diff --git a/pkgs/racket-doc/scribblings/raco/setup.scrbl b/pkgs/racket-doc/scribblings/raco/setup.scrbl
index 5735d669f3..117f4f12a5 100644
--- a/pkgs/racket-doc/scribblings/raco/setup.scrbl
+++ b/pkgs/racket-doc/scribblings/raco/setup.scrbl
@@ -1795,6 +1795,29 @@ collections, omitting documentation that is installed in the main
 installation or in a user-specific location, respectively, if
 @racket[no-main?] or @racket[no-user?] is @racket[#t].}
 
+
+@defproc[(get-current-doc-state) doc-state?]{
+ Records the time stamps of files that are touched whenever the
+ documentation is changed.
+ 
+ @history[#:added "1.2"]
+}
+
+@defproc[(doc-state-changed? [doc-state doc-state?]) boolean?]{
+ Returns @racket[#t] when the time stamps of the files in
+ @racket[doc-state] changed (or new files appeared) and @racket[#f] otherwise.
+
+ If the result is @racket[#t], then the documentation in this installation of
+ Racket has changed and otherwise it hasn't.
+
+ @history[#:added "1.2"]
+}
+@defproc[(doc-state? [v any/c]) boolean?]{
+ A predicate to recognize the result of @racket[get-current-doc-state].
+ 
+ @history[#:added "1.2"]
+}
+
 @; ------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 @section[#:tag "materialize-user-docs"]{API for Materializing User-Specific Documentation}
diff --git a/pkgs/racket-index/info.rkt b/pkgs/racket-index/info.rkt
index e7cc090b93..4efd85bbc7 100644
--- a/pkgs/racket-index/info.rkt
+++ b/pkgs/racket-index/info.rkt
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 
 (define pkg-authors '(eli jay matthias mflatt robby ryanc samth))
 
-(define version "1.1")
+(define version "1.2")
 
 ;; We need to be able to re-render this documentation even in
 ;; binary mode, since that's how we list new documentation:
diff --git a/pkgs/racket-index/setup/xref.rkt b/pkgs/racket-index/setup/xref.rkt
index 4012d4a879..957b017cbf 100644
--- a/pkgs/racket-index/setup/xref.rkt
+++ b/pkgs/racket-index/setup/xref.rkt
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
          racket/fasl
          racket/path
          racket/promise
+         racket/contract
          setup/dirs
          setup/getinfo
          "private/doc-path.rkt"
@@ -167,3 +168,38 @@
                  #:demand-source (make-key->source db-path no-user? no-main? quiet-fail?
                                                    register-shutdown!))
       (load-xref (get-reader-thunks no-user? no-main? quiet-fail? (make-hash)))))
+
+
+
+(provide
+ (contract-out
+  [get-current-doc-state (-> doc-state?)]
+  [doc-state-changed? (-> doc-state? boolean?)]
+  [doc-state? (-> any/c boolean?)]))
+
+(define docindex.sqlite "docindex.sqlite")
+
+(struct doc-state (table))
+(define (get-current-doc-state)
+  (doc-state
+   (for/hash ([dir (in-list (get-doc-search-dirs))])
+     (define pth (build-path dir docindex.sqlite))
+     (values dir
+             (and (file-exists? pth)
+                  (file-or-directory-modify-seconds pth))))))
+(define (doc-state-changed? a-doc-state)
+  (define ht (doc-state-table a-doc-state))
+  (define dirs (get-doc-search-dirs))
+  (cond
+    [(same-as-sets? dirs (hash-keys ht))
+     (for/or ([dir (in-list dirs)])
+       (define old (hash-ref ht dir))
+       (define pth (build-path dir docindex.sqlite))
+       (define new (and (file-exists? pth)
+                        (file-or-directory-modify-seconds pth)))
+       (not (equal? old new)))]
+    [else #t]))
+
+(define (same-as-sets? l1 l2)
+  (and (andmap (λ (x1) (member x1 l2)) l1)
+       (andmap (λ (x2) (member x2 l1)) l2)))