diff --git a/client/commands/proxy/root.go b/client/commands/proxy/root.go
index cc47107ed2..e8170015c2 100644
--- a/client/commands/proxy/root.go
+++ b/client/commands/proxy/root.go
@@ -1,19 +1,15 @@
 package proxy
 
 import (
-	"net/http"
 	"os"
 
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 	"github.com/spf13/viper"
 
-	certclient "github.com/tendermint/light-client/certifiers/client"
-	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/rpc/client"
-	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/rpc/core"
-	rpc "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/rpc/lib/server"
 	cmn "github.com/tendermint/tmlibs/common"
 	"github.com/tendermint/tmlibs/log"
 
+	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/client"
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/client/commands"
 )
 
@@ -32,8 +28,7 @@ just with added trust and running locally.`,
 }
 
 const (
-	bindFlag   = "serve"
-	wsEndpoint = "/websocket"
+	bindFlag = "serve"
 )
 
 func init() {
@@ -50,24 +45,15 @@ func init() {
 
 func runProxy(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 	// First, connect a client
-	c := commands.GetNode()
+	node := commands.GetNode()
+	bind := viper.GetString(bindFlag)
 	cert, err := commands.GetCertifier()
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	sc := certclient.Wrap(c, cert)
-	sc.Start()
-	r := routes(sc)
+	sc := client.SecureClient(node, cert)
 
-	// build the handler...
-	mux := http.NewServeMux()
-	rpc.RegisterRPCFuncs(mux, r, logger)
-	wm := rpc.NewWebsocketManager(r, c)
-	wm.SetLogger(logger)
-	core.SetLogger(logger)
-	mux.HandleFunc(wsEndpoint, wm.WebsocketHandler)
-
-	_, err = rpc.StartHTTPServer(viper.GetString(bindFlag), mux, logger)
+	err = client.StartProxy(sc, bind, logger)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -78,33 +64,3 @@ func runProxy(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 
 	return nil
 }
-
-// First step, proxy with no checks....
-func routes(c client.Client) map[string]*rpc.RPCFunc {
-
-	return map[string]*rpc.RPCFunc{
-		// Subscribe/unsubscribe are reserved for websocket events.
-		// We can just use the core tendermint impl, which uses the
-		// EventSwitch we registered in NewWebsocketManager above
-		"subscribe":   rpc.NewWSRPCFunc(core.Subscribe, "event"),
-		"unsubscribe": rpc.NewWSRPCFunc(core.Unsubscribe, "event"),
-
-		// info API
-		"status":     rpc.NewRPCFunc(c.Status, ""),
-		"blockchain": rpc.NewRPCFunc(c.BlockchainInfo, "minHeight,maxHeight"),
-		"genesis":    rpc.NewRPCFunc(c.Genesis, ""),
-		"block":      rpc.NewRPCFunc(c.Block, "height"),
-		"commit":     rpc.NewRPCFunc(c.Commit, "height"),
-		"tx":         rpc.NewRPCFunc(c.Tx, "hash,prove"),
-		"validators": rpc.NewRPCFunc(c.Validators, ""),
-
-		// broadcast API
-		"broadcast_tx_commit": rpc.NewRPCFunc(c.BroadcastTxCommit, "tx"),
-		"broadcast_tx_sync":   rpc.NewRPCFunc(c.BroadcastTxSync, "tx"),
-		"broadcast_tx_async":  rpc.NewRPCFunc(c.BroadcastTxAsync, "tx"),
-
-		// abci API
-		"abci_query": rpc.NewRPCFunc(c.ABCIQuery, "path,data,prove"),
-		"abci_info":  rpc.NewRPCFunc(c.ABCIInfo, ""),
-	}
-}
diff --git a/client/commands/rpc/root.go b/client/commands/rpc/root.go
index dcb40d6e43..88003a43da 100644
--- a/client/commands/rpc/root.go
+++ b/client/commands/rpc/root.go
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ func getSecureNode() (rpcclient.Client, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	return client.GetSecureNode(c, cert), nil
+	return client.SecureClient(c, cert), nil
 }
 
 // printResult just writes the struct to the console, returns an error if it can't
diff --git a/client/common.go b/client/common.go
index 79f816f87d..f2c0d01412 100644
--- a/client/common.go
+++ b/client/common.go
@@ -47,8 +47,8 @@ func GetCertifier(chainID string, trust certifiers.Provider,
 	return cert, nil
 }
 
-// GetSecureNode uses a given certifier to wrap an connection to an untrusted
+// SecureClient uses a given certifier to wrap an connection to an untrusted
 // host and return a cryptographically secure rpc client.
-func GetSecureNode(c rpcclient.Client, cert *certifiers.InquiringCertifier) rpcclient.Client {
+func SecureClient(c rpcclient.Client, cert *certifiers.InquiringCertifier) rpcclient.Client {
 	return certclient.Wrap(c, cert)
 }
diff --git a/client/proxy.go b/client/proxy.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6518dfadbc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client/proxy.go
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+package client
+
+import (
+	"net/http"
+
+	"github.com/tendermint/tmlibs/log"
+
+	rpcclient "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/rpc/client"
+	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/rpc/core"
+	rpc "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/rpc/lib/server"
+)
+
+const (
+	wsEndpoint = "/websocket"
+)
+
+// StartProxy will start the websocket manager on the client,
+// set up the rpc routes to proxy via the given client,
+// and start up an http/rpc server on the location given by bind (eg. :1234)
+func StartProxy(c rpcclient.Client, bind string, logger log.Logger) error {
+	c.Start()
+	r := RPCRoutes(c)
+
+	// build the handler...
+	mux := http.NewServeMux()
+	rpc.RegisterRPCFuncs(mux, r, logger)
+	wm := rpc.NewWebsocketManager(r, c)
+	wm.SetLogger(logger)
+	core.SetLogger(logger)
+	mux.HandleFunc(wsEndpoint, wm.WebsocketHandler)
+
+	_, err := rpc.StartHTTPServer(bind, mux, logger)
+
+	return err
+}
+
+// RPCRoutes just routes everything to the given client, as if it were
+// a tendermint fullnode.
+//
+// if we want security, the client must implement it as a secure client
+func RPCRoutes(c rpcclient.Client) map[string]*rpc.RPCFunc {
+
+	return map[string]*rpc.RPCFunc{
+		// Subscribe/unsubscribe are reserved for websocket events.
+		// We can just use the core tendermint impl, which uses the
+		// EventSwitch we registered in NewWebsocketManager above
+		"subscribe":   rpc.NewWSRPCFunc(core.Subscribe, "event"),
+		"unsubscribe": rpc.NewWSRPCFunc(core.Unsubscribe, "event"),
+
+		// info API
+		"status":     rpc.NewRPCFunc(c.Status, ""),
+		"blockchain": rpc.NewRPCFunc(c.BlockchainInfo, "minHeight,maxHeight"),
+		"genesis":    rpc.NewRPCFunc(c.Genesis, ""),
+		"block":      rpc.NewRPCFunc(c.Block, "height"),
+		"commit":     rpc.NewRPCFunc(c.Commit, "height"),
+		"tx":         rpc.NewRPCFunc(c.Tx, "hash,prove"),
+		"validators": rpc.NewRPCFunc(c.Validators, ""),
+
+		// broadcast API
+		"broadcast_tx_commit": rpc.NewRPCFunc(c.BroadcastTxCommit, "tx"),
+		"broadcast_tx_sync":   rpc.NewRPCFunc(c.BroadcastTxSync, "tx"),
+		"broadcast_tx_async":  rpc.NewRPCFunc(c.BroadcastTxAsync, "tx"),
+
+		// abci API
+		"abci_query": rpc.NewRPCFunc(c.ABCIQuery, "path,data,prove"),
+		"abci_info":  rpc.NewRPCFunc(c.ABCIInfo, ""),
+	}
+}