diff --git a/commands/gendoc.go b/commands/gendoc.go
index 0f65e7dc..046d3839 100644
--- a/commands/gendoc.go
+++ b/commands/gendoc.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright 2015 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Copyright 2016 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
 //
 // Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 // you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -51,9 +51,9 @@ for rendering in Hugo.`,
 		if !strings.HasSuffix(gendocdir, helpers.FilePathSeparator) {
 			gendocdir += helpers.FilePathSeparator
 		}
-		if found, _ := helpers.Exists(gendocdir, hugofs.OsFs); !found {
+		if found, _ := helpers.Exists(gendocdir, hugofs.Os()); !found {
 			jww.FEEDBACK.Println("Directory", gendocdir, "does not exist, creating...")
-			hugofs.OsFs.MkdirAll(gendocdir, 0777)
+			hugofs.Os().MkdirAll(gendocdir, 0777)
 		}
 		now := time.Now().Format(time.RFC3339)
 		prepender := func(filename string) string {
diff --git a/commands/genman.go b/commands/genman.go
index e12d0277..d1f54ae3 100644
--- a/commands/genman.go
+++ b/commands/genman.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright 2015 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Copyright 2016 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
 //
 // Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 // you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -41,9 +41,9 @@ in the "man" directory under the current directory.`,
 		if !strings.HasSuffix(genmandir, helpers.FilePathSeparator) {
 			genmandir += helpers.FilePathSeparator
 		}
-		if found, _ := helpers.Exists(genmandir, hugofs.OsFs); !found {
+		if found, _ := helpers.Exists(genmandir, hugofs.Os()); !found {
 			jww.FEEDBACK.Println("Directory", genmandir, "does not exist, creating...")
-			hugofs.OsFs.MkdirAll(genmandir, 0777)
+			hugofs.Os().MkdirAll(genmandir, 0777)
 		}
 		cmd.Root().DisableAutoGenTag = true
 
diff --git a/commands/hugo.go b/commands/hugo.go
index 19fcb57f..131879ce 100644
--- a/commands/hugo.go
+++ b/commands/hugo.go
@@ -423,14 +423,14 @@ func InitializeConfig(subCmdVs ...*cobra.Command) error {
 		if helpers.FilePathSeparator != cacheDir[len(cacheDir)-1:] {
 			cacheDir = cacheDir + helpers.FilePathSeparator
 		}
-		isDir, err := helpers.DirExists(cacheDir, hugofs.SourceFs)
+		isDir, err := helpers.DirExists(cacheDir, hugofs.Source())
 		utils.CheckErr(err)
 		if isDir == false {
 			mkdir(cacheDir)
 		}
 		viper.Set("CacheDir", cacheDir)
 	} else {
-		viper.Set("CacheDir", helpers.GetTempDir("hugo_cache", hugofs.SourceFs))
+		viper.Set("CacheDir", helpers.GetTempDir("hugo_cache", hugofs.Source()))
 	}
 
 	if verboseLog || logging || (viper.IsSet("LogFile") && viper.GetString("LogFile") != "") {
@@ -453,6 +453,9 @@ func InitializeConfig(subCmdVs ...*cobra.Command) error {
 
 	jww.INFO.Println("Using config file:", viper.ConfigFileUsed())
 
+	// Init file systems. This may be changed at a later point.
+	hugofs.InitDefaultFs()
+
 	themeDir := helpers.GetThemeDir()
 	if themeDir != "" {
 		if _, err := os.Stat(themeDir); os.IsNotExist(err) {
@@ -498,7 +501,7 @@ func build(watches ...bool) error {
 	// This is only used for benchmark testing. Cause the content is only visible
 	// in memory
 	if renderToMemory {
-		hugofs.DestinationFS = new(afero.MemMapFs)
+		hugofs.SetDestination(new(afero.MemMapFs))
 		// Rendering to memoryFS, publish to Root regardless of publishDir.
 		viper.Set("PublishDir", "/")
 	}
@@ -524,7 +527,7 @@ func build(watches ...bool) error {
 }
 
 func getStaticSourceFs() afero.Fs {
-	source := hugofs.SourceFs
+	source := hugofs.Source()
 	themeDir, err := helpers.GetThemeStaticDirPath()
 	staticDir := helpers.GetStaticDirPath() + helpers.FilePathSeparator
 
@@ -563,8 +566,8 @@ func getStaticSourceFs() afero.Fs {
 	jww.INFO.Println("using a UnionFS for static directory comprised of:")
 	jww.INFO.Println("Base:", themeDir)
 	jww.INFO.Println("Overlay:", staticDir)
-	base := afero.NewReadOnlyFs(afero.NewBasePathFs(hugofs.SourceFs, themeDir))
-	overlay := afero.NewReadOnlyFs(afero.NewBasePathFs(hugofs.SourceFs, staticDir))
+	base := afero.NewReadOnlyFs(afero.NewBasePathFs(hugofs.Source(), themeDir))
+	overlay := afero.NewReadOnlyFs(afero.NewBasePathFs(hugofs.Source(), staticDir))
 	return afero.NewCopyOnWriteFs(base, overlay)
 }
 
@@ -587,7 +590,7 @@ func copyStatic() error {
 	syncer := fsync.NewSyncer()
 	syncer.NoTimes = viper.GetBool("notimes")
 	syncer.SrcFs = staticSourceFs
-	syncer.DestFs = hugofs.DestinationFS
+	syncer.DestFs = hugofs.Destination()
 	// Now that we are using a unionFs for the static directories
 	// We can effectively clean the publishDir on initial sync
 	syncer.Delete = viper.GetBool("cleanDestinationDir")
@@ -653,12 +656,12 @@ func getDirList() []string {
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	helpers.SymbolicWalk(hugofs.SourceFs, dataDir, walker)
-	helpers.SymbolicWalk(hugofs.SourceFs, helpers.AbsPathify(viper.GetString("ContentDir")), walker)
-	helpers.SymbolicWalk(hugofs.SourceFs, helpers.AbsPathify(viper.GetString("LayoutDir")), walker)
-	helpers.SymbolicWalk(hugofs.SourceFs, helpers.AbsPathify(viper.GetString("StaticDir")), walker)
+	helpers.SymbolicWalk(hugofs.Source(), dataDir, walker)
+	helpers.SymbolicWalk(hugofs.Source(), helpers.AbsPathify(viper.GetString("ContentDir")), walker)
+	helpers.SymbolicWalk(hugofs.Source(), helpers.AbsPathify(viper.GetString("LayoutDir")), walker)
+	helpers.SymbolicWalk(hugofs.Source(), helpers.AbsPathify(viper.GetString("StaticDir")), walker)
 	if helpers.ThemeSet() {
-		helpers.SymbolicWalk(hugofs.SourceFs, helpers.AbsPathify(viper.GetString("themesDir")+"/"+viper.GetString("theme")), walker)
+		helpers.SymbolicWalk(hugofs.Source(), helpers.AbsPathify(viper.GetString("themesDir")+"/"+viper.GetString("theme")), walker)
 	}
 
 	return a
@@ -770,8 +773,8 @@ func NewWatcher(port int) error {
 					// recursively add new directories to watch list
 					// When mkdir -p is used, only the top directory triggers an event (at least on OSX)
 					if ev.Op&fsnotify.Create == fsnotify.Create {
-						if s, err := hugofs.SourceFs.Stat(ev.Name); err == nil && s.Mode().IsDir() {
-							helpers.SymbolicWalk(hugofs.SourceFs, ev.Name, walkAdder)
+						if s, err := hugofs.Source().Stat(ev.Name); err == nil && s.Mode().IsDir() {
+							helpers.SymbolicWalk(hugofs.Source(), ev.Name, walkAdder)
 						}
 					}
 
@@ -813,7 +816,7 @@ func NewWatcher(port int) error {
 						syncer := fsync.NewSyncer()
 						syncer.NoTimes = viper.GetBool("notimes")
 						syncer.SrcFs = staticSourceFs
-						syncer.DestFs = hugofs.DestinationFS
+						syncer.DestFs = hugofs.Destination()
 
 						// prevent spamming the log on changes
 						logger := helpers.NewDistinctFeedbackLogger()
@@ -858,7 +861,7 @@ func NewWatcher(port int) error {
 									// If file doesn't exist in any static dir, remove it
 									toRemove := filepath.Join(publishDir, relPath)
 									logger.Println("File no longer exists in static dir, removing", toRemove)
-									hugofs.DestinationFS.RemoveAll(toRemove)
+									hugofs.Destination().RemoveAll(toRemove)
 								} else if err == nil {
 									// If file still exists, sync it
 									logger.Println("Syncing", relPath, "to", publishDir)
@@ -939,7 +942,7 @@ func isThemeVsHugoVersionMismatch() (mismatch bool, requiredMinVersion string) {
 
 	themeDir := helpers.GetThemeDir()
 
-	fs := hugofs.SourceFs
+	fs := hugofs.Source()
 	path := filepath.Join(themeDir, "theme.toml")
 
 	exists, err := helpers.Exists(path, fs)
diff --git a/commands/import_jekyll.go b/commands/import_jekyll.go
index 26020b0f..20356f1e 100644
--- a/commands/import_jekyll.go
+++ b/commands/import_jekyll.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright 2015 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Copyright 2016 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
 //
 // Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 // you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ func importFromJekyll(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 		return convertJekyllPost(path, relPath, targetDir, draft)
 	}
 
-	err = helpers.SymbolicWalk(hugofs.OsFs, jekyllRoot, callback)
+	err = helpers.SymbolicWalk(hugofs.Os(), jekyllRoot, callback)
 
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ func importFromJekyll(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 
 // TODO: Consider calling doNewSite() instead?
 func createSiteFromJekyll(jekyllRoot, targetDir string, force bool) error {
-	fs := hugofs.SourceFs
+	fs := hugofs.Source()
 	if exists, _ := helpers.Exists(targetDir, fs); exists {
 		if isDir, _ := helpers.IsDir(targetDir, fs); !isDir {
 			return errors.New("Target path \"" + targetDir + "\" already exists but not a directory")
@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ func createSiteFromJekyll(jekyllRoot, targetDir string, force bool) error {
 }
 
 func loadJekyllConfig(jekyllRoot string) map[string]interface{} {
-	fs := hugofs.SourceFs
+	fs := hugofs.Source()
 	path := filepath.Join(jekyllRoot, "_config.yml")
 
 	exists, err := helpers.Exists(path, fs)
@@ -252,7 +252,7 @@ func createConfigFromJekyll(inpath string, kind string, jekyllConfig map[string]
 		return err
 	}
 
-	err = helpers.WriteToDisk(filepath.Join(inpath, "config."+kind), bytes.NewReader(by), hugofs.SourceFs)
+	err = helpers.WriteToDisk(filepath.Join(inpath, "config."+kind), bytes.NewReader(by), hugofs.Source())
 	if err != nil {
 		return
 	}
diff --git a/commands/new.go b/commands/new.go
index 4fc00031..c3f04f47 100644
--- a/commands/new.go
+++ b/commands/new.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright 2015 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Copyright 2016 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
 //
 // Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 // you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ func NewContent(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 		kind = contentType
 	}
 
-	return create.NewContent(hugofs.SourceFs, kind, createpath)
+	return create.NewContent(hugofs.Source(), kind, createpath)
 }
 
 func doNewSite(basepath string, force bool) error {
@@ -123,12 +123,12 @@ func doNewSite(basepath string, force bool) error {
 		filepath.Join(basepath, "themes"),
 	}
 
-	if exists, _ := helpers.Exists(basepath, hugofs.SourceFs); exists {
-		if isDir, _ := helpers.IsDir(basepath, hugofs.SourceFs); !isDir {
+	if exists, _ := helpers.Exists(basepath, hugofs.Source()); exists {
+		if isDir, _ := helpers.IsDir(basepath, hugofs.Source()); !isDir {
 			return errors.New(basepath + " already exists but not a directory")
 		}
 
-		isEmpty, _ := helpers.IsEmpty(basepath, hugofs.SourceFs)
+		isEmpty, _ := helpers.IsEmpty(basepath, hugofs.Source())
 
 		switch {
 		case !isEmpty && !force:
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ func doNewSite(basepath string, force bool) error {
 		case !isEmpty && force:
 			all := append(dirs, filepath.Join(basepath, "config."+configFormat))
 			for _, path := range all {
-				if exists, _ := helpers.Exists(path, hugofs.SourceFs); exists {
+				if exists, _ := helpers.Exists(path, hugofs.Source()); exists {
 					return errors.New(path + " already exists")
 				}
 			}
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ func doNewSite(basepath string, force bool) error {
 	}
 
 	for _, dir := range dirs {
-		hugofs.SourceFs.MkdirAll(dir, 0777)
+		hugofs.Source().MkdirAll(dir, 0777)
 	}
 
 	createConfig(basepath, configFormat)
@@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ func NewTheme(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 	createpath := helpers.AbsPathify(filepath.Join(viper.GetString("themesDir"), args[0]))
 	jww.INFO.Println("creating theme at", createpath)
 
-	if x, _ := helpers.Exists(createpath, hugofs.SourceFs); x {
+	if x, _ := helpers.Exists(createpath, hugofs.Source()); x {
 		return newUserError(createpath, "already exists")
 	}
 
@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ func NewTheme(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 
 	archDefault := []byte("+++\n+++\n")
 
-	err := helpers.WriteToDisk(filepath.Join(createpath, "archetypes", "default.md"), bytes.NewReader(archDefault), hugofs.SourceFs)
+	err := helpers.WriteToDisk(filepath.Join(createpath, "archetypes", "default.md"), bytes.NewReader(archDefault), hugofs.Source())
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -234,7 +234,7 @@ IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN
 CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
 `)
 
-	err = helpers.WriteToDisk(filepath.Join(createpath, "LICENSE.md"), bytes.NewReader(by), hugofs.SourceFs)
+	err = helpers.WriteToDisk(filepath.Join(createpath, "LICENSE.md"), bytes.NewReader(by), hugofs.Source())
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -256,7 +256,7 @@ func mkdir(x ...string) {
 func touchFile(x ...string) {
 	inpath := filepath.Join(x...)
 	mkdir(filepath.Dir(inpath))
-	err := helpers.WriteToDisk(inpath, bytes.NewReader([]byte{}), hugofs.SourceFs)
+	err := helpers.WriteToDisk(inpath, bytes.NewReader([]byte{}), hugofs.Source())
 	if err != nil {
 		jww.FATAL.Fatalln(err)
 	}
@@ -287,7 +287,7 @@ min_version = 0.15
   repo = ""
 `)
 
-	err = helpers.WriteToDisk(filepath.Join(inpath, "theme.toml"), bytes.NewReader(by), hugofs.SourceFs)
+	err = helpers.WriteToDisk(filepath.Join(inpath, "theme.toml"), bytes.NewReader(by), hugofs.Source())
 	if err != nil {
 		return
 	}
@@ -321,7 +321,7 @@ func createConfig(inpath string, kind string) (err error) {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	err = helpers.WriteToDisk(filepath.Join(inpath, "config."+kind), bytes.NewReader(by), hugofs.SourceFs)
+	err = helpers.WriteToDisk(filepath.Join(inpath, "config."+kind), bytes.NewReader(by), hugofs.Source())
 	if err != nil {
 		return
 	}
diff --git a/commands/new_test.go b/commands/new_test.go
index e74e9cfc..5991e181 100644
--- a/commands/new_test.go
+++ b/commands/new_test.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright 2015 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Copyright 2016 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
 //
 // Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 // you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@ import (
 	"path/filepath"
 	"testing"
 
-	"github.com/spf13/afero"
 	"github.com/spf13/hugo/hugofs"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 )
@@ -41,14 +40,14 @@ func checkNewSiteInited(basepath string, t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	for _, path := range paths {
-		_, err := hugofs.SourceFs.Stat(path)
+		_, err := hugofs.Source().Stat(path)
 		assert.Nil(t, err)
 	}
 }
 
 func TestDoNewSite(t *testing.T) {
 	basepath := filepath.Join(os.TempDir(), "blog")
-	hugofs.SourceFs = new(afero.MemMapFs)
+	hugofs.InitMemFs()
 	err := doNewSite(basepath, false)
 	assert.Nil(t, err)
 
@@ -57,17 +56,17 @@ func TestDoNewSite(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestDoNewSite_noerror_base_exists_but_empty(t *testing.T) {
 	basepath := filepath.Join(os.TempDir(), "blog")
-	hugofs.SourceFs = new(afero.MemMapFs)
-	hugofs.SourceFs.MkdirAll(basepath, 777)
+	hugofs.InitMemFs()
+	hugofs.Source().MkdirAll(basepath, 777)
 	err := doNewSite(basepath, false)
 	assert.Nil(t, err)
 }
 
 func TestDoNewSite_error_base_exists(t *testing.T) {
 	basepath := filepath.Join(os.TempDir(), "blog")
-	hugofs.SourceFs = new(afero.MemMapFs)
-	hugofs.SourceFs.MkdirAll(basepath, 777)
-	hugofs.SourceFs.Create(filepath.Join(basepath, "foo"))
+	hugofs.InitMemFs()
+	hugofs.Source().MkdirAll(basepath, 777)
+	hugofs.Source().Create(filepath.Join(basepath, "foo"))
 	// Since the directory already exists and isn't empty, expect an error
 	err := doNewSite(basepath, false)
 	assert.NotNil(t, err)
@@ -75,8 +74,8 @@ func TestDoNewSite_error_base_exists(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestDoNewSite_force_empty_dir(t *testing.T) {
 	basepath := filepath.Join(os.TempDir(), "blog")
-	hugofs.SourceFs = new(afero.MemMapFs)
-	hugofs.SourceFs.MkdirAll(basepath, 777)
+	hugofs.InitMemFs()
+	hugofs.Source().MkdirAll(basepath, 777)
 	err := doNewSite(basepath, true)
 	assert.Nil(t, err)
 
@@ -86,8 +85,8 @@ func TestDoNewSite_force_empty_dir(t *testing.T) {
 func TestDoNewSite_error_force_dir_inside_exists(t *testing.T) {
 	basepath := filepath.Join(os.TempDir(), "blog")
 	contentPath := filepath.Join(basepath, "content")
-	hugofs.SourceFs = new(afero.MemMapFs)
-	hugofs.SourceFs.MkdirAll(contentPath, 777)
+	hugofs.InitMemFs()
+	hugofs.Source().MkdirAll(contentPath, 777)
 	err := doNewSite(basepath, true)
 	assert.NotNil(t, err)
 }
@@ -95,9 +94,9 @@ func TestDoNewSite_error_force_dir_inside_exists(t *testing.T) {
 func TestDoNewSite_error_force_config_inside_exists(t *testing.T) {
 	basepath := filepath.Join(os.TempDir(), "blog")
 	configPath := filepath.Join(basepath, "config.toml")
-	hugofs.SourceFs = new(afero.MemMapFs)
-	hugofs.SourceFs.MkdirAll(basepath, 777)
-	hugofs.SourceFs.Create(configPath)
+	hugofs.InitMemFs()
+	hugofs.Source().MkdirAll(basepath, 777)
+	hugofs.Source().Create(configPath)
 	err := doNewSite(basepath, true)
 	assert.NotNil(t, err)
 }
diff --git a/commands/server.go b/commands/server.go
index 124541b9..345d2dec 100644
--- a/commands/server.go
+++ b/commands/server.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright 2015 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Copyright 2016 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
 //
 // Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 // you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -152,7 +152,7 @@ func server(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 
 	// Hugo writes the output to memory instead of the disk
 	if !renderToDisk {
-		hugofs.DestinationFS = new(afero.MemMapFs)
+		hugofs.SetDestination(new(afero.MemMapFs))
 		// Rendering to memoryFS, publish to Root regardless of publishDir.
 		viper.Set("PublishDir", "/")
 	}
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ func serve(port int) {
 		jww.FEEDBACK.Println("Serving pages from memory")
 	}
 
-	httpFs := afero.NewHttpFs(hugofs.DestinationFS)
+	httpFs := afero.NewHttpFs(hugofs.Destination())
 	fs := filesOnlyFs{httpFs.Dir(helpers.AbsPathify(viper.GetString("PublishDir")))}
 	fileserver := http.FileServer(fs)
 
diff --git a/create/content_test.go b/create/content_test.go
index f0b3de1a..0ccbd03e 100644
--- a/create/content_test.go
+++ b/create/content_test.go
@@ -44,19 +44,19 @@ func TestNewContent(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	for i, c := range cases {
-		err = create.NewContent(hugofs.SourceFs, c.kind, c.path)
+		err = create.NewContent(hugofs.Source(), c.kind, c.path)
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Errorf("[%d] NewContent: %s", i, err)
 		}
 
 		fname := filepath.Join(os.TempDir(), "content", filepath.FromSlash(c.path))
-		_, err = hugofs.SourceFs.Stat(fname)
+		_, err = hugofs.Source().Stat(fname)
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Errorf("[%d] Stat: %s", i, err)
 		}
 
 		for _, v := range c.resultStrings {
-			found, err := afero.FileContainsBytes(hugofs.SourceFs, fname, []byte(v))
+			found, err := afero.FileContainsBytes(hugofs.Source(), fname, []byte(v))
 			if err != nil {
 				t.Errorf("[%d] FileContainsBytes: %s", i, err)
 			}
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ func initViper() {
 }
 
 func initFs() error {
-	hugofs.SourceFs = new(afero.MemMapFs)
+	hugofs.SetSource(new(afero.MemMapFs))
 	perm := os.FileMode(0755)
 	var err error
 
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ func initFs() error {
 	}
 	for _, dir := range dirs {
 		dir = filepath.Join(os.TempDir(), dir)
-		err = hugofs.SourceFs.Mkdir(dir, perm)
+		err = hugofs.Source().Mkdir(dir, perm)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ func initFs() error {
 			content: "+++\n+++\n",
 		},
 	} {
-		f, err := hugofs.SourceFs.Create(v.path)
+		f, err := hugofs.Source().Create(v.path)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
diff --git a/docs/content/templates/functions.md b/docs/content/templates/functions.md
index b271e33e..fe0f2e25 100644
--- a/docs/content/templates/functions.md
+++ b/docs/content/templates/functions.md
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ e.g. Pass into "foo.html" a map with the keys "important, content"
 or create a map on the fly to pass into 
 
     {{partial "foo" (dict "important" "Smiles" "content" "You should do more")}}
-    
+
 
 
 ### slice
@@ -336,6 +336,12 @@ e.g.
        {{ .Content }}
     {{ end }}
 
+## Files    
+### readFile
+Reads a file from disk and converts it into a string. Note that the filename must be relative to the current project working dir.
+ So, if you have a file with the name `README.txt` in the root of your project with the content `Hugo Rocks!`:
+ 
+ `{{readFile "README.txt"}}` → `"Hugo Rocks!"`
 
 ## Math
 
diff --git a/helpers/pygments.go b/helpers/pygments.go
index fe14ad49..637f61b1 100644
--- a/helpers/pygments.go
+++ b/helpers/pygments.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright 2015 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Copyright 2016 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
 //
 // Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 // you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ func Highlight(code, lang, optsStr string) string {
 	io.WriteString(hash, lang)
 	io.WriteString(hash, options)
 
-	fs := hugofs.OsFs
+	fs := hugofs.Os()
 
 	cacheDir := viper.GetString("CacheDir")
 	var cachefile string
diff --git a/hugofs/fs.go b/hugofs/fs.go
index 7807bf93..a3cb55ea 100644
--- a/hugofs/fs.go
+++ b/hugofs/fs.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright 2015 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Copyright 2016 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
 //
 // Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 // you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -13,8 +13,81 @@
 
 package hugofs
 
-import "github.com/spf13/afero"
+import (
+	"github.com/spf13/afero"
+	"github.com/spf13/viper"
+)
 
-var SourceFs afero.Fs = new(afero.OsFs)
-var DestinationFS afero.Fs = new(afero.OsFs)
-var OsFs afero.Fs = new(afero.OsFs)
+var (
+	sourceFs      afero.Fs
+	destinationFs afero.Fs
+	osFs          afero.Fs = &afero.OsFs{}
+	workingDirFs  *afero.BasePathFs
+)
+
+// Source returns Hugo's source file system.
+func Source() afero.Fs {
+	return sourceFs
+}
+
+// SetSource sets Hugo's source file system
+// and re-initializes dependent file systems.
+func SetSource(fs afero.Fs) {
+	sourceFs = fs
+	initSourceDependencies()
+}
+
+// Destination returns Hugo's destionation file system.
+func Destination() afero.Fs {
+	return destinationFs
+}
+
+// SetDestination sets Hugo's destionation file system
+func SetDestination(fs afero.Fs) {
+	destinationFs = fs
+}
+
+// Os returns an OS file system.
+func Os() afero.Fs {
+	return osFs
+}
+
+// WorkingDir returns a read-only file system
+// restricted to the project working dir.
+func WorkingDir() *afero.BasePathFs {
+	return workingDirFs
+}
+
+// InitFs initializes with the OS file system
+// as source and destination file systems.
+func InitDefaultFs() {
+	InitFs(&afero.OsFs{})
+}
+
+// InitMemFs initializes with a MemMapFs as source and destination file systems.
+// Useful for testing.
+func InitMemFs() {
+	InitFs(&afero.MemMapFs{})
+}
+
+// InitFs initializes with the given file system
+// as source and destination file systems.
+func InitFs(fs afero.Fs) {
+	sourceFs = fs
+	destinationFs = fs
+
+	initSourceDependencies()
+}
+
+func initSourceDependencies() {
+	workingDir := viper.GetString("WorkingDir")
+
+	if workingDir != "" {
+		workingDirFs = afero.NewBasePathFs(afero.NewReadOnlyFs(sourceFs), workingDir).(*afero.BasePathFs)
+	}
+
+}
+
+func init() {
+	InitDefaultFs()
+}
diff --git a/hugofs/fs_test.go b/hugofs/fs_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..06d63a78
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hugofs/fs_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+// Copyright 2016 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+// http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+package hugofs
+
+import (
+	"github.com/spf13/afero"
+	"github.com/spf13/viper"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestInitDefault(t *testing.T) {
+	viper.Reset()
+	defer viper.Reset()
+
+	InitDefaultFs()
+
+	assert.IsType(t, new(afero.OsFs), Source())
+	assert.IsType(t, new(afero.OsFs), Destination())
+	assert.IsType(t, new(afero.OsFs), Os())
+	assert.Nil(t, WorkingDir())
+}
+
+func TestInitMemFs(t *testing.T) {
+	viper.Reset()
+	defer viper.Reset()
+
+	InitMemFs()
+
+	assert.IsType(t, new(afero.MemMapFs), Source())
+	assert.IsType(t, new(afero.MemMapFs), Destination())
+	assert.IsType(t, new(afero.OsFs), Os())
+	assert.Nil(t, WorkingDir())
+}
+
+func TestSetSource(t *testing.T) {
+
+	InitMemFs()
+
+	SetSource(new(afero.OsFs))
+	assert.IsType(t, new(afero.OsFs), Source())
+}
+
+func TestSetDestination(t *testing.T) {
+
+	InitMemFs()
+
+	SetDestination(new(afero.OsFs))
+	assert.IsType(t, new(afero.OsFs), Destination())
+}
+
+func TestWorkingDir(t *testing.T) {
+	viper.Reset()
+	defer viper.Reset()
+
+	viper.Set("WorkingDir", "/a/b/")
+
+	InitMemFs()
+
+	assert.IsType(t, new(afero.BasePathFs), WorkingDir())
+}
diff --git a/hugolib/handler_test.go b/hugolib/handler_test.go
index df5b970c..29b1161e 100644
--- a/hugolib/handler_test.go
+++ b/hugolib/handler_test.go
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@ import (
 	"path/filepath"
 	"testing"
 
-	"github.com/spf13/afero"
 	"github.com/spf13/hugo/helpers"
 	"github.com/spf13/hugo/hugofs"
 	"github.com/spf13/hugo/source"
@@ -29,7 +28,7 @@ func TestDefaultHandler(t *testing.T) {
 	viper.Reset()
 	defer viper.Reset()
 
-	hugofs.DestinationFS = new(afero.MemMapFs)
+	hugofs.InitMemFs()
 	sources := []source.ByteSource{
 		{filepath.FromSlash("sect/doc1.html"), []byte("---\nmarkup: markdown\n---\n# title\nsome *content*")},
 		{filepath.FromSlash("sect/doc2.html"), []byte("<!doctype html><html><body>more content</body></html>")},
@@ -75,7 +74,7 @@ func TestDefaultHandler(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	for _, test := range tests {
-		file, err := hugofs.DestinationFS.Open(test.doc)
+		file, err := hugofs.Destination().Open(test.doc)
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Fatalf("Did not find %s in target.", test.doc)
 		}
diff --git a/hugolib/menu_test.go b/hugolib/menu_test.go
index 609a87d0..aaa172eb 100644
--- a/hugolib/menu_test.go
+++ b/hugolib/menu_test.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright 2015 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Copyright 2016 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
 //
 // Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 // you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/BurntSushi/toml"
 	"github.com/kr/pretty"
-	"github.com/spf13/afero"
 	"github.com/spf13/hugo/hugofs"
 	"github.com/spf13/hugo/source"
 	"github.com/spf13/viper"
@@ -684,7 +683,7 @@ func setupMenuTests(t *testing.T, pageSources []source.ByteSource) *Site {
 }
 
 func createTestSite(pageSources []source.ByteSource) *Site {
-	hugofs.DestinationFS = new(afero.MemMapFs)
+	hugofs.InitMemFs()
 
 	s := &Site{
 		Source: &source.InMemorySource{ByteSource: pageSources},
diff --git a/hugolib/page.go b/hugolib/page.go
index a2b4d311..3d1b4873 100644
--- a/hugolib/page.go
+++ b/hugolib/page.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright 2015 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Copyright 2016 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
 //
 // Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 // you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -890,9 +890,9 @@ func (p *Page) saveSource(by []byte, inpath string, safe bool) (err error) {
 	jww.INFO.Println("creating", inpath)
 
 	if safe {
-		err = helpers.SafeWriteToDisk(inpath, bytes.NewReader(by), hugofs.SourceFs)
+		err = helpers.SafeWriteToDisk(inpath, bytes.NewReader(by), hugofs.Source())
 	} else {
-		err = helpers.WriteToDisk(inpath, bytes.NewReader(by), hugofs.SourceFs)
+		err = helpers.WriteToDisk(inpath, bytes.NewReader(by), hugofs.Source())
 	}
 	if err != nil {
 		return
diff --git a/hugolib/robotstxt_test.go b/hugolib/robotstxt_test.go
index 31f89b84..b0a843a7 100644
--- a/hugolib/robotstxt_test.go
+++ b/hugolib/robotstxt_test.go
@@ -1,10 +1,22 @@
+// Copyright 2016 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+// http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
 package hugolib
 
 import (
 	"bytes"
 	"testing"
 
-	"github.com/spf13/afero"
 	"github.com/spf13/hugo/helpers"
 	"github.com/spf13/hugo/hugofs"
 	"github.com/spf13/hugo/source"
@@ -21,7 +33,7 @@ func TestRobotsTXTOutput(t *testing.T) {
 	viper.Reset()
 	defer viper.Reset()
 
-	hugofs.DestinationFS = new(afero.MemMapFs)
+	hugofs.InitMemFs()
 
 	viper.Set("baseurl", "http://auth/bub/")
 
@@ -53,7 +65,7 @@ func TestRobotsTXTOutput(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("Unable to RenderRobotsTXT :%s", err)
 	}
 
-	robotsFile, err := hugofs.DestinationFS.Open("robots.txt")
+	robotsFile, err := hugofs.Destination().Open("robots.txt")
 
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("Unable to locate: robots.txt")
diff --git a/hugolib/rss_test.go b/hugolib/rss_test.go
index b8a16665..e42202a5 100644
--- a/hugolib/rss_test.go
+++ b/hugolib/rss_test.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright 2015 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Copyright 2016 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
 //
 // Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 // you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@ import (
 	"bytes"
 	"testing"
 
-	"github.com/spf13/afero"
 	"github.com/spf13/hugo/helpers"
 	"github.com/spf13/hugo/hugofs"
 	"github.com/spf13/hugo/source"
@@ -53,7 +52,7 @@ func TestRSSOutput(t *testing.T) {
 	viper.Set("baseurl", "http://auth/bub/")
 	viper.Set("RSSUri", rssURI)
 
-	hugofs.DestinationFS = new(afero.MemMapFs)
+	hugofs.InitMemFs()
 	s := &Site{
 		Source: &source.InMemorySource{ByteSource: WEIGHTED_SOURCES},
 	}
@@ -72,7 +71,7 @@ func TestRSSOutput(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("Unable to RenderHomePage: %s", err)
 	}
 
-	file, err := hugofs.DestinationFS.Open(rssURI)
+	file, err := hugofs.Destination().Open(rssURI)
 
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("Unable to locate: %s", rssURI)
diff --git a/hugolib/shortcode_test.go b/hugolib/shortcode_test.go
index 833cdae9..ab764b84 100644
--- a/hugolib/shortcode_test.go
+++ b/hugolib/shortcode_test.go
@@ -487,7 +487,7 @@ e`,
 	createAndRenderPages(t, s)
 
 	for _, test := range tests {
-		file, err := hugofs.DestinationFS.Open(test.outFile)
+		file, err := hugofs.Destination().Open(test.outFile)
 
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Fatalf("Did not find %s in target: %s", test.outFile, err)
diff --git a/hugolib/site.go b/hugolib/site.go
index b1c5090f..19262805 100644
--- a/hugolib/site.go
+++ b/hugolib/site.go
@@ -529,7 +529,7 @@ func (s *Site) ReBuild(events []fsnotify.Event) error {
 		// it's been updated
 		if ev.Op&fsnotify.Rename == fsnotify.Rename {
 			// If the file is still on disk, it's only been updated, if it's not, it's been moved
-			if ex, err := afero.Exists(hugofs.SourceFs, ev.Name); !ex || err != nil {
+			if ex, err := afero.Exists(hugofs.Source(), ev.Name); !ex || err != nil {
 				path, _ := helpers.GetRelativePath(ev.Name, s.absContentDir())
 				s.RemovePageByPath(path)
 				continue
@@ -852,7 +852,7 @@ func (s *Site) absPublishDir() string {
 }
 
 func (s *Site) checkDirectories() (err error) {
-	if b, _ := helpers.DirExists(s.absContentDir(), hugofs.SourceFs); !b {
+	if b, _ := helpers.DirExists(s.absContentDir(), hugofs.Source()); !b {
 		return fmt.Errorf("No source directory found, expecting to find it at " + s.absContentDir())
 	}
 	return
diff --git a/hugolib/site_test.go b/hugolib/site_test.go
index d96db432..1173d0f3 100644
--- a/hugolib/site_test.go
+++ b/hugolib/site_test.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright 2015 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Copyright 2016 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
 //
 // Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 // you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@ import (
 
 	"bitbucket.org/pkg/inflect"
 
-	"github.com/spf13/afero"
 	"github.com/spf13/hugo/helpers"
 	"github.com/spf13/hugo/hugofs"
 	"github.com/spf13/hugo/source"
@@ -200,7 +199,7 @@ func TestRenderThingOrDefault(t *testing.T) {
 		{false, TEMPLATE_FUNC, HTML("simple-template")},
 	}
 
-	hugofs.DestinationFS = new(afero.MemMapFs)
+	hugofs.InitMemFs()
 
 	for i, test := range tests {
 
@@ -226,7 +225,7 @@ func TestRenderThingOrDefault(t *testing.T) {
 			t.Errorf("Unable to render html: %s", err)
 		}
 
-		file, err := hugofs.DestinationFS.Open(filepath.FromSlash("out/index.html"))
+		file, err := hugofs.Destination().Open(filepath.FromSlash("out/index.html"))
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Errorf("Unable to open html: %s", err)
 		}
@@ -240,7 +239,7 @@ func TestDraftAndFutureRender(t *testing.T) {
 	viper.Reset()
 	defer viper.Reset()
 
-	hugofs.DestinationFS = new(afero.MemMapFs)
+	hugofs.InitMemFs()
 	sources := []source.ByteSource{
 		{filepath.FromSlash("sect/doc1.md"), []byte("---\ntitle: doc1\ndraft: true\npublishdate: \"2414-05-29\"\n---\n# doc1\n*some content*")},
 		{filepath.FromSlash("sect/doc2.md"), []byte("---\ntitle: doc2\ndraft: true\npublishdate: \"2012-05-29\"\n---\n# doc2\n*some content*")},
@@ -299,7 +298,7 @@ func TestDraftAndFutureRender(t *testing.T) {
 
 // Issue #957
 func TestCrossrefs(t *testing.T) {
-	hugofs.DestinationFS = new(afero.MemMapFs)
+	hugofs.InitMemFs()
 	for _, uglyURLs := range []bool{true, false} {
 		for _, relative := range []bool{true, false} {
 			doTestCrossrefs(t, relative, uglyURLs)
@@ -374,7 +373,7 @@ THE END.`, refShortcode))},
 	}
 
 	for _, test := range tests {
-		file, err := hugofs.DestinationFS.Open(test.doc)
+		file, err := hugofs.Destination().Open(test.doc)
 
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Fatalf("Did not find %s in target: %s", test.doc, err)
@@ -392,7 +391,7 @@ THE END.`, refShortcode))},
 // Issue #939
 // Issue #1923
 func TestShouldAlwaysHaveUglyURLs(t *testing.T) {
-	hugofs.DestinationFS = new(afero.MemMapFs)
+	hugofs.InitMemFs()
 	for _, uglyURLs := range []bool{true, false} {
 		doTestShouldAlwaysHaveUglyURLs(t, uglyURLs)
 	}
@@ -462,7 +461,7 @@ func doTestShouldAlwaysHaveUglyURLs(t *testing.T, uglyURLs bool) {
 	}
 
 	for _, test := range tests {
-		file, err := hugofs.DestinationFS.Open(test.doc)
+		file, err := hugofs.Destination().Open(test.doc)
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Fatalf("Did not find %s in target: %s", test.doc, err)
 		}
@@ -489,7 +488,7 @@ func TestSectionNaming(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func doTestSectionNaming(t *testing.T, canonify, uglify, pluralize bool) {
-	hugofs.DestinationFS = new(afero.MemMapFs)
+	hugofs.InitMemFs()
 	viper.Reset()
 	defer viper.Reset()
 	viper.Set("baseurl", "http://auth/sub/")
@@ -539,7 +538,7 @@ func doTestSectionNaming(t *testing.T, canonify, uglify, pluralize bool) {
 	}
 
 	for _, test := range tests {
-		file, err := hugofs.DestinationFS.Open(test.doc)
+		file, err := hugofs.Destination().Open(test.doc)
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Fatalf("Did not find %s in target: %s", test.doc, err)
 		}
@@ -560,7 +559,7 @@ func TestSkipRender(t *testing.T) {
 	viper.Reset()
 	defer viper.Reset()
 
-	hugofs.DestinationFS = new(afero.MemMapFs)
+	hugofs.InitMemFs()
 	sources := []source.ByteSource{
 		{filepath.FromSlash("sect/doc1.html"), []byte("---\nmarkup: markdown\n---\n# title\nsome *content*")},
 		{filepath.FromSlash("sect/doc2.html"), []byte("<!doctype html><html><body>more content</body></html>")},
@@ -605,7 +604,7 @@ func TestSkipRender(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	for _, test := range tests {
-		file, err := hugofs.DestinationFS.Open(test.doc)
+		file, err := hugofs.Destination().Open(test.doc)
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Fatalf("Did not find %s in target.", test.doc)
 		}
@@ -624,7 +623,7 @@ func TestAbsURLify(t *testing.T) {
 
 	viper.Set("DefaultExtension", "html")
 
-	hugofs.DestinationFS = new(afero.MemMapFs)
+	hugofs.InitMemFs()
 	sources := []source.ByteSource{
 		{filepath.FromSlash("sect/doc1.html"), []byte("<!doctype html><html><head></head><body><a href=\"#frag1\">link</a></body></html>")},
 		{filepath.FromSlash("content/blue/doc2.html"), []byte("---\nf: t\n---\n<!doctype html><html><body>more content</body></html>")},
@@ -662,7 +661,7 @@ func TestAbsURLify(t *testing.T) {
 
 		for _, test := range tests {
 
-			file, err := hugofs.DestinationFS.Open(filepath.FromSlash(test.file))
+			file, err := hugofs.Destination().Open(filepath.FromSlash(test.file))
 			if err != nil {
 				t.Fatalf("Unable to locate rendered content: %s", test.file)
 			}
@@ -730,7 +729,7 @@ func TestOrderedPages(t *testing.T) {
 	viper.Reset()
 	defer viper.Reset()
 
-	hugofs.DestinationFS = new(afero.MemMapFs)
+	hugofs.InitMemFs()
 
 	viper.Set("baseurl", "http://auth/bub")
 	s := &Site{
@@ -804,7 +803,7 @@ func TestGroupedPages(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}()
 
-	hugofs.DestinationFS = new(afero.MemMapFs)
+	hugofs.InitMemFs()
 
 	viper.Set("baseurl", "http://auth/bub")
 	s := &Site{
@@ -984,7 +983,7 @@ func TestWeightedTaxonomies(t *testing.T) {
 	viper.Reset()
 	defer viper.Reset()
 
-	hugofs.DestinationFS = new(afero.MemMapFs)
+	hugofs.InitMemFs()
 	sources := []source.ByteSource{
 		{filepath.FromSlash("sect/doc1.md"), PAGE_WITH_WEIGHTED_TAXONOMIES_1},
 		{filepath.FromSlash("sect/doc2.md"), PAGE_WITH_WEIGHTED_TAXONOMIES_2},
@@ -1039,7 +1038,7 @@ func findPage(site *Site, f string) *Page {
 }
 
 func setupLinkingMockSite(t *testing.T) *Site {
-	hugofs.DestinationFS = new(afero.MemMapFs)
+	hugofs.InitMemFs()
 	sources := []source.ByteSource{
 		{filepath.FromSlash("index.md"), []byte("")},
 		{filepath.FromSlash("rootfile.md"), []byte("")},
diff --git a/hugolib/site_url_test.go b/hugolib/site_url_test.go
index 2bccd99a..c4c918c8 100644
--- a/hugolib/site_url_test.go
+++ b/hugolib/site_url_test.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright 2015 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Copyright 2016 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
 //
 // Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 // you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@ import (
 
 	"html/template"
 
-	"github.com/spf13/afero"
 	"github.com/spf13/hugo/hugofs"
 	"github.com/spf13/hugo/source"
 	"github.com/spf13/hugo/target"
@@ -88,7 +87,7 @@ func TestPageCount(t *testing.T) {
 	viper.Reset()
 	defer viper.Reset()
 
-	hugofs.DestinationFS = new(afero.MemMapFs)
+	hugofs.InitMemFs()
 
 	viper.Set("uglyurls", false)
 	viper.Set("paginate", 10)
@@ -113,7 +112,7 @@ func TestPageCount(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("Unable to render site lists: %s", err)
 	}
 
-	_, err := hugofs.DestinationFS.Open("blue")
+	_, err := hugofs.Destination().Open("blue")
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Errorf("No indexed rendered.")
 	}
@@ -129,7 +128,7 @@ func TestPageCount(t *testing.T) {
 		"sd3/index.html",
 		"sd4.html",
 	} {
-		if _, err := hugofs.DestinationFS.Open(filepath.FromSlash(s)); err != nil {
+		if _, err := hugofs.Destination().Open(filepath.FromSlash(s)); err != nil {
 			t.Errorf("No alias rendered: %s", s)
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/hugolib/sitemap_test.go b/hugolib/sitemap_test.go
index 34f2d347..3f10bbcd 100644
--- a/hugolib/sitemap_test.go
+++ b/hugolib/sitemap_test.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright 2015 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Copyright 2016 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
 //
 // Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 // you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@ import (
 	"bytes"
 	"testing"
 
-	"github.com/spf13/afero"
 	"github.com/spf13/hugo/helpers"
 	"github.com/spf13/hugo/hugofs"
 	"github.com/spf13/hugo/source"
@@ -40,7 +39,7 @@ func TestSitemapOutput(t *testing.T) {
 	viper.Reset()
 	defer viper.Reset()
 
-	hugofs.DestinationFS = new(afero.MemMapFs)
+	hugofs.InitMemFs()
 
 	viper.Set("baseurl", "http://auth/bub/")
 
@@ -72,7 +71,7 @@ func TestSitemapOutput(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("Unable to RenderRobotsTXT :%s", err)
 	}
 
-	sitemapFile, err := hugofs.DestinationFS.Open("sitemap.xml")
+	sitemapFile, err := hugofs.Destination().Open("sitemap.xml")
 
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("Unable to locate: sitemap.xml")
diff --git a/source/filesystem.go b/source/filesystem.go
index 053081a7..0ce5808d 100644
--- a/source/filesystem.go
+++ b/source/filesystem.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright 2015 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Copyright 2016 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
 //
 // Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 // you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ func (f *Filesystem) captureFiles() {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	err := helpers.SymbolicWalk(hugofs.SourceFs, f.Base, walker)
+	err := helpers.SymbolicWalk(hugofs.Source(), f.Base, walker)
 
 	if err != nil {
 		jww.ERROR.Println(err)
diff --git a/target/file.go b/target/file.go
index 41fa0025..740741bb 100644
--- a/target/file.go
+++ b/target/file.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright 2015 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Copyright 2016 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
 //
 // Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 // you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ func (fs *Filesystem) Publish(path string, r io.Reader) (err error) {
 		return
 	}
 
-	return helpers.WriteToDisk(translated, r, hugofs.DestinationFS)
+	return helpers.WriteToDisk(translated, r, hugofs.Destination())
 }
 
 func (fs *Filesystem) Translate(src string) (dest string, err error) {
diff --git a/target/htmlredirect.go b/target/htmlredirect.go
index b5b47a88..1e2abec4 100644
--- a/target/htmlredirect.go
+++ b/target/htmlredirect.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright 2015 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Copyright 2016 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
 //
 // Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 // you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -144,5 +144,5 @@ func (h *HTMLRedirectAlias) Publish(path string, permalink string) (err error) {
 		return
 	}
 
-	return helpers.WriteToDisk(path, buffer, hugofs.DestinationFS)
+	return helpers.WriteToDisk(path, buffer, hugofs.Destination())
 }
diff --git a/target/page.go b/target/page.go
index 9e7efdb6..d67d678f 100644
--- a/target/page.go
+++ b/target/page.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright 2015 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Copyright 2016 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
 //
 // Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 // you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ func (pp *PagePub) Publish(path string, r io.Reader) (err error) {
 		return
 	}
 
-	return helpers.WriteToDisk(translated, r, hugofs.DestinationFS)
+	return helpers.WriteToDisk(translated, r, hugofs.Destination())
 }
 
 func (pp *PagePub) Translate(src string) (dest string, err error) {
diff --git a/tpl/template.go b/tpl/template.go
index 9266fc8d..7fad9591 100644
--- a/tpl/template.go
+++ b/tpl/template.go
@@ -235,7 +235,7 @@ func (t *GoHTMLTemplate) AddTemplateFileWithMaster(name, overlayFilename, master
 	masterTpl := t.Lookup(masterFilename)
 
 	if masterTpl == nil {
-		b, err := afero.ReadFile(hugofs.SourceFs, masterFilename)
+		b, err := afero.ReadFile(hugofs.Source(), masterFilename)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
@@ -248,7 +248,7 @@ func (t *GoHTMLTemplate) AddTemplateFileWithMaster(name, overlayFilename, master
 		}
 	}
 
-	b, err := afero.ReadFile(hugofs.SourceFs, overlayFilename)
+	b, err := afero.ReadFile(hugofs.Source(), overlayFilename)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -309,14 +309,14 @@ func (t *GoHTMLTemplate) AddTemplateFile(name, baseTemplatePath, path string) er
 		}
 	case ".ace":
 		var innerContent, baseContent []byte
-		innerContent, err := afero.ReadFile(hugofs.SourceFs, path)
+		innerContent, err := afero.ReadFile(hugofs.Source(), path)
 
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 
 		if baseTemplatePath != "" {
-			baseContent, err = afero.ReadFile(hugofs.SourceFs, baseTemplatePath)
+			baseContent, err = afero.ReadFile(hugofs.Source(), baseTemplatePath)
 			if err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
@@ -329,7 +329,7 @@ func (t *GoHTMLTemplate) AddTemplateFile(name, baseTemplatePath, path string) er
 			return t.AddTemplateFileWithMaster(name, path, baseTemplatePath)
 		}
 
-		b, err := afero.ReadFile(hugofs.SourceFs, path)
+		b, err := afero.ReadFile(hugofs.Source(), path)
 
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
@@ -414,7 +414,7 @@ func (t *GoHTMLTemplate) loadTemplates(absPath string, prefix string) {
 
 				// This may be a view that shouldn't have base template
 				// Have to look inside it to make sure
-				needsBase, err := helpers.FileContainsAny(path, innerMarkers, hugofs.OsFs)
+				needsBase, err := helpers.FileContainsAny(path, innerMarkers, hugofs.Os())
 				if err != nil {
 					return err
 				}
@@ -442,7 +442,7 @@ func (t *GoHTMLTemplate) loadTemplates(absPath string, prefix string) {
 					}
 
 					for _, pathToCheck := range pathsToCheck {
-						if ok, err := helpers.Exists(pathToCheck, hugofs.OsFs); err == nil && ok {
+						if ok, err := helpers.Exists(pathToCheck, hugofs.Os()); err == nil && ok {
 							baseTemplatePath = pathToCheck
 							break
 						}
diff --git a/tpl/template_funcs.go b/tpl/template_funcs.go
index 5fb496c1..8abd70b8 100644
--- a/tpl/template_funcs.go
+++ b/tpl/template_funcs.go
@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@ import (
 	"encoding/json"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"github.com/spf13/afero"
+	"github.com/spf13/hugo/hugofs"
 	"html"
 	"html/template"
 	"math/rand"
@@ -1467,6 +1469,38 @@ func index(item interface{}, indices ...interface{}) (interface{}, error) {
 	return v.Interface(), nil
 }
 
+// readFile reads the file named by filename relative to the given basepath
+// and returns the contents as a string.
+// There is a upper size limit set at 1 megabytes.
+func readFile(fs *afero.BasePathFs, filename string) (string, error) {
+	if filename == "" {
+		return "", errors.New("readFile needs a filename")
+	}
+
+	if info, err := fs.Stat(filename); err == nil {
+		if info.Size() > 1000000 {
+			return "", fmt.Errorf("File %q is too big", filename)
+		}
+	} else {
+		return "", err
+	}
+	b, err := afero.ReadFile(fs, filename)
+
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+
+	return string(b), nil
+}
+
+// readFileFromWorkingDir reads the file named by filename relative to the
+// configured WorkingDir.
+// It returns the contents as a string.
+// There is a upper size limit set at 1 megabytes.
+func readFileFromWorkingDir(i interface{}) (string, error) {
+	return readFile(hugofs.WorkingDir(), cast.ToString(i))
+}
+
 // safeHTMLAttr returns a given string as html/template HTMLAttr content.
 //
 // safeHTMLAttr is currently disabled, pending further discussion
@@ -1689,6 +1723,7 @@ func init() {
 		"plainify":     plainify,
 		"pluralize":    pluralize,
 		"readDir":      readDir,
+		"readFile":     readFileFromWorkingDir,
 		"ref":          ref,
 		"relURL":       func(a string) template.HTML { return template.HTML(helpers.RelURL(a)) },
 		"relref":       relRef,
diff --git a/tpl/template_funcs_test.go b/tpl/template_funcs_test.go
index 77cd52a3..efb58386 100644
--- a/tpl/template_funcs_test.go
+++ b/tpl/template_funcs_test.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright 2015 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Copyright 2016 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
 //
 // Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 // you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -18,18 +18,20 @@ import (
 	"encoding/base64"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"github.com/spf13/afero"
+	"github.com/spf13/cast"
+	"github.com/spf13/hugo/hugofs"
+	"github.com/spf13/viper"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 	"html/template"
 	"math/rand"
 	"path"
+	"path/filepath"
 	"reflect"
 	"runtime"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
-
-	"github.com/spf13/cast"
-	"github.com/spf13/viper"
-	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 )
 
 type tstNoStringer struct {
@@ -63,6 +65,15 @@ func TestFuncsInTemplate(t *testing.T) {
 	viper.Reset()
 	defer viper.Reset()
 
+	workingDir := "/home/hugo"
+
+	viper.Set("WorkingDir", workingDir)
+
+	fs := &afero.MemMapFs{}
+	hugofs.InitFs(fs)
+
+	afero.WriteFile(fs, filepath.Join(workingDir, "README.txt"), []byte("Hugo Rocks!"), 0755)
+
 	// Add the examples from the docs: As a smoke test and to make sure the examples work.
 	// TODO(bep): docs: fix title example
 	in :=
@@ -109,6 +120,7 @@ safeCSS: {{ "Bat&Man" | safeCSS | safeCSS }}
 safeURL: {{ "http://gohugo.io" | safeURL | safeURL }}
 safeJS: {{ "(1*2)" | safeJS | safeJS }}
 plainify: {{ plainify  "Hello <strong>world</strong>, gophers!" }}
+readFile: {{ readFile "README.txt" }}
 `
 	expected := `chomp: <p>Blockhead</p>
 dateFormat: Wednesday, Jan 21, 2015
@@ -153,6 +165,7 @@ safeCSS: Bat&amp;Man
 safeURL: http://gohugo.io
 safeJS: (1*2)
 plainify: Hello world, gophers!
+readFile: Hugo Rocks!
 `
 
 	var b bytes.Buffer
@@ -2182,3 +2195,44 @@ func TestSHA1(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+func TestReadFile(t *testing.T) {
+	viper.Reset()
+	defer viper.Reset()
+
+	workingDir := "/home/hugo"
+
+	viper.Set("WorkingDir", workingDir)
+
+	fs := &afero.MemMapFs{}
+	hugofs.InitFs(fs)
+
+	afero.WriteFile(fs, filepath.Join(workingDir, "/f/f1.txt"), []byte("f1-content"), 0755)
+	afero.WriteFile(fs, filepath.Join("/home", "f2.txt"), []byte("f2-content"), 0755)
+
+	for i, this := range []struct {
+		filename string
+		expect   interface{}
+	}{
+		{"", false},
+		{"b", false},
+		{filepath.FromSlash("/f/f1.txt"), "f1-content"},
+		{filepath.FromSlash("f/f1.txt"), "f1-content"},
+		{filepath.FromSlash("../f2.txt"), false},
+	} {
+		result, err := readFileFromWorkingDir(this.filename)
+		if b, ok := this.expect.(bool); ok && !b {
+			if err == nil {
+				t.Errorf("[%d] readFile didn't return an expected error", i)
+			}
+		} else {
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Errorf("[%d] readFile failed: %s", i, err)
+				continue
+			}
+			if result != this.expect {
+				t.Errorf("[%d] readFile got %q but expected %q", i, result, this.expect)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/tpl/template_resources.go b/tpl/template_resources.go
index 1c0655d2..0d0ea833 100644
--- a/tpl/template_resources.go
+++ b/tpl/template_resources.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright 2015 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Copyright 2016 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
 //
 // Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 // you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -177,9 +177,9 @@ func resGetResource(url string) ([]byte, error) {
 		return nil, nil
 	}
 	if strings.Contains(url, "://") {
-		return resGetRemote(url, hugofs.SourceFs, http.DefaultClient)
+		return resGetRemote(url, hugofs.Source(), http.DefaultClient)
 	}
-	return resGetLocal(url, hugofs.SourceFs)
+	return resGetLocal(url, hugofs.Source())
 }
 
 // getJSON expects one or n-parts of a URL to a resource which can either be a local or a remote one.
@@ -201,7 +201,7 @@ func getJSON(urlParts ...string) interface{} {
 			jww.ERROR.Printf("Cannot read json from resource %s with error message %s", url, err)
 			jww.ERROR.Printf("Retry #%d for %s and sleeping for %s", i, url, resSleep)
 			time.Sleep(resSleep)
-			resDeleteCache(url, hugofs.SourceFs)
+			resDeleteCache(url, hugofs.Source())
 			continue
 		}
 		break
@@ -234,7 +234,7 @@ func getCSV(sep string, urlParts ...string) [][]string {
 	var clearCacheSleep = func(i int, u string) {
 		jww.ERROR.Printf("Retry #%d for %s and sleeping for %s", i, url, resSleep)
 		time.Sleep(resSleep)
-		resDeleteCache(url, hugofs.SourceFs)
+		resDeleteCache(url, hugofs.Source())
 	}
 
 	for i := 0; i <= resRetries; i++ {
diff --git a/tpl/template_resources_test.go b/tpl/template_resources_test.go
index 8e3a9d1d..d091595b 100644
--- a/tpl/template_resources_test.go
+++ b/tpl/template_resources_test.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright 2015 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Copyright 2016 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
 //
 // Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 // you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -214,7 +214,7 @@ type wd struct {
 
 func testRetryWhenDone() wd {
 	cd := viper.GetString("CacheDir")
-	viper.Set("CacheDir", helpers.GetTempDir("", hugofs.SourceFs))
+	viper.Set("CacheDir", helpers.GetTempDir("", hugofs.Source()))
 	var tmpSleep time.Duration
 	tmpSleep, resSleep = resSleep, time.Millisecond
 	return wd{func() {
diff --git a/tpl/template_test.go b/tpl/template_test.go
index 9649a8fa..c96b8c87 100644
--- a/tpl/template_test.go
+++ b/tpl/template_test.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright 2015 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Copyright 2016 The Hugo Authors. All rights reserved.
 //
 // Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 // you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -123,17 +123,17 @@ func TestAddTemplateFileWithMaster(t *testing.T) {
 		{`tpl`, `{{.0.E}}`, 0, false},
 	} {
 
-		hugofs.SourceFs = afero.NewMemMapFs()
+		hugofs.InitMemFs()
 		templ := New()
 		overlayTplName := "ot"
 		masterTplName := "mt"
 		finalTplName := "tp"
 
 		if this.writeSkipper != 1 {
-			afero.WriteFile(hugofs.SourceFs, masterTplName, []byte(this.masterTplContent), 0644)
+			afero.WriteFile(hugofs.Source(), masterTplName, []byte(this.masterTplContent), 0644)
 		}
 		if this.writeSkipper != 2 {
-			afero.WriteFile(hugofs.SourceFs, overlayTplName, []byte(this.overlayTplContent), 0644)
+			afero.WriteFile(hugofs.Source(), overlayTplName, []byte(this.overlayTplContent), 0644)
 		}
 
 		err := templ.AddTemplateFileWithMaster(finalTplName, overlayTplName, masterTplName)