diff --git a/confluent/console.py b/confluent/console.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..84e20b54
--- /dev/null
+++ b/confluent/console.py
@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+# Copyright 2013 IBM Corporation
+# All rights reserved
+
+# This is the common console support for confluent.  It takes over
+# whatever filehandle is conversing with the client and starts
+# relaying data.  It uses Ctrl-] like telnet for escape back to prompt
+
+#we track nodes that are actively being logged, watched, or have attached
+#there should be no more than one handler per node
+import confluent.pluginapi as plugin
+_handled_consoles = {}
+
+class _ConsoleHandler(object):
+    def __init__(self, node, configmanager):
+        self._console = plugin.handle_path("/node/%s/_console/session" % node,
+            "create", configmanager)
+        self._console.connect(self.get_console_output)
+
+    def get_console_output(self, data):
+        #TODO: logging, forwarding, etc
+        print "huzzah"
+        print data
+
+#this represents some api view of a console handler.  This handles things like
+#holding the caller specific queue data, for example, when http api should be
+#sending data, but there is no outstanding POST request to hold it, 
+# this object has the job of halding the data
+class ConsoleSession(object):
+    """Create a new socket to converse with node console
+
+    This object provides a filehandle that can be read/written
+    too in a normal fashion and the concurrency, logging, and
+    event watching will all be handled seamlessly
+
+    :param node: Name of the node for which this session will be created
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, node, configmanager):
+        if node not in _handled_consoles:
+            _handled_consoles[node] = _ConsoleHandler(node, configmanager)
+        pass
+    # TODO(jbjohnso): actually do the cool stuff
+
+
+def handle_request(request=None, connection=None, releaseconnection=False):
+    """
+    Process a request from confluent.
+
+    :param request: For 'datagram' style console, this represents a wait for
+                    data or input.
+    :param connection: For socket style console, this is a read/write socket
+                       that the caller has released from it's control and
+                       console plugin will do all IO
+    :param releaseconnection: A function for console to call to indicate confluent
+                          should resume control over the connection
+
+    """
+    if request is not None:  # This is indicative of http style
+        pass  # TODO(jbjohnso): support AJAX style interaction.
+              # a web ui looking to actually take advantage will
+              # probably have to pull in the GPL javascript
+              # from shellinabox or something similar
+              # the way that works is URI encoded input with width, heiht,
+              # session or rooturl:opening
+              # opening session
+              # width=120&height=24&rooturl=/nodes/n1/console/session
+              # making a request to wait for data:
+              # width=120&height=24&session=blahblahblah
+              # <hitting enter>:
+              # width=120&height=24&session=blahblahblah&keys=0D
+              # pasting 'rabbit'
+              # width=120&height=24&session=blahblah&keys=726162626974
+              # if no client session indicated, it expects some session number
+              # in return.
+              # the responses:
+              # <responding to session open>: (the session seems to be opaque
+              # {"session":"h5lrOKViIeQGp1nXjKWpAQ","data":""}
+              # <responding to wait for data with data, specically a prompt that sets title>
+              # {"session":"blah","data":"\r\n\u001B]0;bob@thor:~\u0007[bob@thor ~]$ "}
+              # <responding to wait with no data (seems to wait 46 seconds)
+              # {"session":"jSGBPmAxavsD/1acSl/uog","data":""}
+              # closed session returns HTTP 400 to a console answer
+    elif connection is not None:  # This is a TLS or unix socket
+        conshandler = ConsoleSession(connection, releaseconnection)