diff --git a/include/spl.h b/include/spl.h
index 9484861..fe2df78 100644
--- a/include/spl.h
+++ b/include/spl.h
@@ -144,6 +144,16 @@
 	return true;
 }
 
+/* returns true if in xPL, false if in U-Boot proper */
+static inline bool is_xpl(void)
+{
+#ifdef CONFIG_XPL_BUILD
+	return true;
+#endif
+
+	return false;
+}
+
 /**
  * spl_prev_phase() - Figure out the previous U-Boot phase
  *