diff --git a/tools/flat_git.rb b/tools/flat_git.rb
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..442eb39
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/flat_git.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,152 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env ruby
+
+require 'shellwords'
+require 'pathname'
+require 'yaml'
+
+GIT="git"
+
+SubmoduleInfo = Struct.new(:path, :url, :status, :name, :hash)
+
+def call_git(parTokens, parCaptureStdout=true, work_dir: nil)
+	git_c_param = ""
+	if work_dir then
+		raise ScriptError, "Tainted path received in call_git() function" if work_dir.tainted?
+		git_c_param = " -C #{work_dir}"
+	end
+
+	command_line = ""
+	if parTokens.is_a?String then
+		raise ScriptError, "Tainted token received in call_git() function" if parTokens.tainted?
+		command_line = parTokens
+	elsif parTokens.is_a?Array then
+		parTokens.each do |tok,idx|
+			raise ScriptError, "Tainted token at index #{idx} received in call_git() function" if tok.tainted?
+		end
+		command_line = parTokens.join(" ")
+	else
+		raise ScriptError, "Invalid parTokens received in call_git() function"
+	end
+
+	if parCaptureStdout then
+		return `#{GIT}#{git_c_param} #{command_line}`.chomp
+	else
+		return Kernel.system("#{GIT}#{git_c_param} #{command_line}")
+	end
+end
+
+def is_absolute_url?(parUrl)
+	return not(/^\.{1,2}\// =~ parUrl)
+end
+
+def sanitized(parString)
+	retval = Shellwords.escape(parString)
+	retval.untaint
+	return retval
+end
+
+def current_remote_url()
+	current_branch = call_git(["rev-parse", "--abbrev-ref", "HEAD"])
+	current_remote = call_git(["config", "branch.#{sanitized(current_branch)}.remote"])
+	remote_url = call_git(["config", "remote.#{sanitized(current_remote)}.url"])
+	return remote_url
+end
+
+def submodules_info(parBaseRemoteUrl)
+	regex_submodule = /^submodule\.(.+?)\.([^.]+)$/
+	submodules = Hash.new{ |hash, key| hash[key] = SubmoduleInfo.new }
+	call_git(["config", "--file", ".gitmodules", "--name-only", "--list"]).lines.map(&:chomp).each do |line|
+		m = regex_submodule.match(line)
+		next if m.nil?
+
+		new_value = call_git(["config", "--file", ".gitmodules", sanitized(line)])
+		case m[2]
+		when "url" then
+			submodules[m[1]].url = is_absolute_url?(new_value) ? new_value : File.join(parBaseRemoteUrl, new_value)
+			submodules[m[1]].name = File.basename(new_value, ".git")
+		when "path" then
+			submodules[m[1]].path = new_value
+		end
+	end
+
+	regex_status = /^(.)([0-9a-fA-F]{40})\s+(.+?)(?:\s+\(.+\))?$/
+	call_git(["submodule", "status"]).lines.map(&:chomp).each do |line|
+		m = regex_status.match(line)
+		next if m.nil?
+
+		submodules[m[3]].status = m[1]
+		submodules[m[3]].hash = m[2]
+	end
+	return submodules
+end
+
+def is_inside_git_repo(parPath)
+	reply = call_git("rev-parse --is-inside-work-tree 2> /dev/null || echo false", work_dir: parPath)
+	return "true" == reply
+end
+
+class FlatGit
+	def initialize(parCloneDir)
+		unless File.exists?(parCloneDir) && File.directory?(parCloneDir) then
+			raise ArgumentError, "Specified path doesn't exist or is not a valid directory"
+		end
+
+		if is_inside_git_repo(sanitized(parCloneDir)) then
+			raise ArgumentError, "Specified path is invalid because it appears to be inside a git repository"
+		end
+
+		@clone_dir_abs = Pathname.new(parCloneDir).realpath
+		@clone_dir = parCloneDir
+	end
+
+	def clone_submodules()
+		inplace_submodules = if File.file?("flat_git.yml") then
+			local_settings = YAML.load_file("flat_git.yml")
+			lst = local_settings["inplace_submodules"]
+			lst = [lst] if lst.is_a?(String)
+			lst.is_a?(Array) && lst || Array.new
+		else
+			Array.new
+		end
+
+		submodules_info(current_remote_url()).each_value do |submod|
+			next unless submod.status == "-"
+
+			guessed_clone_dir = File.join(@clone_dir, submod.name)
+			abs_guessed_clone_dir = File.join(@clone_dir_abs, submod.name)
+			if inplace_submodules.include?(submod.name) then
+				success = call_git(["submodule", "update", "--init", sanitized(submod.path)], false)
+				return false unless success
+			else
+				if !File.exists?(guessed_clone_dir) || Dir.entries(guessed_clone_dir).empty? then
+					success = call_git(["clone", sanitized(submod.url)], false, work_dir: sanitized(@clone_dir_abs))
+					return false unless success
+
+					if File.exists?(abs_guessed_clone_dir) && File.directory?(abs_guessed_clone_dir) then
+						call_git(["config", "core.worktree", ".."], work_dir: sanitized(abs_guessed_clone_dir))
+						call_git(["reset", "--hard", sanitized(submod.hash)], work_dir: sanitized(abs_guessed_clone_dir))
+
+						Dir.chdir(abs_guessed_clone_dir) do |path|
+							if File.file?(".gitmodules") then
+								success = clone_submodules()
+								return false unless success
+							end
+						end
+					else
+						raise RuntimeError, "Unable to guess where git just cloned the repo"
+					end
+				end
+				call_git(["submodule", "init", sanitized(submod.path)])
+				File.open(File.join(submod.path, ".git"), 'w') {|file| file.puts("gitdir: #{File.join(abs_guessed_clone_dir, ".git")}")}
+			end
+		end
+		return true
+	end
+end
+
+unless ARGV.length == 1 then
+	$stderr.puts "Wrong number of arguments"
+	exit 2
+end
+
+exit FlatGit.new(ARGV[0]).clone_submodules() ? 1 : 0