diff --git a/crates/rustic_core/src/commands.rs b/crates/rustic_core/src/commands.rs
index f1720ec51..f450b03a4 100644
--- a/crates/rustic_core/src/commands.rs
+++ b/crates/rustic_core/src/commands.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 pub mod cat;
 pub mod check;
+pub mod dump;
 pub mod forget;
 pub mod prune;
 pub mod repoinfo;
diff --git a/crates/rustic_core/src/commands/dump.rs b/crates/rustic_core/src/commands/dump.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..374f24f57
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/rustic_core/src/commands/dump.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+use std::io::Write;
+
+use crate::{
+    error::CommandErrorKind, repository::IndexedRepository, BlobType, IndexedBackend, Node,
+    NodeType, RusticResult,
+};
+
+pub(crate) fn dump<P>(
+    repo: &IndexedRepository<P>,
+    node: &Node,
+    w: &mut impl Write,
+) -> RusticResult<()> {
+    if node.node_type != NodeType::File {
+        return Err(CommandErrorKind::DumpNotSupported(node.node_type.clone()).into());
+    }
+
+    for id in node.content.as_ref().unwrap() {
+        // TODO: cache blobs which are needed later
+        let data = repo.index.blob_from_backend(BlobType::Data, id)?;
+        w.write_all(&data)?;
+    }
+    Ok(())
+}
diff --git a/crates/rustic_core/src/error.rs b/crates/rustic_core/src/error.rs
index a37386107..13be3e151 100644
--- a/crates/rustic_core/src/error.rs
+++ b/crates/rustic_core/src/error.rs
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ use chrono::OutOfRangeError;
 use displaydoc::Display;
 use thiserror::Error;
 
-use crate::{id::Id, repofile::indexfile::IndexPack};
+use crate::{id::Id, repofile::indexfile::IndexPack, NodeType};
 
 /// Result type often returned from methods that can have rustic `Error`s.
 pub type RusticResult<T> = Result<T, RusticError>;
@@ -160,6 +160,8 @@ pub enum CommandErrorKind {
     RepackUncompressedRepoV1,
     /// datetime out of range: `{0:?}`
     FromOutOfRangeError(#[from] OutOfRangeError),
+    /// node type {0:?} not supported by dump
+    DumpNotSupported(NodeType),
 }
 
 /// [`CryptoErrorKind`] describes the errors that can happen while dealing with Cryptographic functions
diff --git a/crates/rustic_core/src/repository.rs b/crates/rustic_core/src/repository.rs
index fd24a9c0c..4080ee1ce 100644
--- a/crates/rustic_core/src/repository.rs
+++ b/crates/rustic_core/src/repository.rs
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 use std::{
     collections::HashMap,
     fs::File,
-    io::{BufRead, BufReader},
-    path::PathBuf,
+    io::{BufRead, BufReader, Write},
+    path::{Path, PathBuf},
     process::{Command, Stdio},
 };
 
@@ -37,8 +37,8 @@ use crate::{
     crypto::aespoly1305::Key,
     error::RepositoryErrorKind,
     repofile::{configfile::ConfigFile, keyfile::find_key_in_backend},
-    BlobType, Id, IndexBackend, NoProgressBars, ProgressBars, PruneOpts, PrunePlan, RusticResult,
-    SnapshotFile, SnapshotGroup, SnapshotGroupCriterion,
+    BlobType, Id, IndexBackend, NoProgressBars, Node, ProgressBars, PruneOpts, PrunePlan,
+    RusticResult, SnapshotFile, SnapshotGroup, SnapshotGroupCriterion, Tree,
 };
 
 pub(super) mod constants {
@@ -448,9 +448,23 @@ pub struct IndexedRepository<P> {
 }
 
 impl<P: ProgressBars> IndexedRepository<P> {
+    pub fn node_from_snapshot_path(
+        &self,
+        snap_path: &str,
+        filter: impl FnMut(&SnapshotFile) -> bool + Send + Sync,
+    ) -> RusticResult<Node> {
+        let (id, path) = snap_path.split_once(':').unwrap_or((snap_path, ""));
+
+        let p = &self.repo.pb.progress_counter("getting snapshot...");
+        let snap = SnapshotFile::from_str(&self.repo.dbe, id, filter, p)?;
+
+        Tree::node_from_path(&self.index, snap.tree, Path::new(path))
+    }
+
     pub fn cat_blob(&self, tpe: BlobType, id: &str) -> RusticResult<Bytes> {
         commands::cat::cat_blob(self, tpe, id)
     }
+
     pub fn cat_tree(
         &self,
         snap: &str,
@@ -458,4 +472,8 @@ impl<P: ProgressBars> IndexedRepository<P> {
     ) -> RusticResult<Bytes> {
         commands::cat::cat_tree(self, snap, sn_filter)
     }
+
+    pub fn dump(&self, node: &Node, w: &mut impl Write) -> RusticResult<()> {
+        commands::dump::dump(self, node, w)
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/commands/dump.rs b/src/commands/dump.rs
index e478cd112..451dd9142 100644
--- a/src/commands/dump.rs
+++ b/src/commands/dump.rs
@@ -2,19 +2,10 @@
 
 /// App-local prelude includes `app_reader()`/`app_writer()`/`app_config()`
 /// accessors along with logging macros. Customize as you see fit.
-use crate::{
-    commands::{get_repository, open_repository},
-    status_err, Application, RUSTIC_APP,
-};
+use crate::{commands::get_repository, status_err, Application, RUSTIC_APP};
 
 use abscissa_core::{Command, Runnable, Shutdown};
-use anyhow::{bail, Result};
-
-use std::{io::Write, path::Path};
-
-use rustic_core::{
-    BlobType, IndexBackend, IndexedBackend, NodeType, ProgressBars, SnapshotFile, Tree,
-};
+use anyhow::Result;
 
 /// `dump` subcommand
 #[derive(clap::Parser, Command, Debug)]
@@ -37,31 +28,12 @@ impl DumpCmd {
     fn inner_run(&self) -> Result<()> {
         let config = RUSTIC_APP.config();
 
-        let repo = open_repository(get_repository(&config));
-
-        let be = &repo.dbe;
-        let progress_options = &config.global.progress_options;
-
-        let (id, path) = self.snap.split_once(':').unwrap_or((&self.snap, ""));
-        let snap = SnapshotFile::from_str(
-            be,
-            id,
-            |sn| config.snapshot_filter.matches(sn),
-            &progress_options.progress_counter(""),
-        )?;
-        let index = IndexBackend::new(be, &progress_options.progress_counter(""))?;
-        let node = Tree::node_from_path(&index, snap.tree, Path::new(path))?;
-
-        if node.node_type != NodeType::File {
-            bail!("dump only supports regular files!");
-        }
+        let repo = get_repository(&config).open()?.to_indexed()?;
+        let node =
+            repo.node_from_snapshot_path(&self.snap, |sn| config.snapshot_filter.matches(sn))?;
 
         let mut stdout = std::io::stdout();
-        for id in node.content.unwrap() {
-            // TODO: cache blobs which are needed later
-            let data = index.blob_from_backend(BlobType::Data, &id)?;
-            stdout.write_all(&data)?;
-        }
+        repo.dump(&node, &mut stdout)?;
 
         Ok(())
     }