diff --git a/VERSION b/VERSION
index 7d3b3ee0..35f2697e 100644
--- a/VERSION
+++ b/VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-a12-190-gcc6dd58778+1
\ No newline at end of file
+a12-192-gbeed03eb33+1
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/common/CMakeLists.txt b/common/CMakeLists.txt
index a00e5208..93f3d235 100644
--- a/common/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/common/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ include_directories(
 )
 
 set(SOURCES
+  src/stringutils.c
   src/stringlist.c
   src/option.c
 )
diff --git a/common/include/common/stringutils.h b/common/include/common/stringutils.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..50fabd11
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/include/common/stringutils.h
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+/*
+KVMGFX Client - A KVM Client for VGA Passthrough
+Copyright (C) 2017-2019 Geoffrey McRae <geoff@hostfission.com>
+https://looking-glass.hostfission.com
+
+This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under
+the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software
+Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later
+version.
+
+This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY
+WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A
+PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.
+
+You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with
+this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple
+Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA
+*/
+
+// sprintf but with buffer allocation
+int alloc_sprintf(char ** str, const char * format, ...);
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/common/src/stringutils.c b/common/src/stringutils.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e35a2353
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/src/stringutils.c
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+/*
+KVMGFX Client - A KVM Client for VGA Passthrough
+Copyright (C) 2017-2019 Geoffrey McRae <geoff@hostfission.com>
+https://looking-glass.hostfission.com
+
+This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under
+the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software
+Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later
+version.
+
+This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY
+WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A
+PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.
+
+You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with
+this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple
+Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA
+*/
+
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <stdarg.h>
+
+int alloc_sprintf(char ** str, const char * format, ...)
+{
+  if (!str)
+    return -1;
+
+  *str = NULL;
+  va_list ap;
+  va_start(ap, format);
+  int len = vsnprintf(NULL, 0, format, ap);
+  va_end(ap);
+
+  if (len < 0)
+    return len;
+
+  *str = malloc(len+1);
+
+  va_start(ap, format);
+  int ret = vsnprintf(*str, len + 1, format, ap);
+  va_end(ap);
+
+  if (ret < 0)
+  {
+    free(*str);
+    *str = NULL;
+    return ret;
+  }
+
+  return ret;
+}
\ No newline at end of file