diff --git a/common.sh b/common.sh
index 92c9f31e99..47ffc36a87 100644
--- a/common.sh
+++ b/common.sh
@@ -640,3 +640,49 @@ function reinterpret_path_for_chroot() {
     echo "${1}"
   fi
 }
+
+# Find a firmware component using one of a set of prefixes, or an override if
+# one is given.
+# The first argument is a list of path prefixes which are prepended to the
+# component name, relative to the current board's build directory.
+# The second argument is the name of the component to look for.
+# The third argument is an optional override. If it's a non-empty string, that
+# value is returned instead of searching. This makes it a little easier to
+# accept overrides in calling scripts.
+# The return value is the override if one is set, the first path at which a
+# component is found, or the last path searched if none is found. Later checks
+# in the calling scripts can identify that the file doesn't exist and handle
+# the error appropriately.
+function find_fw_component() {
+  local prefixes=$1
+  local component=$2
+  local override=$3
+  if [ ! -z "${override}" ]; then
+    echo "${override}"
+    exit 0
+  fi
+  local path=""
+  for prefix in ${prefixes}; do
+    path="/build/${BOARD_VARIANT}/${prefix}/${component}"
+    if [ -e "${path}" ]; then
+      break
+    fi
+  done
+  echo "${path}"
+}
+
+# A wrapper for find_fw_component which provides a set of prefixes which make
+# sense for u-boot.
+function find_u_boot_component () {
+  local component=$1
+  local override=$2
+  find_fw_component "firmware u-boot" "${component}" "${override}"
+}
+
+# A wrapper for find_fw_component which provides a set of prefixes which make
+# sense for coreboot.
+function find_coreboot_component () {
+  local component=$1
+  local override=$2
+  find_fw_component "firmware coreboot" "${component}" "${override}"
+}