diff --git a/docs/reference/gio/gio-sections-common.txt b/docs/reference/gio/gio-sections-common.txt
index 4173f7dcf..912c25507 100644
--- a/docs/reference/gio/gio-sections-common.txt
+++ b/docs/reference/gio/gio-sections-common.txt
@@ -199,6 +199,7 @@ g_file_replace_contents
 g_file_replace_contents_async
 g_file_replace_contents_bytes_async
 g_file_replace_contents_finish
+g_file_build_attribute_list_for_copy
 g_file_copy_attributes
 g_file_create_readwrite
 g_file_create_readwrite_async
diff --git a/gio/gfile.c b/gio/gfile.c
index 533efa7df..6e3b524f7 100644
--- a/gio/gfile.c
+++ b/gio/gfile.c
@@ -2695,14 +2695,36 @@ should_copy (GFileAttributeInfo *info,
   return info->flags & G_FILE_ATTRIBUTE_INFO_COPY_WITH_FILE;
 }
 
-static gboolean
-build_attribute_list_for_copy (GFile                  *file,
-                               GFileCopyFlags          flags,
-                               char                  **out_attributes,
-                               GCancellable           *cancellable,
-                               GError                **error)
+/**
+ * g_file_build_attribute_list_for_copy:
+ * @file: a #GFile to copy attributes to
+ * @flags: a set of #GFileCopyFlags
+ * @cancellable: (nullable): optional #GCancellable object,
+ *     %NULL to ignore
+ * @error: a #GError, %NULL to ignore
+ *
+ * Prepares the file attribute query string for copying to @file.
+ *
+ * This function prepares an attribute query string to be
+ * passed to g_file_query_info() to get a list of attributes
+ * normally copied with the file (see g_file_copy_attributes()
+ * for the detailed description). This function is used by the
+ * implementation of g_file_copy_attributes() and is useful
+ * when one needs to query and set the attributes in two
+ * stages (e.g., for recursive move of a directory).
+ *
+ * Returns: an attribute query string for g_file_query_info(),
+ *     or %NULL if an error occurs.
+ *
+ * Since: 2.68
+ */
+char *
+g_file_build_attribute_list_for_copy (GFile                  *file,
+                                      GFileCopyFlags          flags,
+                                      GCancellable           *cancellable,
+                                      GError                **error)
 {
-  gboolean ret = FALSE;
+  char *ret = NULL;
   GFileAttributeInfoList *attributes = NULL, *namespaces = NULL;
   GString *s = NULL;
   gboolean first;
@@ -2710,6 +2732,10 @@ build_attribute_list_for_copy (GFile                  *file,
   gboolean copy_all_attributes;
   gboolean skip_perms;
 
+  g_return_val_if_fail (G_IS_FILE (file), NULL);
+  g_return_val_if_fail (cancellable == NULL || G_IS_CANCELLABLE (cancellable), NULL);
+  g_return_val_if_fail (error == NULL || *error == NULL, NULL);
+
   copy_all_attributes = flags & G_FILE_COPY_ALL_METADATA;
   skip_perms = (flags & G_FILE_COPY_TARGET_DEFAULT_PERMS) != 0;
 
@@ -2763,8 +2789,7 @@ build_attribute_list_for_copy (GFile                  *file,
         }
     }
 
-  ret = TRUE;
-  *out_attributes = g_string_free (s, FALSE);
+  ret = g_string_free (s, FALSE);
   s = NULL;
  out:
   if (s)
@@ -2810,8 +2835,9 @@ g_file_copy_attributes (GFile           *source,
   GFileInfo *info;
   gboolean source_nofollow_symlinks;
 
-  if (!build_attribute_list_for_copy (destination, flags, &attrs_to_read,
-                                      cancellable, error))
+  attrs_to_read = g_file_build_attribute_list_for_copy (destination, flags,
+                                                        cancellable, error);
+  if (!attrs_to_read)
     return FALSE;
 
   source_nofollow_symlinks = flags & G_FILE_COPY_NOFOLLOW_SYMLINKS;
@@ -3157,6 +3183,7 @@ file_copy_fallback (GFile                  *source,
   char *attrs_to_read;
   gboolean do_set_attributes = FALSE;
   GFileCreateFlags create_flags;
+  GError *tmp_error = NULL;
 
   /* need to know the file type */
   info = g_file_query_info (source,
@@ -3198,47 +3225,43 @@ file_copy_fallback (GFile                  *source,
     goto out;
   in = G_INPUT_STREAM (file_in);
 
-  if (!build_attribute_list_for_copy (destination, flags, &attrs_to_read,
-                                      cancellable, error))
+  attrs_to_read = g_file_build_attribute_list_for_copy (destination, flags,
+                                                        cancellable, error);
+  if (!attrs_to_read)
     goto out;
 
-  if (attrs_to_read != NULL)
+  /* Ok, ditch the previous lightweight info (on Unix we just
+   * called lstat()); at this point we gather all the information
+   * we need about the source from the opened file descriptor.
+   */
+  g_object_unref (info);
+
+  info = g_file_input_stream_query_info (file_in, attrs_to_read,
+                                         cancellable, &tmp_error);
+  if (!info)
     {
-      GError *tmp_error = NULL;
-
-      /* Ok, ditch the previous lightweight info (on Unix we just
-       * called lstat()); at this point we gather all the information
-       * we need about the source from the opened file descriptor.
+      /* Not all gvfs backends implement query_info_on_read(), we
+       * can just fall back to the pathname again.
+       * https://bugzilla.gnome.org/706254
        */
-      g_object_unref (info);
-
-      info = g_file_input_stream_query_info (file_in, attrs_to_read,
-                                             cancellable, &tmp_error);
-      if (!info)
+      if (g_error_matches (tmp_error, G_IO_ERROR, G_IO_ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED))
         {
-          /* Not all gvfs backends implement query_info_on_read(), we
-           * can just fall back to the pathname again.
-           * https://bugzilla.gnome.org/706254
-           */
-          if (g_error_matches (tmp_error, G_IO_ERROR, G_IO_ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED))
-            {
-              g_clear_error (&tmp_error);
-              info = g_file_query_info (source, attrs_to_read, G_FILE_QUERY_INFO_NOFOLLOW_SYMLINKS,
-                                        cancellable, error);
-            }
-          else
-            {
-              g_free (attrs_to_read);
-              g_propagate_error (error, tmp_error);
-              goto out;
-            }
+          g_clear_error (&tmp_error);
+          info = g_file_query_info (source, attrs_to_read, G_FILE_QUERY_INFO_NOFOLLOW_SYMLINKS,
+                                    cancellable, error);
+        }
+      else
+        {
+          g_free (attrs_to_read);
+          g_propagate_error (error, tmp_error);
+          goto out;
         }
-      g_free (attrs_to_read);
-      if (!info)
-        goto out;
-
-      do_set_attributes = TRUE;
     }
+  g_free (attrs_to_read);
+  if (!info)
+    goto out;
+
+  do_set_attributes = TRUE;
 
   /* In the local file path, we pass down the source info which
    * includes things like unix::mode, to ensure that the target file
diff --git a/gio/gfile.h b/gio/gfile.h
index 8b6d08385..4cff1a372 100644
--- a/gio/gfile.h
+++ b/gio/gfile.h
@@ -1094,6 +1094,12 @@ gboolean                g_file_eject_mountable_with_operation_finish (GFile
 							   GAsyncResult               *result,
 							   GError                    **error);
 
+GLIB_AVAILABLE_IN_2_68
+char *			g_file_build_attribute_list_for_copy (GFile                   *file,
+							   GFileCopyFlags              flags,
+							   GCancellable               *cancellable,
+							   GError                    **error);
+
 GLIB_AVAILABLE_IN_ALL
 gboolean                g_file_copy_attributes            (GFile                      *source,
 							   GFile                      *destination,
diff --git a/gio/tests/file.c b/gio/tests/file.c
index c3877af4b..e951e1fcd 100644
--- a/gio/tests/file.c
+++ b/gio/tests/file.c
@@ -1780,6 +1780,79 @@ test_writev_async_all_too_big_vectors (void)
   g_object_unref (file);
 }
 
+static void
+test_build_attribute_list_for_copy (void)
+{
+  GFile *tmpfile;
+  GFileIOStream *iostream;
+  GError *error = NULL;
+  const GFileCopyFlags test_flags[] =
+    {
+      G_FILE_COPY_NONE,
+      G_FILE_COPY_TARGET_DEFAULT_PERMS,
+      G_FILE_COPY_ALL_METADATA,
+      G_FILE_COPY_ALL_METADATA | G_FILE_COPY_TARGET_DEFAULT_PERMS,
+    };
+  gsize i;
+  char *attrs;
+  gchar *attrs_with_commas;
+
+  tmpfile = g_file_new_tmp ("tmp-build-attribute-list-for-copyXXXXXX",
+                            &iostream, &error);
+  g_assert_no_error (error);
+  g_io_stream_close ((GIOStream*)iostream, NULL, &error);
+  g_assert_no_error (error);
+  g_clear_object (&iostream);
+
+  for (i = 0; i < G_N_ELEMENTS (test_flags); i++)
+    {
+      GFileCopyFlags flags = test_flags[i];
+
+      attrs = g_file_build_attribute_list_for_copy (tmpfile, flags, NULL, &error);
+      g_test_message ("Attributes for copy: %s", attrs);
+      g_assert_no_error (error);
+      g_assert_nonnull (attrs);
+      attrs_with_commas = g_strconcat (",", attrs, ",", NULL);
+      g_free (attrs);
+
+      /* See g_local_file_class_init for reference. */
+      if (flags & G_FILE_COPY_TARGET_DEFAULT_PERMS)
+        g_assert_null (g_strstr_len (attrs_with_commas, -1, "," G_FILE_ATTRIBUTE_UNIX_MODE ","));
+      else
+        g_assert_nonnull (g_strstr_len (attrs_with_commas, -1, "," G_FILE_ATTRIBUTE_UNIX_MODE ","));
+#ifdef G_OS_UNIX
+      if (flags & G_FILE_COPY_ALL_METADATA)
+        {
+          g_assert_nonnull (g_strstr_len (attrs_with_commas, -1, "," G_FILE_ATTRIBUTE_UNIX_UID ","));
+          g_assert_nonnull (g_strstr_len (attrs_with_commas, -1, "," G_FILE_ATTRIBUTE_UNIX_GID ","));
+        }
+      else
+        {
+          g_assert_null (g_strstr_len (attrs_with_commas, -1, "," G_FILE_ATTRIBUTE_UNIX_UID ","));
+          g_assert_null (g_strstr_len (attrs_with_commas, -1, "," G_FILE_ATTRIBUTE_UNIX_GID ","));
+        }
+#endif
+#ifdef HAVE_UTIMES
+      g_assert_nonnull (g_strstr_len (attrs_with_commas, -1, "," G_FILE_ATTRIBUTE_TIME_MODIFIED ","));
+      g_assert_nonnull (g_strstr_len (attrs_with_commas, -1, "," G_FILE_ATTRIBUTE_TIME_MODIFIED_USEC ","));
+      if (flags & G_FILE_COPY_ALL_METADATA)
+        {
+          g_assert_nonnull (g_strstr_len (attrs_with_commas, -1, "," G_FILE_ATTRIBUTE_TIME_ACCESS ","));
+          g_assert_nonnull (g_strstr_len (attrs_with_commas, -1, "," G_FILE_ATTRIBUTE_TIME_ACCESS_USEC ","));
+        }
+      else
+        {
+          g_assert_null (g_strstr_len (attrs_with_commas, -1, "," G_FILE_ATTRIBUTE_TIME_ACCESS ","));
+          g_assert_null (g_strstr_len (attrs_with_commas, -1, "," G_FILE_ATTRIBUTE_TIME_ACCESS_USEC ","));
+        }
+#endif
+      g_free (attrs_with_commas);
+    }
+
+  (void) g_file_delete (tmpfile, NULL, NULL);
+  g_clear_object (&tmpfile);
+}
+
 int
 main (int argc, char *argv[])
 {
@@ -1817,6 +1890,7 @@ main (int argc, char *argv[])
   g_test_add_func ("/file/writev/async_all-no-vectors", test_writev_async_all_no_vectors);
   g_test_add_func ("/file/writev/async_all-to-big-vectors", test_writev_async_all_too_big_vectors);
   g_test_add_func ("/file/writev/async_all-cancellation", test_writev_async_all_cancellation);
+  g_test_add_func ("/file/build-attribute-list-for-copy", test_build_attribute_list_for_copy);
 
   return g_test_run ();
 }