diff --git a/bin/verify-sql-formatting.py b/bin/verify-sql-formatting.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d36a656
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bin/verify-sql-formatting.py
@@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
+import argparse
+import difflib
+import os
+import re
+import shutil
+import sqlparse
+
+
+def print_without_common_lines(original, parsed):
+    d = difflib.Differ()
+    diff = d.compare(
+        original.splitlines(keepends=True), parsed.splitlines(keepends=True)
+    )
+    buffer = []
+    counter = 1
+    for line in diff:
+        if line.startswith(" "):
+            counter += 1
+        if line.startswith("-"):
+            buffer.append(f"Line {counter}:")
+            counter += 1
+        if line.startswith("-") or line.startswith("+") or line.startswith("?"):
+            buffer.append(repr(line))
+    print("\n".join(buffer))
+
+
+def parse_arguments():
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
+    parser.add_argument("--path", "-p", type=dir_path, required=True, help="Parsing for sql files in this directory and its subdirectories.")
+    parser.add_argument("--backup", "-b", action="store_true", help="Backup files before processing.")
+    parser.add_argument("--restore-backup", "-r", action="store_true", help="Restore files from backup, no other actions are run")
+    parser.add_argument("--update", "-u", action="store_true", help="Overwrite sql files with new formatting")
+    parser.add_argument("--dry-run", "-d", action="store_true", help="Only show changes, but do not write to files")
+
+    return parser.parse_args()
+
+
+def dir_path(path):
+    if os.path.isdir(path):
+        return path
+    else:
+        raise argparse.ArgumentTypeError(f"readable_dir:{path} is not a valid path")
+
+
+def parse_sqlite_file(original):
+    #sqlparse cannot parse sqlite files, and might mangle comments
+    safeguard_sqlite_info = []
+    for line in original.splitlines():
+        if re.match(r'^[ ]*.|(--)', line):
+            safeguard_sqlite_info.append("/*TEMP" + line + "TEMP*/")
+        else:
+            safeguard_sqlite_info.append(line)
+
+    parsed = sqlparse.format(
+        "\n".join(safeguard_sqlite_info),
+        keyword_case="upper",
+        identifier_case="lower",
+        use_space_around_operators=True,
+        reindent=True,
+        wrap_after=120,
+    )
+    # keep comments in their own line
+    parsed = re.sub(r"TEMP\*/[ ]*", "\n", parsed.replace("/*TEMP", "\n/*TEMP"))
+    return re.sub(r"[\n]+/\*TEMP", '\n', parsed)
+
+
+def parse_dir(args):
+    for subdir, dirs, files in os.walk(args.path):
+        for file in files:
+            filepath = os.path.join(subdir, file)
+            if args.restore_backup and filepath.casefold().endswith(".sql.backup"):
+                shutil.move(filepath, filepath[: -len(".backup")])
+                print(f"{filepath[:-len('.backup')]} has been restored")
+                continue
+            if not args.restore_backup and filepath.casefold().endswith(".sql"):
+                original = ""
+                with open(filepath) as sqlfile:
+                    original = sqlfile.read()
+
+                parsed = parse_sqlite_file(original)
+                if parsed is original:
+                    print(f"{filepath} is already formatted")
+                else:
+                    print(f"{filepath} is not formatted")
+                    if args.dry_run:
+                        print(f"The file should be reformatted like this:")
+                        print_without_common_lines(original, parsed)
+                    if args.backup:
+                        shutil.copyfile(filepath, filepath + ".backup")
+                        print(
+                            f"The file has been backed up with file extension *.backup:"
+                        )
+                    if args.update:
+                        with open(filepath, mode="w") as f:
+                            f.write(parsed)
+                        print(f"The file has been updated.")
+
+
+def main():
+    parse_dir(parse_arguments())
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()