diff --git a/autotests/usermetadatawritertest.cpp b/autotests/usermetadatawritertest.cpp
--- a/autotests/usermetadatawritertest.cpp
+++ b/autotests/usermetadatawritertest.cpp
@@ -51,14 +51,23 @@
     // Tags
     md.setTags(QStringList() << QStringLiteral("this/is/a/test/tag"));
     QCOMPARE(md.tags().at(0), QStringLiteral("this/is/a/test/tag"));
+    QVERIFY(md.queryAttributes(UserMetaData::Attribute::Any) & UserMetaData::Attribute::Tags);
+    QVERIFY(md.queryAttributes(UserMetaData::Attribute::All) & UserMetaData::Attribute::Tags);
+    QVERIFY(md.queryAttributes(UserMetaData::Attribute::Tags) & UserMetaData::Attribute::Tags);
+    QVERIFY(!(md.queryAttributes(UserMetaData::Attribute::Rating) & UserMetaData::Attribute::Tags));
     md.setTags(QStringList());
     QVERIFY(!md.hasAttribute(QStringLiteral("xdg.tags")));
+    QVERIFY(!(md.queryAttributes(UserMetaData::Attribute::Tags) & UserMetaData::Attribute::Tags));
 
     // Rating
     md.setRating(3);
     QCOMPARE(md.rating(), 3);
+    QVERIFY(md.queryAttributes(UserMetaData::Attribute::All) & UserMetaData::Attribute::Rating);
+    QVERIFY(md.queryAttributes(UserMetaData::Attribute::Rating) & UserMetaData::Attribute::Rating);
     md.setRating(0);
     QVERIFY(!md.hasAttribute(QStringLiteral("baloo.rating")));
+    QVERIFY(!(md.queryAttributes(UserMetaData::Attribute::All) & UserMetaData::Attribute::Rating));
+    QVERIFY(!(md.queryAttributes(UserMetaData::Attribute::Rating) & UserMetaData::Attribute::Rating));
 
     // Comment
     md.setUserComment(QStringLiteral("this is a test comment"));
@@ -93,8 +102,16 @@
     // Attribute
     md.setAttribute(QStringLiteral("test.attribute"), QStringLiteral("attribute"));
     QCOMPARE(md.attribute(QStringLiteral("test.attribute")), QStringLiteral("attribute"));
+    md.setAttribute(QStringLiteral("test.attribute2"), QStringLiteral("attribute2"));
+    QCOMPARE(md.attribute(QStringLiteral("test.attribute2")), QStringLiteral("attribute2"));
+    QVERIFY(md.queryAttributes(UserMetaData::Attribute::All) & UserMetaData::Attribute::Other);
+    QVERIFY(md.queryAttributes(UserMetaData::Attribute::Other) & UserMetaData::Attribute::Other);
     md.setAttribute(QStringLiteral("test.attribute"), QString());
     QVERIFY(!md.hasAttribute(QStringLiteral("test.attribute")));
+    QVERIFY(md.queryAttributes(UserMetaData::Attribute::All) & UserMetaData::Attribute::Other);
+    QVERIFY(md.queryAttributes(UserMetaData::Attribute::Other) & UserMetaData::Attribute::Other);
+    md.setAttribute(QStringLiteral("test.attribute2"), QString());
+    QVERIFY(!md.hasAttribute(QStringLiteral("test.attribute2")));
 
     // Check for side effects of calling sequence
     QVERIFY(!md.hasAttribute(QStringLiteral("test.check_contains")));
diff --git a/src/usermetadata.h b/src/usermetadata.h
--- a/src/usermetadata.h
+++ b/src/usermetadata.h
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 #define KFILEMETADATA_USERMETADATA_H
 
 #include "kfilemetadata_export.h"
+#include <QFlags>
 #include <QStringList>
 #include <QUrl>
 
@@ -39,6 +40,22 @@
     enum Error {
         NoError = 0
     };
+
+    enum Attribute : uint32_t {
+        None                 = 0x0,
+        Any                  = None,
+        Tags                 = 0x1,
+        Rating               = 0x2,
+        Comment              = 0x4,
+        OriginUrl            = 0x8,
+        OriginEmailSubject   = 0x10,
+        OriginEmailSender    = 0x20,
+        OriginEmailMessageId = 0x40,
+        Other                = 0xffffff80,
+        All                  = 0xffffffff,
+    };
+    Q_DECLARE_FLAGS(Attributes, Attribute)
+
     const UserMetaData& operator =(const UserMetaData& rhs);
 
     QString filePath() const;
@@ -68,11 +85,28 @@
     QString attribute(const QString& name);
     Error setAttribute(const QString& name, const QString& value);
     bool hasAttribute(const QString& name);
+
+    /**
+      * Query list of available attributes
+      *
+      * Checks for the availability of the given \p attributes. May return
+      * a superset of the input value when the file has attributes set
+      * beyond the requested ones.
+      *
+      * If the input attribute mask is Attribute::Any, either Attribute::None
+      * (the file has no user attributes) or Attribute::All (the file has at
+      * least one attribute set) is returned.
+      *
+      * \since 5.60
+      */
+    Attributes queryAttributes(Attributes attributes = Attribute::Any) const;
+
 private:
     class Private;
     Private *d;
 };
 
+Q_DECLARE_OPERATORS_FOR_FLAGS(UserMetaData::Attributes)
 }
 
 #endif // KFILEMETADATA_USERMETADATA_H
diff --git a/src/usermetadata.cpp b/src/usermetadata.cpp
--- a/src/usermetadata.cpp
+++ b/src/usermetadata.cpp
@@ -215,3 +215,8 @@
 {
     return k_isSupported(d->filePath);
 }
+
+UserMetaData::Attributes UserMetaData::queryAttributes(UserMetaData::Attributes attributes) const
+{
+    return k_queryAttributes(d->filePath, attributes);
+}
diff --git a/src/xattr_p.h b/src/xattr_p.h
--- a/src/xattr_p.h
+++ b/src/xattr_p.h
@@ -160,6 +160,133 @@
     return (ret >= 0) || (errno != ENOTSUP);
 }
 
+
+static KFileMetaData::UserMetaData::Attribute _mapAttribute(const QByteArray& key)
+{
+    using KFileMetaData::UserMetaData;
+    if (key == "user.xdg.tags") {
+        return UserMetaData::Attribute::Tags;
+    }
+    if (key == "user.baloo.rating") {
+        return UserMetaData::Attribute::Rating;
+    }
+    if (key == "user.xdg.comment") {
+        return UserMetaData::Attribute::Comment;
+    }
+    if (key == "user.xdg.origin.url") {
+        return UserMetaData::Attribute::OriginUrl;
+    }
+    if (key == "user.xdg.origin.email.subject") {
+        return UserMetaData::Attribute::OriginEmailSubject;
+    }
+    if (key == "user.xdg.origin.email.sender") {
+        return UserMetaData::Attribute::OriginEmailSender;
+    }
+    if (key == "user.xdg.origin.email.message-id") {
+        return UserMetaData::Attribute::OriginEmailMessageId;
+    }
+    return UserMetaData::Attribute::Other;
+}
+
+#if defined(Q_OS_FREEBSD) || defined(Q_OS_NETBSD)
+static QList<QByteArray> _split_length_value(QByteArray data)
+{
+    int pos = 0;
+    QList<QByteArray> entries;
+
+    while (pos < data.size()) {
+        unsigned char len = data[pos];
+        if (pos + 1 + len <= data.size()) {
+            auto value = data.mid(pos + 1, len);
+            entries.append(value);
+        }
+        pos += 1 + len;
+    }
+    return entries;
+}
+#endif
+
+KFileMetaData::UserMetaData::Attributes k_queryAttributes(const QString& path,
+    KFileMetaData::UserMetaData::Attributes attributes)
+{
+    using KFileMetaData::UserMetaData;
+
+    const QByteArray p = QFile::encodeName(path);
+    const char* encodedPath = p.constData();
+
+    #if defined(Q_OS_LINUX)
+    const ssize_t size = listxattr(encodedPath, nullptr, 0);
+    #elif defined(Q_OS_MAC)
+    const ssize_t size = listxattr(encodedPath, nullptr, 0, 0);
+    #elif defined(Q_OS_FREEBSD) || defined(Q_OS_NETBSD)
+    const ssize_t size = extattr_list_file(encodedPath, EXTATTR_NAMESPACE_USER, nullptr, 0);
+    #endif
+
+    if (size == 0) {
+        return UserMetaData::Attribute::None;
+    }
+
+    if (size == -1 && errno == ENOTSUP) {
+        return UserMetaData::Attribute::None;
+    }
+
+    if (size == -1 && errno == E2BIG) {
+        return UserMetaData::Attribute::All;
+    }
+
+    if (size > 0 && attributes == UserMetaData::Attribute::Any) {
+        return UserMetaData::Attribute::All;
+    }
+
+    QByteArray data(size, Qt::Uninitialized);
+
+    while (true) {
+    #if defined(Q_OS_LINUX)
+        const ssize_t r = listxattr(encodedPath, data.data(), data.size());
+    #elif defined(Q_OS_MAC)
+        const ssize_t r = listxattr(encodedPath, data.data(), data.size(), 0);
+    #elif defined(Q_OS_FREEBSD) || defined(Q_OS_NETBSD)
+        const ssize_t r = extattr_list_file(encodedPath, EXTATTR_NAMESPACE_USER, data.data(), data.size());
+    #endif
+
+        if (r == 0) {
+            return UserMetaData::Attribute::None;
+        }
+
+        if (r < 0 && errno != ERANGE) {
+            return UserMetaData::Attribute::None;
+        }
+
+        if (r > 0) {
+            data.resize(r);
+            break;
+        } else {
+            data.resize(data.size() * 2);
+        }
+    }
+
+    UserMetaData::Attributes fileAttributes = UserMetaData::Attribute::None;
+    QByteArray prefix = QByteArray::fromRawData("user.", 5);
+    #if defined(Q_OS_FREEBSD) || defined(Q_OS_NETBSD)
+    const auto entries = _split_length_value(data);
+    #else
+    const auto entries = data.split('\0');
+    #endif
+    for (const auto entry : entries) {
+        if (!entry.startsWith(prefix)) {
+            continue;
+        }
+        fileAttributes |= _mapAttribute(entry);
+        fileAttributes &= attributes;
+
+        if (fileAttributes == attributes) {
+            break;
+        }
+    }
+
+    return fileAttributes;
+}
+
 #elif  defined(Q_OS_WIN)
 
 inline ssize_t k_getxattr(const QString& path, const QString& name, QString* value)
@@ -278,6 +405,20 @@
     return ((dwVolFlags & FILE_NAMED_STREAMS) && _wcsicmp(szFSName, L"NTFS") == 0);
 }
 
+KFileMetaData::UserMetaData::Attributes k_queryAttributes(const QString& path,
+    KFileMetaData::UserMetaData::Attributes attributes)
+{
+    if (!k_isSupported(path)) {
+        return UserMetaData::Attribute::None;
+    }
+
+    // TODO - this is mostly a stub, streams should be enumerated, see k_hasAttribute above
+    if (attributes == UserMetaData::Attribute::Any) {
+        return UserMetaData::Attribute::All;
+    }
+    return attributes;
+}
+
 #else
 inline ssize_t k_getxattr(const QString&, const QString&, QString*)
 {
@@ -303,6 +444,13 @@
 {
     return false;
 }
+
+KFileMetaData::UserMetaData::Attributes k_queryAttributes(const QString&,
+    KFileMetaData::UserMetaData::Attributes attributes)
+{
+    return UserMetaData::Attribute::None;
+}
+
 #endif
 
 #endif // KFILEMETADATA_XATTR_P_H