diff --git a/multiaddr_test.go b/multiaddr_test.go
index f9f0a47..6545897 100644
--- a/multiaddr_test.go
+++ b/multiaddr_test.go
@@ -216,6 +216,46 @@ func TestProtocols(t *testing.T) {
 
 }
 
+func TestProtocolsWithString(t *testing.T) {
+	pwn := ProtocolWithName
+	good := map[string][]Protocol{
+		"/ip4":                    []Protocol{pwn("ip4")},
+		"/ip4/tcp":                []Protocol{pwn("ip4"), pwn("tcp")},
+		"ip4/tcp/udp/ip6":         []Protocol{pwn("ip4"), pwn("tcp"), pwn("udp"), pwn("ip6")},
+		"////////ip4/tcp":         []Protocol{pwn("ip4"), pwn("tcp")},
+		"ip4/udp/////////":        []Protocol{pwn("ip4"), pwn("udp")},
+		"////////ip4/tcp////////": []Protocol{pwn("ip4"), pwn("tcp")},
+	}
+
+	for s, ps1 := range good {
+		ps2, err := ProtocolsWithString(s)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Error("ProtocolsWithString(%s) should have succeeded", s)
+		}
+
+		for i, ps1p := range ps1 {
+			ps2p := ps2[i]
+			if ps1p.Code != ps2p.Code {
+				t.Errorf("mismatch: %s != %s, %s", ps1p.Name, ps2p.Name, s)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	bad := []string{
+		"dsijafd",                           // bogus proto
+		"/ip4/tcp/fidosafoidsa",             // bogus proto
+		"////////ip4/tcp/21432141/////////", // bogus proto
+		"////////ip4///////tcp/////////",    // empty protos in between
+	}
+
+	for _, s := range bad {
+		if _, err := ProtocolsWithString(s); err == nil {
+			t.Error("ProtocolsWithString(%s) should have failed", s)
+		}
+	}
+
+}
+
 func TestEncapsulate(t *testing.T) {
 	m, err := NewMultiaddr("/ip4/127.0.0.1/udp/1234")
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/protocols.go b/protocols.go
index 3be0b30..eaddc61 100644
--- a/protocols.go
+++ b/protocols.go
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@ package multiaddr
 
 import (
 	"encoding/binary"
+	"fmt"
+	"strings"
 )
 
 // Protocol is a Multiaddr protocol description structure.
@@ -62,6 +64,25 @@ func ProtocolWithCode(c int) Protocol {
 	return Protocol{}
 }
 
+// ProtocolsWithString returns a slice of protocols matching given string.
+func ProtocolsWithString(s string) ([]Protocol, error) {
+	s = strings.Trim(s, "/")
+	sp := strings.Split(s, "/")
+	if len(sp) == 0 {
+		return nil, nil
+	}
+
+	t := make([]Protocol, len(sp))
+	for i, name := range sp {
+		p := ProtocolWithName(name)
+		if p.Code == 0 {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("no protocol with name: %s", name)
+		}
+		t[i] = p
+	}
+	return t, nil
+}
+
 // CodeToVarint converts an integer to a varint-encoded []byte
 func CodeToVarint(num int) []byte {
 	buf := make([]byte, (num/7)+1) // varint package is uint64