diff --git a/repository/parallel.go b/repository/parallel.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0900b2213
--- /dev/null
+++ b/repository/parallel.go
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+package repository
+
+import (
+	"sync"
+
+	"github.com/restic/restic/backend"
+)
+
+func closeIfOpen(ch chan struct{}) {
+	// only close ch when it is not already closed, in which the case statement runs.
+	select {
+	case <-ch:
+		return
+	default:
+		close(ch)
+	}
+}
+
+// FilesInParallel runs n workers of f in parallel, on the IDs that
+// repo.List(t) yield. If f returns an error, the process is aborted and the
+// first error is returned.
+func FilesInParallel(repo backend.Lister, t backend.Type, n uint, f func(backend.ID) error) error {
+	done := make(chan struct{})
+	defer closeIfOpen(done)
+
+	wg := &sync.WaitGroup{}
+
+	ch := repo.List(t, done)
+
+	errors := make(chan error, n)
+
+	for i := 0; uint(i) < n; i++ {
+		wg.Add(1)
+		go func() {
+			defer wg.Done()
+
+			for {
+				select {
+				case item, ok := <-ch:
+					if !ok {
+						return
+					}
+
+					id, err := backend.ParseID(item)
+
+					if err == nil {
+						err = f(id)
+					}
+
+					if err != nil {
+						closeIfOpen(done)
+						errors <- err
+						return
+					}
+				case <-done:
+					return
+				}
+			}
+		}()
+	}
+
+	wg.Wait()
+
+	select {
+	case err := <-errors:
+		return err
+	default:
+		break
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/repository/parallel_test.go b/repository/parallel_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5220c1cf3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/repository/parallel_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,125 @@
+package repository_test
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"math/rand"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/restic/restic/backend"
+	"github.com/restic/restic/repository"
+	. "github.com/restic/restic/test"
+)
+
+type testIDs []string
+
+var lister = testIDs{
+	"40bb581cd36de952985c97a3ff6b21df41ee897d4db2040354caa36a17ff5268",
+	"2e15811a4d14ffac66d36a9ff456019d8de4c10c949d45b643f8477d17e92ff3",
+	"70c11b3ed521ad6b76d905c002ca98b361fca06aca060a063432c7311155a4da",
+	"8056a33e75dccdda701b6c989c7ed0cb71bbb6da13c6427fe5986f0896cc91c0",
+	"79d8776200596aa0237b10d470f7b850b86f8a1a80988ef5c8bee2874ce992e2",
+	"f9f1f29791c6b79b90b35efd083f17a3b163bbbafb1a2fdf43d46d56cffda289",
+	"3834178d05d0f6dd07f872ee0262ff1ace0f0f375768227d3c902b0b66591369",
+	"66d5cc68c9186414806f366ae5493ce7f229212993750a4992be4030f6af28c5",
+	"ebca5af4f397944f68cd215e3dfa2b197a7ba0f7c17d65d9f7390d0a15cde296",
+	"d4511ce6ff732d106275a57e40745c599e987c0da44c42cddbef592aac102437",
+	"f366202f0bfeefaedd7b49e2f21a90d3cbddb97d257a74d788dd34e19a684dae",
+	"a5c17728ab2433cd50636dd5c6c7068c7a44f2999d09c46e8f528466da8a059d",
+	"bae0f9492b9b208233029b87692a1a55cbd7fbe1cf3f6d7bc693ac266a6d6f0e",
+	"9d500187913c7510d71d1902703d312c7aaa56f1e98351385b9535fdabae595e",
+	"ffbddd8a4c1e54d258bb3e16d3929b546b61af63cb560b3e3061a8bef5b24552",
+	"201bb3abf655e7ef71e79ed4fb1079b0502b5acb4d9fad5e72a0de690c50a386",
+	"08eb57bbd559758ea96e99f9b7688c30e7b3bcf0c4562ff4535e2d8edeffaeed",
+	"e50b7223b04985ff38d9e11d1cba333896ef4264f82bd5d0653a028bce70e542",
+	"65a9421cd59cc7b7a71dcd9076136621af607fb4701d2e5c2af23b6396cf2f37",
+	"995a655b3521c19b4d0c266222266d89c8fc62889597d61f45f336091e646d57",
+	"51ec6f0bce77ed97df2dd7ae849338c3a8155a057da927eedd66e3d61be769ad",
+	"7b3923a0c0666431efecdbf6cb171295ec1710b6595eebcba3b576b49d13e214",
+	"2cedcc3d14698bea7e4b0546f7d5d48951dd90add59e6f2d44b693fd8913717d",
+	"fd6770cbd54858fdbd3d7b4239b985e5599180064d93ca873f27e86e8407d011",
+	"9edc51d8e6e04d05c9757848c1bfbfdc8e86b6330982294632488922e59fdb1b",
+	"1a6c4fbb24ad724c968b2020417c3d057e6c89e49bdfb11d91006def65eab6a0",
+	"cb3b29808cd0adfa2dca1f3a04f98114fbccf4eb487cdd4022f49bd70eeb049b",
+	"f55edcb40c619e29a20e432f8aaddc83a649be2c2d1941ccdc474cd2af03d490",
+	"e8ccc1763a92de23566b95c3ad1414a098016ece69a885fc8a72782a7517d17c",
+	"0fe2e3db8c5a12ad7101a63a0fffee901be54319cfe146bead7aec851722f82d",
+	"36be45a6ae7c95ad97cee1b33023be324bce7a7b4b7036e24125679dd9ff5b44",
+	"1685ed1a57c37859fbef1f7efb7509f20b84ec17a765605de43104d2fa37884b",
+	"9d83629a6a004c505b100a0b5d0b246833b63aa067aa9b59e3abd6b74bc4d3a8",
+	"be49a66b60175c5e2ee273b42165f86ef11bb6518c1c79950bcd3f4c196c98bd",
+	"0fd89885d821761b4a890782908e75793028747d15ace3c6cbf0ad56582b4fa5",
+	"94a767519a4e352a88796604943841fea21429f3358b4d5d55596dbda7d15dce",
+	"8dd07994afe6e572ddc9698fb0d13a0d4c26a38b7992818a71a99d1e0ac2b034",
+	"f7380a6f795ed31fbeb2945c72c5fd1d45044e5ab152311e75e007fa530f5847",
+	"5ca1ce01458e484393d7e9c8af42b0ff37a73a2fee0f18e14cff0fb180e33014",
+	"8f44178be3fe0a2bd41f922576fb7a9b19d589754504be746f56c759df328fda",
+	"12d33847c2be711c989f37360dd7aa8537fd14972262a4530634a08fdf32a767",
+	"31e077f5080f78846a00093caff2b6b839519cc47516142eeba9c41d4072a605",
+	"14f01db8a0054e70222b76d2555d70114b4bf8a0f02084324af2df226f14a795",
+	"7f5dbbaf31b4551828e8e76cef408375db9fbcdcdb6b5949f2d1b0c4b8632132",
+	"42a5d9b9bb7e4a16f23ba916bcf87f38c1aa1f2de2ab79736f725850a8ff6a1b",
+	"e06f8f901ea708beba8712a11b6e2d0be7c4b018d0254204ef269bcdf5e8c6cc",
+	"d9ba75785bf45b0c4fd3b2365c968099242483f2f0d0c7c20306dac11fae96e9",
+	"428debbb280873907cef2ec099efe1566e42a59775d6ec74ded0c4048d5a6515",
+	"3b51049d4dae701098e55a69536fa31ad2be1adc17b631a695a40e8a294fe9c0",
+	"168f88aa4b105e9811f5f79439cc1a689be4eec77f3361d42f22fe8f7ddc74a9",
+	"0baa0ab2249b33d64449a899cb7bd8eae5231f0d4ff70f09830dc1faa2e4abee",
+	"0c3896d346b580306a49de29f3a78913a41e14b8461b124628c33a64636241f2",
+	"b18313f1651c15e100e7179aa3eb8ffa62c3581159eaf7f83156468d19781e42",
+	"996361f7d988e48267ccc7e930fed4637be35fe7562b8601dceb7a32313a14c8",
+	"dfb4e6268437d53048d22b811048cd045df15693fc6789affd002a0fc80a6e60",
+	"34dd044c228727f2226a0c9c06a3e5ceb5e30e31cb7854f8fa1cde846b395a58",
+}
+
+func (tests testIDs) List(t backend.Type, done <-chan struct{}) <-chan string {
+	ch := make(chan string)
+
+	go func() {
+		defer close(ch)
+
+		for i := 0; i < 500; i++ {
+			for _, id := range tests {
+				select {
+				case ch <- id:
+				case <-done:
+					return
+				}
+			}
+		}
+	}()
+
+	return ch
+}
+
+func TestFilesInParallel(t *testing.T) {
+	f := func(id backend.ID) error {
+		time.Sleep(1 * time.Millisecond)
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	for n := uint(1); n < 5; n++ {
+		err := repository.FilesInParallel(lister, backend.Data, n*100, f)
+		OK(t, err)
+	}
+}
+
+var errTest = errors.New("test error")
+
+func TestFilesInParallelWithError(t *testing.T) {
+
+	f := func(id backend.ID) error {
+		time.Sleep(1 * time.Millisecond)
+
+		if rand.Float32() < 0.01 {
+			return errTest
+		}
+
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	for n := uint(1); n < 5; n++ {
+		err := repository.FilesInParallel(lister, backend.Data, n*100, f)
+		Equals(t, errTest, err)
+	}
+}