diff --git a/bootstrap b/bootstrap
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..13c6a623
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bootstrap
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+#! /bin/sh
+
+sh() {
+  /bin/sh -c "set -x; $*"
+}
+
+sh aclocal
+sh automake --foreign --include-deps
+sh autoconf
+
+echo
+echo You are now ready to run ./configure
+echo enjoy!