diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index d5ae75fc..cdfab436 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ libvips-scan.c
 Makefile.in
 TAGS
 *.o
+Vips-8.0.gir
+Vips-8.0.typelib
 .*.swp
 *.lo
 *.la
diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index fc8502ce..08264ed0 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -55,4 +55,6 @@ uninstall-hook:
 	-chmod -R u+w ${DESTDIR}$(datadir)/doc/vips
 	-rm -rf ${DESTDIR}$(datadir)/doc/vips
 
-DISTCHECK_CONFIGURE_FLAGS=--enable-gtk-doc
+ACLOCAL_AMFLAGS = -I m4
+
+DISTCHECK_CONFIGURE_FLAGS=--enable-gtk-doc --enable-introspection
diff --git a/TODO b/TODO
index ad3f0ebf..cfdacbea 100644
--- a/TODO
+++ b/TODO
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+- look at libpeas for plugin support
+
+	http://live.gnome.org/Libpeas
+
+
 
 - revisit orc conv
 
diff --git a/bootstrap.sh b/bootstrap.sh
index fb81b48e..547924fb 100755
--- a/bootstrap.sh
+++ b/bootstrap.sh
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ cp $ACDIR/iconv.m4 m4
 cp $ACDIR/isc-posix.m4 m4
 cp $ACDIR/lcmessage.m4 m4
 cp $ACDIR/progtest.m4 m4
+cp $ACDIR/introspection.m4 m4
 
 gtkdocize --copy --docdir doc/reference --flavour no-tmpl || exit 1
 
diff --git a/configure.in b/configure.in
index 7303e3b3..d57c3d44 100644
--- a/configure.in
+++ b/configure.in
@@ -1,5 +1,14 @@
 # Process this file with autoconf to produce a configure script.
-AC_INIT(libvips/include/vips/colour.h)
+
+# also update the version number in the m4 macros below
+
+AC_INIT(vips, 7.25.0, vipsip@jiscmail.ac.uk)
+# required for gobject-introspection
+AC_PREREQ(2.62)
+
+# gobject-introspection recommends this
+AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE([-Wno-portability])
+
 AM_CONFIG_HEADER(config.h)
 AC_CONFIG_MACRO_DIR(m4)
 
@@ -10,14 +19,38 @@ m4_define([vips_micro_version], [0])
 m4_define([vips_version],
           [vips_major_version.vips_minor_version.vips_micro_version])
 
-VIPS_MAJOR_VERSION=vips_major_version
-VIPS_MINOR_VERSION=vips_minor_version
-VIPS_MICRO_VERSION=vips_micro_version
+VIPS_MAJOR_VERSION=vips_major_version()
+VIPS_MINOR_VERSION=vips_minor_version()
+VIPS_MICRO_VERSION=vips_micro_version()
 VIPS_VERSION=vips_version()
 VIPS_VERSION_STRING=$VIPS_VERSION-`date`
 
-VERSION=$VIPS_VERSION
-PACKAGE=vips
+# init introspection supoport
+GOBJECT_INTROSPECTION_CHECK([0.6.7])
+
+# gir needs a list of source files to scan for introspection
+# build with a glob and a list of files to exclude from scanning
+# see also IGNORE_HFILES in doc/reference/Makefile.am
+# the only header we include is the main vips.h one, it'll pull in everythiung
+# else in the public API
+introspection_sources=`cd libvips ; find . -name "*.c"`
+filter_list="deprecated"
+
+introspection_sources2=
+for name in $introspection_sources; do
+  found=0
+  for filter in $filter_list; do
+    if [[[ $name == *${filter}* ]]]; then
+      found=1
+    fi
+  done    
+
+  if [[ $found -eq 0 ]]; then
+    introspection_sources2="$introspection_sources2 $name"
+  fi      
+done    
+vips_introspection_sources="$introspection_sources2 include/vips/vips.h"
+AC_SUBST(vips_introspection_sources)
 
 # libtool library versioning ... not user-visible (except as part of the
 # library file name) and does not correspond to major/minor/micro above
@@ -32,8 +65,6 @@ LIBRARY_CURRENT=30
 LIBRARY_REVISION=0
 LIBRARY_AGE=15
 
-AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE($PACKAGE,$VERSION)
-
 # patched into include/vips/version.h
 AC_SUBST(VIPS_VERSION)
 AC_SUBST(VIPS_VERSION_STRING)
diff --git a/libvips/Makefile.am b/libvips/Makefile.am
index 3b5eb417..f8491cd2 100644
--- a/libvips/Makefile.am
+++ b/libvips/Makefile.am
@@ -72,3 +72,32 @@ libvips_la_LDFLAGS = \
 
 EXTRA_DIST = \
 	$(C_DIST_DIR)
+
+CLEANFILES = 
+
+-include $(INTROSPECTION_MAKEFILE)
+INTROSPECTION_GIRS =
+INTROSPECTION_SCANNER_ARGS = --add-include-path=$(srcdir)
+INTROSPECTION_COMPILER_ARGS = --includedir=$(srcdir)
+
+if HAVE_INTROSPECTION
+# we can't get the _SOURCES lists from the subdirs directly, we get passed it
+# by configure instead
+introspection_sources = @vips_introspection_sources@
+
+# we make the vips8 API
+Vips-8.0.gir: libvips.la
+Vips_8_0_gir_INCLUDES = GObject-2.0
+Vips_8_0_gir_CFLAGS = $(INCLUDES) -I${top_srcdir}/libvips/include
+Vips_8_0_gir_LIBS = libvips.la
+Vips_8_0_gir_FILES = $(introspection_sources)
+INTROSPECTION_GIRS += Vips-8.0.gir
+
+girdir = $(datadir)/gir-1.0
+gir_DATA = $(INTROSPECTION_GIRS)
+
+typelibdir = $(libdir)/girepository-1.0
+typelib_DATA = $(INTROSPECTION_GIRS:.gir=.typelib)
+
+CLEANFILES += $(gir_DATA) $(typelib_DATA)
+endif
diff --git a/libvips/deprecated/dispatch_types.c b/libvips/deprecated/dispatch_types.c
index d00faac6..fc14c4ca 100644
--- a/libvips/deprecated/dispatch_types.c
+++ b/libvips/deprecated/dispatch_types.c
@@ -737,9 +737,8 @@ im__dmsprint( im_object obj )
 
 	/* Print statistics band stats eg: 2 bands:b 0,1 
 	 */
-	printf( "\
-band    minimum     maximum         sum       sum^2        mean   deviation\
-\n" );
+	printf( "band    minimum     maximum         sum       "
+		"sum^2        mean   deviation\n" );
 	for( j = 0; j < mask->ysize; j++ ) {
 		row = mask->coeff + j * 6;
 		if( j == 0 )
diff --git a/libvips/include/vips/header.h b/libvips/include/vips/header.h
index 3ab9f554..0fa4f226 100644
--- a/libvips/include/vips/header.h
+++ b/libvips/include/vips/header.h
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ int vips_image_get_xoffset( VipsImage *image );
 int vips_image_get_yoffset( VipsImage *image );
 const char *vips_image_get_filename( VipsImage *image );
 const char *vips_image_get_mode( VipsImage *image );
-void *vips_image_get_data( VipsImage *image );;
+void *vips_image_get_data( VipsImage *image );
 
 void vips_image_init_fields( VipsImage *image, 
 	int xsize, int ysize, int bands,