diff --git a/clientupdate/distsign/distsign.go b/clientupdate/distsign/distsign.go
index 3dad1f4c4..b48321f8f 100644
--- a/clientupdate/distsign/distsign.go
+++ b/clientupdate/distsign/distsign.go
@@ -247,6 +247,48 @@ func (c *Client) Download(ctx context.Context, srcPath, dstPath string) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+// ValidateLocalBinary fetches the latest signature associated with the binary
+// at srcURLPath and uses it to validate the file located on disk via
+// localFilePath. ValidateLocalBinary returns an error if anything goes wrong
+// with the signature download or with signature validation.
+func (c *Client) ValidateLocalBinary(srcURLPath, localFilePath string) error {
+	// Always fetch a fresh signing key.
+	sigPub, err := c.signingKeys()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	srcURL := c.url(srcURLPath)
+	sigURL := srcURL + ".sig"
+
+	localFile, err := os.Open(localFilePath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	defer localFile.Close()
+
+	h := NewPackageHash()
+	_, err = io.Copy(h, localFile)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	hash, hashLen := h.Sum(nil), h.Len()
+
+	c.logf("Downloading %q", sigURL)
+	sig, err := fetch(sigURL, signatureSizeLimit)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	msg := binary.LittleEndian.AppendUint64(hash, uint64(hashLen))
+	if !VerifyAny(sigPub, msg, sig) {
+		return fmt.Errorf("signature %q for file %q does not validate with the current release signing key; either you are under attack, or attempting to download an old version of Tailscale which was signed with an older signing key", sigURL, localFilePath)
+	}
+	c.logf("Signature OK")
+
+	return nil
+}
+
 // signingKeys fetches current signing keys from the server and validates them
 // against the roots. Should be called before validation of any downloaded file
 // to get the fresh keys.
diff --git a/clientupdate/distsign/distsign_test.go b/clientupdate/distsign/distsign_test.go
index c7f5f023d..c00cc6c15 100644
--- a/clientupdate/distsign/distsign_test.go
+++ b/clientupdate/distsign/distsign_test.go
@@ -119,6 +119,124 @@ func TestDownload(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestValidateLocalBinary(t *testing.T) {
+	srv := newTestServer(t)
+	c := srv.client(t)
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		desc    string
+		before  func(*testing.T)
+		src     string
+		wantErr bool
+	}{
+		{
+			desc:    "missing file",
+			before:  func(*testing.T) {},
+			src:     "hello",
+			wantErr: true,
+		},
+		{
+			desc: "success",
+			before: func(*testing.T) {
+				srv.addSigned("hello", []byte("world"))
+			},
+			src: "hello",
+		},
+		{
+			desc: "contents changed",
+			before: func(*testing.T) {
+				srv.addSigned("hello", []byte("new world"))
+			},
+			src:     "hello",
+			wantErr: true,
+		},
+		{
+			desc: "no signature",
+			before: func(*testing.T) {
+				srv.add("hello", []byte("world"))
+			},
+			src:     "hello",
+			wantErr: true,
+		},
+		{
+			desc: "bad signature",
+			before: func(*testing.T) {
+				srv.add("hello", []byte("world"))
+				srv.add("hello.sig", []byte("potato"))
+			},
+			src:     "hello",
+			wantErr: true,
+		},
+		{
+			desc: "signed with untrusted key",
+			before: func(t *testing.T) {
+				srv.add("hello", []byte("world"))
+				srv.add("hello.sig", newSigningKeyPair(t).sign([]byte("world")))
+			},
+			src:     "hello",
+			wantErr: true,
+		},
+		{
+			desc: "signed with root key",
+			before: func(t *testing.T) {
+				srv.add("hello", []byte("world"))
+				srv.add("hello.sig", ed25519.Sign(srv.roots[0].k, []byte("world")))
+			},
+			src:     "hello",
+			wantErr: true,
+		},
+		{
+			desc: "bad signing key signature",
+			before: func(t *testing.T) {
+				srv.add("distsign.pub.sig", []byte("potato"))
+				srv.addSigned("hello", []byte("world"))
+			},
+			src:     "hello",
+			wantErr: true,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.desc, func(t *testing.T) {
+			srv.reset()
+
+			// First just do a successful Download.
+			want := []byte("world")
+			srv.addSigned("hello", want)
+			dst := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), tt.src)
+			t.Cleanup(func() {
+				os.Remove(dst)
+			})
+			err := c.Download(context.Background(), tt.src, dst)
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("unexpected error from Download(%q): %v", tt.src, err)
+			}
+			got, err := os.ReadFile(dst)
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatal(err)
+			}
+			if !bytes.Equal(want, got) {
+				t.Errorf("Download(%q): got %q, want %q", tt.src, got, want)
+			}
+
+			// Now we reset srv with the test case and validate against the local dst.
+			srv.reset()
+			tt.before(t)
+
+			err = c.ValidateLocalBinary(tt.src, dst)
+			if err != nil {
+				if tt.wantErr {
+					return
+				}
+				t.Fatalf("unexpected error from ValidateLocalBinary(%q): %v", tt.src, err)
+			}
+			if tt.wantErr {
+				t.Fatalf("ValidateLocalBinary(%q) succeeded, expected an error", tt.src)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 func TestRotateRoot(t *testing.T) {
 	srv := newTestServer(t)
 	c1 := srv.client(t)