diff --git a/clifford.py b/clifford.py
index 452c355..25a5c93 100644
--- a/clifford.py
+++ b/clifford.py
@@ -1,15 +1,22 @@
+"""
+Enumerates the 24 elements of the local Clifford group, providing multiplication and conjugation tables
+permutations = (id, ha, ph, ha*ph, ha*ph*ha, ha*ph*ha*ph) 
+signs = (id, px, py, pz) 
+unitaries = [p*s for p in permutations for s in signs]
+"""
+
 import numpy as np
 from tqdm import tqdm
-import os
 from qi import *
-import cPickle
+from functools import reduce
+from util import cache_to_disk
+
 
 def find_up_to_phase(u):
     """ Find the index of a given u within a list of unitaries, up to a global phase  """
-    global unitaries
     for i, t in enumerate(unitaries):
         for phase in range(8):
-            if np.allclose(t, np.exp(1j*phase*np.pi/4.)*u):
+            if np.allclose(t, np.exp(1j * phase * np.pi / 4.) * u):
                 return i, phase
     raise IndexError
 
@@ -20,30 +27,20 @@ def compose_u(decomposition):
     return np.matrix(reduce(np.dot, us), dtype=complex)
 
 
+@cache_to_disk("tables.pkl")
 def construct_tables():
-    """ Constructs multiplication and conjugation tables """
-    conjugation_table = [find_up_to_phase(u.H)[0] for i, u in enumerate(unitaries)]
-    times_table = [[find_up_to_phase(u*v)[0] for v in unitaries] 
-            for u in tqdm(unitaries, "Building times-table")]
-    with open("tables.pkl", "w") as f:
-        cPickle.dump((conjugation_table, times_table), f)
-
-
-#permutations = (id, ha, ph, ha*ph, ha*ph*ha, ha*ph*ha*ph)
-#signs = (id, px, py, pz)
-#unitaries = [p*s for p in permutations for s in signs]
-decompositions = \
-("xxxx", "xx", "zzxx", "zz", "zxx", "z", "zzz", "xxz",
-"xzx", "xzxxx", "xzzzx", "xxxzx", "xzz", "zzx", "xxx", "x",
-"zzzx", "xxzx", "zx", "zxxx", "xxxz", "xzzz", "xz", "xzxx")
+    """ Constructs / caches multiplication and conjugation tables """
+    conjugation_table = [find_up_to_phase(u.H)[0]
+                         for i, u in enumerate(unitaries)]
+    times_table = [[find_up_to_phase(u * v)[0] for v in unitaries]
+                   for u in tqdm(unitaries)]
+    return conjugation_table, times_table
+
+
+# Various useful tables
+decompositions = ("xxxx", "xx", "zzxx", "zz", "zxx", "z", "zzz", "xxz",
+     "xzx", "xzxxx", "xzzzx", "xxxzx", "xzz", "zzx", "xxx", "x",
+     "zzzx", "xxzx", "zx", "zxxx", "xxxz", "xzzz", "xz", "xzxx")
 elements = {"x": sqx, "z": msqz}
 unitaries = [compose_u(d) for d in decompositions]
-
-# Build / reload lookup tables
-if not os.path.exists("tables.pkl"):
-    construct_tables()
-with open("tables.pkl") as f:
-    conjugation_table, times_table = cPickle.load(f)
-
-if __name__ == '__main__':
-    pass
+conjugation_table, times_table = construct_tables()
diff --git a/util.py b/util.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3886083
--- /dev/null
+++ b/util.py
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+""" 
+Provides a decorator to cache function output to disk
+"""
+import cPickle
+
+def cache_to_disk(file_name):
+    def wrap(func):
+        def modified(*args, **kwargs):
+            try:
+                output = cPickle.load(open(file_name, "r"))
+            except (IOError, ValueError):
+                output = func(*args, **kwargs)
+                with open(file_name, "w") as f:
+                    cPickle.dump(output, f)
+            return output
+        return modified
+    return wrap