Index: src/safe_fs.c
===================================================================
--- src/safe_fs.c	(revision 11835)
+++ src/safe_fs.c	(revision 11836)
@@ -172,32 +172,58 @@
 	return res;
 }
 
-static FILE *pcb_fopen_at_(const char *dir, const char *fn, char **full_path, pcb_bool recursive)
+static FILE *pcb_fopen_at_(const char *from, const char *fn, const char *mode, char **full_path)
 {
+	char tmp[PCB_PATH_MAX];
+	DIR *d;
+	struct dirent *de;
+	FILE *res;
 
+	/* try the trivial: directly under this  dir */
+	pcb_snprintf(tmp, sizeof(tmp), "%s%c%s", from, PCB_DIR_SEPARATOR_C, fn);
+	res = pcb_fopen(tmp, mode);
+
+	if (res != NULL) {
+		if (full_path != NULL)
+			*full_path = pcb_strdup(tmp);
+		return res;
+	}
+
+	/* no luck, recurse into each subdir */
+	d = opendir(from);
+	if (d == NULL)
+		return NULL;
+
+	while((de = readdir(d)) != NULL) {
+		struct stat st;
+		if (de->d_name[0] == '.')
+			continue;
+		pcb_snprintf(tmp, sizeof(tmp), "%s%c%s", from, PCB_DIR_SEPARATOR_C, de->d_name);
+		if (stat(tmp, &st) != 0)
+			continue;
+		if (!S_ISDIR(st.st_mode))
+			continue;
+
+		/* dir: recurse */
+		res = pcb_fopen_at_(tmp, fn, mode, full_path);
+		if (res != NULL) {
+			closedir(d);
+			return res;
+		}
+	}
+	closedir(d);
+	return NULL;
 }
 
-FILE *pcb_fopen_at(const char *dir, const char *fn, const char *mode, char **full_path, pcb_bool recursive)
+FILE *pcb_fopen_at(const char *dir, const char *fn, const char *mode, char **full_path, int recursive)
 {
-	char tmp[PCB_PATH_MAX];
-	FILE *res;
-
 	if (full_path != NULL)
 		*full_path = NULL;
 
-	/* try the trivial: directly under the target dir */
-	pcb_snprintf(tmp, sizeof(tmp), "%s%c%s", dir, PCB_DIR_SEPARATOR_C, fn);
-	res = pcb_fopen(tmp, mode);
-	if (res == NULL) {
-		
-	}
-	else if (full_path != NULL)
-		*full_path = pcb_strdup(tmp);
-
-	return res;
+	return pcb_fopen_at_(dir, fn, mode, full_path);
 }
 
-FILE *pcb_fopen_first(const conflist_t *paths, const char *fn, const char *mode, char **full_path, pcb_bool recursive)
+FILE *pcb_fopen_first(const conflist_t *paths, const char *fn, const char *mode, char **full_path, int recursive)
 {
 	FILE *res;
 	char *real_fn = pcb_build_fn(fn);
Index: src/safe_fs.h
===================================================================
--- src/safe_fs.h	(revision 11835)
+++ src/safe_fs.h	(revision 11836)
@@ -44,7 +44,12 @@
    file name as it looked after the substitution */
 FILE *pcb_fopen_fn(const char *path, const char *mode, char **fn_out);
 
+/* Open a file given as a basename fn, under the directory dir, optionally
+   doing a recusrive search in the directory tree. If full_path is not NULL,
+   and the call succeeds, load it with the full path of the file opened. */
+FILE *pcb_fopen_at(const char *dir, const char *fn, const char *mode, char **full_path, int recursive);
 
+
 #include "conf.h"
 
 /* Open a file with standard path search and substitutions performed on
@@ -54,6 +59,6 @@
    (or NULL on failure); the caller needs to call free() on it.
    If recursive is set, all subcirectories under each path is also searched for the file.
    */
-FILE *pcb_fopen_first(const conflist_t *paths, const char *fn, const char *mode, char **full_path, pcb_bool recursive);
+FILE *pcb_fopen_first(const conflist_t *paths, const char *fn, const char *mode, char **full_path, int recursive);
 
 #endif