diff --git a/pkg/content/iowriter.go b/pkg/content/iowriter.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..dad9dd8ca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/content/iowriter.go
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+package content
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"io"
+	"io/ioutil"
+
+	"github.com/containerd/containerd/content"
+	"github.com/opencontainers/go-digest"
+)
+
+// IoContentWriter writer that wraps an io.Writer, so the results can be streamed to
+// an open io.Writer. For example, can be used to pull a layer and write it to a file, or device.
+type IoContentWriter struct {
+	writer   io.Writer
+	digester digest.Digester
+	size     int64
+}
+
+// NewIoContentWriter create a new IoContentWriter. blocksize is the size of the block to copy,
+// in bytes, between the parent and child. The default, when 0, is to simply use
+// whatever golang defaults to with io.Copy
+func NewIoContentWriter(writer io.Writer, blocksize int) content.Writer {
+	w := writer
+	if w == nil {
+		w = ioutil.Discard
+	}
+	ioc := &IoContentWriter{
+		writer:   w,
+		digester: digest.Canonical.Digester(),
+	}
+	return NewPassthroughWriter(ioc, func(r io.Reader, w io.Writer, done chan<- error) {
+		// write out the data to the io writer
+		var (
+			err error
+		)
+		if blocksize == 0 {
+			_, err = io.Copy(w, r)
+		} else {
+			b := make([]byte, blocksize, blocksize)
+			_, err = io.CopyBuffer(w, r, b)
+		}
+		done <- err
+	})
+}
+
+func (w *IoContentWriter) Write(p []byte) (n int, err error) {
+	n, err = w.writer.Write(p)
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, err
+	}
+	w.digester.Hash().Write(p[:n])
+	w.size += int64(n)
+	return
+}
+
+func (w *IoContentWriter) Close() error {
+	return nil
+}
+
+// Digest may return empty digest or panics until committed.
+func (w *IoContentWriter) Digest() digest.Digest {
+	return w.digester.Digest()
+}
+
+// Commit commits the blob (but no roll-back is guaranteed on an error).
+// size and expected can be zero-value when unknown.
+// Commit always closes the writer, even on error.
+// ErrAlreadyExists aborts the writer.
+func (w *IoContentWriter) Commit(ctx context.Context, size int64, expected digest.Digest, opts ...content.Opt) error {
+	return nil
+}
+
+// Status returns the current state of write
+func (w *IoContentWriter) Status() (content.Status, error) {
+	return content.Status{}, nil
+}
+
+// Truncate updates the size of the target blob
+func (w *IoContentWriter) Truncate(size int64) error {
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/pkg/content/passthrough.go b/pkg/content/passthrough.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..85c4873a7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/content/passthrough.go
@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+package content
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"io"
+
+	"github.com/containerd/containerd/content"
+	"github.com/opencontainers/go-digest"
+)
+
+// PassthroughWriter takes an input stream and passes it through to an underlying writer,
+// while providing the ability to manipulate the stream before it gets passed through
+type PassthroughWriter struct {
+	writer             content.Writer
+	pipew              *io.PipeWriter
+	digester           digest.Digester
+	size               int64
+	underlyingDigester digest.Digester
+	underlyingSize     int64
+	reader             *io.PipeReader
+	done               chan error
+}
+
+// NewPassthroughWriter creates a pass-through writer that allows for processing
+// the content via an arbitrary function. The function should do whatever processing it
+// wants, reading from the Reader to the Writer. When done, it must indicate via
+// sending an error or nil to the Done
+func NewPassthroughWriter(writer content.Writer, f func(r io.Reader, w io.Writer, done chan<- error)) content.Writer {
+	r, w := io.Pipe()
+	pw := &PassthroughWriter{
+		writer:             writer,
+		pipew:              w,
+		digester:           digest.Canonical.Digester(),
+		underlyingDigester: digest.Canonical.Digester(),
+		reader:             r,
+		done:               make(chan error, 1),
+	}
+	uw := &underlyingWriter{
+		pw: pw,
+	}
+	go f(r, uw, pw.done)
+	return pw
+}
+
+func (pw *PassthroughWriter) Write(p []byte) (n int, err error) {
+	n, err = pw.pipew.Write(p)
+	pw.digester.Hash().Write(p[:n])
+	pw.size += int64(n)
+	return
+}
+
+func (pw *PassthroughWriter) Close() error {
+	pw.pipew.Close()
+	pw.writer.Close()
+	return nil
+}
+
+// Digest may return empty digest or panics until committed.
+func (pw *PassthroughWriter) Digest() digest.Digest {
+	return pw.digester.Digest()
+}
+
+// Commit commits the blob (but no roll-back is guaranteed on an error).
+// size and expected can be zero-value when unknown.
+// Commit always closes the writer, even on error.
+// ErrAlreadyExists aborts the writer.
+func (pw *PassthroughWriter) Commit(ctx context.Context, size int64, expected digest.Digest, opts ...content.Opt) error {
+	pw.pipew.Close()
+	err := <-pw.done
+	pw.reader.Close()
+	if err != nil && err != io.EOF {
+		return err
+	}
+	return pw.writer.Commit(ctx, pw.underlyingSize, pw.underlyingDigester.Digest(), opts...)
+}
+
+// Status returns the current state of write
+func (pw *PassthroughWriter) Status() (content.Status, error) {
+	return pw.writer.Status()
+}
+
+// Truncate updates the size of the target blob
+func (pw *PassthroughWriter) Truncate(size int64) error {
+	return pw.writer.Truncate(size)
+}
+
+// underlyingWriter implementation of io.Writer to write to the underlying
+// io.Writer
+type underlyingWriter struct {
+	pw *PassthroughWriter
+}
+
+// Write write to the underlying writer
+func (u *underlyingWriter) Write(p []byte) (int, error) {
+	n, err := u.pw.writer.Write(p)
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, err
+	}
+
+	u.pw.underlyingSize += int64(len(p))
+	u.pw.underlyingDigester.Hash().Write(p)
+	return n, nil
+}
diff --git a/pkg/content/passthrough_test.go b/pkg/content/passthrough_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..87ba23604
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/content/passthrough_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
+package content_test
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"testing"
+
+	ctrcontent "github.com/containerd/containerd/content"
+	"github.com/deislabs/oras/pkg/content"
+	digest "github.com/opencontainers/go-digest"
+	ocispec "github.com/opencontainers/image-spec/specs-go/v1"
+)
+
+var (
+	testRef         = "abc123"
+	testContent     = []byte("Hello World!")
+	appendText      = "1"
+	modifiedContent = fmt.Sprintf("%s%s", testContent, appendText)
+	testDescriptor  = ocispec.Descriptor{
+		MediaType: ocispec.MediaTypeImageConfig,
+		Digest:    digest.FromBytes(testContent),
+		Size:      int64(len(testContent)),
+		Annotations: map[string]string{
+			ocispec.AnnotationTitle: testRef,
+		},
+	}
+	modifiedDescriptor = ocispec.Descriptor{
+		MediaType: ocispec.MediaTypeImageConfig,
+		Digest:    digest.FromBytes([]byte(modifiedContent)),
+		Size:      int64(len(modifiedContent)),
+		Annotations: map[string]string{
+			ocispec.AnnotationTitle: testRef,
+		},
+	}
+)
+
+func TestPassthroughWriter(t *testing.T) {
+	// simple pass through function that modifies the data just slightly
+	f := func(r io.Reader, w io.Writer, done chan<- error) {
+		var (
+			err error
+			n   int
+		)
+		for {
+			b := make([]byte, 1024)
+			n, err = r.Read(b)
+			if err != nil && err != io.EOF {
+				t.Fatalf("data read error: %v", err)
+				break
+			}
+			l := n
+			if n > len(b) {
+				l = len(b)
+			}
+
+			// we change it just slightly
+			b = b[:l]
+			if l > 0 {
+				b = append(b, 0x31)
+			}
+			if _, err := w.Write(b); err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("error writing to underlying writer: %v", err)
+				break
+			}
+			if err == io.EOF {
+				break
+			}
+		}
+		done <- err
+	}
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	mem := content.NewMemoryStore()
+	memw, err := mem.Writer(ctx, ctrcontent.WithDescriptor(modifiedDescriptor))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error getting the memory store writer: %v", err)
+	}
+	writer := content.NewPassthroughWriter(memw, f)
+	n, err := writer.Write(testContent)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error on Write: %v", err)
+	}
+	if n != len(testContent) {
+		t.Fatalf("wrote %d bytes instead of %d", n, len(testContent))
+	}
+	if err := writer.Commit(ctx, testDescriptor.Size, testDescriptor.Digest); err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("unexpected error on Commit: %v", err)
+	}
+	if digest := writer.Digest(); digest != testDescriptor.Digest {
+		t.Errorf("mismatched digest: actual %v, expected %v", digest, testDescriptor.Digest)
+	}
+
+	// make sure the data is what we expected
+	_, b, found := mem.Get(modifiedDescriptor)
+	if !found {
+		t.Fatalf("target descriptor not found in underlying memory store")
+	}
+	if len(b) != len(modifiedContent) {
+		t.Errorf("unexpectedly got %d bytes instead of expected %d", len(b), len(modifiedContent))
+	}
+	if string(b) != modifiedContent {
+		t.Errorf("mismatched content, expected '%s', got '%s'", modifiedContent, string(b))
+	}
+}