diff --git a/utils/github_ref_status.py b/utils/github_ref_status.py
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..54d10c28
--- /dev/null
+++ b/utils/github_ref_status.py
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python2
+
+"""
+Retrieve Status + Context from a github ref (branch, sha)
+
+Depends on : python & python-requests (2.7)
+"""
+
+import os
+import sys
+import argparse
+try:
+    import json
+except ImportError:
+    import simplejson as json
+import requests
+
+EPILOG="""Example Usage, block further testing of a PR until Travis CI passes:
+
+$ ./github_ref_status.py -t <token> -o acme -r anvil <PR HEAD sha> | \\
+        grep -q 'success overall' && run_more_tests.sh
+
+"""
+
+def parse_argv(argv=None):
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description=__doc__,
+                                     epilog=EPILOG,
+                                     formatter_class=argparse.RawTextHelpFormatter)
+    parser.add_argument('-t', '--token', required=True,
+                      help="Access token for github")
+    parser.add_argument('-o', '--owner', required=True,
+                      help="Owner name of the repository (left side of slash)")
+    parser.add_argument('-r', '--repo', required=True,
+                      help="Repository name (right side of slash)")
+    parser.add_argument('-s', '--showtarget', action='store_true', default=False,
+                        help="Show the 'target' url for each status item")
+    parser.add_argument('ref', help="SHA, a branch name, or a tag name.")
+    return parser.parse_args(argv[1:])
+
+
+def main(argv=None):
+    options = parse_argv(argv)
+    if options.showtarget:
+        stdout = lambda context, state, target: sys.stdout.write("{0} {1} {2}\n".format(context, state, target))
+    else:
+        stdout = lambda context, state, target: sys.stdout.write("{0} {1}\n".format(state, context))
+
+    # Ref: https://developer.github.com/v3/repos/statuses/#get-the-combined-status-for-a-specific-ref
+    url = ("https://api.github.com/repos/{0}/{1}/commits/{2}/status"
+           "".format(options.owner, options.repo, options.ref))
+    target = ("https://github.com/{0}/{1}/commits/{2}"
+              "".format(options.owner, options.repo, options.ref))
+    response = requests.get(url, headers=dict(Authorization="token {0}".format(options.token)))
+    if response.status_code != 200:
+        raise ValueError("Response code {0} != 200 while retrieving {1}."
+                         "".format(response.status_code, url))
+    response_json = response.json()
+    overall_state = response_json.get("state")
+    if not overall_state:
+        raise ValueError("Response good, but does not include an overall state (yet).")
+    stdout("overall", overall_state, target)
+    statuses = response_json.get("statuses", [])
+    # N/B: Does not cope with any pagination
+    # Ref: https://developer.github.com/v3/guides/traversing-with-pagination/
+    for status in statuses:
+        context = status.get("context", "<none>")
+        state = status.get("state", "<none>")
+        target = status.get("target_url", target)
+        stdout(context, state, target)
+
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    main(sys.argv)