diff --git a/expire-channels.js b/expire-channels.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d64f3c349
--- /dev/null
+++ b/expire-channels.js
@@ -0,0 +1,93 @@
+var Fs = require("fs");
+var Path = require("path");
+
+var nThen = require("nthen");
+var config = require("./config");
+
+var root = Path.resolve(config.taskPath || './tasks');
+
+var dirs;
+var nt;
+
+var queue = function (f) {
+    nt = nt.nThen(f);
+};
+
+var tryParse = function (s) {
+    try { return JSON.parse(s); }
+    catch (e) { return null; }
+};
+
+var CURRENT = +new Date();
+
+var handleTask = function (str, path, cb) {
+    var task = tryParse(str);
+    if (!Array.isArray(task)) {
+        console.error('invalid task: not array');
+        return cb();
+    }
+    if (task.length < 2) {
+        console.error('invalid task: too small');
+        return cb();
+    }
+
+    var time = task[0];
+    var command = task[1];
+    var args = task.slice(2);
+
+    if (time > CURRENT) {
+        // not time for this task yet
+        console.log('not yet time');
+        return cb();
+    }
+
+    nThen(function () {
+        switch (command) {
+            case 'EXPIRE':
+                console.log("expiring: %s", args[0]);
+                // TODO actually remove the file...
+                break;
+            default:
+                console.log("unknown command", command);
+        }
+    }).nThen(function () {
+        // remove the file...
+        Fs.unlink(path, function (err) {
+            if (err) { console.error(err); }
+            cb();
+        });
+    });
+};
+
+nt = nThen(function (w) {
+    Fs.readdir(root, w(function (e, list) {
+        if (e) { throw e; }
+        dirs = list;
+    }));
+}).nThen(function () {
+    dirs.forEach(function (dir) {
+        queue(function (w) {
+            console.log('recursing into %s', dir);
+            Fs.readdir(Path.join(root, dir), w(function (e, list) {
+                list.forEach(function (fn) {
+                    queue(function (w) {
+                        var filePath = Path.join(root, dir, fn);
+                        var cb = w();
+
+                        console.log("processing file at %s", filePath);
+                        Fs.readFile(filePath, 'utf8', function (e, str) {
+                            if (e) {
+                                console.error(e);
+                                return void cb();
+                            }
+
+                            handleTask(str, filePath, cb);
+                        });
+                    });
+                });
+            }));
+        });
+    });
+});
+
+