diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 55fad483b..f94abee4c 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -4151,6 +4151,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "tokio",
  "tor-async-utils",
  "tor-basic-utils",
+ "tor-bytes",
  "tor-chanmgr",
  "tor-checkable",
  "tor-circmgr",
diff --git a/crates/tor-hsclient/Cargo.toml b/crates/tor-hsclient/Cargo.toml
index 8698bec2c..b097ad4dc 100644
--- a/crates/tor-hsclient/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/tor-hsclient/Cargo.toml
@@ -44,13 +44,14 @@ safelog = { path = "../safelog", version = "0.3.1" }
 slotmap = "1.0.6"
 strum = { version = "0.24", features = ["derive"] }
 thiserror = "1"
+tor-bytes = { path = "../tor-bytes", version = "0.7.1" }
 tor-checkable = { path = "../tor-checkable", version = "0.5.1" }
 tor-circmgr = { version = "0.9.0", path = "../tor-circmgr", features = ["hs-client"] }
 tor-config = { path = "../tor-config", version = "0.9.1" }
 tor-dirclient = { path = "../tor-dirclient", version = "0.7.1", default-features = false, features = ["hs-client"] }
 tor-error = { path = "../tor-error", version = "0.5.1", features = ["experimental-api"] }                            # TODO HS
 tor-hscrypto = { version = "0.2.1", path = "../tor-hscrypto" }
-tor-linkspec = { version = "0.8.0", path = "../tor-linkspec" }
+tor-linkspec = { version = "0.8.0", path = "../tor-linkspec", features = ["decode", "verbatim"] }
 tor-llcrypto = { version = "0.5.1", path = "../tor-llcrypto" }
 tor-netdir = { version = "0.9.1", path = "../tor-netdir", features = ["hs-client"] }
 tor-netdoc = { path = "../tor-netdoc", version = "0.8.0", features = ["hs-client"] }
diff --git a/crates/tor-hsclient/src/lib.rs b/crates/tor-hsclient/src/lib.rs
index c12a3fff3..4b61a5ed5 100644
--- a/crates/tor-hsclient/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/tor-hsclient/src/lib.rs
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ mod connect;
 mod err;
 mod isol_map;
 mod keys;
+mod relay_info;
 mod state;
 
 use std::future::Future;
diff --git a/crates/tor-hsclient/src/relay_info.rs b/crates/tor-hsclient/src/relay_info.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2a8937a4b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/tor-hsclient/src/relay_info.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
+//! Translate relay information from the formats used in the onion service
+//! protocol into `CircTarget`s that we can use for building circuits.
+//!
+//! (Later this will include support for INTRODUCE2 messages too.)
+
+#![allow(dead_code, unreachable_pub)] // TODO HS remove these once this API is exposed.
+
+use tor_error::into_internal;
+use tor_linkspec::{
+    decode::Strictness, verbatim::VerbatimLinkSpecCircTarget, CircTarget, EncodedLinkSpec,
+    OwnedChanTargetBuilder, OwnedCircTarget,
+};
+use tor_llcrypto::pk::curve25519;
+use tor_netdir::NetDir;
+use tor_netdoc::doc::hsdesc::IntroPointDesc;
+
+/// Helper: create a [`CircTarget`] from its component parts as provided by
+/// another party on the network.
+///
+/// This function is used to build a `CircTarget` from an `IntroPointDesc` (for
+/// extending to an introduction point).  Later, it can also be used to build a
+/// CircTarget from an `Introduce2` message (for extending to a rendezvous
+/// point).
+fn circtarget_from_pieces(
+    linkspecs: &[EncodedLinkSpec],
+    ntor_onion_key: &curve25519::PublicKey,
+    netdir: &NetDir,
+) -> Result<impl CircTarget, InvalidTarget> {
+    let mut bld = OwnedCircTarget::builder();
+    // Decode the link specifiers and use them to find out what we can about
+    // this relay.
+    let linkspecs_decoded = linkspecs
+        .iter()
+        .map(|ls| ls.parse())
+        .collect::<Result<Vec<_>, _>>()?;
+    *bld.chan_target() =
+        OwnedChanTargetBuilder::from_linkspecs(Strictness::Standard, &linkspecs_decoded[..])?;
+    // Look up the relay in the directory, to see:
+    //    1) if it is flatly impossible,
+    //    2) what subprotocols we should assume it implements.
+    let protocols = {
+        let chan_target = bld.chan_target().build().map_err(into_internal!(
+            "from_linkspecs gave us a non-working ChanTargetBuilder"
+        ))?;
+        match netdir.by_ids_detailed(&chan_target)? {
+            Some(relay) => relay.protovers().clone(),
+            None => netdir.relay_protocol_status().required_protocols().clone(),
+        }
+    };
+    bld.protocols(protocols);
+    bld.ntor_onion_key(*ntor_onion_key);
+    let circ_target = bld.build().map_err(into_internal!(
+        "somehow we made an invalid CircTargetBuilder"
+    ))?;
+    Ok(VerbatimLinkSpecCircTarget::new(
+        circ_target,
+        linkspecs.to_vec(),
+    ))
+}
+
+/// Construct a [`CircTarget`] from a provided [`IntroPointDesc`].
+///
+/// Onion service clients use this function to convert an `IntroPointDesc` in
+/// the onion service descriptor into a form that they can use when building a
+/// circuit to an introduction point.
+///
+/// The `netdir` argument is used to fill in missing information about the
+/// target relay, and to make sure that the target relay's identities are not
+/// inconsistent with the rest of the network.
+pub(crate) fn ipt_to_circtarget(
+    desc: &IntroPointDesc,
+    netdir: &NetDir,
+) -> Result<impl CircTarget, InvalidTarget> {
+    circtarget_from_pieces(desc.link_specifiers(), desc.ipt_ntor_key(), netdir)
+}
+
+/// We were given unusable information about an introduction point or rendezvous
+/// point.
+#[derive(Clone, Debug, thiserror::Error)]
+#[non_exhaustive]
+pub enum InvalidTarget {
+    /// The provided link specifiers included some that, when we tried to parse
+    /// them, proved to be misformed.
+    #[error("Misformed channel target information provided")]
+    UnparseableChanTargetInfo(#[from] tor_bytes::Error),
+
+    /// The provided link specifiers were inconsistent with one another, or missing
+    /// key information.
+    #[error("Invalid channel target information provided")]
+    InvalidChanTargetInfo(#[from] tor_linkspec::decode::ChanTargetDecodeError),
+
+    /// The provided relay identities (in the link specifiers) described a relay
+    /// which, according to the network directory, cannot possibly exist.
+    #[error("Impossible combination of relay identities")]
+    ImpossibleRelayIds(#[from] tor_netdir::RelayLookupError),
+
+    /// An internal error occurred.
+    #[error("{0}")]
+    Bug(#[from] tor_error::Bug),
+}