diff --git a/.hgtags b/.hgtags
index e5cfd8b7a..973aa6d7d 100644
--- a/.hgtags
+++ b/.hgtags
@@ -6,3 +6,4 @@
 8cd6eb91eba313b012d6e568f37d844dc0751f2e 1.0.0b4
 8cd6eb91eba313b012d6e568f37d844dc0751f2e 1.0.0b4
 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000 1.0.0b4
+2cc0507f117ffe721dff7ee026648cfce00ec92f 1.0.0b6
diff --git a/CHANGELOG b/CHANGELOG
index f0a0e9e91..7fb6ca16e 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG
+++ b/CHANGELOG
@@ -1,6 +1,12 @@
-Changes between 1.0.0b3 and 1.0.0
+Changes between 1.0.0b3 and 1.0.0b6
 =============================================
 
+* renamed py.test.xfail back to py.test.mark.xfail to avoid 
+  two ways to decorate for xfail
+
+* re-added py.test.mark decorator for setting keywords on functions 
+  (it was actually documented so removing it was not nice) 
+
 * remove scope-argument from request.addfinalizer() because 
   request.cached_setup has the scope arg. TOOWTDI. 
 
diff --git a/MANIFEST b/MANIFEST
index 8d686843d..35398168c 100644
--- a/MANIFEST
+++ b/MANIFEST
@@ -325,6 +325,7 @@ py/test/plugin/pytest_execnetcleanup.py
 py/test/plugin/pytest_figleaf.py
 py/test/plugin/pytest_hooklog.py
 py/test/plugin/pytest_iocapture.py
+py/test/plugin/pytest_keyword.py
 py/test/plugin/pytest_monkeypatch.py
 py/test/plugin/pytest_pdb.py
 py/test/plugin/pytest_pocoo.py
diff --git a/doc/test/features.txt b/doc/test/features.txt
index 7cd9babba..5898e2b0e 100644
--- a/doc/test/features.txt
+++ b/doc/test/features.txt
@@ -237,13 +237,15 @@ keyword.
 
 By default, all filename parts and
 class/function names of a test function are put into the set
-of keywords for a given test.  You may specify additional 
+of keywords for a given test.  You can specify additional 
 kewords like this::
 
     @py.test.mark(webtest=True)
     def test_send_http():
         ... 
 
+and then use those keywords to select tests. 
+
 disabling a test class
 ---------------------- 
 
diff --git a/py/execnet/testing/test_gateway.py b/py/execnet/testing/test_gateway.py
index f5bba5b90..7b8514e38 100644
--- a/py/execnet/testing/test_gateway.py
+++ b/py/execnet/testing/test_gateway.py
@@ -543,7 +543,7 @@ class TestPopenGateway(PopenGatewayTestSetup, BasicRemoteExecution):
             ret = channel.receive()
             assert ret == 42
             
-    @py.test.xfail # "fix needed: dying remote process does not cause waitclose() to fail"
+    @py.test.mark.xfail # "fix needed: dying remote process does not cause waitclose() to fail"
     def test_waitclose_on_remote_killed(self):
         gw = py.execnet.PopenGateway()
         channel = gw.remote_exec("""
@@ -616,12 +616,12 @@ class TestSshGateway(BasicRemoteExecution):
     def test_sshaddress(self):
         assert self.gw.remoteaddress == self.sshhost
 
-    @py.test.xfail # XXX ssh-gateway error handling
+    @py.test.mark.xfail # XXX ssh-gateway error handling
     def test_connexion_failes_on_non_existing_hosts(self):
         py.test.raises(IOError, 
             "py.execnet.SshGateway('nowhere.codespeak.net')")
 
-    @py.test.xfail # "XXX ssh-gateway error handling"
+    @py.test.mark.xfail # "XXX ssh-gateway error handling"
     def test_deprecated_identity(self):
         py.test.deprecated_call(
             py.test.raises, IOError, 
diff --git a/py/test/defaultconftest.py b/py/test/defaultconftest.py
index 78596f81a..6c7459df5 100644
--- a/py/test/defaultconftest.py
+++ b/py/test/defaultconftest.py
@@ -10,5 +10,5 @@ Generator = py.test.collect.Generator
 Function = py.test.collect.Function
 Instance = py.test.collect.Instance
 
-pytest_plugins = "default runner terminal xfail tmpdir execnetcleanup monkeypatch recwarn pdb".split()
+pytest_plugins = "default runner terminal keyword xfail tmpdir execnetcleanup monkeypatch recwarn pdb".split()
 
diff --git a/py/test/dist/testing/test_dsession.py b/py/test/dist/testing/test_dsession.py
index 542ae9ba8..02679a75c 100644
--- a/py/test/dist/testing/test_dsession.py
+++ b/py/test/dist/testing/test_dsession.py
@@ -367,7 +367,7 @@ class TestDSession:
         assert node.gateway.spec.popen
         #XXX eq.geteventargs("pytest_sessionfinish")
 
-    @py.test.xfail
+    @py.test.mark.xfail
     def test_collected_function_causes_remote_skip_at_module_level(self, testdir):
         p = testdir.makepyfile("""
             import py
diff --git a/py/test/dist/testing/test_nodemanage.py b/py/test/dist/testing/test_nodemanage.py
index b95a1c4c8..da4fd979b 100644
--- a/py/test/dist/testing/test_nodemanage.py
+++ b/py/test/dist/testing/test_nodemanage.py
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ class pytest_funcarg__mysetup:
         request.getfuncargvalue("_pytest")
 
 class TestNodeManager:
-    @py.test.xfail
+    @py.test.mark.xfail
     def test_rsync_roots_no_roots(self, mysetup):
         mysetup.source.ensure("dir1", "file1").write("hello")
         config = py.test.config._reparse([source])
diff --git a/py/test/plugin/hookspec.py b/py/test/plugin/hookspec.py
index 07c65ce99..f1cfc108b 100644
--- a/py/test/plugin/hookspec.py
+++ b/py/test/plugin/hookspec.py
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ def pytest_runtest_protocol(item):
 pytest_runtest_protocol.firstresult = True
 
 def pytest_runtest_makereport(item, call):
-    """ make ItemTestReport for the specified test outcome. """
+    """ make ItemTestReport for the given item and call outcome. """ 
 pytest_runtest_makereport.firstresult = True
 
 def pytest_runtest_logreport(rep):
diff --git a/py/test/plugin/pytest_keyword.py b/py/test/plugin/pytest_keyword.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..290187226
--- /dev/null
+++ b/py/test/plugin/pytest_keyword.py
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+"""
+    py.test.mark / keyword plugin 
+
+"""
+import py
+
+def pytest_namespace(config):
+    mark = KeywordDecorator({})
+    return {'mark': mark}
+
+class KeywordDecorator:
+    """ decorator for setting function attributes. """
+    def __init__(self, keywords, lastname=None):
+        self._keywords = keywords
+        self._lastname = lastname
+
+    def __call__(self, func=None, **kwargs):
+        if func is None:
+            kw = self._keywords.copy()
+            kw.update(kwargs)
+            return KeywordDecorator(kw)
+        elif not hasattr(func, 'func_dict'):
+            kw = self._keywords.copy()
+            name = self._lastname
+            if name is None:
+                name = "mark"
+            kw[name] = func
+            return KeywordDecorator(kw)
+        func.func_dict.update(self._keywords)
+        return func 
+
+    def __getattr__(self, name):
+        if name[0] == "_":
+            raise AttributeError(name)
+        kw = self._keywords.copy()
+        kw[name] = True
+        return self.__class__(kw, lastname=name)
+
+def test_pytest_mark_getattr():
+    mark = KeywordDecorator({})
+    def f(): pass
+
+    mark.hello(f)
+    assert f.hello == True
+
+    mark.hello("test")(f)
+    assert f.hello == "test"
+
+    py.test.raises(AttributeError, "mark._hello")
+    py.test.raises(AttributeError, "mark.__str__")
+
+def test_pytest_mark_call():
+    mark = KeywordDecorator({})
+    def f(): pass
+    mark(x=3)(f)
+    assert f.x == 3
+    def g(): pass
+    mark(g)
+    assert not g.func_dict
+
+    mark.hello(f)
+    assert f.hello == True
+
+    mark.hello("test")(f)
+    assert f.hello == "test"
+
+    mark("x1")(f)
+    assert f.mark == "x1"
+
+def test_mark_plugin(testdir):
+    p = testdir.makepyfile("""
+        import py
+        pytest_plugins = "keyword" 
+        @py.test.mark.hello
+        def test_hello():
+            assert hasattr(test_hello, 'hello')
+    """)
+    result = testdir.runpytest(p)
+    assert result.stdout.fnmatch_lines(["*passed*"])
diff --git a/py/test/plugin/pytest_xfail.py b/py/test/plugin/pytest_xfail.py
index 77e9274b0..d53bd1a6b 100644
--- a/py/test/plugin/pytest_xfail.py
+++ b/py/test/plugin/pytest_xfail.py
@@ -3,13 +3,15 @@ mark tests as expected-to-fail and report them separately.
 
 example: 
 
-    @py.test.xfail
+    @py.test.mark.xfail
     def test_hello():
         ...
         assert 0
 """
 import py
 
+pytest_plugins = ['keyword']
+
 def pytest_runtest_makereport(__call__, item, call):
     if call.when != "call":
         return
@@ -52,12 +54,6 @@ def pytest_terminal_summary(terminalreporter):
         for event in xpassed:
             tr._tw.line("%s: xpassed" %(event.item,))
 
-def xfail_decorator(func):
-    func.xfail = True
-    return func
- 
-def pytest_namespace(config):
-    return dict(xfail=xfail_decorator)
 
 # ===============================================================================
 #
@@ -68,11 +64,11 @@ def pytest_namespace(config):
 def test_xfail(testdir, linecomp):
     p = testdir.makepyfile(test_one="""
         import py
-        @py.test.xfail
+        @py.test.mark.xfail
         def test_this():
             assert 0
 
-        @py.test.xfail
+        @py.test.mark.xfail
         def test_that():
             assert 1
     """)
diff --git a/py/test/testing/test_pluginmanager.py b/py/test/testing/test_pluginmanager.py
index e1d4ec3e8..b1fc23f28 100644
--- a/py/test/testing/test_pluginmanager.py
+++ b/py/test/testing/test_pluginmanager.py
@@ -221,7 +221,7 @@ class TestPytestPluginInteractions:
         assert not pluginmanager.listattr("hello")
         assert pluginmanager.listattr("x") == [42]
 
-    @py.test.xfail # setup call methods
+    @py.test.mark.xfail # setup call methods
     def test_call_setup_participants(self, testdir):
         testdir.makepyfile(
             conftest="""