diff --git a/Gemfile b/Gemfile
index 94120da85..394919fd6 100644
--- a/Gemfile
+++ b/Gemfile
@@ -1,80 +1,86 @@
 source ENV['GEM_SOURCE'] || "https://rubygems.org"
 
 def location_for(place, fake_version = nil)
   if place =~ /^(git[:@][^#]*)#(.*)/
     [fake_version, { :git => $1, :branch => $2, :require => false }].compact
   elsif place =~ /^file:\/\/(.*)/
     ['>= 0', { :path => File.expand_path($1), :require => false }]
   else
     [place, { :require => false }]
   end
 end
 
 # C Ruby (MRI) or Rubinius, but NOT Windows
 platforms :ruby do
   gem 'pry', :group => :development
   gem 'yard', :group => :development
   gem 'redcarpet', '~> 2.0', :group => :development
   gem "racc", "1.4.9", :group => :development
 end
 
 gem "puppet", :path => File.dirname(__FILE__), :require => false
 gem "facter", *location_for(ENV['FACTER_LOCATION'] || '~> 1.6')
 gem "hiera", *location_for(ENV['HIERA_LOCATION'] || '~> 1.0')
 gem "rake", :require => false
 gem "rgen", "0.6.5", :require => false
 
 
 group(:development, :test) do
 
   # Jenkins workers may be using RSpec 2.9, so RSpec 2.11 syntax
   # (like `expect(value).to eq matcher`) should be avoided.
   gem "rspec", "~> 2.11.0", :require => false
 
   # Mocha is not compatible across minor version changes; because of this only
   # versions matching ~> 0.10.5 are supported. All other versions are unsupported
   # and can be expected to fail.
   gem "mocha", "~> 0.10.5", :require => false
 
   gem "yarjuf", "~> 1.0"
 
   # json-schema does not support windows, so use the 'ruby' platform to exclude it on windows
   platforms :ruby do
     # json-schema uses multi_json, but chokes with multi_json 1.7.9, so prefer 1.7.7
     gem "multi_json", "1.7.7", :require => false
     gem "json-schema", "2.1.1", :require => false
   end
 
+  case RUBY_VERSION
+  when /^1.8/
+    gem 'ruby-prof', "~> 0.13.1"
+  else
+    gem 'ruby-prof'
+  end
 end
 
 group(:extra) do
   gem "rack", "~> 1.4", :require => false
   gem "activerecord", '~> 3.2', :require => false
   gem "couchrest", '~> 1.0', :require => false
   gem "net-ssh", '~> 2.1', :require => false
   gem "puppetlabs_spec_helper", :require => false
   gem "sqlite3", :require => false
   gem "stomp", :require => false
   gem "tzinfo", :require => false
   gem "msgpack", :require => false
 end
 
 require 'yaml'
 data = YAML.load_file(File.join(File.dirname(__FILE__), 'ext', 'project_data.yaml'))
 bundle_platforms = data['bundle_platforms']
 data['gem_platform_dependencies'].each_pair do |gem_platform, info|
   if bundle_deps = info['gem_runtime_dependencies']
     bundle_platform = bundle_platforms[gem_platform] or raise "Missing bundle_platform"
     platform(bundle_platform.intern) do
       bundle_deps.each_pair do |name, version|
         gem(name, version, :require => false)
       end
     end
   end
 end
 
 if File.exists? "#{__FILE__}.local"
   eval(File.read("#{__FILE__}.local"), binding)
 end
 
 # vim:filetype=ruby
diff --git a/benchmarks/many_modules/benchmarker.rb b/benchmarks/many_modules/benchmarker.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8540f85b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/benchmarks/many_modules/benchmarker.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+require 'erb'
+require 'ostruct'
+require 'fileutils'
+require 'json'
+
+class Benchmarker
+  include FileUtils
+
+  def initialize(target, size)
+    @target = target
+    @size = size
+  end
+
+  def setup
+    require 'puppet'
+    config = File.join(@target, 'puppet.conf')
+    Puppet.initialize_settings(['--config', config])
+  end
+
+  def run
+    env = Puppet.lookup(:environments).get('benchmarking')
+    node = Puppet::Node.new("testing", :environment => env)
+    Puppet::Resource::Catalog.indirection.find("testing", :use_node => node)
+  end
+
+  def generate
+    environment = File.join(@target, 'environments', 'benchmarking')
+    templates = File.join('benchmarks', 'many_modules')
+
+    mkdir_p(File.join(environment, 'modules'))
+    mkdir_p(File.join(environment, 'manifests'))
+
+    render(File.join(templates, 'site.pp.erb'),
+           File.join(environment, 'manifests', 'site.pp'),
+           :size => @size)
+
+    @size.times do |i|
+      module_name = "module#{i}"
+      module_base = File.join(environment, 'modules', module_name)
+      manifests = File.join(module_base, 'manifests')
+
+      mkdir_p(manifests)
+
+      File.open(File.join(module_base, 'metadata.json'), 'w') do |f|
+        JSON.dump({
+          "types" => [],
+          "source" => "",
+          "author" => "ManyModules Benchmark",
+          "license" => "Apache 2.0",
+          "version" => "1.0.0",
+          "description" => "Many Modules benchmark module #{i}",
+          "summary" => "Just this benchmark module, you know?",
+          "dependencies" => [],
+        }, f)
+      end
+
+      render(File.join(templates, 'module', 'init.pp.erb'),
+             File.join(manifests, 'init.pp'),
+             :name => module_name)
+
+      render(File.join(templates, 'module', 'internal.pp.erb'),
+             File.join(manifests, 'internal.pp'),
+             :name => module_name)
+    end
+
+    render(File.join(templates, 'puppet.conf.erb'),
+           File.join(@target, 'puppet.conf'),
+           :location => @target)
+  end
+
+  def render(erb_file, output_file, bindings)
+    site = ERB.new(File.read(erb_file))
+    File.open(output_file, 'w') do |fh|
+      fh.write(site.result(OpenStruct.new(bindings).instance_eval { binding }))
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/benchmarks/many_modules/description b/benchmarks/many_modules/description
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a2b58ebe7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/benchmarks/many_modules/description
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+Benchmark scenario: many manifests spread across many modules.
+Benchmark target: catalog compilation.
+
diff --git a/benchmarks/many_modules/module/init.pp.erb b/benchmarks/many_modules/module/init.pp.erb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..49fca07ba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/benchmarks/many_modules/module/init.pp.erb
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+class <%= name %> {
+  class { "<%= name %>::internal": }
+}
diff --git a/benchmarks/many_modules/module/internal.pp.erb b/benchmarks/many_modules/module/internal.pp.erb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..83a36947d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/benchmarks/many_modules/module/internal.pp.erb
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+class <%= name %>::internal {
+  notify { "<%= name %>::internal": }
+}
diff --git a/benchmarks/many_modules/puppet.conf.erb b/benchmarks/many_modules/puppet.conf.erb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e0c5d8588
--- /dev/null
+++ b/benchmarks/many_modules/puppet.conf.erb
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+confdir = <%= location %>
+vardir = <%= location %>
+environmentpath = <%= File.join(location, 'environments') %>
diff --git a/benchmarks/many_modules/site.pp.erb b/benchmarks/many_modules/site.pp.erb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9f6c9668a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/benchmarks/many_modules/site.pp.erb
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+<% size.times do |i| %>
+  include module<%= i %>
+<% end %>
diff --git a/tasks/benchmark.rake b/tasks/benchmark.rake
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c59a3213a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tasks/benchmark.rake
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+require 'benchmark'
+require 'tmpdir'
+
+namespace :benchmark do
+  def generate_scenario_tasks(location, name)
+    desc File.read(File.join(location, 'description'))
+    task name => "#{name}:run"
+
+    namespace name do
+      task :setup do
+        ENV['ITERATIONS'] ||= '10'
+        ENV['SIZE'] ||= '100'
+        ENV['TARGET'] ||= Dir.mktmpdir(name)
+        ENV['TARGET'] = File.expand_path(ENV['TARGET'])
+
+        mkdir_p(ENV['TARGET'])
+
+        require File.expand_path(File.join(location, 'benchmarker.rb'))
+
+        @benchmark = Benchmarker.new(ENV['TARGET'], ENV['SIZE'].to_i)
+      end
+
+      desc "Generate the #{name} scenario."
+      task :generate => :setup do
+        @benchmark.generate
+        @benchmark.setup
+      end
+
+      desc "Run the #{name} scenario."
+      task :run => :generate do
+        format = if RUBY_VERSION =~ /^1\.8/
+                   Benchmark::FMTSTR
+                 else
+                   Benchmark::FORMAT
+                 end
+        Benchmark.benchmark(Benchmark::CAPTION, 10, format, "> total:", "> avg:") do |b|
+          times = []
+          ENV['ITERATIONS'].to_i.times do |i|
+            times << b.report("Run #{i + 1}") do
+              @benchmark.run
+            end
+          end
+
+          sum = times.inject(Benchmark::Tms.new, &:+)
+
+          [sum, sum / times.length]
+        end
+      end
+
+      desc "Profile a single run of the #{name} scenario."
+      task :profile => :generate do
+        require 'ruby-prof'
+
+        result = RubyProf.profile do
+          @benchmark.run
+        end
+
+        printer = RubyProf::CallTreePrinter.new(result)
+        File.open(File.join("callgrind.#{name}.#{Time.now.to_i}.trace"), "w") do |f|
+          printer.print(f)
+        end
+      end
+    end
+  end
+
+  Dir.glob('benchmarks/*') do |location|
+    generate_scenario_tasks(location, File.basename(location))
+  end
+end