diff --git a/src/main/java/net/starlark/java/syntax/Lexer.java b/src/main/java/net/starlark/java/syntax/Lexer.java
index e957c469a00dfd..751c3b3efac63b 100644
--- a/src/main/java/net/starlark/java/syntax/Lexer.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/starlark/java/syntax/Lexer.java
@@ -257,14 +257,14 @@ private void escapedStringLiteral(char quot, boolean isRaw) {
             literal.append(c);
             break;
           } else {
-            error("unterminated string literal at eol", literalStartPos);
+            error("unclosed string literal", literalStartPos);
             setToken(TokenKind.STRING, literalStartPos, pos);
             setValue(literal.toString());
             return;
           }
         case '\\':
           if (pos == buffer.length) {
-            error("unterminated string literal at eof", literalStartPos);
+            error("unclosed string literal", literalStartPos);
             setToken(TokenKind.STRING, literalStartPos, pos);
             setValue(literal.toString());
             return;
@@ -389,7 +389,7 @@ private void escapedStringLiteral(char quot, boolean isRaw) {
           break;
       }
     }
-    error("unterminated string literal at eof", literalStartPos);
+    error("unclosed string literal", literalStartPos);
     setToken(TokenKind.STRING, literalStartPos, pos);
     setValue(literal.toString());
   }
@@ -420,7 +420,7 @@ private void stringLiteral(char quot, boolean isRaw) {
       char c = buffer[pos++];
       switch (c) {
         case '\n':
-          error("unterminated string literal at eol", literalStartPos);
+          error("unclosed string literal", literalStartPos);
           setToken(TokenKind.STRING, literalStartPos, pos);
           setValue(bufferSlice(contentStartPos, pos - 1));
           return;
@@ -455,12 +455,12 @@ private void stringLiteral(char quot, boolean isRaw) {
     }
 
     // If the current position is beyond the end of the file, need to move it backwards
-    // Possible if the file ends with `r"\` (unterminated raw string literal with a backslash)
+    // Possible if the file ends with `r"\` (unclosed raw string literal with a backslash)
     if (pos > buffer.length) {
       pos = buffer.length;
     }
 
-    error("unterminated string literal at eof", literalStartPos);
+    error("unclosed string literal", literalStartPos);
     setToken(TokenKind.STRING, literalStartPos, pos);
     setValue(bufferSlice(contentStartPos, pos));
   }
diff --git a/src/main/java/net/starlark/java/syntax/StringLiteral.java b/src/main/java/net/starlark/java/syntax/StringLiteral.java
index c30b9c718b2938..0facdd6abd1f42 100644
--- a/src/main/java/net/starlark/java/syntax/StringLiteral.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/starlark/java/syntax/StringLiteral.java
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@
 // limitations under the License.
 package net.starlark.java.syntax;
 
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+
 /** Syntax node for a string literal. */
 public final class StringLiteral extends Expression {
 
@@ -69,6 +71,27 @@ public Object getFileLocations() {
     return locs;
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Returns the value denoted by the Starlark string literal within s.
+   *
+   * @throws IllegalArgumentException if s does not contain a valid string literal.
+   */
+  public static String unquote(String s) {
+    // TODO(adonovan): once we have byte compilation, make this function
+    // independent of the Lexer, which should only validate string literals
+    // but not unquote them. Clients (e.g. the compiler) can unquote on demand.
+    ArrayList<SyntaxError> errors = new ArrayList<>();
+    Lexer lexer = new Lexer(ParserInput.fromLines(s), FileOptions.DEFAULT, errors);
+    lexer.nextToken();
+    if (!errors.isEmpty()) {
+      throw new IllegalArgumentException(errors.get(0).message());
+    }
+    if (lexer.start != 0 || lexer.end != s.length() || lexer.kind != TokenKind.STRING) {
+      throw new IllegalArgumentException("invalid syntax");
+    }
+    return (String) lexer.value;
+  }
+
   /** Constructs a StringLiteral from its serialized components. */
   public static StringLiteral fromSerialization(
       Object fileLocations, int startOffset, String value, int endOffset) {
diff --git a/src/test/java/net/starlark/java/syntax/LexerTest.java b/src/test/java/net/starlark/java/syntax/LexerTest.java
index de6c909deacb50..7c71c0922417c1 100644
--- a/src/test/java/net/starlark/java/syntax/LexerTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/net/starlark/java/syntax/LexerTest.java
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 package net.starlark.java.syntax;
 
 import static com.google.common.truth.Truth.assertThat;
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertThrows;
 
 import com.google.common.base.Joiner;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
@@ -328,10 +329,9 @@ public void testRawString() throws Exception {
     assertThat(values(tokens("r'a\\\\b'"))).isEqualTo("STRING(a\\\\b) NEWLINE EOF"); // r'a\\b'
     assertThat(values(tokens("r'ab'r"))).isEqualTo("STRING(ab) IDENTIFIER(r) NEWLINE EOF");
 
-    // Unterminated raw string
+    // Unclosed raw string
     values(tokens("r'\\'")); // r'\'
-    assertThat(lastError.toString())
-        .isEqualTo("/some/path.txt:1: unterminated string literal at eof");
+    assertThat(lastError.toString()).isEqualTo("/some/path.txt:1: unclosed string literal");
   }
 
   @Test
@@ -342,10 +342,9 @@ public void testTripleRawString() throws Exception {
     // cd"""
     assertThat(values(tokens("\"\"\"ab\ncd\"\"\""))).isEqualTo("STRING(ab\ncd) NEWLINE EOF");
 
-    // Unterminated raw string
+    // Unclosed raw string
     values(tokens("r'''\\'''")); // r'''\'''
-    assertThat(lastError.toString())
-        .isEqualTo("/some/path.txt:1: unterminated string literal at eof");
+    assertThat(lastError.toString()).isEqualTo("/some/path.txt:1: unclosed string literal");
   }
 
   @Test
@@ -512,17 +511,17 @@ public void testContainsErrors() throws Exception {
     allTokens(lexerFail);
     assertThat(errors).isNotEmpty();
 
-    String s = "'unterminated";
+    String s = "'unclosed";
     lexerFail = createLexer(s);
     allTokens(lexerFail);
     assertThat(errors).isNotEmpty();
-    assertThat(values(tokens(s))).isEqualTo("STRING(unterminated) NEWLINE EOF");
+    assertThat(values(tokens(s))).isEqualTo("STRING(unclosed) NEWLINE EOF");
   }
 
   @Test
-  public void testUnterminatedRawStringWithEscapingError() throws Exception {
+  public void testUnclosedRawStringWithEscapingError() throws Exception {
     assertThat(names(tokens("r'\\"))).isEqualTo("STRING NEWLINE EOF");
-    assertThat(lastError).isEqualTo("/some/path.txt:1: unterminated string literal at eof");
+    assertThat(lastError).isEqualTo("/some/path.txt:1: unclosed string literal");
   }
 
   @Test
@@ -553,4 +552,38 @@ static SyntaxError assertContainsError(List<SyntaxError> errors, String substr)
           "error '" + substr + "' not found, but got these:\n" + Joiner.on("\n").join(errors));
     }
   }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testStringLiteralUnquote() {
+    // Coverage here needn't be exhaustive,
+    // as the underlying logic is that of the Lexer.
+    assertUnquoteEquals("'hello'", "hello");
+    assertUnquoteEquals("\"hello\"", "hello");
+    assertUnquoteEquals("r'a\\b\"c'", "a\\b\"c");
+
+    assertUnquoteError("", "invalid syntax"); // empty
+    assertUnquoteError(" 'hello'", "invalid syntax"); // leading space
+    assertUnquoteError("'hello' ", "invalid syntax"); // trailing space
+    assertUnquoteError("x", "invalid syntax"); // identifier
+    assertUnquoteError("r", "invalid syntax"); // identifier (same prefix as r'...')
+    assertUnquoteError("r2", "invalid syntax"); // identifier
+    assertUnquoteError("1", "invalid syntax"); // number
+    assertUnquoteError("'", "unclosed string literal");
+    assertUnquoteError("\"", "unclosed string literal");
+    assertUnquoteError("'abc", "unclosed string literal");
+    assertUnquoteError(
+        "'\\g'",
+        "invalid escape sequence: \\g. You can enable unknown escape sequences by passing the flag"
+            + " --incompatible_restrict_string_escapes=false"); // this temporary hint is a lie
+  }
+
+  private static void assertUnquoteEquals(String literal, String value) {
+    assertThat(StringLiteral.unquote(literal)).isEqualTo(value);
+  }
+
+  private static void assertUnquoteError(String badLiteral, String errorSubstring) {
+    IllegalArgumentException ex =
+        assertThrows(IllegalArgumentException.class, () -> StringLiteral.unquote(badLiteral));
+    assertThat(ex).hasMessageThat().contains(errorSubstring);
+  }
 }