\fR
+show this help message and exit
+.TP
+\fB\-v\fR, \fB\-\-verbose\fR
+be verbose when performing action
+.SH EXAMPLES
+.TP
+core\-manage add service newrouting
+.TP
+core\-manage \fB\-v\fR check model RfPipe
+.SH "SEE ALSO"
+.BR core-daemon(1)
diff --git a/trunk/packaging/rpm/core.spec.in b/trunk/packaging/rpm/core.spec.in
index 451019ac..3325c6c7 100644
--- a/trunk/packaging/rpm/core.spec.in
+++ b/trunk/packaging/rpm/core.spec.in
@@ -338,6 +338,7 @@ sed -i 's/emane_realtime = True/emane_realtime = False/' /etc/core/core.conf
 %{python_sitelib}/core/xen/xen.py*
 %{_sbindir}/core-cleanup
 %{_sbindir}/core-daemon
+%{_sbindir}/core-manage
 %{_sbindir}/coresendmsg
 %{_sbindir}/core-xen-cleanup
 %{_sbindir}/netns