diff --git a/snapshot/overlay/overlay.go b/snapshot/overlay/overlay.go
index 2aba97c..d12770e 100644
--- a/snapshot/overlay/overlay.go
+++ b/snapshot/overlay/overlay.go
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ func (o *Snapshotter) stat(path string) (snapshot.Info, error) {
 }
 
 func (o *Snapshotter) Prepare(ctx context.Context, key, parent string) ([]containerd.Mount, error) {
-	active, err := o.newActiveDir(key)
+	active, err := o.newActiveDir(key, false)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -115,7 +115,16 @@ func (o *Snapshotter) Prepare(ctx context.Context, key, parent string) ([]contai
 }
 
 func (o *Snapshotter) View(ctx context.Context, key, parent string) ([]containerd.Mount, error) {
-	panic("not implemented")
+	active, err := o.newActiveDir(key, true)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	if parent != "" {
+		if err := active.setParent(parent); err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+	}
+	return active.mounts(o.links)
 }
 
 // Mounts returns the mounts for the transaction identified by key. Can be
@@ -175,7 +184,7 @@ func (o *Snapshotter) Walk(ctx context.Context, fn func(context.Context, snapsho
 	})
 }
 
-func (o *Snapshotter) newActiveDir(key string) (*activeDir, error) {
+func (o *Snapshotter) newActiveDir(key string, readonly bool) (*activeDir, error) {
 	var (
 		path      = filepath.Join(o.root, "active", hash(key))
 		name      = filepath.Join(path, "name")
@@ -186,11 +195,18 @@ func (o *Snapshotter) newActiveDir(key string) (*activeDir, error) {
 		committedDir: filepath.Join(o.root, "committed"),
 		indexlink:    indexlink,
 	}
-	for _, p := range []string{
-		"work",
-		"fs",
-	} {
-		if err := os.MkdirAll(filepath.Join(path, p), 0700); err != nil {
+	if !readonly {
+		for _, p := range []string{
+			"work",
+			"fs",
+		} {
+			if err := os.MkdirAll(filepath.Join(path, p), 0700); err != nil {
+				a.delete()
+				return nil, err
+			}
+		}
+	} else {
+		if err := os.MkdirAll(filepath.Join(path, "fs"), 0700); err != nil {
 			a.delete()
 			return nil, err
 		}
@@ -237,6 +253,13 @@ func (a *activeDir) setParent(name string) error {
 }
 
 func (a *activeDir) commit(name string, c *cache) error {
+	if _, err := os.Stat(filepath.Join(a.path, "fs")); err != nil {
+		if os.IsNotExist(err) {
+			return errors.New("cannot commit view")
+		}
+		return err
+	}
+
 	// TODO(stevvooe): This doesn't quite meet the current model. The new model
 	// is to copy all of this out and let the transaction continue. We don't
 	// really have tests for it yet, but this will be the spot to fix it.
@@ -287,22 +310,48 @@ func (a *activeDir) mounts(c *cache) ([]containerd.Mount, error) {
 	if len(parents) == 0 {
 		// if we only have one layer/no parents then just return a bind mount as overlay
 		// will not work
+		roFlag := "rw"
+		if _, err := os.Stat(filepath.Join(a.path, "work")); err != nil {
+			if !os.IsNotExist(err) {
+				return nil, err
+			}
+			roFlag = "ro"
+		}
+
 		return []containerd.Mount{
 			{
 				Source: filepath.Join(a.path, "fs"),
 				Type:   "bind",
 				Options: []string{
-					"rw",
+					roFlag,
 					"rbind",
 				},
 			},
 		}, nil
 	}
-	options := []string{
-		fmt.Sprintf("workdir=%s", filepath.Join(a.path, "work")),
-		fmt.Sprintf("upperdir=%s", filepath.Join(a.path, "fs")),
-		fmt.Sprintf("lowerdir=%s", strings.Join(parents, ":")),
+	var options []string
+
+	if _, err := os.Stat(filepath.Join(a.path, "work")); err == nil {
+		options = append(options,
+			fmt.Sprintf("workdir=%s", filepath.Join(a.path, "work")),
+			fmt.Sprintf("upperdir=%s", filepath.Join(a.path, "fs")),
+		)
+	} else if !os.IsNotExist(err) {
+		return nil, err
+	} else if len(parents) == 1 {
+		return []containerd.Mount{
+			{
+				Source: parents[0],
+				Type:   "bind",
+				Options: []string{
+					"ro",
+					"rbind",
+				},
+			},
+		}, nil
 	}
+
+	options = append(options, fmt.Sprintf("lowerdir=%s", strings.Join(parents, ":")))
 	return []containerd.Mount{
 		{
 			Type:    "overlay",
diff --git a/snapshot/overlay/overlay_test.go b/snapshot/overlay/overlay_test.go
index fbd3e5b..4bd594a 100644
--- a/snapshot/overlay/overlay_test.go
+++ b/snapshot/overlay/overlay_test.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package overlay
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"fmt"
 	"io/ioutil"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
@@ -196,3 +197,84 @@ func TestOverlayOverlayRead(t *testing.T) {
 		return
 	}
 }
+
+func TestOverlayView(t *testing.T) {
+	ctx := context.TODO()
+	root, err := ioutil.TempDir("", "overlay")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer os.RemoveAll(root)
+	o, err := NewSnapshotter(root)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	key := "/tmp/base"
+	mounts, err := o.Prepare(ctx, key, "")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	m := mounts[0]
+	if err := ioutil.WriteFile(filepath.Join(m.Source, "foo"), []byte("hi"), 0660); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if err := o.Commit(ctx, "base", key); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	key = "/tmp/top"
+	_, err = o.Prepare(ctx, key, "base")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if err := ioutil.WriteFile(filepath.Join(root, "active", hash(key), "fs", "foo"), []byte("hi, again"), 0660); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if err := o.Commit(ctx, "top", key); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	mounts, err = o.View(ctx, "/tmp/view1", "base")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if len(mounts) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("should only have 1 mount but received %d", len(mounts))
+	}
+	m = mounts[0]
+	if m.Type != "bind" {
+		t.Errorf("mount type should be bind but received %q", m.Type)
+	}
+	expected := filepath.Join(root, "committed", hash("base"), "fs")
+	if m.Source != expected {
+		t.Errorf("expected source %q but received %q", expected, m.Source)
+	}
+	if m.Options[0] != "ro" {
+		t.Errorf("expected mount option ro but received %q", m.Options[0])
+	}
+	if m.Options[1] != "rbind" {
+		t.Errorf("expected mount option rbind but received %q", m.Options[1])
+	}
+
+	mounts, err = o.View(ctx, "/tmp/view2", "top")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if len(mounts) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("should only have 1 mount but received %d", len(mounts))
+	}
+	m = mounts[0]
+	if m.Type != "overlay" {
+		t.Errorf("mount type should be overlay but received %q", m.Type)
+	}
+	if m.Source != "overlay" {
+		t.Errorf("mount source should be overlay but received %q", m.Source)
+	}
+	if len(m.Options) != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("expected 1 mount option but got %d", len(m.Options))
+	}
+	expected = fmt.Sprintf("lowerdir=%s:%s", filepath.Join(root, "committed", hash("top"), "fs"), filepath.Join(root, "committed", hash("base"), "fs"))
+	if m.Options[0] != expected {
+		t.Errorf("expected option %q but received %q", expected, m.Options[0])
+	}
+}