diff --git a/lib/mu-index.c b/lib/mu-index.c
index 73a25c35..24f425f2 100644
--- a/lib/mu-index.c
+++ b/lib/mu-index.c
@@ -33,7 +33,6 @@
 #include <errno.h>
 
 #include "mu-maildir.h"
-#include "mu-util.h"
 
 #define	MU_LAST_USED_MAILDIR_KEY "last_used_maildir"
 #define MU_INDEX_MAX_FILE_SIZE (500*1000*1000) /* 500 Mb */
diff --git a/lib/mu-index.h b/lib/mu-index.h
index e4acdaf9..7a93fbf4 100644
--- a/lib/mu-index.h
+++ b/lib/mu-index.h
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
 
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <glib.h>
-#include <mu-util.h> /* for MuResult */
+#include <utils/mu-util.h>
 #include <mu-store.hh>
 
 G_BEGIN_DECLS
diff --git a/lib/mu-maildir.c b/lib/mu-maildir.c
index 1495c11e..03724fae 100644
--- a/lib/mu-maildir.c
+++ b/lib/mu-maildir.c
@@ -33,9 +33,8 @@
 #include <errno.h>
 #include <glib/gprintf.h>
 
-#include "mu-util.h"
 #include "mu-maildir.h"
-#include "mu-str.h"
+#include "utils/mu-str.h"
 
 #define MU_MAILDIR_NOINDEX_FILE       ".noindex"
 #define MU_MAILDIR_NOUPDATE_FILE      ".noupdate"
diff --git a/lib/mu-maildir.h b/lib/mu-maildir.h
index ad72c446..790c345b 100644
--- a/lib/mu-maildir.h
+++ b/lib/mu-maildir.h
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
 #include <glib.h>
 #include <time.h>
 #include <sys/types.h>          /* for mode_t */
-#include <mu-util.h>
+#include <utils/mu-util.h>
 #include <mu-flags.h>
 
 
diff --git a/lib/mu-msg-crypto.c b/lib/mu-msg-crypto.c
index a0cfe7a5..7fff1c4d 100644
--- a/lib/mu-msg-crypto.c
+++ b/lib/mu-msg-crypto.c
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
 #include "mu-msg.h"
 #include "mu-msg-priv.h"
 #include "mu-msg-part.h"
-#include "mu-date.h"
+#include "utils/mu-date.h"
 
 #include <gmime/gmime.h>
 #include <gmime/gmime-multipart-signed.h>
diff --git a/lib/mu-msg-doc.cc b/lib/mu-msg-doc.cc
index 3cd780d7..09c0b6da 100644
--- a/lib/mu-msg-doc.cc
+++ b/lib/mu-msg-doc.cc
@@ -23,11 +23,12 @@
 #include <errno.h>
 #include <xapian.h>
 
-#include "mu-util.h"
 #include "mu-msg-fields.h"
 #include "mu-msg-doc.h"
-#include "mu-str.h"
-#include "mu-date.h"
+
+#include "utils/mu-util.h"
+#include "utils/mu-str.h"
+#include "utils/mu-date.h"
 
 struct _MuMsgDoc {
 
diff --git a/lib/mu-msg-doc.h b/lib/mu-msg-doc.h
index 03044f48..2f5fe5c4 100644
--- a/lib/mu-msg-doc.h
+++ b/lib/mu-msg-doc.h
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
 #define __MU_MSG_DOC_H__
 
 #include <glib.h>
-#include <mu-util.h> /* for XapianDocument */
+#include <utils/mu-util.h>
 
 G_BEGIN_DECLS
 
diff --git a/lib/mu-msg-file.c b/lib/mu-msg-file.c
index 01b2d339..c242a6fa 100644
--- a/lib/mu-msg-file.c
+++ b/lib/mu-msg-file.c
@@ -28,12 +28,13 @@
 #include <inttypes.h>
 
 #include <gmime/gmime.h>
-#include "mu-util.h"
-#include "mu-str.h"
 #include "mu-maildir.h"
 #include "mu-store.hh"
 #include "mu-msg-priv.h"
 
+#include "utils/mu-util.h"
+#include "utils/mu-str.h"
+
 static gboolean init_file_metadata (MuMsgFile *self, const char* path,
 				    const char *mdir, GError **err);
 static gboolean init_mime_msg (MuMsgFile *msg, const char *path, GError **err);
diff --git a/lib/mu-msg-iter.cc b/lib/mu-msg-iter.cc
index f74804bf..84efa9c2 100644
--- a/lib/mu-msg-iter.cc
+++ b/lib/mu-msg-iter.cc
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
 #include <set>
 #include <map>
 
-#include "mu-util.h"
+#include "utils/mu-util.h"
 #include "mu-msg.h"
 #include "mu-msg-iter.h"
 #include "mu-threader.h"
diff --git a/lib/mu-msg-part.c b/lib/mu-msg-part.c
index bf69301f..8601bb4d 100644
--- a/lib/mu-msg-part.c
+++ b/lib/mu-msg-part.c
@@ -25,8 +25,8 @@
 #include <string.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
 
-#include "mu-util.h"
-#include "mu-str.h"
+#include "utils/mu-util.h"
+#include "utils/mu-str.h"
 #include "mu-msg-priv.h"
 #include "mu-msg-part.h"
 
diff --git a/lib/mu-msg-sexp.c b/lib/mu-msg-sexp.c
index 228a7b5f..eca13c8f 100644
--- a/lib/mu-msg-sexp.c
+++ b/lib/mu-msg-sexp.c
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
 #include <string.h>
 #include <ctype.h>
 
-#include "mu-str.h"
+#include "utils/mu-str.h"
 #include "mu-msg.h"
 #include "mu-msg-iter.h"
 #include "mu-msg-part.h"
diff --git a/lib/mu-msg.c b/lib/mu-msg.c
index 5918e84e..d8b47f70 100644
--- a/lib/mu-msg.c
+++ b/lib/mu-msg.c
@@ -30,9 +30,7 @@
 
 #include "mu-msg-priv.h" /* include before mu-msg.h */
 #include "mu-msg.h"
-
-#include "mu-util.h"
-#include "mu-str.h"
+#include "utils/mu-str.h"
 
 #include "mu-maildir.h"
 
@@ -937,3 +935,70 @@ mu_msg_tickle (MuMsg *self, GError **err)
 				       mu_msg_get_flags (self),
 				       FALSE, TRUE, err);
 }
+
+const char*
+mu_str_flags_s  (MuFlags flags)
+{
+	return mu_flags_to_str_s (flags, MU_FLAG_TYPE_ANY);
+}
+
+char*
+mu_str_flags  (MuFlags flags)
+{
+	return g_strdup (mu_str_flags_s(flags));
+}
+
+static void
+cleanup_contact (char *contact)
+{
+	char *c, *c2;
+
+	/* replace "'<> with space */
+	for (c2 = contact; *c2; ++c2)
+		if (*c2 == '"' || *c2 == '\'' || *c2 == '<' || *c2 == '>')
+			*c2 = ' ';
+
+	/* remove everything between '()' if it's after the 5th pos;
+	 * good to cleanup corporate contact address spam... */
+	c = g_strstr_len (contact, -1, "(");
+	if (c && c - contact > 5)
+		*c = '\0';
+
+	g_strstrip (contact);
+}
+
+
+/* this is still somewhat simplistic... */
+const char*
+mu_str_display_contact_s (const char *str)
+{
+	static gchar contact[255];
+	gchar *c, *c2;
+
+	str = str ? str : "";
+	g_strlcpy (contact, str, sizeof(contact));
+
+	/* we check for '<', so we can strip out the address stuff in
+	 * e.g. 'Hello World <hello@world.xx>, but only if there is
+	 * something alphanumeric before the <
+	 */
+	c = g_strstr_len (contact, -1, "<");
+	if (c != NULL) {
+		for (c2 = contact; c2 < c && !(isalnum(*c2)); ++c2);
+		if (c2 != c) /* apparently, there was something,
+			      * so we can remove the <... part*/
+			*c = '\0';
+	}
+
+	cleanup_contact (contact);
+
+	return contact;
+}
+
+char*
+mu_str_display_contact (const char *str)
+{
+	g_return_val_if_fail (str, NULL);
+
+	return g_strdup (mu_str_display_contact_s (str));
+}
diff --git a/lib/mu-msg.h b/lib/mu-msg.h
index 234f5c87..e4842aa2 100644
--- a/lib/mu-msg.h
+++ b/lib/mu-msg.h
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
 #include <mu-flags.h>
 #include <mu-msg-fields.h>
 #include <mu-msg-prio.h>
-#include <mu-util.h> /* for MuError and XapianDocument */
+#include <utils/mu-util.h>
 
 G_BEGIN_DECLS
 
@@ -606,6 +606,49 @@ typedef gboolean  (*MuMsgContactForeachFunc) (MuMsgContact* contact,
 void mu_msg_contact_foreach (MuMsg *msg, MuMsgContactForeachFunc func,
 			     gpointer user_data);
 
+
+
+/**
+ * create a 'display contact' from an email header To/Cc/Bcc/From-type address
+ * ie., turn
+ *     "Foo Bar" <foo@bar.com>
+ * into
+ *      Foo Bar
+ * Note that this is based on some simple heuristics. Max length is 255 bytes.
+ *
+ *   mu_str_display_contact_s returns a statically allocated
+ *   buffer (ie, non-reentrant), while mu_str_display_contact
+ *   returns a newly allocated string that you must free with g_free
+ *   when done with it.
+ *
+ * @param str a 'contact str' (ie., what is in the To/Cc/Bcc/From
+ * fields), or NULL
+ *
+ * @return a newly allocated string with a display contact
+ */
+const char* mu_str_display_contact_s (const char *str) G_GNUC_CONST;
+char *mu_str_display_contact (const char *str) G_GNUC_WARN_UNUSED_RESULT;
+
+/**
+ * get a display string for a given set of flags, OR'ed in
+ * @param flags; one character per flag:
+ * D=draft,F=flagged,N=new,P=passed,R=replied,S=seen,T=trashed
+ * a=has-attachment,s=signed, x=encrypted
+ *
+ * mu_str_file_flags_s  returns a ptr to a static buffer,
+ * while mu_str_file_flags returns dynamically allocated
+ * memory that must be freed after use.
+ *
+ * @param flags file flags
+ *
+ * @return a string representation of the flags; see above
+ * for what to do with it
+ */
+const char* mu_str_flags_s  (MuFlags flags) G_GNUC_CONST;
+char*       mu_str_flags    (MuFlags flags)
+    G_GNUC_MALLOC G_GNUC_WARN_UNUSED_RESULT;
+
+
 G_END_DECLS
 
 #endif /*__MU_MSG_H__*/
diff --git a/lib/mu-query.cc b/lib/mu-query.cc
index a1ce42de..09747138 100644
--- a/lib/mu-query.cc
+++ b/lib/mu-query.cc
@@ -32,9 +32,8 @@
 
 #include "mu-msg-iter.h"
 
-#include "mu-util.h"
-#include "mu-str.h"
-#include "mu-date.h"
+#include "utils/mu-str.h"
+#include "utils/mu-date.h"
 
 #include <parser/proc-iface.hh>
 #include <parser/utils.hh>
diff --git a/lib/mu-query.h b/lib/mu-query.h
index 3cad88e7..45c835e6 100644
--- a/lib/mu-query.h
+++ b/lib/mu-query.h
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
 #include <glib.h>
 #include <mu-store.hh>
 #include <mu-msg-iter.h>
-#include <mu-util.h>
+#include <utils/mu-util.h>
 
 G_BEGIN_DECLS
 
diff --git a/lib/mu-runtime.cc b/lib/mu-runtime.cc
index 394acd5c..ff351640 100644
--- a/lib/mu-runtime.cc
+++ b/lib/mu-runtime.cc
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
 */
 
 #include "mu-runtime.h"
-#include "mu-util.h"
+#include "utils/mu-util.h"
 
 #include <locale.h> /* for setlocale() */
 
@@ -26,8 +26,6 @@
 #include <unordered_map>
 static std::unordered_map<MuRuntimePath, std::string> RuntimePaths;
 
-#include "mu-log.h"
-
 constexpr auto PartsDir      = "parts";
 constexpr auto LogDir        = "log";
 constexpr auto XapianDir     = "xapian";
diff --git a/lib/mu-runtime.h b/lib/mu-runtime.h
index 8794e705..2440f71a 100644
--- a/lib/mu-runtime.h
+++ b/lib/mu-runtime.h
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
 #define __MU_RUNTIME_H__
 
 #include <glib.h>
-#include <mu-log.h>
+#include <utils/mu-log.h>
 
 G_BEGIN_DECLS
 
diff --git a/lib/mu-script.c b/lib/mu-script.c
index 584b4dd8..ba88b217 100644
--- a/lib/mu-script.c
+++ b/lib/mu-script.c
@@ -34,9 +34,9 @@
 #include <errno.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
 
-#include "mu-str.h"
+#include "utils/mu-str.h"
 #include "mu-script.h"
-#include "mu-util.h"
+#include "utils/mu-util.h"
 
 /**
  * Structure with information about a certain script.
diff --git a/lib/mu-store.cc b/lib/mu-store.cc
index 33f83032..558a8bf5 100644
--- a/lib/mu-store.cc
+++ b/lib/mu-store.cc
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
 #include <atomic>
 
 #include "mu-store.hh"
-#include "mu-str.h"
+#include "utils/mu-str.h"
 #include "mu-msg-part.h"
 #include "parser/utils.hh"
 
diff --git a/lib/mu-store.hh b/lib/mu-store.hh
index 1ab7a762..77f14f75 100644
--- a/lib/mu-store.hh
+++ b/lib/mu-store.hh
@@ -195,7 +195,7 @@ private:
 #include <glib.h>
 #include <inttypes.h>
 #include <mu-msg.h>
-#include <mu-util.h> /* for MuError, MuError */
+#include <utils/mu-util.h>
 #include <mu-contacts.hh>
 
 G_BEGIN_DECLS
diff --git a/lib/mu-threader.c b/lib/mu-threader.c
index 7836c131..ec163e5c 100644
--- a/lib/mu-threader.c
+++ b/lib/mu-threader.c
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
 
 #include "mu-threader.h"
 #include "mu-container.h"
-#include "mu-str.h"
+#include "utils/mu-str.h"
 
 /* msg threading implementation based on JWZ's algorithm, as described in:
  *    http://www.jwz.org/doc/threading.html
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ find_or_create (GHashTable *id_table, MuMsg *msg, guint docid)
 	MuContainer	*c;
 	const char*	 msgid;
 	char		 fake[32];
-	
+
 	g_return_val_if_fail (msg, NULL);
 	g_return_val_if_fail (docid != 0, NULL);
 
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ find_or_create (GHashTable *id_table, MuMsg *msg, guint docid)
 		snprintf (fake, sizeof(fake), "fake:%p", (gpointer)msg);
 		msgid = fake;
 	}
-	
+
 	/* XXX the '<none>' works around a crash; find a better
 	 * solution */
 	c = g_hash_table_lookup (id_table, msgid);
diff --git a/lib/tests/Makefile.am b/lib/tests/Makefile.am
index b0dc6cbb..839cd5a4 100644
--- a/lib/tests/Makefile.am
+++ b/lib/tests/Makefile.am
@@ -46,14 +46,6 @@ noinst_PROGRAMS= $(TEST_PROGS)
 
 noinst_LTLIBRARIES=libtestmucommon.la
 
-TEST_PROGS += test-mu-util
-test_mu_util_SOURCES= test-mu-util.c dummy.cc
-test_mu_util_LDADD=   libtestmucommon.la
-
-TEST_PROGS += test-mu-str
-test_mu_str_SOURCES= test-mu-str.c dummy.cc
-test_mu_str_LDADD=  libtestmucommon.la
-
 TEST_PROGS += test-mu-maildir
 test_mu_maildir_SOURCES= test-mu-maildir.c dummy.cc
 test_mu_maildir_LDADD=  libtestmucommon.la
diff --git a/lib/tests/test-mu-maildir.c b/lib/tests/test-mu-maildir.c
index 2e0a127d..39521274 100644
--- a/lib/tests/test-mu-maildir.c
+++ b/lib/tests/test-mu-maildir.c
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
 
 #include "test-mu-common.h"
 #include "mu-maildir.h"
-#include "mu-util.h"
+#include "utils/mu-util.h"
 
 static void
 test_mu_maildir_mkdir_01 (void)
diff --git a/lib/tests/test-mu-msg.c b/lib/tests/test-mu-msg.c
index d7b7671a..fef368b9 100644
--- a/lib/tests/test-mu-msg.c
+++ b/lib/tests/test-mu-msg.c
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@
 
 #include "test-mu-common.h"
 #include "mu-msg.h"
-#include "mu-str.h"
+#include "utils/mu-str.h"
 
 
 static MuMsg*
@@ -491,6 +491,55 @@ test_mu_msg_comp_unix_programmer (void)
 	mu_msg_unref (msg);
 }
 
+
+
+static void
+test_mu_str_prio_01 (void)
+{
+	g_assert_cmpstr(mu_msg_prio_name(MU_MSG_PRIO_LOW), ==, "low");
+	g_assert_cmpstr(mu_msg_prio_name(MU_MSG_PRIO_NORMAL), ==, "normal");
+	g_assert_cmpstr(mu_msg_prio_name(MU_MSG_PRIO_HIGH), ==, "high");
+}
+
+
+static gboolean
+ignore_error (const char* log_domain, GLogLevelFlags log_level,
+	      const gchar* msg, gpointer user_data)
+{
+	return FALSE; /* don't abort */
+}
+
+
+static void
+test_mu_str_prio_02 (void)
+{
+	/* this must fail */
+	g_test_log_set_fatal_handler ((GTestLogFatalFunc)ignore_error, NULL);
+	g_assert_cmpstr (mu_msg_prio_name(666), ==, NULL);
+}
+
+
+
+static void
+test_mu_str_display_contact (void)
+{
+	int			i;
+	struct {
+		const char*	word;
+		const char*	disp;
+	} words [] = {
+		{ "\"Foo Bar\" <aap@noot.mies>", "Foo Bar"},
+		{ "Foo Bar <aap@noot.mies>", "Foo Bar" },
+		{ "<aap@noot.mies>", "aap@noot.mies" },
+		{ "foo@bar.nl", "foo@bar.nl" }
+	};
+
+	for (i = 0; i != G_N_ELEMENTS(words); ++i)
+		g_assert_cmpstr (mu_str_display_contact_s (words[i].word), ==,
+				 words[i].disp);
+}
+
+
 int
 main (int argc, char *argv[])
 {
@@ -527,6 +576,17 @@ main (int argc, char *argv[])
 	g_test_add_func ("/mu-msg/mu-msg-comp-unix-programmer",
 			 test_mu_msg_comp_unix_programmer);
 
+	/* mu_str_prio */
+	g_test_add_func ("/mu-str/mu-str-prio-01",
+			 test_mu_str_prio_01);
+	g_test_add_func ("/mu-str/mu-str-prio-02",
+			 test_mu_str_prio_02);
+
+
+	g_test_add_func ("/mu-str/mu-str-display_contact",
+			 test_mu_str_display_contact);
+
+
 	g_log_set_handler (NULL,
 			   G_LOG_LEVEL_MASK | G_LOG_FLAG_FATAL|
 			   G_LOG_FLAG_RECURSION,
diff --git a/lib/utils/mu-str.c b/lib/utils/mu-str.c
index 9d338771..79e3e320 100644
--- a/lib/utils/mu-str.c
+++ b/lib/utils/mu-str.c
@@ -31,8 +31,6 @@
 
 #include "mu-util.h" /* PATH_MAX */
 #include "mu-str.h"
-#include "mu-msg-fields.h"
-
 
 const char*
 mu_str_size_s  (size_t s)
@@ -54,17 +52,6 @@ mu_str_size (size_t s)
 	return g_strdup (mu_str_size_s(s));
 }
 
-const char*
-mu_str_flags_s  (MuFlags flags)
-{
-	return mu_flags_to_str_s (flags, MU_FLAG_TYPE_ANY);
-}
-
-char*
-mu_str_flags  (MuFlags flags)
-{
-	return g_strdup (mu_str_flags_s(flags));
-}
 
 char*
 mu_str_summarize (const char* str, size_t max_lines)
@@ -108,60 +95,6 @@ mu_str_summarize (const char* str, size_t max_lines)
 }
 
 
-static void
-cleanup_contact (char *contact)
-{
-	char *c, *c2;
-
-	/* replace "'<> with space */
-	for (c2 = contact; *c2; ++c2)
-		if (*c2 == '"' || *c2 == '\'' || *c2 == '<' || *c2 == '>')
-			*c2 = ' ';
-
-	/* remove everything between '()' if it's after the 5th pos;
-	 * good to cleanup corporate contact address spam... */
-	c = g_strstr_len (contact, -1, "(");
-	if (c && c - contact > 5)
-		*c = '\0';
-
-	g_strstrip (contact);
-}
-
-
-/* this is still somewhat simplistic... */
-const char*
-mu_str_display_contact_s (const char *str)
-{
-	static gchar contact[255];
-	gchar *c, *c2;
-
-	str = str ? str : "";
-	g_strlcpy (contact, str, sizeof(contact));
-
-	/* we check for '<', so we can strip out the address stuff in
-	 * e.g. 'Hello World <hello@world.xx>, but only if there is
-	 * something alphanumeric before the <
-	 */
-	c = g_strstr_len (contact, -1, "<");
-	if (c != NULL) {
-		for (c2 = contact; c2 < c && !(isalnum(*c2)); ++c2);
-		if (c2 != c) /* apparently, there was something,
-			      * so we can remove the <... part*/
-			*c = '\0';
-	}
-
-	cleanup_contact (contact);
-
-	return contact;
-}
-
-char*
-mu_str_display_contact (const char *str)
-{
-	g_return_val_if_fail (str, NULL);
-
-	return g_strdup (mu_str_display_contact_s (str));
-}
 
 
 char*
diff --git a/lib/utils/mu-str.h b/lib/utils/mu-str.h
index b673092e..bd985a22 100644
--- a/lib/utils/mu-str.h
+++ b/lib/utils/mu-str.h
@@ -22,12 +22,10 @@
 #ifndef __MU_STR_H__
 #define __MU_STR_H__
 
+#include <glib.h>
 #include <time.h>
 #include <sys/types.h>
 
-#include <mu-msg.h>
-#include <mu-flags.h>
-
 G_BEGIN_DECLS
 
 /**
@@ -36,28 +34,6 @@ G_BEGIN_DECLS
  * @{
  */
 
-/**
- * create a 'display contact' from an email header To/Cc/Bcc/From-type address
- * ie., turn
- *     "Foo Bar" <foo@bar.com>
- * into
- *      Foo Bar
- * Note that this is based on some simple heuristics. Max length is 255 bytes.
- *
- *   mu_str_display_contact_s returns a statically allocated
- *   buffer (ie, non-reentrant), while mu_str_display_contact
- *   returns a newly allocated string that you must free with g_free
- *   when done with it.
- *
- * @param str a 'contact str' (ie., what is in the To/Cc/Bcc/From
- * fields), or NULL
- *
- * @return a newly allocated string with a display contact
- */
-const char* mu_str_display_contact_s (const char *str) G_GNUC_CONST;
-char *mu_str_display_contact (const char *str) G_GNUC_WARN_UNUSED_RESULT;
-
-
 /**
  * get a display size for a given size_t; uses M for sizes >
  * 1000*1000, k for smaller sizes. Note: this function use the
@@ -88,25 +64,6 @@ char*       mu_str_size    (size_t s) G_GNUC_WARN_UNUSED_RESULT;
 char *mu_str_replace (const char *str, const char *substr, const char *repl);
 
 
-/**
- * get a display string for a given set of flags, OR'ed in
- * @param flags; one character per flag:
- * D=draft,F=flagged,N=new,P=passed,R=replied,S=seen,T=trashed
- * a=has-attachment,s=signed, x=encrypted
- *
- * mu_str_file_flags_s  returns a ptr to a static buffer,
- * while mu_str_file_flags returns dynamically allocated
- * memory that must be freed after use.
- *
- * @param flags file flags
- *
- * @return a string representation of the flags; see above
- * for what to do with it
- */
-const char* mu_str_flags_s  (MuFlags flags) G_GNUC_CONST;
-char*       mu_str_flags    (MuFlags flags)
-    G_GNUC_MALLOC G_GNUC_WARN_UNUSED_RESULT;
-
 /**
  * get a 'summary' of the string, ie. the first /n/ lines of the
  * strings, with all newlines removed, replaced by single spaces
diff --git a/lib/utils/test-mu-str.c b/lib/utils/test-mu-str.c
index ecba8fbf..f8b3cd04 100644
--- a/lib/utils/test-mu-str.c
+++ b/lib/utils/test-mu-str.c
@@ -30,11 +30,7 @@
 
 #include <locale.h>
 
-#include "test-mu-common.h"
 #include "mu-str.h"
-#include "mu-msg-prio.h"
-
-
 
 
 static void
@@ -76,34 +72,6 @@ test_mu_str_size_02 (void)
 
 
 
-static void
-test_mu_str_prio_01 (void)
-{
-	g_assert_cmpstr(mu_msg_prio_name(MU_MSG_PRIO_LOW), ==, "low");
-	g_assert_cmpstr(mu_msg_prio_name(MU_MSG_PRIO_NORMAL), ==, "normal");
-	g_assert_cmpstr(mu_msg_prio_name(MU_MSG_PRIO_HIGH), ==, "high");
-}
-
-
-static gboolean
-ignore_error (const char* log_domain, GLogLevelFlags log_level,
-	      const gchar* msg, gpointer user_data)
-{
-	return FALSE; /* don't abort */
-}
-
-
-static void
-test_mu_str_prio_02 (void)
-{
-	/* this must fail */
-	g_test_log_set_fatal_handler ((GTestLogFatalFunc)ignore_error, NULL);
-	g_assert_cmpstr (mu_msg_prio_name(666), ==, NULL);
-}
-
-
-
-
 static void
 test_parse_arglist (void)
 {
@@ -158,25 +126,6 @@ test_mu_str_esc_to_list (void)
 }
 
 
-static void
-test_mu_str_display_contact (void)
-{
-	int			i;
-	struct {
-		const char*	word;
-		const char*	disp;
-	} words [] = {
-		{ "\"Foo Bar\" <aap@noot.mies>", "Foo Bar"},
-		{ "Foo Bar <aap@noot.mies>", "Foo Bar" },
-		{ "<aap@noot.mies>", "aap@noot.mies" },
-		{ "foo@bar.nl", "foo@bar.nl" }
-	};
-
-	for (i = 0; i != G_N_ELEMENTS(words); ++i)
-		g_assert_cmpstr (mu_str_display_contact_s (words[i].word), ==,
-				 words[i].disp);
-}
-
 
 static void
 assert_cmplst (GSList *lst, const char *items[])
@@ -333,16 +282,6 @@ main (int argc, char *argv[])
 	g_test_add_func ("/mu-str/mu-str-size-02",
 			 test_mu_str_size_02);
 
-	/* mu_str_prio */
-	g_test_add_func ("/mu-str/mu-str-prio-01",
-			 test_mu_str_prio_01);
-	g_test_add_func ("/mu-str/mu-str-prio-02",
-			 test_mu_str_prio_02);
-
-
-	g_test_add_func ("/mu-str/mu-str-display_contact",
-			 test_mu_str_display_contact);
-
 	g_test_add_func ("/mu-str/mu-str-from-list",
 			 test_mu_str_from_list);
 	g_test_add_func ("/mu-str/mu-str-to-list",
@@ -362,13 +301,6 @@ main (int argc, char *argv[])
 	g_test_add_func ("/mu-str/mu_str_remove_ctrl_in_place",
 			 test_mu_str_remove_ctrl_in_place);
 
-	/* FIXME: add tests for mu_str_flags; but note the
-	 * function simply calls mu_msg_field_str */
-
-	g_log_set_handler (NULL,
-			   G_LOG_LEVEL_MASK | G_LOG_FLAG_FATAL|
-			   G_LOG_FLAG_RECURSION,
-			   (GLogFunc)black_hole, NULL);
 
 	return g_test_run ();
 }
diff --git a/lib/utils/test-mu-util.c b/lib/utils/test-mu-util.c
index 7986aeb0..f3b02779 100644
--- a/lib/utils/test-mu-util.c
+++ b/lib/utils/test-mu-util.c
@@ -28,8 +28,7 @@
 #include <unistd.h>
 #include <limits.h>
 
-#include "test-mu-common.h"
-#include "lib/mu-util.h"
+#include "mu-util.h"
 
 static void
 test_mu_util_dir_expand_00 (void)
@@ -245,11 +244,5 @@ main (int argc, char *argv[])
 	g_test_add_func ("/mu-util/mu-util-program-in-path",
 			 test_mu_util_program_in_path);
 
-
-	g_log_set_handler (NULL,
-			   G_LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG|
-			   G_LOG_LEVEL_MESSAGE|
-			   G_LOG_LEVEL_INFO, (GLogFunc)black_hole, NULL);
-
 	return g_test_run ();
 }
diff --git a/mu/mu-cmd-cfind.c b/mu/mu-cmd-cfind.c
index 44de4930..9341b423 100644
--- a/mu/mu-cmd-cfind.c
+++ b/mu/mu-cmd-cfind.c
@@ -24,12 +24,13 @@
 #include <ctype.h>
 
 #include "mu-cmd.h"
-#include "mu-util.h"
-#include "mu-str.h"
-#include "mu-date.h"
 #include "mu-contacts.hh"
 #include "mu-runtime.h"
 
+#include "utils/mu-util.h"
+#include "utils/mu-str.h"
+#include "utils/mu-date.h"
+
 /**
  * guess the last name for the given name; clearly,
  * this is just a rough guess for setting an initial value.
diff --git a/mu/mu-cmd-extract.c b/mu/mu-cmd-extract.c
index 60d2bd35..f0b90bcf 100644
--- a/mu/mu-cmd-extract.c
+++ b/mu/mu-cmd-extract.c
@@ -29,9 +29,8 @@
 #include "mu-msg.h"
 #include "mu-msg-part.h"
 #include "mu-cmd.h"
-#include "mu-util.h"
-#include "mu-str.h"
-
+#include "utils/mu-util.h"
+#include "utils/mu-str.h"
 
 
 static gboolean
diff --git a/mu/mu-cmd-find.c b/mu/mu-cmd-find.c
index d5e7320d..fbca90ad 100644
--- a/mu/mu-cmd-find.c
+++ b/mu/mu-cmd-find.c
@@ -29,8 +29,6 @@
 #include <signal.h>
 
 #include "mu-msg.h"
-#include "mu-str.h"
-#include "mu-date.h"
 #include "mu-maildir.h"
 #include "mu-index.h"
 #include "mu-query.h"
@@ -38,7 +36,10 @@
 #include "mu-bookmarks.h"
 #include "mu-runtime.h"
 
-#include "mu-util.h"
+#include "utils/mu-util.h"
+#include "utils/mu-str.h"
+#include "utils/mu-date.h"
+
 #include "mu-cmd.h"
 #include "mu-threader.h"
 
diff --git a/mu/mu-cmd-index.c b/mu/mu-cmd-index.c
index 968c9b33..9bb062a6 100644
--- a/mu/mu-cmd-index.c
+++ b/mu/mu-cmd-index.c
@@ -31,12 +31,13 @@
 #include <signal.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
 
-#include "mu-util.h"
 #include "mu-msg.h"
 #include "mu-index.h"
 #include "mu-store.hh"
 #include "mu-runtime.h"
-#include "mu-log.h"
+
+#include "utils/mu-util.h"
+#include "utils/mu-log.h"
 
 static gboolean MU_CAUGHT_SIGNAL;
 
diff --git a/mu/mu-cmd-script.c b/mu/mu-cmd-script.c
index 808cf1b6..f43a26d9 100644
--- a/mu/mu-cmd-script.c
+++ b/mu/mu-cmd-script.c
@@ -30,10 +30,11 @@
 #include <errno.h>
 
 #include "mu-cmd.h"
-#include "mu-util.h"
-#include "mu-str.h"
 #include "mu-script.h"
 
+#include "utils/mu-util.h"
+#include "utils/mu-str.h"
+
 #define MU_GUILE_EXT          ".scm"
 #define MU_GUILE_DESCR_PREFIX ";; INFO: "
 
diff --git a/mu/mu-cmd-server.c b/mu/mu-cmd-server.c
index 261b1fc9..70e8d952 100644
--- a/mu/mu-cmd-server.c
+++ b/mu/mu-cmd-server.c
@@ -44,7 +44,6 @@
 #endif 	/*PATH_MAX */
 
 #include "mu-runtime.h"
-#include "mu-str.h"
 #include "mu-cmd.h"
 #include "mu-maildir.h"
 #include "mu-query.h"
@@ -53,6 +52,8 @@
 #include "mu-msg-part.h"
 #include "mu-contacts.hh"
 
+#include "utils/mu-str.h"
+
 /* signal handling *****************************************************/
 /*
  * when we receive SIGINT, SIGHUP, SIGTERM, set MU_CAUGHT_SIGNAL to
diff --git a/mu/mu-cmd.c b/mu/mu-cmd.c
index 4b5d37ee..0146bc99 100644
--- a/mu/mu-cmd.c
+++ b/mu/mu-cmd.c
@@ -31,14 +31,15 @@
 #include "mu-msg.h"
 #include "mu-msg-part.h"
 #include "mu-cmd.h"
-#include "mu-util.h"
-#include "mu-str.h"
-#include "mu-date.h"
 #include "mu-maildir.h"
 #include "mu-contacts.hh"
 #include "mu-runtime.h"
 #include "mu-flags.h"
-#include "mu-log.h"
+
+#include "utils/mu-log.h"
+#include "utils/mu-util.h"
+#include "utils/mu-str.h"
+#include "utils/mu-date.h"
 
 #define VIEW_TERMINATOR '\f' /* form-feed */
 
diff --git a/mu/mu-config.c b/mu/mu-config.c
index 839a1a04..1b9cd333 100644
--- a/mu/mu-config.c
+++ b/mu/mu-config.c
@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@
 #include <unistd.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
 
-#include "mu-util.h"
 #include "mu-config.h"
 #include "mu-cmd.h"
 
diff --git a/mu/mu-config.h b/mu/mu-config.h
index 5cbdf247..4192e4f1 100644
--- a/mu/mu-config.h
+++ b/mu/mu-config.h
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
 #include <sys/types.h> /* for mode_t */
 #include <mu-msg-fields.h>
 #include <mu-msg.h>
-#include <mu-util.h>
+#include <utils/mu-util.h>
 
 G_BEGIN_DECLS
 
diff --git a/mu/tests/test-mu-query.c b/mu/tests/test-mu-query.c
index 88086f8f..d492472a 100644
--- a/mu/tests/test-mu-query.c
+++ b/mu/tests/test-mu-query.c
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@
 
 #include "test-mu-common.h"
 #include "mu-query.h"
-#include "mu-str.h"
+#include "utils/mu-str.h"
 #include "mu-store.hh"
 
 static char* DB_PATH1 = NULL;
diff --git a/mu/tests/test-mu-threads.c b/mu/tests/test-mu-threads.c
index fd9f7e05..eaca2e11 100644
--- a/mu/tests/test-mu-threads.c
+++ b/mu/tests/test-mu-threads.c
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
 
 #include "test-mu-common.h"
 #include "mu-query.h"
-#include "mu-str.h"
+#include "utils/mu-str.h"
 
 struct _tinfo {
 	const char *threadpath;
diff --git a/toys/mug/mu-msg-header-view.c b/toys/mug/mu-msg-header-view.c
index 028b93b9..f1da5ac9 100644
--- a/toys/mug/mu-msg-header-view.c
+++ b/toys/mug/mu-msg-header-view.c
@@ -19,8 +19,8 @@
 
 #include "mu-msg-header-view.h"
 
-#include <mu-str.h>
-#include <mu-date.h>
+#include <utils/mu-str.h>
+#include <utils/mu-date.h>
 
 #if HAVE_CONFIG_H
 #include <config.h>
diff --git a/toys/mug/mug-msg-list-view.c b/toys/mug/mug-msg-list-view.c
index 99eaea9f..c265a15b 100644
--- a/toys/mug/mug-msg-list-view.c
+++ b/toys/mug/mug-msg-list-view.c
@@ -20,8 +20,8 @@
 
 #include "mug-msg-list-view.h"
 #include "mu-query.h"
-#include "mu-str.h"
-#include "mu-date.h"
+#include "utils/mu-str.h"
+#include "utils/mu-date.h"
 #include "mu-threader.h"
 
 /* 'private'/'protected' functions */
diff --git a/toys/mug/mug-msg-list-view.h b/toys/mug/mug-msg-list-view.h
index f410fc55..71b4260c 100644
--- a/toys/mug/mug-msg-list-view.h
+++ b/toys/mug/mug-msg-list-view.h
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
 #define __MUG_MSG_LIST_VIEW_H__
 
 #include <gtk/gtk.h>
-#include <mu-util.h>
+#include <utils/mu-util.h>
 
 G_BEGIN_DECLS
 /* convenience macros */
diff --git a/toys/mug/mug-msg-view.c b/toys/mug/mug-msg-view.c
index 4b78cf9f..c91cfcc9 100644
--- a/toys/mug/mug-msg-view.c
+++ b/toys/mug/mug-msg-view.c
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
 #include "mu-msg-view.h"
 #include "mug-msg-view.h"
 #include "mu-msg.h"
-#include "mu-str.h"
+#include "utils/mu-str.h"
 
 /* 'private'/'protected' functions */
 static void mug_msg_view_class_init (MugMsgViewClass * klass);
diff --git a/toys/mug/mug.c b/toys/mug/mug.c
index 25c1f907..a95a87c3 100644
--- a/toys/mug/mug.c
+++ b/toys/mug/mug.c
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 #include <gdk/gdkkeysyms.h>
 #include <string.h>		/* for memset */
 
-#include <mu-util.h>
+#include <utils/mu-util.h>
 #include <mu-store.hh>
 #include <mu-runtime.h>
 #include <mu-index.h>