diff --git a/file_system.go b/file_system.go
index c9105b8..5cd73fd 100644
--- a/file_system.go
+++ b/file_system.go
@@ -109,14 +109,6 @@ type HandleID uint64
 // ReadDirRequest.Offset for details.
 type DirOffset uint64
 
-// XXX: Comments for all
-type Dirent struct {
-	Inode  InodeID
-	Offset DirOffset
-	Name   string
-	Type   DirentType
-}
-
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 // Requests and responses
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
diff --git a/fuseutil/dirent.go b/fuseutil/dirent.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..32e6eea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/fuseutil/dirent.go
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+// Copyright 2015 Google Inc. All Rights Reserved.
+// Author: jacobsa@google.com (Aaron Jacobs)
+
+package fuseutil
+
+import (
+	bazilfuse "bazil.org/fuse"
+	"github.com/jacobsa/fuse"
+)
+
+type DirentType bazilfuse.DirentType
+
+// A struct representing an entry within a directory file, describing a child.
+// See notes on fuse.ReadDirResponse and on AppendDirent for details.
+type Dirent struct {
+	// The (opaque) offset within the directory file of this entry. See notes on
+	// fuse.ReadDirRequest.Offset for details.
+	Offset fuse.DirOffset
+
+	// The inode of the child file or directory, and its name within the parent.
+	Inode fuse.InodeID
+	Name  string
+
+	// The type of the child. The zero value (DT_Unknown) is legal, but means
+	// that the kernel will need to call GetAttr when the type is needed.
+	Type DirentType
+}
+
+// Append the supplied directory entry to the given buffer in the format
+// expected in fuse.ReadResponse.Data, returning the resulting buffer.
+func AppendDirent(buf []byte, d Dirent) []byte