diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 1cacbe6ed..f23886ddb 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ leb128 = "0.2"
 libc = "0.2"
 open = "1.2"
 palette = "0.4"
+portable-pty = { path = "pty", features = ["serde_support"]}
 promise = { path = "promise" }
 rayon = "1.0"
 serde = {version="1.0", features = ["rc"]}
diff --git a/pty/Cargo.toml b/pty/Cargo.toml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bad50999a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pty/Cargo.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+[package]
+name = "portable-pty"
+version = "0.1.0"
+authors = ["Wez Furlong"]
+edition = "2018"
+repository = "https://github.com/wez/wezterm"
+description = "Cross platform pty interface"
+license = "MIT"
+documentation = "https://docs.rs/portable-pty"
+
+[dependencies]
+failure = "0.1"
+failure_derive = "0.1"
+libc = "0.2"
+serde_derive = {version="1.0", optional=true}
+serde = {version="1.0", optional=true}
+
+[features]
+default = []
+serde_support = ["serde", "serde_derive"]
+
+[target."cfg(windows)".dependencies]
+shared_library = "0.1"
+uds_windows = "0.1"
+winapi = { version = "0.3", features = [
+    "winuser",
+    "consoleapi",
+    "handleapi",
+    "fileapi",
+    "namedpipeapi",
+    "synchapi",
+]}
+
diff --git a/src/pty/cmdbuilder.rs b/pty/src/cmdbuilder.rs
similarity index 100%
rename from src/pty/cmdbuilder.rs
rename to pty/src/cmdbuilder.rs
diff --git a/src/pty/mod.rs b/pty/src/lib.rs
similarity index 95%
rename from src/pty/mod.rs
rename to pty/src/lib.rs
index 8b02ded33..d15575df0 100644
--- a/src/pty/mod.rs
+++ b/pty/src/lib.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
-use failure::Error;
+use failure::{bail, format_err, Error};
+#[cfg(feature = "serde_support")]
 use serde_derive::*;
 use std::io::Result as IoResult;
 
@@ -83,7 +84,8 @@ impl Child for std::process::Child {
 }
 
 #[allow(dead_code)]
-#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, Deserialize)]
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy)]
+#[cfg_attr(feature = "serde_support", derive(Deserialize))]
 pub enum PtySystemSelection {
     Unix,
     ConPty,
diff --git a/src/pty/unix.rs b/pty/src/unix.rs
similarity index 98%
rename from src/pty/unix.rs
rename to pty/src/unix.rs
index 73d0b4903..5ce094124 100644
--- a/src/pty/unix.rs
+++ b/pty/src/unix.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 //! Working with pseudo-terminals
 
-use crate::pty::{Child, CommandBuilder, MasterPty, PtySize, PtySystem, SlavePty};
-use failure::Error;
+use crate::{Child, CommandBuilder, MasterPty, PtySize, PtySystem, SlavePty};
+use failure::{bail, Error};
 use libc::{self, winsize};
 use std::io;
 use std::mem;
diff --git a/src/pty/win/conpty.rs b/pty/src/win/conpty.rs
similarity index 98%
rename from src/pty/win/conpty.rs
rename to pty/src/win/conpty.rs
index 906ae70fa..39fc9a4d6 100644
--- a/src/pty/win/conpty.rs
+++ b/pty/src/win/conpty.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 use super::ownedhandle::OwnedHandle;
 use super::WinChild;
-use crate::pty::cmdbuilder::CommandBuilder;
-use crate::pty::{Child, MasterPty, PtySize, PtySystem, SlavePty};
+use crate::cmdbuilder::CommandBuilder;
+use crate::{Child, MasterPty, PtySize, PtySystem, SlavePty};
 use failure::Error;
 use lazy_static::lazy_static;
 use shared_library::shared_library;
diff --git a/src/pty/win/mod.rs b/pty/src/win/mod.rs
similarity index 97%
rename from src/pty/win/mod.rs
rename to pty/src/win/mod.rs
index e6f4b7518..c0c506beb 100644
--- a/src/pty/win/mod.rs
+++ b/pty/src/win/mod.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-use crate::pty::{Child, ExitStatus};
+use crate::{Child, ExitStatus};
 use std::io::{Error as IoError, Result as IoResult};
 use winapi::shared::minwindef::DWORD;
 use winapi::um::minwinbase::STILL_ACTIVE;
diff --git a/src/pty/win/ownedhandle.rs b/pty/src/win/ownedhandle.rs
similarity index 100%
rename from src/pty/win/ownedhandle.rs
rename to pty/src/win/ownedhandle.rs
diff --git a/src/pty/win/winpty/mod.rs b/pty/src/win/winpty/mod.rs
similarity index 96%
rename from src/pty/win/winpty/mod.rs
rename to pty/src/win/winpty/mod.rs
index 0b7f2b5a5..93b54a2c1 100644
--- a/src/pty/win/winpty/mod.rs
+++ b/pty/src/win/winpty/mod.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 use super::ownedhandle::OwnedHandle;
 use super::WinChild;
-use crate::pty::cmdbuilder::CommandBuilder;
-use crate::pty::{Child, MasterPty, PtySize, PtySystem, SlavePty};
+use crate::cmdbuilder::CommandBuilder;
+use crate::{Child, MasterPty, PtySize, PtySystem, SlavePty};
 use failure::Error;
 use safe::{AgentFlags, MouseMode, SpawnConfig, SpawnFlags, Timeout, WinPty, WinPtyConfig};
 use std::ffi::OsString;
diff --git a/src/pty/win/winpty/safe.rs b/pty/src/win/winpty/safe.rs
similarity index 99%
rename from src/pty/win/winpty/safe.rs
rename to pty/src/win/winpty/safe.rs
index 3c97be32a..484cb6a98 100644
--- a/src/pty/win/winpty/safe.rs
+++ b/pty/src/win/winpty/safe.rs
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 //! https://github.com/rprichard/winpty/blob/master/src/include/winpty.h
 #![allow(dead_code)]
 use super::sys::*;
-use crate::pty::win::ownedhandle::OwnedHandle;
+use crate::win::ownedhandle::OwnedHandle;
 use bitflags::bitflags;
 use failure::{format_err, Error};
 use std::ffi::{OsStr, OsString};
diff --git a/src/pty/win/winpty/sys.rs b/pty/src/win/winpty/sys.rs
similarity index 100%
rename from src/pty/win/winpty/sys.rs
rename to pty/src/win/winpty/sys.rs
diff --git a/src/config.rs b/src/config.rs
index b02ffdd91..162d1265f 100644
--- a/src/config.rs
+++ b/src/config.rs
@@ -3,10 +3,9 @@
 use crate::font::FontSystemSelection;
 use crate::frontend::FrontEndSelection;
 use crate::get_shell;
-use crate::pty::CommandBuilder;
-use crate::pty::PtySystemSelection;
 use failure::{err_msg, Error};
 use lazy_static::lazy_static;
+use portable_pty::{CommandBuilder, PtySystemSelection};
 use serde_derive::*;
 use std;
 use std::ffi::OsStr;
diff --git a/src/frontend/guicommon/localtab.rs b/src/frontend/guicommon/localtab.rs
index 33ffc9190..d0215fc24 100644
--- a/src/frontend/guicommon/localtab.rs
+++ b/src/frontend/guicommon/localtab.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 use crate::mux::renderable::Renderable;
 use crate::mux::tab::{alloc_tab_id, Tab, TabId};
-use crate::pty::{Child, MasterPty, PtySize};
 use failure::Error;
+use portable_pty::{Child, MasterPty, PtySize};
 use std::cell::{RefCell, RefMut};
 use term::{KeyCode, KeyModifiers, MouseEvent, Terminal, TerminalHost};
 
diff --git a/src/frontend/guicommon/window.rs b/src/frontend/guicommon/window.rs
index 381c3c8b5..77028101b 100644
--- a/src/frontend/guicommon/window.rs
+++ b/src/frontend/guicommon/window.rs
@@ -6,9 +6,9 @@ use crate::mux::window::WindowId;
 use crate::mux::Mux;
 use crate::opengl::render::Renderer;
 use crate::opengl::textureatlas::OutOfTextureSpace;
-use crate::pty::{PtySize, PtySystemSelection};
 use failure::Error;
 use glium;
+use portable_pty::{PtySize, PtySystemSelection};
 use std::rc::Rc;
 use std::sync::Arc;
 
diff --git a/src/main.rs b/src/main.rs
index 28ed0d678..beae22c37 100644
--- a/src/main.rs
+++ b/src/main.rs
@@ -27,8 +27,7 @@ use crate::mux::Mux;
 mod font;
 use crate::font::{FontConfiguration, FontSystemSelection};
 
-mod pty;
-use pty::PtySize;
+use portable_pty::PtySize;
 use std::env;
 
 /// Determine which shell to run.
diff --git a/src/mux/mod.rs b/src/mux/mod.rs
index 520c65a82..c2e48ca8d 100644
--- a/src/mux/mod.rs
+++ b/src/mux/mod.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 use crate::config::Config;
-use crate::pty::ExitStatus;
 use failure::Error;
+use portable_pty::ExitStatus;
 use promise::{Executor, Future};
 use std::cell::{Ref, RefCell, RefMut};
 use std::collections::HashMap;