diff --git a/mercurial/dispatch.py b/mercurial/dispatch.py
--- a/mercurial/dispatch.py
+++ b/mercurial/dispatch.py
@@ -35,11 +35,14 @@
     hook,
     profiling,
     pycompat,
+    registrar,
     scmutil,
     ui as uimod,
     util,
 )
 
+unrecoverablewrite = registrar.command.unrecoverablewrite
+
 class request(object):
     def __init__(self, args, ui=None, repo=None, fin=None, fout=None,
                  ferr=None, prereposetups=None):
@@ -488,7 +491,7 @@
         return aliasargs(self.fn, args)
 
     def __getattr__(self, name):
-        adefaults = {r'norepo': True,
+        adefaults = {r'norepo': True, r'cmdtype': unrecoverablewrite,
                      r'optionalrepo': False, r'inferrepo': False}
         if name not in adefaults:
             raise AttributeError(name)
diff --git a/mercurial/registrar.py b/mercurial/registrar.py
--- a/mercurial/registrar.py
+++ b/mercurial/registrar.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 
 from __future__ import absolute_import
 
+from .i18n import _
 from . import (
     configitems,
     error,
@@ -132,13 +133,28 @@
     command line arguments. If True, arguments will be examined for potential
     repository locations. See ``findrepo()``. If a repository is found, it
     will be used.
+
+    There are three constants in the class which tells what type of the command
+    that is. That information will be helpful at various places. It will be also
+    be used to decide what level of access the command has on hidden commits.
     """
 
+    unrecoverablewrite = "unrecoverable"
+    recoverablewrite = "recoverable"
+    readonly = "readonly"
+
     def _doregister(self, func, name, options=(), synopsis=None,
-                    norepo=False, optionalrepo=False, inferrepo=False):
+                    norepo=False, optionalrepo=False, inferrepo=False,
+                    cmdtype=unrecoverablewrite):
+
+        possiblecmdtypes = set(["unrecoverable", "recoverable", "readonly"])
+        if cmdtype not in possiblecmdtypes:
+            raise error.ProgrammingError(_("unknown cmdtype value '%s' for "
+                                            "'%s' command") % (cmdtype, name))
         func.norepo = norepo
         func.optionalrepo = optionalrepo
         func.inferrepo = inferrepo
+        func.cmdtype = cmdtype
         if synopsis:
             self._table[name] = func, list(options), synopsis
         else: