diff --git a/src/mu-cmd-find.c b/src/mu-cmd-find.c
index 154f80ab..48392fd1 100644
--- a/src/mu-cmd-find.c
+++ b/src/mu-cmd-find.c
@@ -119,16 +119,10 @@ sort_field_from_string (const char* fieldstr)
 static void
 print_summary (MuMsgIterXapian *iter, size_t summary_len)
 {
-	const char *path, *summ;
+	const char *summ;
 	MuMsgGMime *msg;
-	
-	path = mu_msg_iter_xapian_get_path (iter);
-	if (!path) {
-		g_warning ("%s: no path for message", __FUNCTION__);
-		return;
-	}
 
-	msg = mu_msg_gmime_new (path, NULL);
+	msg = mu_msg_iter_xapian_get_msg_gmime (iter);
 	if (!msg) {
 		g_warning ("%s: failed to create msg object", __FUNCTION__);
 		return;
diff --git a/src/mu-msg-iter-xapian.cc b/src/mu-msg-iter-xapian.cc
index 3ee2741d..e51e3e04 100644
--- a/src/mu-msg-iter-xapian.cc
+++ b/src/mu-msg-iter-xapian.cc
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ mu_msg_iter_xapian_new (const Xapian::Enquire& enq, size_t batchsize)
 	} MU_XAPIAN_CATCH_BLOCK_RETURN(NULL);
 }
 
+
 void
 mu_msg_iter_xapian_destroy (MuMsgIterXapian *iter)
 {
@@ -78,6 +79,31 @@ mu_msg_iter_xapian_destroy (MuMsgIterXapian *iter)
 	}
 }
 
+
+MuMsgGMime*
+mu_msg_iter_xapian_get_msg_gmime (MuMsgIterXapian *iter)
+{	
+	const char *path;
+	MuMsgGMime *msg;
+	
+	g_return_val_if_fail (iter, NULL);
+	
+	path = mu_msg_iter_xapian_get_path (iter);
+	if (!path) {
+		g_warning ("%s: no path for message", __FUNCTION__);
+		return NULL;
+	}
+
+	msg = mu_msg_gmime_new (path, NULL);
+	if (!msg) {
+		g_warning ("%s: failed to create msg object", __FUNCTION__);
+		return NULL;
+	}
+
+	return msg;
+}
+
+
 static gboolean
 message_is_readable (MuMsgIterXapian *iter)
 {
diff --git a/src/mu-msg-iter-xapian.h b/src/mu-msg-iter-xapian.h
index 329c3f5c..5c939093 100644
--- a/src/mu-msg-iter-xapian.h
+++ b/src/mu-msg-iter-xapian.h
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 #define __MU_MSG_ITER_XAPIAN_H__
 
 #include "mu-msg.h"
+#include "mu-msg-gmime.h"
 
 G_BEGIN_DECLS
 
@@ -32,7 +33,7 @@ typedef struct _MuMsgIterXapian MuMsgIterXapian;
  * get the next next message (which you got from
  * e.g. mu_query_xapian_run)
  * 
- * @param msg a valid MuMsgIterXapian message
+ * @param iter a valid MuMsgIterXapian iterator
  * 
  * @return TRUE if it succeeded, FALSE otherwise (e.g., because there
  * are no more messages in the query result)
@@ -43,23 +44,36 @@ gboolean         mu_msg_iter_xapian_next              (MuMsgIterXapian *iter);
 /**
  * does the iter point to a real message?
  * 
- * @param msg a valid MuMsgIterXapian iter
+ * @param iter a valid MuMsgIterXapian iterator
  * 
  * @return TRUE if the iterator points to a message, FALSE other
  */
 gboolean         mu_msg_iter_xapian_is_null (MuMsgIterXapian *iter);
 
+
 /**
- * destroy the sequence of messages
+ * destroy the sequence of messages; ie. /all/ of them
  * 
  * @param msg a valid MuMsgIterXapian message or NULL
  */
 void		 mu_msg_iter_xapian_destroy           (MuMsgIterXapian *iter);
 
+
+/**
+ * get the corresponding GMime message for this iter; this requires
+ * the corresponding message file to be present at the expected place
+ * 
+ * @param iter a valid MuMsgIterXapian instance
+ * 
+ * @return a MuMsgGMime instance, or NULL in case of error. Use
+ * mu_msg_gmime_destroy when the instance is no longer needed
+ */
+MuMsgGMime* mu_msg_iter_xapian_get_msg_gmime (MuMsgIterXapian *iter);
+
 /**
  * get the document id for the current message
  * 
- * @param iter a message
+ * @param iter a valid MuMsgIterXapian iterator
  * 
  * @return the docid or 0 in case of error
  */
@@ -69,7 +83,7 @@ unsigned int     mu_msg_iter_xapian_get_docid         (MuMsgIterXapian *iter);
 /**
  * get the directory path of the message
  * 
- * @param iter a message
+ * @param iter a valid MuMsgIterXapian iterator
  * 
  * @return the path, or NULL in case of error
  */
@@ -79,7 +93,7 @@ const char*      mu_msg_iter_xapian_get_path          (MuMsgIterXapian *iter);
 /**
  * get the size of the message
  * 
- * @param iter a message
+ * @param iter a valid MuMsgIterXapian iterator
  * 
  * @return the size, or 0 in case of error
  */
@@ -88,7 +102,7 @@ size_t           mu_msg_iter_xapian_get_size          (MuMsgIterXapian *iter);
 /**
  * get the timestamp (ctime) of the message file
  * 
- * @param iter a message
+ * @param iter a valid MuMsgIterXapian iterator
  * 
  * @return the size, or 0 in case of error
  */
@@ -97,7 +111,7 @@ time_t           mu_msg_iter_xapian_get_timestamp     (MuMsgIterXapian *iter);
 /**
  * get the sent time of the message
  * 
- * @param iter a message
+ * @param iter a valid MuMsgIterXapian iterator
  * 
  * @return the time, or 0 in case of error
  */
@@ -106,7 +120,7 @@ time_t           mu_msg_iter_xapian_get_date          (MuMsgIterXapian *iter);
 /**
  * get the message sender(s) of the message
  * 
- * @param iter a message
+ * @param iter a valid MuMsgIterXapian iterator
  * 
  * @return the time, or 0 in case of error
  */
@@ -115,7 +129,7 @@ const char*      mu_msg_iter_xapian_get_from          (MuMsgIterXapian *iter);
 /**
  * get the message recipient (To:) of the message
  * 
- * @param iter a message
+ * @param iter a valid MuMsgIterXapian iterator
  * 
  * @return the To-recipient(s), or NULL in case of error
  */
@@ -125,7 +139,7 @@ const char*      mu_msg_iter_xapian_get_to            (MuMsgIterXapian *iter);
 /**
  * get the message recipient (Cc:) of the message
  * 
- * @param iter a message
+ * @param iter a valid MuMsgIterXapian iterator
  * 
  * @return the Cc-recipient(s), or NULL in case of error
  */
@@ -134,7 +148,7 @@ const char*      mu_msg_iter_xapian_get_cc            (MuMsgIterXapian *iter);
 /**
  * get the subject of the message
  * 
- * @param iter a message
+ * @param iter a valid MuMsgIterXapian iterator
  * 
  * @return the subject, or NULL in case of error
  */
@@ -143,7 +157,7 @@ const char*      mu_msg_iter_xapian_get_subject       (MuMsgIterXapian *iter);
 /**
  * get the message flags 
  * 
- * @param iter a message
+ * @param iter a valid MuMsgIterXapian iterator
  * 
  * @return the message flags, or MU_MSG_FLAG_UNKNOWN
  */
@@ -153,7 +167,7 @@ MuMsgFlags       mu_msg_iter_xapian_get_flags         (MuMsgIterXapian *iter);
 /**
  * get the message priority 
  * 
- * @param iter a message
+ * @param iter a valid MuMsgIterXapian iterator
  * 
  * @return the message priority, or MU_MSG_PRIORITY_NONE
  */
@@ -163,7 +177,7 @@ MuMsgPriority    mu_msg_iter_xapian_get_priority      (MuMsgIterXapian *iter);
 /**
  * get some message field
  * 
- * @param iter a message
+ * @param iter a valid MuMsgIterXapian iterator
  * @param field the string field to retrieve
  * 
  * @return the field value, or NULL
@@ -174,7 +188,7 @@ const gchar*     mu_msg_iter_xapian_get_field         (MuMsgIterXapian *iter,
 /**
  * get some numeric message field
  * 
- * @param iter a message
+ * @param iter a valid MuMsgIterXapian iterator
  * @param field the numeric field to retrieve
  * 
  * @return the field value, or -1 in case of error