diff --git a/include/villas/list.h b/include/villas/list.h
index f186da293..f3dd82bc8 100644
--- a/include/villas/list.h
+++ b/include/villas/list.h
@@ -97,6 +97,8 @@ void list_remove(struct list *l, void *p);
  */
 void * list_lookup(struct list *l, const char *name);
 
+ssize_t list_lookup_index(struct list *l, const char *name);
+
 /** Return the first element of the list for which cmp returns zero */
 void * list_search(struct list *l, cmp_cb_t cmp, void *ctx);
 
diff --git a/lib/list.c b/lib/list.c
index 34a4838a2..f8377c6e1 100644
--- a/lib/list.c
+++ b/lib/list.c
@@ -132,6 +132,15 @@ void * list_lookup(struct list *l, const char *name)
 	return list_search(l, cmp_lookup, (void *) name);
 }
 
+ssize_t list_lookup_index(struct list *l, const char *name)
+{
+	void *ptr = list_lookup(l, name);
+	if (!ptr)
+		return -1;
+
+	return list_index(l, ptr);
+}
+
 int list_contains(struct list *l, void *p)
 {
 	return list_count(l, cmp_contains, p);