diff --git a/include/grass/defs/raster.h b/include/grass/defs/raster.h
index bedf926bbee..899528e13bc 100644
--- a/include/grass/defs/raster.h
+++ b/include/grass/defs/raster.h
@@ -401,6 +401,7 @@ int Rast_option_to_interp_type(const struct Option *);
 
 /* mask_info.c */
 char *Rast_mask_info(void);
+bool Rast_mask_status(char *, char *, bool *);
 int Rast__mask_info(char *, char *);
 
 /* maskfd.c */
diff --git a/lib/init/grass.py b/lib/init/grass.py
index e4308786615..50a23f67167 100755
--- a/lib/init/grass.py
+++ b/lib/init/grass.py
@@ -1998,8 +1998,8 @@ def sh_like_startup(location, location_name, grass_env_file, sh):
             )
         )
 
+    mask2d_test = 'r.mask.status -t'
     # TODO: have a function and/or module to test this
-    mask2d_test = 'test -f "$MAPSET_PATH/cell/MASK"'
     mask3d_test = 'test -d "$MAPSET_PATH/grid3/RASTER3D_MASK"'
 
     specific_addition = ""
diff --git a/raster/r.mask.status/Makefile b/raster/r.mask.status/Makefile
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..0be917f1040
--- /dev/null
+++ b/raster/r.mask.status/Makefile
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+MODULE_TOPDIR = ../..
+
+PGM = r.mask.status
+
+LIBES = $(MANAGELIB) $(RASTERLIB) $(GISLIB)
+DEPENDENCIES = $(MANAGEDEP) $(RASTERDEP) $(GISDEP)
+
+include $(MODULE_TOPDIR)/include/Make/Module.make
+
+default: cmd
diff --git a/raster/r.mask.status/main.c b/raster/r.mask.status/main.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..3f3d736bdd6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/raster/r.mask.status/main.c
@@ -0,0 +1,168 @@
+/****************************************************************************
+ *
+ * MODULE:       r.mask.status
+ * AUTHORS:      Vaclav Petras
+ * PURPOSE:      Report status of raster mask
+ * COPYRIGHT:    (C) 2022 by Vaclav Petras and the GRASS Development Team
+ *
+ *               This program is free software under the GNU General Public
+ *               License (>=v2). Read the file COPYING that comes with GRASS
+ *               for details.
+ *
+ *****************************************************************************/
+
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+#include <grass/gis.h>
+#include <grass/raster.h>
+#include <grass/glocale.h>
+
+struct Parameters
+{
+    struct Option *format;
+    struct Flag *like_test;
+};
+
+void parse_parameters(struct Parameters *params, int argc, char **argv)
+{
+    struct GModule *module;
+
+    module = G_define_module();
+    G_add_keyword(_("raster"));
+    G_add_keyword(_("reclassification"));
+    module->label = _("Reclassify raster map based on category values.");
+    module->description =
+        _("Creates a new raster map whose category values are based "
+          "upon a reclassification of the categories in an existing "
+          "raster map.");
+
+    params->format = G_define_option();
+    params->format->key = "format";
+    params->format->type = TYPE_STRING;
+    params->format->required = NO;
+    params->format->answer = "yaml";
+    params->format->options = "yaml,json,bash";
+    params->format->description = _("Format for reporting");
+
+    params->like_test = G_define_flag();
+    params->like_test->key = 't';
+    params->like_test->lable =
+        _("Return code 0 when mask present, 1 otherwise");
+    params->like_test->description =
+        _("Behave like the test utility, 0 for true, 1 for false, no output");
+    //flags.like_test->guisection = _("");
+    // suppress_required
+
+    if (G_parser(argc, argv))
+        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+}
+
+char *min_json_escape(const char *str)
+{
+    char *tmp1 = G_str_replace(str, "\\", "\\\\");
+    char *tmp2 = G_str_replace(tmp1, "\"", "\\\"");
+
+    G_free(tmp1);
+    return tmp2;
+}
+
+void json_print_name_mapset(const char *name, const char *mapset)
+{
+    // Being paranoid about what is in the name.
+    char *escaped_name = min_json_escape(name);
+    char *escaped_mapset = min_json_escape(mapset);
+
+    printf("\"%s@%s\"", name, mapset);
+    G_free(escaped_name);
+    G_free(escaped_mapset);
+}
+
+int report_status(struct Parameters *params)
+{
+
+    char name[GNAME_MAX];
+    char mapset[GMAPSET_MAX];
+
+    bool is_mask_reclass;
+    bool present =
+        Rast_mask_status(name, mapset, reclass_name, reclass_mapset,
+                         &is_mask_reclass);
+    bool present = Rast_mask_present(name, mapset);
+
+    //printf("%s", Rast_mask_info());
+
+    if (params->like_test->answer) {
+        if (present)
+            return 0;
+        else
+            return 1;
+    }
+    else if (strcmp(params->format->answer, "json") == 0) {
+        printf("{\"present\":");
+        if (present)
+            printf("true");
+        else
+            printf("false");
+        printf(",\n\"full_name\":");
+        if (present)
+            json_print_name_mapset("MASK", G_mapset()); // Too much mask details here, move this to the library.
+        else
+            printf("null");
+        printf(",\n\"is_reclass_of\": ");
+        if (is_mask_reclass)
+            json_print_name_mapset(name, mapset);
+        else
+            printf("null");
+        printf("}\n");
+    }
+    else if (strcmp(params->format->answer, "bash") == 0) {
+        printf("present=");
+        if (present)
+            printf("1");        // Good choice here or not?
+        else
+            printf("0");
+        printf("\nfull_name=");
+        if (present) {
+            json_print_name_mapset(name, mapset);
+        }
+        printf("\n");
+    }
+    else {
+        printf("present: ");
+        if (present)
+            printf("true");
+        else
+            printf("false");
+        printf("\nfull_name: ");
+        if (present)
+            printf("|-\n  MASK@%s", G_mapset());        // MASK or MASK@current_mapset
+        else
+            printf("null");
+        printf("\nis_reclass_of: ");
+        // Using block scalar with |- to avoid need for escaping.
+        if (is_mask_reclass)
+            printf("|-\n  %s@%s", name, mapset);
+        else
+            printf("null");
+        // true if MASK in current mapset and is reclass, false otherwise,
+        // then also outputting mask cats is needed to inform user about the portion of the map
+        // printf("\nmask_reclass: ");
+        // if (is_mask_reclass)
+        //     printf("true");
+        // else
+        //     printf("false");
+        printf("\n");
+    }
+    return EXIT_SUCCESS;
+}
+
+int main(int argc, char **argv)
+{
+    struct Parameters params;
+
+    G_gisinit(argv[0]);
+    parse_parameters(&params, argc, argv);
+    return report_status(&params);
+}
diff --git a/raster/r.mask.status/r.mask.status.html b/raster/r.mask.status/r.mask.status.html
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..f8cb8255c5e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/raster/r.mask.status/r.mask.status.html
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+<h2>DESCRIPTION</h2>
+
+<em>r.mask.status</em> reports presence or absence of a raster mask.
+
+<h2>NOTES</h2>
+
+<h2>EXAMPLES</h2>
+
+<h3>Generate JSON output</h3>
+
+<div class="code"><pre>
+r.mask.status format=json
+</pre></div>
+
+<h3>Use as the test utility</h3>
+
+The POSIX <em>test</em> utility uses return code 0 to indicate true
+and 1 to indicate false, so testing existence of a file with <code>test -f</code>
+gives return code 0 when the file exists. <em>r.mask.status</em> can be used
+in the same with the the <b>-t</b> flag:
+
+<div class="code"><pre>
+r.mask.status -t
+</pre></div>
+
+<h2>SEE ALSO</h2>
+
+<em>
+<a href="r.mask.html">r.mask</a>,
+<a href="g.region.html">g.region</a>
+</em>
+
+<h2>AUTHORS</h2>
+
+Vaclav Petras, NC State University, Center for Geospatial Analytics