diff --git a/osbuild/__init__.py b/osbuild/__init__.py
index fed324ef..50fc83c1 100644
--- a/osbuild/__init__.py
+++ b/osbuild/__init__.py
@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@ The utility module `osbuild.util` provides access to common functionality
 independent of osbuild but used across the osbuild codebase.
 """
 
-
-from .pipeline import Assembler, load, load_build, Pipeline, Stage
+from .formats.v1 import load, load_build
+from .pipeline import Assembler, Pipeline, Stage
 
 
 __all__ = [
diff --git a/osbuild/formats/__init__.py b/osbuild/formats/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8eeb5e19
--- /dev/null
+++ b/osbuild/formats/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+"""
+Concrete representation of manifest descriptions
+"""
diff --git a/osbuild/formats/v1.py b/osbuild/formats/v1.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ce7fd6b9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/osbuild/formats/v1.py
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+# Version 1 of the manifest description
+
+from ..pipeline import Pipeline, detect_host_runner
+
+
+def load_build(description, sources_options):
+    pipeline = description.get("pipeline")
+    if pipeline:
+        build_pipeline = load(pipeline, sources_options)
+    else:
+        build_pipeline = None
+
+    return build_pipeline, description["runner"]
+
+
+def load(description, sources_options):
+    build = description.get("build")
+    if build:
+        build_pipeline, runner = load_build(build, sources_options)
+    else:
+        build_pipeline, runner = None, detect_host_runner()
+
+    pipeline = Pipeline(runner, build_pipeline)
+
+    for s in description.get("stages", []):
+        pipeline.add_stage(s["name"], sources_options, s.get("options", {}))
+
+    a = description.get("assembler")
+    if a:
+        pipeline.set_assembler(a["name"], a.get("options", {}))
+
+    return pipeline
diff --git a/osbuild/pipeline.py b/osbuild/pipeline.py
index 9773fc1b..87fdd47e 100644
--- a/osbuild/pipeline.py
+++ b/osbuild/pipeline.py
@@ -363,32 +363,3 @@ def detect_host_runner():
     """Use os-release(5) to detect the runner for the host"""
     osname = osrelease.describe_os(*osrelease.DEFAULT_PATHS)
     return "org.osbuild." + osname
-
-
-def load_build(description, sources_options):
-    pipeline = description.get("pipeline")
-    if pipeline:
-        build_pipeline = load(pipeline, sources_options)
-    else:
-        build_pipeline = None
-
-    return build_pipeline, description["runner"]
-
-
-def load(description, sources_options):
-    build = description.get("build")
-    if build:
-        build_pipeline, runner = load_build(build, sources_options)
-    else:
-        build_pipeline, runner = None, detect_host_runner()
-
-    pipeline = Pipeline(runner, build_pipeline)
-
-    for s in description.get("stages", []):
-        pipeline.add_stage(s["name"], sources_options, s.get("options", {}))
-
-    a = description.get("assembler")
-    if a:
-        pipeline.set_assembler(a["name"], a.get("options", {}))
-
-    return pipeline