diff --git a/build/core/clear_vars.mk b/build/core/clear_vars.mk
index 5b86d692..f996179b 100644
--- a/build/core/clear_vars.mk
+++ b/build/core/clear_vars.mk
@@ -2,3 +2,10 @@
 #CM-specific variable clears
 #
 LOCAL_IGNORE_SUBDIR :=
+
+LOCAL_MAVEN_GROUP :=
+LOCAL_MAVEN_ARTIFACT :=
+LOCAL_MAVEN_VERSION :=
+LOCAL_MAVEN_CLASSIFIER :=
+LOCAL_MAVEN_PACKAGING :=
+LOCAL_MAVEN_REPO :=
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/build/core/config.mk b/build/core/config.mk
index 41a63b00..d948789d 100644
--- a/build/core/config.mk
+++ b/build/core/config.mk
@@ -3,4 +3,6 @@ CM_SRC_SYSTEM_API_DIR := $(TOPDIR)vendor/cmsdk/system-api
 INTERNAL_CM_PLATFORM_API_FILE := $(TARGET_OUT_COMMON_INTERMEDIATES)/PACKAGING/cm_public_api.txt
 INTERNAL_CM_PLATFORM_REMOVED_API_FILE := $(TARGET_OUT_COMMON_INTERMEDIATES)/PACKAGING/cm_removed.txt
 INTERNAL_CM_PLATFORM_SYSTEM_API_FILE := $(TARGET_OUT_COMMON_INTERMEDIATES)/PACKAGING/cm_system-api.txt
-INTERNAL_CM_PLATFORM_SYSTEM_REMOVED_API_FILE := $(TARGET_OUT_COMMON_INTERMEDIATES)/PACKAGING/cm_system-removed.txt
\ No newline at end of file
+INTERNAL_CM_PLATFORM_SYSTEM_REMOVED_API_FILE := $(TARGET_OUT_COMMON_INTERMEDIATES)/PACKAGING/cm_system-removed.txt
+
+BUILD_MAVEN_PREBUILT := $(TOP)/vendor/cm/build/core/maven_artifact.mk
diff --git a/build/core/maven_artifact.mk b/build/core/maven_artifact.mk
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2666b9c8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build/core/maven_artifact.mk
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+# Copyright (C) 2015 The CyanogenMod Project
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+
+ifeq ($(strip $(LOCAL_MAVEN_GROUP)),)
+  $(error LOCAL_MAVEN_GROUP not defined.)
+endif
+ifeq ($(strip $(LOCAL_MAVEN_ARTIFACT)),)
+  $(error LOCAL_MAVEN_ARTIFACT not defined.)
+endif
+ifeq ($(strip $(LOCAL_MAVEN_VERSION)),)
+  $(error LOCAL_MAVEN_VERSION not defined.)
+endif
+ifeq ($(strip $(LOCAL_MAVEN_REPO)),)
+  $(error LOCAL_MAVEN_REPO not defined.)
+endif
+ifeq ($(strip $(LOCAL_MAVEN_PACKAGING)),)
+  LOCAL_MAVEN_PACKAGING := jar
+endif
+
+artifact_filename := $(LOCAL_MAVEN_GROUP).$(LOCAL_MAVEN_ARTIFACT)-$(LOCAL_MAVEN_VERSION)$(if $(LOCAL_MAVEN_CLASSIFIER),-$(LOCAL_MAVEN_CLASSIFIER)).$(LOCAL_MAVEN_PACKAGING)
+
+LOCAL_PREBUILT_MODULE_FILE := $(call intermediates-dir-for,$(LOCAL_MODULE_CLASS),$(LOCAL_MODULE),,COMMON)/$(artifact_filename)
+
+$(LOCAL_PREBUILT_MODULE_FILE): specifier := $(LOCAL_MAVEN_GROUP):$(LOCAL_MAVEN_ARTIFACT):$(LOCAL_MAVEN_VERSION):$(LOCAL_MAVEN_PACKAGING)$(if $(LOCAL_MAVEN_CLASSIFIER),:$(LOCAL_MAVEN_CLASSIFIER))
+$(LOCAL_PREBUILT_MODULE_FILE): repo := $(LOCAL_MAVEN_REPO)
+$(LOCAL_PREBUILT_MODULE_FILE):
+	@mvn -q dependency:get dependency:copy \
+		-DremoteRepositories=central::::$(repo) \
+		-Dartifact=$(specifier) \
+		-DoutputDirectory=$(dir $@) \
+		-Dmdep.prependGroupId=true \
+		-Dmdep.overWriteSnapshots=true \
+		-Dmdep.overWriteReleases=true
+	@echo -e ${CL_GRN}"Download:"${CL_RST}" $@"
+
+include $(BUILD_PREBUILT)
+
+# the "fetchprebuilts" target will go through and pre-download all of the maven dependencies in the tree
+fetchprebuilts: $(LOCAL_PREBUILT_MODULE_FILE)
\ No newline at end of file