diff --git a/bin/swh-loader-tar-retrieve-tarball b/bin/swh-loader-tar-retrieve-tarball
index bc43771..e32d58b 100755
--- a/bin/swh-loader-tar-retrieve-tarball
+++ b/bin/swh-loader-tar-retrieve-tarball
@@ -1,81 +1,112 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python3
 
 # NOT FOR PRODUCTION (does not use the stable swh storage api yet)
 
 # Copyright (C) 2015  The Software Heritage developers
 # See the AUTHORS file at the top-level directory of this distribution
 # License: GNU General Public License version 3, or any later version
 # See top-level LICENSE file for more information
 
 import argparse
+import os
+import shutil
+import tempfile
 
 from swh.core import hashutil, config
 
 
 def escape_hash(sha1):
     """Escape an hexa sha1 to a ready queryable sha1."""
     if isinstance(sha1, bytes):
         sha1 = hashutil.hash_to_hex(sha1)
     return '\\x%s' % sha1
 
 
 def upper_directory_from(revision_id):
     """Return the directory sha1 the revision with id revision_id points to.
 
     """
     for revision in storage.revision_get([revision_id]):
         return revision['directory']
 
 
 def directory_ls(directory_id, recursive=True):
     """List entries from directory.
 
     """
     entries = storage.directory_get(directory_id, recursive=recursive)
     for entry in entries:
         yield {'dir_id': hashutil.hash_to_hex(entry[0]),
                'type': entry[1],
                'target': hashutil.hash_to_hex(entry[2]),
                'name': entry[3].decode('utf-8'),
                'perms': entry[4]}
 
 
 def build_archive_from_revision(revision_id):
     directory_id = upper_directory_from(revision_id)
     print('directory id: %s' % hashutil.hash_to_hex(directory_id))
 
+    tmpdir = tempfile.mkdtemp(suffix='create-tarball',
+                              prefix='swh.loader.tar',
+                              dir='/tmp')
+
     count = 0
-    for entry in directory_ls(directory_id, True):
+    tarball_name = ''
+    for entry in directory_ls(directory_id, recursive=True):
+        name = entry['name']
+        perms = entry['perms']
+
+        path = os.path.join(tmpdir, name)
+        if count == 0:
+            tarball_name = path  # order in the query
+
+        if perms == 40000:
+            os.makedirs(path, exist_ok=True)
+            os.chmod(path, 0o755)
+        elif perms == 100644:
+            dirpath = os.path.dirname(path)
+            os.makedirs(dirpath, exist_ok=True)
+            os.chmod(dirpath, 0o755)
+
+            open(path, 'w')  # FIXME: add content to it...
+            os.chmod(path, 0o644)
+        else:
+            print('skip link for the moment...')  # FIXME: need content
+            continue
+
+        print(perms, path)
         count += 1
-        print(entry['perms'], entry['name'], entry['target'])
 
-    print('nb entries: %s' % count)
+    print('tarball %s: %s entries' % (tarball_name, count))
+
+    shutil.rmtree(tmpdir)
 
 
 def parse_args():
     """Parse the configuration from the cli.
 
     """
     cli = argparse.ArgumentParser(
         description='Tarball creation from swh-storage.')
     cli.add_argument('--config-file', '-c', help='configuration file')
 
     args = cli.parse_args()
 
     return args
 
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     args = parse_args()
     conf = config.read(args.config_file)
 
     if conf['storage_class'] == 'remote_storage':
         from swh.storage.api.client import RemoteStorage as Storage
     else:
         from swh.storage import Storage
 
     storage = Storage(conf['storage_args'])
 
     revision_id = hashutil.hex_to_hash(
         '7c82241cb2a564c79f2930ac9416800bbb2a6d3e')
     build_archive_from_revision(revision_id)