diff --git a/libgimpthumb/gimp-thumbnail-list.c b/libgimpthumb/gimp-thumbnail-list.c
index d846179bce..c8dad3f91c 100644
--- a/libgimpthumb/gimp-thumbnail-list.c
+++ b/libgimpthumb/gimp-thumbnail-list.c
@@ -58,11 +58,14 @@ main (gint   argc,
 {
   GOptionContext *context;
   GDir           *dir;
-  const gchar    *home;
   gchar          *thumb_folder;
   const gchar    *folder;
   GError         *error = NULL;
 
+  gimp_thumb_init ("gimp-thumbnail-list", NULL);
+
+  thumb_folder = gimp_thumb_get_thumb_base_dir ();
+
   context = g_option_context_new (NULL);
   g_option_context_add_main_entries (context, main_entries, NULL);
 
@@ -72,13 +75,10 @@ main (gint   argc,
       return -1;
     }
 
-  home = g_get_home_dir ();
-
-  thumb_folder = g_build_filename (home, ".thumbnails", NULL);
   dir = g_dir_open (thumb_folder, 0, &error);
 
   if (! dir)
-    g_error ("Error opening ~/.thumbnails: %s", error->message);
+    g_error ("Error opening %s: %s", thumb_folder, error->message);
 
   while ((folder = g_dir_read_name (dir)))
     {
@@ -93,7 +93,6 @@ main (gint   argc,
     }
 
   g_dir_close (dir);
-  g_free (thumb_folder);
 
   return 0;
 }
diff --git a/libgimpthumb/gimpthumb-utils.c b/libgimpthumb/gimpthumb-utils.c
index bd754715a1..8359643391 100644
--- a/libgimpthumb/gimpthumb-utils.c
+++ b/libgimpthumb/gimpthumb-utils.c
@@ -186,6 +186,26 @@ gimp_thumb_init (const gchar *creator,
   return gimp_thumb_initialized;
 }
 
+/**
+ * gimp_thumb_get_thumb_base_dir:
+ *
+ * Returns the base directory of thumbnails cache.
+ * It uses the Freedesktop Thumbnail Managing Standard on UNIX,
+ * "~/Library/Caches/org.freedesktop.thumbnails" on OSX, and a cache
+ * folder determined by glib on Windows (currently the common repository
+ * for temporary Internet files).
+ * The returned string belongs to GIMP and must not be changed nor freed.
+ *
+ * Returns: the thumbnails cache directory.
+ **/
+const gchar *
+gimp_thumb_get_thumb_base_dir (void)
+{
+  g_return_val_if_fail (gimp_thumb_initialized, NULL);
+
+  return thumb_dir;
+}
+
 /**
  * gimp_thumb_get_thumb_dir:
  * @size: a GimpThumbSize
diff --git a/libgimpthumb/gimpthumb-utils.h b/libgimpthumb/gimpthumb-utils.h
index 300ef9e020..ff89dcc036 100644
--- a/libgimpthumb/gimpthumb-utils.h
+++ b/libgimpthumb/gimpthumb-utils.h
@@ -35,6 +35,8 @@ G_BEGIN_DECLS
 gboolean            gimp_thumb_init                   (const gchar    *creator,
                                                        const gchar    *thumb_basedir);
 
+const gchar       * gimp_thumb_get_thumb_base_dir     (void);
+
 gchar             * gimp_thumb_find_thumb             (const gchar    *uri,
                                                        GimpThumbSize  *size) G_GNUC_MALLOC;
 
diff --git a/libgimpthumb/gimpthumb.def b/libgimpthumb/gimpthumb.def
index 4ac56bfb8b..db8c44d932 100644
--- a/libgimpthumb/gimpthumb.def
+++ b/libgimpthumb/gimpthumb.def
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ EXPORTS
 	gimp_thumb_file_test
 	gimp_thumb_file_type_get_type
 	gimp_thumb_find_thumb
+	gimp_thumb_get_thumb_base_dir
 	gimp_thumb_get_thumb_dir
 	gimp_thumb_get_thumb_dir_local
 	gimp_thumb_init