diff --git a/src/runtime/c/pgf/pgf.cxx b/src/runtime/c/pgf/pgf.cxx
index 5fe8f9b34..6c7a79c8e 100644
--- a/src/runtime/c/pgf/pgf.cxx
+++ b/src/runtime/c/pgf/pgf.cxx
@@ -118,31 +118,13 @@ PgfDB *pgf_read_ngf(const char *fpath,
 
     bool is_new = false;
     PGF_API_BEGIN {
-        db = new PgfDB(fpath, O_CREAT | O_RDWR, S_IRUSR | S_IWUSR);
+        db = new PgfDB(fpath, O_RDWR, 0);
 
         {
             DB_scope scope(db, WRITER_SCOPE);
 
             ref<PgfPGF> pgf = PgfDB::get_revision(&master);
-            if (pgf == 0) {
-                is_new = true;
-                pgf = PgfDB::malloc<PgfPGF>(master.size+1);
-                pgf->ref_count = 1;
-                pgf->major_version = PGF_MAJOR_VERSION;
-                pgf->minor_version = PGF_MINOR_VERSION;
-                pgf->gflags = 0;
-                pgf->abstract.name = PgfDB::malloc<PgfText>();
-                pgf->abstract.name->size = 0;
-                pgf->abstract.aflags = 0;
-                pgf->abstract.funs = 0;
-                pgf->abstract.cats = 0;
-                pgf->prev = 0;
-                pgf->next = 0;
-                memcpy(&pgf->name, &master, sizeof(PgfText)+master.size+1);
-                PgfDB::set_revision(pgf);
-            } else {
-                Node<PgfPGF>::add_value_ref(pgf);
-            }
+            Node<PgfPGF>::add_value_ref(pgf);
             *revision = pgf.as_object();
         }
 
@@ -158,6 +140,49 @@ PgfDB *pgf_read_ngf(const char *fpath,
     return NULL;
 }
 
+PGF_API
+PgfDB *pgf_new_ngf(PgfText *abstract_name,
+                   const char *fpath,
+                   PgfRevision *revision,
+                   PgfExn* err)
+{
+    PgfDB *db = NULL;
+
+    PGF_API_BEGIN {
+        db = new PgfDB(fpath, O_CREAT | O_EXCL | O_RDWR, S_IRUSR | S_IWUSR);
+
+        {
+            DB_scope scope(db, WRITER_SCOPE);
+
+            ref<PgfPGF> pgf = PgfDB::malloc<PgfPGF>(master.size+1);
+            pgf->ref_count = 1;
+            pgf->major_version = PGF_MAJOR_VERSION;
+            pgf->minor_version = PGF_MINOR_VERSION;
+            pgf->gflags = 0;
+            pgf->abstract.name = PgfDB::malloc<PgfText>(abstract_name->size+1);
+            memcpy(&(*pgf->abstract.name), abstract_name, sizeof(PgfText)+abstract_name->size+1);
+            pgf->abstract.aflags = 0;
+            pgf->abstract.funs = 0;
+            pgf->abstract.cats = 0;
+            pgf->prev = 0;
+            pgf->next = 0;
+            memcpy(&pgf->name, &master, sizeof(PgfText)+master.size+1);
+            PgfDB::set_revision(pgf);
+            *revision = pgf.as_object();
+        }
+
+        return db;
+    } PGF_API_END
+
+    if (db != NULL) {
+        delete db;
+        if (fpath != NULL)
+            remove(fpath);
+    }
+
+    return NULL;
+}
+
 PGF_API
 void pgf_write_pgf(const char* fpath,
                    PgfDB *db, PgfRevision revision,
diff --git a/src/runtime/c/pgf/pgf.h b/src/runtime/c/pgf/pgf.h
index f38dfaed6..d13d9ace8 100644
--- a/src/runtime/c/pgf/pgf.h
+++ b/src/runtime/c/pgf/pgf.h
@@ -237,15 +237,23 @@ PgfDB *pgf_boot_ngf(const char* pgf_path, const char* ngf_path,
                     PgfExn* err);
 
 /* Tries to read the grammar from an already booted NGF file.
- * If the file does not exist then a new one is created, and the
- * grammar is set to be empty. It can later be populated with
- * rules dynamically. The default grammar revision is stored
- * in *revision. */
+ * The function fails if the file does not exist. The default grammar
+ * revision is stored in *revision. */
 PGF_API_DECL
 PgfDB *pgf_read_ngf(const char* fpath,
                     PgfRevision *revision,
                     PgfExn* err);
 
+/* Creates a new NGF file with a grammar with the given abstract_name.
+ * Aside from the name, the grammar is otherwise empty but can be later
+ * populated with new functions and categories. If fpath is NULL then
+ * the file is not stored on the disk but only in memory. */
+PGF_API
+PgfDB *pgf_new_ngf(PgfText *abstract_name,
+                   const char *fpath,
+                   PgfRevision *revision,
+                   PgfExn* err);
+
 PGF_API_DECL
 void pgf_write_pgf(const char* fpath,
                    PgfDB *db, PgfRevision revision,
diff --git a/src/runtime/haskell/PGF2.hsc b/src/runtime/haskell/PGF2.hsc
index 857e99419..82e4941d5 100644
--- a/src/runtime/haskell/PGF2.hsc
+++ b/src/runtime/haskell/PGF2.hsc
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 -------------------------------------------------
 
 module PGF2 (-- * PGF
-             PGF,readPGF,bootNGF,readNGF,writePGF,showPGF,
+             PGF,readPGF,bootNGF,readNGF,newNGF,writePGF,showPGF,
 
              -- * Abstract syntax
              AbsName,abstractName,globalFlag,abstractFlag,
@@ -101,6 +101,7 @@ import qualified Data.Map as Map
 import Data.IORef
 import Data.List(intersperse,groupBy)
 import Data.Char(isUpper,isSpace,isPunctuation)
+import Data.Maybe(maybe)
 import Text.PrettyPrint
 
 #include <pgf/pgf.h>
@@ -133,10 +134,8 @@ bootNGF pgf_path ngf_path =
     fptr2 <- C.newForeignPtr c_revision (withForeignPtr fptr1 (\c_db -> pgf_free_revision c_db c_revision))
     return (PGF fptr1 fptr2 Map.empty)
 
--- | Tries to read the grammar from an already booted NGF file.
--- If the file does not exist then a new one is created, and the
--- grammar is set to be empty. It can later be populated with
--- rules dynamically.
+-- | Reads the grammar from an already booted NGF file.
+-- The function fails if the file does not exist.
 readNGF :: FilePath -> IO PGF
 readNGF fpath =
   withCString fpath $ \c_fpath ->
@@ -148,6 +147,22 @@ readNGF fpath =
     fptr2 <- C.newForeignPtr c_revision (withForeignPtr fptr1 (\c_db -> pgf_free_revision c_db c_revision))
     return (PGF fptr1 fptr2 Map.empty)
 
+-- | Creates a new NGF file with a grammar with the given abstract_name.
+-- Aside from the name, the grammar is otherwise empty but can be later
+-- populated with new functions and categories. If fpath is Nothing then
+-- the file is not stored on the disk but only in memory.
+newNGF :: AbsName -> Maybe FilePath -> IO PGF
+newNGF abs_name mb_fpath =
+  withText abs_name $ \c_abs_name ->
+  maybe (\f -> f nullPtr) withCString mb_fpath $ \c_fpath ->
+  alloca $ \p_revision ->
+  mask_ $ do
+    c_db <- withPgfExn (pgf_new_ngf c_abs_name c_fpath p_revision)
+    c_revision <- peek p_revision
+    fptr1 <- newForeignPtr pgf_free_fptr c_db
+    fptr2 <- C.newForeignPtr c_revision (withForeignPtr fptr1 (\c_db -> pgf_free_revision c_db c_revision))
+    return (PGF fptr1 fptr2 Map.empty)
+
 writePGF :: FilePath -> PGF -> IO ()
 writePGF fpath p =
   withCString fpath $ \c_fpath ->
diff --git a/src/runtime/haskell/PGF2/FFI.hsc b/src/runtime/haskell/PGF2/FFI.hsc
index 3d24a3825..c327269b8 100644
--- a/src/runtime/haskell/PGF2/FFI.hsc
+++ b/src/runtime/haskell/PGF2/FFI.hsc
@@ -58,6 +58,8 @@ foreign import ccall "pgf_boot_ngf"
 foreign import ccall "pgf_read_ngf"
   pgf_read_ngf :: CString -> Ptr (Ptr PgfRevision) -> Ptr PgfExn -> IO (Ptr PgfDB)
 
+foreign import ccall pgf_new_ngf :: Ptr PgfText -> CString -> Ptr (Ptr PgfRevision) -> Ptr PgfExn -> IO (Ptr PgfDB)
+
 foreign import ccall pgf_write_pgf :: CString -> Ptr PgfDB -> Ptr PgfRevision -> Ptr PgfExn -> IO ()
 
 foreign import ccall "&pgf_free"