diff --git a/cmd/cloner/cloner.go b/cmd/cloner/cloner.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a0bd04e6a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/cloner/cloner.go
@@ -0,0 +1,264 @@
+// Copyright (c) 2020 Tailscale Inc & AUTHORS All rights reserved.
+// Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style
+// license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+// Cloner is a tool to automate the creation of a Clone method.
+//
+// The result of the Clone method aliases no memory that can be edited
+// with the original.
+//
+// This tool makes lots of implicit assumptions about the types you feed it.
+// In particular, it can only write relatively "shallow" Clone methods.
+// That is, if a type contains another named struct type, cloner assumes that
+// named type will also have a Clone method.
+package main
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"flag"
+	"fmt"
+	"go/ast"
+	"go/format"
+	"go/token"
+	"go/types"
+	"io/ioutil"
+	"log"
+	"os"
+	"strings"
+
+	"golang.org/x/tools/go/packages"
+)
+
+var (
+	flagTypes     = flag.String("type", "", "comma-separated list of types; required")
+	flagOutput    = flag.String("output", "", "output file; required")
+	flagBuildTags = flag.String("tags", "", "compiler build tags to apply")
+)
+
+func main() {
+	log.SetFlags(0)
+	log.SetPrefix("cloner: ")
+	flag.Parse()
+	if len(*flagTypes) == 0 {
+		flag.Usage()
+		os.Exit(2)
+	}
+	typeNames := strings.Split(*flagTypes, ",")
+
+	cfg := &packages.Config{
+		Mode:  packages.NeedTypes | packages.NeedTypesInfo | packages.NeedSyntax | packages.NeedName,
+		Tests: false,
+	}
+	if *flagBuildTags != "" {
+		cfg.BuildFlags = []string{"-tags=" + *flagBuildTags}
+	}
+	pkgs, err := packages.Load(cfg, ".")
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if len(pkgs) != 1 {
+		log.Fatalf("wrong number of packages: %d", len(pkgs))
+	}
+	pkg := pkgs[0]
+	buf := new(bytes.Buffer)
+	imports := make(map[string]struct{})
+	for _, typeName := range typeNames {
+		found := false
+		for _, file := range pkg.Syntax {
+			//var fbuf bytes.Buffer
+			//ast.Fprint(&fbuf, pkg.Fset, file, nil)
+			//fmt.Println(fbuf.String())
+
+			for _, d := range file.Decls {
+				decl, ok := d.(*ast.GenDecl)
+				if !ok || decl.Tok != token.TYPE {
+					continue
+				}
+				for _, s := range decl.Specs {
+					spec, ok := s.(*ast.TypeSpec)
+					if !ok || spec.Name.Name != typeName {
+						continue
+					}
+					typeNameObj := pkg.TypesInfo.Defs[spec.Name]
+					typ, ok := typeNameObj.Type().(*types.Named)
+					if !ok {
+						continue
+					}
+					pkg := typeNameObj.Pkg()
+					gen(buf, imports, typeName, typ, pkg)
+				}
+				found = true
+			}
+		}
+		if !found {
+			log.Fatalf("could not find type %s", typeName)
+		}
+	}
+
+	contents := new(bytes.Buffer)
+	fmt.Fprintf(contents, header, *flagTypes, pkg.Name)
+	fmt.Fprintf(contents, "import (\n")
+	for s := range imports {
+		fmt.Fprintf(contents, "\t%q\n", s)
+	}
+	fmt.Fprintf(contents, ")\n\n")
+	contents.Write(buf.Bytes())
+
+	out, err := format.Source(contents.Bytes())
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Fatalf("%s, in source:\n%s", err, contents.Bytes())
+	}
+
+	output := *flagOutput
+	if output == "" {
+		flag.Usage()
+		os.Exit(2)
+	}
+	if err := ioutil.WriteFile(output, out, 0666); err != nil {
+		log.Fatal(err)
+	}
+}
+
+const header = `// Copyright (c) 2020 Tailscale Inc & AUTHORS All rights reserved.
+// Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style
+// license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+// AUTO-GENERATED by: tailscale.com/cmd/cloner -type %s
+
+package %s
+
+`
+
+func gen(buf *bytes.Buffer, imports map[string]struct{}, name string, typ *types.Named, thisPkg *types.Package) {
+	pkgQual := func(pkg *types.Package) string {
+		if thisPkg == pkg {
+			return ""
+		}
+		imports[pkg.Path()] = struct{}{}
+		return pkg.Name()
+	}
+	importedName := func(t types.Type) string {
+		return types.TypeString(t, pkgQual)
+	}
+
+	switch t := typ.Underlying().(type) {
+	case *types.Struct:
+		_ = t
+		name := typ.Obj().Name()
+		fmt.Fprintf(buf, "// Clone makes a deep copy of %s.\n", name)
+		fmt.Fprintf(buf, "// The result aliases no memory with the original.\n")
+		fmt.Fprintf(buf, "func (src *%s) Clone() *%s {\n", name, name)
+		writef := func(format string, args ...interface{}) {
+			fmt.Fprintf(buf, "\t"+format+"\n", args...)
+		}
+		writef("if src == nil {")
+		writef("\treturn nil")
+		writef("}")
+		writef("dst := new(%s)", name)
+		writef("*dst = *src")
+		for i := 0; i < t.NumFields(); i++ {
+			fname := t.Field(i).Name()
+			ft := t.Field(i).Type()
+			if !containsPointers(ft) {
+				continue
+			}
+			if named, _ := ft.(*types.Named); named != nil && !hasBasicUnderlying(ft) {
+				writef("dst.%s = *src.%s.Clone()", fname, fname)
+				continue
+			}
+			switch ft := ft.Underlying().(type) {
+			case *types.Slice:
+				n := importedName(ft.Elem())
+				if containsPointers(ft.Elem()) {
+					writef("dst.%s = make([]%s, len(src.%s))", fname, n, fname)
+					writef("for i := range dst.%s {", fname)
+					if _, isPtr := ft.Elem().(*types.Pointer); isPtr {
+						writef("\tdst.%s[i] = src.%s[i].Clone()", fname, fname)
+					} else {
+						writef("\tdst.%s[i] = *src.%s[i].Clone()", fname, fname)
+					}
+					writef("}")
+				} else {
+					writef("dst.%s = append([]%s(nil), src.%s...)", fname, n, fname)
+				}
+			case *types.Pointer:
+				if named, _ := ft.Elem().(*types.Named); named != nil && containsPointers(ft.Elem()) {
+					writef("dst.%s = src.%s.Clone()", fname, fname)
+					continue
+				}
+				n := importedName(ft.Elem())
+				writef("if dst.%s != nil {", fname)
+				writef("\tdst.%s = new(%s)", fname, n)
+				writef("\t*dst.%s = *src.%s", fname, fname)
+				if containsPointers(ft.Elem()) {
+					writef("\t" + `panic("TODO pointers in pointers")`)
+				}
+				writef("}")
+			case *types.Map:
+				writef("if dst.%s != nil {", fname)
+				writef("\tdst.%s = map[%s]%s{}", fname, importedName(ft.Key()), importedName(ft.Elem()))
+				if sliceType, isSlice := ft.Elem().(*types.Slice); isSlice {
+					n := importedName(sliceType.Elem())
+					writef("\tfor k := range src.%s {", fname)
+					// use zero-length slice instead of nil to ensure
+					// the key is always copied.
+					writef("\t\tdst.%s[k] = append([]%s{}, src.%s[k]...)", fname, n, fname)
+					writef("\t}")
+				} else if containsPointers(ft.Elem()) {
+					writef("\t\t" + `panic("TODO map value pointers")`)
+				} else {
+					writef("\tfor k, v := range src.%s {", fname)
+					writef("\t\tdst.%s[k] = v", fname)
+					writef("\t}")
+				}
+				writef("}")
+			case *types.Struct:
+				writef(`panic("TODO struct %s")`, fname)
+			default:
+				writef(`panic(fmt.Sprintf("TODO: %T", ft))`)
+			}
+		}
+		writef("return dst")
+		fmt.Fprintf(buf, "}\n\n")
+	}
+}
+
+func hasBasicUnderlying(typ types.Type) bool {
+	switch typ.Underlying().(type) {
+	case *types.Slice, *types.Map:
+		return true
+	default:
+		return false
+	}
+}
+
+func containsPointers(typ types.Type) bool {
+	switch typ.String() {
+	case "time.Time":
+		// time.Time contains a pointer that does not need copying
+		return false
+	case "inet.af/netaddr.IP":
+		return false
+	}
+	switch ft := typ.Underlying().(type) {
+	case *types.Array:
+		return containsPointers(ft.Elem())
+	case *types.Chan:
+		return true
+	case *types.Interface:
+		return true // a little too broad
+	case *types.Map:
+		return true
+	case *types.Pointer:
+		return true
+	case *types.Slice:
+		return true
+	case *types.Struct:
+		for i := 0; i < ft.NumFields(); i++ {
+			if containsPointers(ft.Field(i).Type()) {
+				return true
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}