diff --git a/development/Makefile.am b/development/Makefile.am
index 22c09902f7..4c8314310f 100644
--- a/development/Makefile.am
+++ b/development/Makefile.am
@@ -17,7 +17,11 @@ tools/gen_lfuns.py \
 tools/generate_symbols_images.lyx \
 tools/generate_symbols_images.py \
 tools/generate_symbols_list.py \
+tools/generate_symbols_svg.lyx \
+tools/generate_symbols_svg.py \
 tools/unicodesymbols.py \
+tools/updatedocs.py \
+tools/updatelayouts.py \
 tools/x-font \
 tools/README \
 tools/count_total_lines_of_compiled_code.sh \
diff --git a/development/tools/updatedocs.py b/development/tools/updatedocs.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d2c7fe8c04
--- /dev/null
+++ b/development/tools/updatedocs.py
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+#! /usr/bin/env python
+# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+
+# file updatedocs.py
+# This file is part of LyX, the document processor.
+# Licence details can be found in the file COPYING.
+
+# author Georg Baum
+
+# Full author contact details are available in file CREDITS
+
+# This script converts documentation .lyx files to current format
+# The old files are backuped with extension ".old"
+
+
+import os, re, string, sys, subprocess, shutil
+
+
+def convertdir(docdir, prefix, lyx2lyx):
+    olddir = os.getcwd()
+    os.chdir(docdir)
+    for i in os.listdir("."):
+        if os.path.isdir(i):
+            subdir = os.path.join(docdir, i)
+            subprefix = os.path.join(prefix, i)
+            convertdir(subdir, subprefix, lyx2lyx)
+            continue
+        (base, ext) = os.path.splitext(i)
+        if ext != ".lyx":
+            continue
+        old = i + ".old"
+        shutil.copy(i, old)
+        if sys.executable and sys.executable != '':
+            cmd = [sys.executable, lyx2lyx, old, '-o', i]
+        else:
+            # assume that python is in the path
+            cmd = [lyx2lyx, old, '-o', i]
+        sys.stderr.write('Converting %s\n' % os.path.join(prefix, i))
+        subprocess.call(cmd)
+    os.chdir(olddir)
+
+
+def main(argv):
+
+    toolsdir = os.path.dirname(argv[0])
+    docdir = os.path.abspath(os.path.join(toolsdir, '../../lib/doc'))
+    lyx2lyx = os.path.abspath(os.path.join(toolsdir, "../../lib/lyx2lyx/lyx2lyx"))
+    convertdir(docdir, '', lyx2lyx)
+
+    return 0
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main(sys.argv)