diff --git a/swh/search/journal_client.py b/swh/search/journal_client.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b0a3ec2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/swh/search/journal_client.py
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+# Copyright (C) 2018-2019  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 logging
+
+
+MAX_ORIGINS_PER_TASK = 100
+
+EXPECTED_MESSAGE_TYPES = {'origin', 'origin_intrinsic_metadata'}
+
+
+def process_journal_objects(messages, *, search):
+    """Worker function for `JournalClient.process(worker_fn)`, after
+    currification of `scheduler` and `task_names`."""
+    assert set(messages) <= EXPECTED_MESSAGE_TYPES, set(messages)
+
+    if 'origin' in messages:
+        process_origins(messages['origin'], search)
+
+    if 'origin_intrinsic_metadata' in messages:
+        process_origin_intrinsic_metadata(
+            messages['origin_intrinsic_metadata'], search)
+
+
+def process_origins(origins, search):
+    logging.debug('processing origins %r', origins)
+
+    search.origin_update(origins)
+
+
+def process_origin_intrinsic_metadata(origin_metadata, search):
+    logging.debug('processing origin intrinsic_metadata %r', origin_metadata)
+
+    origin_metadata = [
+        {
+            'url': item['origin_url'],
+            'intrinsic_metadata': item['metadata'],
+        }
+        for item in origin_metadata]
+
+    search.origin_update(origin_metadata)
diff --git a/swh/search/tests/test_journal_client.py b/swh/search/tests/test_journal_client.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c056605
--- /dev/null
+++ b/swh/search/tests/test_journal_client.py
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+# Copyright (C) 2019  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 functools
+import unittest
+from unittest.mock import MagicMock
+
+from swh.search.journal_client import process_journal_objects
+
+
+class SearchJournalClientTest(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_origin_from_journal(self):
+        search_mock = MagicMock()
+
+        worker_fn = functools.partial(
+            process_journal_objects,
+            search=search_mock,
+        )
+
+        worker_fn({'origin': [
+            {'url': 'http://foobar.baz'},
+        ]})
+        search_mock.origin_update.assert_called_once_with([
+            {'url': 'http://foobar.baz'},
+        ])
+
+        search_mock.reset_mock()
+
+        worker_fn({'origin': [
+            {'url': 'http://foobar.baz'},
+            {'url': 'http://barbaz.qux'},
+        ]})
+        search_mock.origin_update.assert_called_once_with([
+            {'url': 'http://foobar.baz'},
+            {'url': 'http://barbaz.qux'},
+        ])
+
+    def test_origin_metadata_from_journal(self):
+        search_mock = MagicMock()
+
+        worker_fn = functools.partial(
+            process_journal_objects,
+            search=search_mock,
+        )
+
+        worker_fn({'origin_intrinsic_metadata': [
+            {
+                'origin_url': 'http://foobar.baz',
+                'metadata': {
+                    '@context': 'https://doi.org/10.5063/schema/codemeta-2.0',
+                    'description': 'foo bar',
+                },
+            },
+        ]})
+        search_mock.origin_update.assert_called_once_with([
+            {
+                'url': 'http://foobar.baz',
+                'intrinsic_metadata': {
+                    '@context': 'https://doi.org/10.5063/schema/codemeta-2.0',
+                    'description': 'foo bar',
+                },
+            },
+        ])