diff --git a/moonbuild.moon b/moonbuild.moon
index 6cd0452..ccc4160 100755
--- a/moonbuild.moon
+++ b/moonbuild.moon
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import truncate_traceback, rewrite_traceback from require 'moonscript.errors'
 import trim from require 'moonscript.util'
 
 util=require 'util'
-import exists, mtime, run, min, max, first, flatten, match, patsubst from util
+import exists, mtime, run, min, max, first, flatten, match, patsubst, sortedpairs from util
 
 import insert, concat from table
 
@@ -16,12 +16,15 @@ parser=argparse 'moonbuild'
 parser\argument('targets', "Targets to run")\args '*'
 parser\flag '-a --noskip', "Always run targets"
 parser\flag '-l --list', "List available targets"
+parser\flag '-d --deps', "List targets and their dependancies"
 args=parser\parse!
 
 -- util functions
 loadwithscope= (file, scope) ->
-	fn=loadfile file
-	dumped=string.dump fn
+	fn, err=loadfile file
+	error err or "failed to load code" unless fn
+	dumped, err=string.dump fn
+	error err or "failed to dump function" unless dumped
 	load dumped, file, 'b', scope
 pcall= (fn, ...) ->
 	rewrite=(err) ->
@@ -48,7 +51,6 @@ class Command
 class BuildObject
 	all={}
 	skip={}
-	cycle={}
 
 	@find: (name) =>
 		target=all[name]
@@ -57,9 +59,11 @@ class BuildObject
 			return tgt if match name, glob
 		nil
 
+	@list: =>
+		{target, {dep, @find dep for dep in *target.deps} for name, target in pairs all}
 
 	@build: (name) =>
-		target=@find name or error "No such target: #{name}"
+		target=(@find name) or error "No such target: #{name}"
 		target\build name
 
 	__tostring: =>
@@ -72,8 +76,6 @@ class BuildObject
 
 	build: (name) =>
 		return if skip[name]
-		error "Can't build #{name}: cyclic depenancies found" if cycle[name]
-		cycle[name]=true
 		if @name!=name
 			@@build patsubst name, @name, dep for dep in *@deps
 		else
@@ -153,6 +155,7 @@ setmetatable buildscope,
 file=first {'Build.moon', 'Buildfile.moon', 'Build', 'Buildfile'}, exists
 error "No Build.moon or Buildfile found" unless file
 buildfn=loadwithscope file, buildscope
+error "Failed to load build function" unless buildfn
 ok, err=pcall buildfn
 unless ok
 	if err
@@ -166,6 +169,25 @@ if args.list
 	io.write "\t#{concat targets, ', '}\n"
 	os.exit 0
 
+if args.deps
+	io.write "Targets:\n"
+	for target, deps in sortedpairs BuildObject\list!, (a, b) -> a.name<b.name
+		io.write "\t#{target.name} "
+		if #target.ins==0
+			if #target.outs==0
+				io.write "[no in/out]"
+			else
+				io.write "[spontaneous generation]"
+		else
+			if #target.outs==0
+				io.write "[consumer]"
+			else
+				io.write "(#{concat target.ins, ', '} -> #{concat target.outs, ', '})"
+		io.write "\n"
+		for name, dep in sortedpairs deps
+			io.write "\t\t#{name} (#{dep.name})\n"
+	os.exit 0
+
 if #args.targets==0
 	BuildObject\build defaulttarget
 for target in *args.targets
diff --git a/util.moon b/util.moon
index f2445b5..863adf9 100644
--- a/util.moon
+++ b/util.moon
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import attributes, dir from require 'lfs'
 
-import insert, concat from table
+import insert, concat, sort from table
 unpack or=table.unpack
 
 GLOB_PATT='^([^%%]*)%%([^%%]*)$'
@@ -65,7 +65,8 @@ escapecmdpart= (p) ->
 	'"'..p\gsub('\\', '\\\\')\gsub('"', '\\"')..'"'
 escapecmd= (c, args={}) ->
 	c=escapecmdpart c
-	c..=' '..escapecmdpart a for a in *args
+	for a in *flatten args
+		c..=' '..escapecmdpart a if a
 	c
 run= (c, args, params={}) ->
 	escaped=escapecmd c, args
@@ -120,6 +121,9 @@ patsubst= (str, pattern, replacement) ->
 		return reprefix..(str\sub #prefix+1, -#suffix-1)..resuffix
 	str
 
+splitsp= (str) ->
+	[elem for elem in str\gmatch '%S+']
+
 -- glob match
 match= (str, glob) ->
 	prefix, suffix=glob\match GLOB_PATT
@@ -137,14 +141,22 @@ isglob= (glob) ->
 env= (key, def) ->
 	(os.getenv key) or def
 
+sortedpairs= (table, cmp) ->
+	keys = [k for k in pairs table]
+	sort keys, cmp
+	coroutine.wrap ->
+		for key in *keys
+			coroutine.yield key, table[key]
+
 {
 	-- table functions
 	:min, :max
 	:foreach
 	:first
-	:insert, :unpack, :concat
+	:insert, :unpack, :concat, :sort
 	:exclude
 	:flatten
+	:sortedpairs
 
 	-- file functions
 	:wildcard
@@ -156,4 +168,5 @@ env= (key, def) ->
 	-- string functions
 	:patsubst, :match, :isglob
 	:env
+	:splitsp
 }