diff --git a/builder/amazon/common/artifact.go b/builder/amazon/common/artifact.go
index 455994d59..8831d313b 100644
--- a/builder/amazon/common/artifact.go
+++ b/builder/amazon/common/artifact.go
@@ -52,6 +52,10 @@ func (a *Artifact) String() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("AMIs were created:\n\n%s", strings.Join(amiStrings, "\n"))
 }
 
+func (a *Artifact) State(name string) interface{} {
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (a *Artifact) Destroy() error {
 	errors := make([]error, 0)
 
diff --git a/builder/digitalocean/artifact.go b/builder/digitalocean/artifact.go
index ebabdd41c..a6c8d8a7d 100644
--- a/builder/digitalocean/artifact.go
+++ b/builder/digitalocean/artifact.go
@@ -37,6 +37,10 @@ func (a *Artifact) String() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("A snapshot was created: '%v' in region '%v'", a.snapshotName, a.regionName)
 }
 
+func (a *Artifact) State(name string) interface{} {
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (a *Artifact) Destroy() error {
 	log.Printf("Destroying image: %d (%s)", a.snapshotId, a.snapshotName)
 	return a.client.DestroyImage(a.snapshotId)
diff --git a/builder/docker/artifact_export.go b/builder/docker/artifact_export.go
index 29cbefb48..d9eb83f67 100644
--- a/builder/docker/artifact_export.go
+++ b/builder/docker/artifact_export.go
@@ -27,6 +27,10 @@ func (a *ExportArtifact) String() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("Exported Docker file: %s", a.path)
 }
 
+func (a *ExportArtifact) State(name string) interface{} {
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (a *ExportArtifact) Destroy() error {
 	return os.Remove(a.path)
 }
diff --git a/builder/docker/artifact_import.go b/builder/docker/artifact_import.go
index 4c926eb53..6ab0fe482 100644
--- a/builder/docker/artifact_import.go
+++ b/builder/docker/artifact_import.go
@@ -28,6 +28,10 @@ func (a *ImportArtifact) String() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("Imported Docker image: %s", a.Id())
 }
 
+func (*ImportArtifact) State(name string) interface{} {
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (a *ImportArtifact) Destroy() error {
 	return a.Driver.DeleteImage(a.Id())
 }
diff --git a/builder/googlecompute/artifact.go b/builder/googlecompute/artifact.go
index a09946f9f..cb2ad88bb 100644
--- a/builder/googlecompute/artifact.go
+++ b/builder/googlecompute/artifact.go
@@ -37,3 +37,7 @@ func (a *Artifact) Id() string {
 func (a *Artifact) String() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("A disk image was created: %v", a.imageName)
 }
+
+func (a *Artifact) State(name string) interface{} {
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/builder/null/artifact_export.go b/builder/null/artifact_export.go
index ad7bebc15..3962358e0 100644
--- a/builder/null/artifact_export.go
+++ b/builder/null/artifact_export.go
@@ -24,6 +24,10 @@ func (a *NullArtifact) String() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("Did not export anything. This is the null builder")
 }
 
+func (a *NullArtifact) State(name string) interface{} {
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (a *NullArtifact) Destroy() error {
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/builder/openstack/artifact.go b/builder/openstack/artifact.go
index a2ba552c5..035e245f6 100644
--- a/builder/openstack/artifact.go
+++ b/builder/openstack/artifact.go
@@ -35,6 +35,10 @@ func (a *Artifact) String() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("An image was created: %v", a.ImageId)
 }
 
+func (a *Artifact) State(name string) interface{} {
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (a *Artifact) Destroy() error {
 	log.Printf("Destroying image: %d", a.ImageId)
 	return a.Conn.DeleteImageById(a.ImageId)
diff --git a/builder/parallels/common/artifact.go b/builder/parallels/common/artifact.go
index 4930e0c32..8ce7755fa 100644
--- a/builder/parallels/common/artifact.go
+++ b/builder/parallels/common/artifact.go
@@ -66,6 +66,10 @@ func (a *artifact) String() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("VM files in directory: %s", a.dir)
 }
 
+func (a *artifact) State(name string) interface{} {
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (a *artifact) Destroy() error {
 	return os.RemoveAll(a.dir)
 }
diff --git a/builder/qemu/artifact.go b/builder/qemu/artifact.go
index a3f1f9a46..1dea61c68 100644
--- a/builder/qemu/artifact.go
+++ b/builder/qemu/artifact.go
@@ -28,6 +28,10 @@ func (a *Artifact) String() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("VM files in directory: %s", a.dir)
 }
 
+func (a *Artifact) State(name string) interface{} {
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (a *Artifact) Destroy() error {
 	return os.RemoveAll(a.dir)
 }
diff --git a/builder/virtualbox/common/artifact.go b/builder/virtualbox/common/artifact.go
index f4fc48100..9755c7a44 100644
--- a/builder/virtualbox/common/artifact.go
+++ b/builder/virtualbox/common/artifact.go
@@ -56,6 +56,10 @@ func (a *artifact) String() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("VM files in directory: %s", a.dir)
 }
 
+func (a *artifact) State(name string) interface{} {
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (a *artifact) Destroy() error {
 	return os.RemoveAll(a.dir)
 }
diff --git a/builder/vmware/common/artifact.go b/builder/vmware/common/artifact.go
index ddc2b1a35..710ed9aad 100644
--- a/builder/vmware/common/artifact.go
+++ b/builder/vmware/common/artifact.go
@@ -56,6 +56,10 @@ func (a *localArtifact) String() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("VM files in directory: %s", a.dir)
 }
 
+func (a *localArtifact) State(name string) interface{} {
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (a *localArtifact) Destroy() error {
 	return os.RemoveAll(a.dir)
 }
diff --git a/builder/vmware/iso/artifact.go b/builder/vmware/iso/artifact.go
index d6ddf8921..d0e1a6d8b 100644
--- a/builder/vmware/iso/artifact.go
+++ b/builder/vmware/iso/artifact.go
@@ -28,6 +28,10 @@ func (a *Artifact) String() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("VM files in directory: %s", a.dir)
 }
 
+func (a *Artifact) State(name string) interface{} {
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (a *Artifact) Destroy() error {
 	return a.dir.RemoveAll()
 }
diff --git a/packer/artifact.go b/packer/artifact.go
index 486c322f6..8eaf3bcd5 100644
--- a/packer/artifact.go
+++ b/packer/artifact.go
@@ -25,6 +25,10 @@ type Artifact interface {
 	// This is used for UI output. It can be multiple lines.
 	String() string
 
+	// State allows the caller to ask for builder specific state information
+	// relating to the artifact instance.
+	State(name string) interface{}
+
 	// Destroy deletes the artifact. Packer calls this for various reasons,
 	// such as if a post-processor has processed this artifact and it is
 	// no longer needed.
diff --git a/packer/artifact_mock.go b/packer/artifact_mock.go
index a59af5331..18f4e562f 100644
--- a/packer/artifact_mock.go
+++ b/packer/artifact_mock.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ type MockArtifact struct {
 	BuilderIdValue string
 	FilesValue     []string
 	IdValue        string
+	StateValues    map[string]interface{}
 	DestroyCalled  bool
 }
 
@@ -37,6 +38,11 @@ func (*MockArtifact) String() string {
 	return "string"
 }
 
+func (a *MockArtifact) State(name string) interface{} {
+	value, _ := a.StateValues[name]
+	return value
+}
+
 func (a *MockArtifact) Destroy() error {
 	a.DestroyCalled = true
 	return nil
diff --git a/packer/artifact_test.go b/packer/artifact_test.go
index ab6f39fb4..4ddc5f0ac 100644
--- a/packer/artifact_test.go
+++ b/packer/artifact_test.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package packer
 
 type TestArtifact struct {
 	id            string
+	state         map[string]interface{}
 	destroyCalled bool
 }
 
@@ -26,6 +27,11 @@ func (*TestArtifact) String() string {
 	return "string"
 }
 
+func (a *TestArtifact) State(name string) interface{} {
+	value, _ := a.state[name]
+	return value
+}
+
 func (a *TestArtifact) Destroy() error {
 	a.destroyCalled = true
 	return nil
diff --git a/packer/rpc/artifact.go b/packer/rpc/artifact.go
index c6e0a208d..3532cfbad 100644
--- a/packer/rpc/artifact.go
+++ b/packer/rpc/artifact.go
@@ -38,6 +38,11 @@ func (a *artifact) String() (result string) {
 	return
 }
 
+func (a *artifact) State(name string) (result interface{}) {
+	a.client.Call(a.endpoint+".State", name, &result)
+	return
+}
+
 func (a *artifact) Destroy() error {
 	var result error
 	if err := a.client.Call(a.endpoint+".Destroy", new(interface{}), &result); err != nil {
@@ -67,6 +72,11 @@ func (s *ArtifactServer) String(args *interface{}, reply *string) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+func (s *ArtifactServer) State(name string, reply *interface{}) error {
+	*reply = s.artifact.State(name)
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (s *ArtifactServer) Destroy(args *interface{}, reply *error) error {
 	err := s.artifact.Destroy()
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/post-processor/compress/artifact.go b/post-processor/compress/artifact.go
index 54985d529..34a7ce8d6 100644
--- a/post-processor/compress/artifact.go
+++ b/post-processor/compress/artifact.go
@@ -35,6 +35,10 @@ func (self *Artifact) String() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("'%s' compressing: %s", self.Provider, self.Path)
 }
 
+func (*Artifact) State(name string) interface{} {
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (self *Artifact) Destroy() error {
 	return os.Remove(self.Path)
 }
diff --git a/post-processor/vagrant-cloud/artifact.go b/post-processor/vagrant-cloud/artifact.go
index 775bc2998..9f1d4f4bd 100644
--- a/post-processor/vagrant-cloud/artifact.go
+++ b/post-processor/vagrant-cloud/artifact.go
@@ -34,6 +34,10 @@ func (a *Artifact) String() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("'%s': %s", a.Provider, a.Tag)
 }
 
+func (*Artifact) State(name string) interface{} {
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (a *Artifact) Destroy() error {
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/post-processor/vagrant/artifact.go b/post-processor/vagrant/artifact.go
index c4cfe394b..5974e9901 100644
--- a/post-processor/vagrant/artifact.go
+++ b/post-processor/vagrant/artifact.go
@@ -35,6 +35,10 @@ func (a *Artifact) String() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("'%s' provider box: %s", a.Provider, a.Path)
 }
 
+func (a *Artifact) State(name string) interface{} {
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (a *Artifact) Destroy() error {
 	return os.Remove(a.Path)
 }