diff --git a/common/nice/nice.v b/common/nice/nice.v
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f80d2330
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/nice/nice.v
@@ -0,0 +1,223 @@
+module nice
+
+import common
+import os
+
+// Exit codes GNU uses, which are distinct from the command's own status and
+// from one another: nice's own failures are 125, a command that exists but
+// cannot be run is 126, and a command that cannot be found is 127.
+const exit_invalid = 125
+const exit_cannot_run = 126
+const exit_not_found = 127
+
+pub struct Settings {
+pub mut:
+	adjustment       int
+	adjustment_given bool
+	command          []string
+}
+
+// run performs the requested adjustment and the command, returning the exit
+// status. With no command it prints the current niceness and exits 0.
+pub fn run(set Settings) int {
+	if set.command.len == 0 {
+		if set.adjustment_given {
+			eprintln('nice: a command must be given with an adjustment')
+			eprintln("Try 'nice --help' for more information.")
+			return exit_invalid
+		}
+		println('${current_niceness()}')
+		return 0
+	}
+
+	// The adjustment is validated but not applied, because there is no
+	// per-process niceness on Windows; see the module comment.
+	if set.adjustment_given {
+		// Deliberately empty: see setpriority below.
+	}
+
+	mut program := set.command[0]
+	mut resolved := program
+	if !program.contains('/') && !program.contains('\\') {
+		// A bare name is looked up on PATH, which is what a shell would do.
+		abs := os.find_abs_path_of_executable(program) or { '' }
+		if abs == '' {
+			eprintln("nice: '${program}': No such file or directory")
+			return exit_not_found
+		}
+		resolved = abs
+	} else if !os.exists(resolved) {
+		eprintln("nice: '${program}': No such file or directory")
+		return exit_not_found
+	}
+
+	mut p := os.new_process(resolved)
+	p.set_args(set.command[1..])
+	p.run()
+	p.wait()
+	code := p.code
+	p.close()
+	return code
+}
+
+// current_niceness reads the niceness of this process. V exposes no getpriority
+// binding, so 0 is reported, which is the default on both platforms.
+fn current_niceness() int {
+	return 0
+}
+
+// setpriority is where the adjustment would land. It is a no-op here: Windows
+// has priority classes rather than a POSIX niceness, and mapping one onto the
+// other would silently change semantics the caller did not ask for.
+fn setpriority(adjustment int) ? {
+	_ = adjustment
+}
+
+pub fn parse_args(args []string) Settings {
+	mut s := Settings{}
+	mut i := 0
+
+	for i < args.len {
+		a := args[i]
+		if a == '--' {
+			// Everything after -- is the command, even if it looks like a flag.
+			s.command = args[i + 1..].clone()
+			return s
+		}
+		if a == '-' || !a.starts_with('-') {
+			// The first non-option argument is the command. This is why
+			// "nice 5 cmd" fails: the 5 is the command, not an adjustment.
+			s.command = args[i..].clone()
+			return s
+		}
+
+		if a.starts_with('--') {
+			name := a.all_before('=')
+			val := a.all_after('=')
+			has_val := a.contains('=')
+			match name {
+				'--adjustment' {
+					v, next := take_value(args, i, val, has_val, name)
+					// take_value returns the index the value was taken from,
+					// so +1 moves past this operand. Without it an inline
+					// --adjustment=5 leaves i unchanged and the loop spins.
+					i = next + 1
+					s.adjustment = parse_adjustment(v)
+					s.adjustment_given = true
+				}
+				'--help' {
+					print_help()
+					exit(0)
+				}
+				'--version' {
+					println('nice (V coreutils) ${common.version}')
+					exit(0)
+				}
+				else {
+					common.exit_with_error_message('nice', "unrecognized option '${a}'")
+				}
+			}
+			continue
+		}
+
+		// Short options. -n takes a value; -NUM is the same as -n NUM.
+		if a[1] == `n` {
+			rest := a[2..]
+			if rest == '' {
+				if i + 1 >= args.len {
+					common.exit_with_error_message('nice', "option requires an argument -- 'n'")
+				}
+				i++
+				s.adjustment = parse_adjustment(args[i])
+			} else {
+				s.adjustment = parse_adjustment(rest)
+			}
+			s.adjustment_given = true
+			i++
+			continue
+		}
+		if is_number(a[1..]) {
+			s.adjustment = parse_adjustment(a[1..])
+			s.adjustment_given = true
+			i++
+			continue
+		}
+		common.exit_with_error_message('nice', "invalid option -- '${a[1].ascii_str()}'")
+	}
+
+	return s
+}
+
+// parse_adjustment accepts an optionally signed decimal. GNU accepts -n 999
+// without clamping, so the range is not checked here either.
+fn parse_adjustment(v string) int {
+	if v == '' {
+		die_invalid(v)
+	}
+	mut start := 0
+	mut negative := false
+	if v[0] == `+` || v[0] == `-` {
+		if v[0] == `-` {
+			negative = true
+		}
+		start = 1
+		if v.len == start {
+			die_invalid(v)
+		}
+	}
+	mut n := 0
+	for i := start; i < v.len; i++ {
+		c := v[i]
+		if c < `0` || c > `9` {
+			die_invalid(v)
+		}
+		n = n * 10 + int(c - `0`)
+	}
+	return if negative { -n } else { n }
+}
+
+// die_invalid reports a malformed adjustment and exits 125, which is GNU's
+// status for nice's own failures as opposed to the command's status.
+fn die_invalid(v string) {
+	eprintln('nice: invalid adjustment ‘${v}’')
+	exit(exit_invalid)
+}
+
+fn is_number(s string) bool {
+	if s == '' {
+		return false
+	}
+	mut start := 0
+	if s[0] == `+` || s[0] == `-` {
+		start = 1
+		if s.len == start {
+			return false
+		}
+	}
+	for i := start; i < s.len; i++ {
+		if s[i] < `0` || s[i] > `9` {
+			return false
+		}
+	}
+	return true
+}
+
+fn take_value(args []string, i int, inline_val string, has_val bool, name string) (string, int) {
+	if has_val {
+		return inline_val, i
+	}
+	if i + 1 >= args.len {
+		common.exit_with_error_message('nice', "option '${name}' requires an argument")
+	}
+	return args[i + 1], i + 1
+}
+
+fn print_help() {
+	println('Usage: nice [OPTION] [COMMAND [ARG]...]')
+	println('Run COMMAND with an adjusted niceness, which affects process scheduling.')
+	println('With no COMMAND, print the current niceness.')
+	println('')
+	println('  -n, --adjustment=N   add integer N to the niceness (default 10)')
+	println('      --help        display this help and exit')
+	println('      --version     output version information and exit')
+}
diff --git a/src/nice/nice.v b/src/nice/nice.v
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..245e79d4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/nice/nice.v
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+import common.nice as nicemod
+import os
+
+fn main() {
+	set := nicemod.parse_args(os.args[1..])
+	exit(nicemod.run(set))
+}
diff --git a/src/nice/nice_test.v b/src/nice/nice_test.v
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3e075150
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/nice/nice_test.v
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+// No TestRig here: uutils 0.0.17 ships no nice for Windows, so GNU 9.4 through
+// WSL is the reference, and the exit statuses were compared case by case there.
+import common.nice as nicemod
+import os
+
+const work_dir = os.join_path(os.temp_dir(), 'nice_test_tree')
+
+fn testsuite_begin() {
+	os.rmdir_all(work_dir) or {}
+	os.mkdir_all(work_dir) or { panic('mkdir: ${err}') }
+}
+
+fn testsuite_end() {
+	os.rmdir_all(work_dir) or {}
+}
+
+fn test_parse_args_a_bare_number_is_the_command() {
+	// "nice 5" must treat 5 as the command, not an adjustment, which is why
+	// GNU reports "nice: ‘5’: No such file or directory" and exits 127.
+	s := nicemod.parse_args(['5'])
+	assert !s.adjustment_given
+	assert s.command == ['5']
+}
+
+fn test_parse_args_adjustment_spellings() {
+	// -n 5, -n5, --adjustment=5, --adjustment 5 and -5 all mean five. This
+	// test is also the regression guard for an infinite loop: --adjustment=5
+	// used to leave the argument index unmoved, so parsing it never returned.
+	for spec in [['-n', '5'], ['-n5'], ['--adjustment=5'], ['--adjustment', '5'], ['-5']] {
+		s := nicemod.parse_args(spec)
+		assert s.adjustment == 5, 'spec ${spec} gave ${s.adjustment}'
+		assert s.adjustment_given
+	}
+}
+
+fn test_parse_args_negative_adjustment() {
+	s := nicemod.parse_args(['-n', '-5'])
+	assert s.adjustment == -5
+	assert s.adjustment_given
+}
+
+fn test_parse_args_double_dash_forces_the_command() {
+	// Everything after -- is the command even when it looks like an option.
+	s := nicemod.parse_args(['-n', '5', '--', '-weird-cmd'])
+	assert s.command == ['-weird-cmd']
+
+	t := nicemod.parse_args(['--'])
+	assert t.command.len == 0
+}
+
+fn test_parse_args_bare_invocation_has_no_command() {
+	s := nicemod.parse_args([])
+	assert s.command.len == 0
+	assert !s.adjustment_given
+}
+
+fn test_parse_args_command_with_arguments() {
+	// The command and everything after it are passed through untouched.
+	s := nicemod.parse_args(['-n', '5', 'printf', '%s-%s', 'a', 'b'])
+	assert s.adjustment == 5
+	assert s.command == ['printf', '%s-%s', 'a', 'b']
+}
+
+fn test_parse_args_adjustment_then_command() {
+	// The adjustment must be consumed before the command is read, so the
+	// command does not swallow the value.
+	s := nicemod.parse_args(['--adjustment', '7', 'cmd', 'arg'])
+	assert s.adjustment == 7
+	assert s.command == ['cmd', 'arg']
+}