diff --git a/lib/vagrant/guest.rb b/lib/vagrant/guest.rb
index 4cd719400..85a6eb8da 100644
--- a/lib/vagrant/guest.rb
+++ b/lib/vagrant/guest.rb
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 require "log4r"
 
+require "vagrant/capability_host"
+
 module Vagrant
   # This class handles guest-OS specific interactions with a machine.
   # It is primarily responsible for detecting the proper guest OS
@@ -17,21 +19,13 @@ module Vagrant
   # This system allows for maximum flexibility and pluginability for doing
   # guest OS specific operations.
   class Guest
-    attr_reader :chain
-
-    # The name of the guest OS. This is available after {#detect!} is
-    # called.
-    #
-    # @return [Symbol]
-    attr_reader :name
+    include CapabilityHost
 
     def initialize(machine, guests, capabilities)
       @logger       = Log4r::Logger.new("vagrant::guest")
       @capabilities = capabilities
-      @chain        = []
       @guests       = guests
       @machine      = machine
-      @name         = nil
     end
 
     # This will detect the proper guest OS for the machine and set up
@@ -40,52 +34,7 @@ module Vagrant
       @logger.info("Detect guest for machine: #{@machine}")
 
       guest_name = @machine.config.vm.guest
-      if guest_name
-        @logger.info("Using explicit config.vm.guest value: #{guest_name}")
-      else
-        # No explicit guest was specified, so autodetect it.
-        guest_name = autodetect_guest
-        raise Errors::GuestNotDetected if !guest_name
-      end
-
-      if !@guests[guest_name]
-        # This can happen if config.vm.guest was specified with a value
-        # that doesn't exist.
-        raise Errors::GuestExplicitNotDetected, value: guest_name.to_s
-      end
-
-      @name  = guest_name
-      @chain = guest_chain(@name)
-    end
-
-    # Tests whether the guest has the named capability.
-    #
-    # @return [Boolean]
-    def capability?(cap_name)
-      !capability_module(cap_name.to_sym).nil?
-    end
-
-    # Executes the capability with the given name, optionally passing
-    # more arguments onwards to the capability.
-    def capability(cap_name, *args)
-      @logger.info("Execute capability: #{cap_name} (#{@chain[0][0]})")
-      cap_mod = capability_module(cap_name.to_sym)
-      if !cap_mod
-        raise Errors::GuestCapabilityNotFound,
-          :cap => cap_name.to_s,
-          :guest => @chain[0][0].to_s
-      end
-
-      cap_method = nil
-      begin
-        cap_method = cap_mod.method(cap_name)
-      rescue NameError
-        raise Errors::GuestCapabilityInvalid,
-          :cap => cap_name.to_s,
-          :guest => @chain[0][0].to_s
-      end
-
-      cap_method.call(@machine, *args)
+      initialize_capabilities!(guest_name, @guests, @capabilities, @machine)
     end
 
     # This returns whether the guest is ready to work. If this returns
@@ -94,98 +43,7 @@ module Vagrant
     #
     # @return [Boolean]
     def ready?
-      !@chain.empty?
-    end
-
-    protected
-
-    # Returns the registered module for a capability with the given name.
-    #
-    # @param [Symbol] cap_name
-    # @return [Module]
-    def capability_module(cap_name)
-      @logger.debug("Searching for cap: #{cap_name}")
-      @chain.each do |guest_name, guest|
-        @logger.debug("Checking in: #{guest_name}")
-        caps = @capabilities[guest_name]
-
-        if caps && caps.has_key?(cap_name)
-          @logger.debug("Found cap: #{cap_name} in #{guest_name}")
-          return caps[cap_name]
-        end
-      end
-
-      nil
-    end
-
-    # This autodetects the guest to use and returns the name of the guest.
-    # This returns nil if the guest type could not be autodetected.
-    #
-    # @return [Symbol]
-    def autodetect_guest
-      @logger.info("Autodetecting guest for machine: #{@machine}")
-
-      # Get the mapping of guests with the most parents. We start searching
-      # with the guests with the most parents first.
-      parent_count = {}
-      @guests.each do |name, parts|
-        parent_count[name] = 0
-
-        parent = parts[1]
-        while parent
-          parent_count[name] += 1
-          parent = @guests[parent]
-          parent = parent[1] if parent
-        end
-      end
-
-      # Now swap around the mapping so that it is a mapping of
-      # count to the actual list of guest names
-      parent_count_to_guests = {}
-      parent_count.each do |name, count|
-        parent_count_to_guests[count] ||= []
-        parent_count_to_guests[count] << name
-      end
-
-      sorted_counts = parent_count_to_guests.keys.sort.reverse
-      sorted_counts.each do |count|
-        parent_count_to_guests[count].each do |name|
-          @logger.debug("Trying: #{name}")
-          guest_info = @guests[name]
-          guest      = guest_info[0].new
-
-          if guest.detect?(@machine)
-            @logger.info("Detected: #{name}!")
-            return name
-          end
-        end
-      end
-
-      return nil
-    end
-
-    # This returns the complete chain for the given guest.
-    #
-    # @return [Array]
-    def guest_chain(name)
-      guest_info = @guests[name]
-      guest      = guest_info[0].new
-      chain      = []
-      chain << [name, guest]
-
-      # Build the proper chain of parents if there are any.
-      # This allows us to do "inheritance" of capabilities later
-      if guest_info[1]
-        parent_name = guest_info[1]
-        parent_info = @guests[parent_name]
-        while parent_info
-          chain << [parent_name, parent_info[0].new]
-          parent_name = parent_info[1]
-          parent_info = @guests[parent_name]
-        end
-      end
-
-      return chain
+      !!capability_host_chain
     end
   end
 end
diff --git a/test/unit/vagrant/guest_test.rb b/test/unit/vagrant/guest_test.rb
index 6dd9cbf8c..0a7d76001 100644
--- a/test/unit/vagrant/guest_test.rb
+++ b/test/unit/vagrant/guest_test.rb
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ require "pathname"
 require File.expand_path("../../base", __FILE__)
 
 describe Vagrant::Guest do
-  include_context "unit"
+  include_context "capability_helpers"
 
   let(:capabilities) { {} }
   let(:guests)  { {} }
@@ -18,44 +18,27 @@ describe Vagrant::Guest do
 
   subject { described_class.new(machine, guests, capabilities) }
 
-  # This registers a capability with a specific guest
-  def register_capability(guest, capability, options=nil)
-    options ||= {}
+  describe "#detect!" do
+    it "auto-detects if no explicit guest name given" do
+      machine.config.vm.stub(guest: nil)
+      subject.should_receive(:initialize_capabilities!).
+        with(nil, guests, capabilities, machine)
 
-    cap = Class.new do
-      if !options[:corrupt]
-        define_method(capability) do |*args|
-          raise "cap: #{capability} #{args.inspect}"
-        end
-      end
+      subject.detect!
     end
 
-    capabilities[guest] ||= {}
-    capabilities[guest][capability] = cap.new
-  end
+    it "uses the explicit guest name if specified" do
+      machine.config.vm.stub(guest: :foo)
+      subject.should_receive(:initialize_capabilities!).
+        with(:foo, guests, capabilities, machine)
 
-  # This registers a guest with the class.
-  #
-  # @param [Symbol] name Name of the guest
-  # @param [Symbol] parent Name of the parent
-  # @param [Boolean] detect Whether or not to detect properly
-  def register_guest(name, parent, detect)
-    guest = Class.new(Vagrant.plugin("2", "guest")) do
-      define_method(:name) do
-        name
-      end
-
-      define_method(:detect?) do |m|
-        detect
-      end
+      subject.detect!
     end
-
-    guests[name] = [guest, parent]
   end
 
   describe "#ready?" do
     before(:each) do
-      register_guest(:foo, nil, true)
+      guests[:foo] = [detect_class(true), nil]
     end
 
     it "should not be ready by default" do