diff --git a/oslo_utils/excutils.py b/oslo_utils/excutils.py
index a4eeace6..dbaf0f6b 100644
--- a/oslo_utils/excutils.py
+++ b/oslo_utils/excutils.py
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ Exception related utilities.
 """
 
 import logging
+import os
 import sys
 import time
 import traceback
@@ -25,6 +26,80 @@ import traceback
 import six
 
 from oslo_utils._i18n import _LE
+from oslo_utils import reflection
+
+
+class CausedByException(Exception):
+    """Base class for exceptions which have associated causes.
+
+    NOTE(harlowja): in later versions of python we can likely remove the need
+    to have a ``cause`` here as PY3+ have implemented :pep:`3134` which
+    handles chaining in a much more elegant manner.
+
+    :param message: the exception message, typically some string that is
+                    useful for consumers to view when debugging or analyzing
+                    failures.
+    :param cause: the cause of the exception being raised, when provided this
+                  should itself be an exception instance, this is useful for
+                  creating a chain of exceptions for versions of python where
+                  this is not yet implemented/supported natively.
+    """
+    def __init__(self, message, cause=None):
+        super(CausedByException, self).__init__(message)
+        self.cause = cause
+
+    def __bytes__(self):
+        return self.pformat().encode("utf8")
+
+    def __str__(self):
+        return self.pformat()
+
+    def _get_message(self):
+        # We must *not* call into the ``__str__`` method as that will
+        # reactivate the pformat method, which will end up badly (and doesn't
+        # look pretty at all); so be careful...
+        return self.args[0]
+
+    def pformat(self, indent=2, indent_text=" ", show_root_class=False):
+        """Pretty formats a caused exception + any connected causes."""
+        if indent < 0:
+            raise ValueError("Provided 'indent' must be greater than"
+                             " or equal to zero instead of %s" % indent)
+        buf = six.StringIO()
+        if show_root_class:
+            buf.write(reflection.get_class_name(self, fully_qualified=False))
+            buf.write(": ")
+        buf.write(self._get_message())
+        active_indent = indent
+        next_up = self.cause
+        seen = []
+        while next_up is not None and next_up not in seen:
+            seen.append(next_up)
+            buf.write(os.linesep)
+            if isinstance(next_up, CausedByException):
+                buf.write(indent_text * active_indent)
+                buf.write(reflection.get_class_name(next_up,
+                                                    fully_qualified=False))
+                buf.write(": ")
+                buf.write(next_up._get_message())
+            else:
+                lines = traceback.format_exception_only(type(next_up), next_up)
+                for i, line in enumerate(lines):
+                    buf.write(indent_text * active_indent)
+                    if line.endswith("\n"):
+                        # We'll add our own newlines on...
+                        line = line[0:-1]
+                    buf.write(line)
+                    if i + 1 != len(lines):
+                        buf.write(os.linesep)
+            if not isinstance(next_up, CausedByException):
+                # Don't go deeper into non-caused-by exceptions... as we
+                # don't know if there exception 'cause' attributes are even
+                # useable objects...
+                break
+            active_indent += indent
+            next_up = getattr(next_up, 'cause', None)
+        return buf.getvalue()
 
 
 def raise_with_cause(exc_cls, message, *args, **kwargs):
@@ -40,7 +115,8 @@ def raise_with_cause(exc_cls, message, *args, **kwargs):
     inspected/retained on py2.x to get *similar* information as would be
     automatically included/obtainable in py3.x.
 
-    :param exc_cls: the exception class to raise.
+    :param exc_cls: the exception class to raise (typically one derived
+                    from :py:class:`.CausedByException` or equivalent).
     :param message: the text/str message that will be passed to
                     the exceptions constructor as its first positional
                     argument.
diff --git a/oslo_utils/tests/test_excutils.py b/oslo_utils/tests/test_excutils.py
index c2626a45..60f752d9 100644
--- a/oslo_utils/tests/test_excutils.py
+++ b/oslo_utils/tests/test_excutils.py
@@ -25,6 +25,41 @@ from oslo_utils import excutils
 mox = moxstubout.mox
 
 
+class Fail1(excutils.CausedByException):
+    pass
+
+
+class Fail2(excutils.CausedByException):
+    pass
+
+
+class CausedByTest(test_base.BaseTestCase):
+
+    def test_caused_by_explicit(self):
+        e = self.assertRaises(Fail1,
+                              excutils.raise_with_cause,
+                              Fail1, "I was broken",
+                              cause=Fail2("I have been broken"))
+        self.assertIsInstance(e.cause, Fail2)
+        e_p = e.pformat()
+        self.assertIn("I have been broken", e_p)
+        self.assertIn("Fail2", e_p)
+
+    def test_caused_by_implicit(self):
+
+        def raises_chained():
+            try:
+                raise Fail2("I have been broken")
+            except Fail2:
+                excutils.raise_with_cause(Fail1, "I was broken")
+
+        e = self.assertRaises(Fail1, raises_chained)
+        self.assertIsInstance(e.cause, Fail2)
+        e_p = e.pformat()
+        self.assertIn("I have been broken", e_p)
+        self.assertIn("Fail2", e_p)
+
+
 class SaveAndReraiseTest(test_base.BaseTestCase):
 
     def test_save_and_reraise_exception(self):