diff --git a/src/depcheck/utils/__init__.py b/src/depcheck/utils/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..08fcc07
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/depcheck/utils/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+"""Utility functions for depcheck."""
+
+import os
+from pathlib import Path
+from typing import Optional
+
+
+def find_config_file(config_name: str = ".depcheck.yaml") -> Optional[Path]:
+    """Find configuration file in current directory or XDG config home."""
+    current_dir = Path.cwd()
+    config_path = current_dir / config_name
+    if config_path.exists():
+        return config_path
+
+    xdg_config = os.environ.get("XDG_CONFIG_HOME", Path.home() / ".config")
+    xdg_config_path = Path(xdg_config) / "depcheck" / config_name
+    if xdg_config_path.exists():
+        return xdg_config_path
+
+    return None
+
+
+def read_file_safe(path: Path) -> Optional[str]:
+    """Read file contents safely, return None on error."""
+    try:
+        return path.read_text()
+    except (OSError, IOError):
+        return None
+
+
+def parse_version_string(version: str) -> Optional[str]:
+    """Clean and normalize a version string."""
+    version = version.strip()
+    version = version.lstrip("vV")
+    return version if version else None