diff --git a/tests/progs/slapd-addel.c b/tests/progs/slapd-addel.c
index fd1ecbf2d9..2a8004a859 100644
--- a/tests/progs/slapd-addel.c
+++ b/tests/progs/slapd-addel.c
@@ -32,15 +32,16 @@
 
 #include "ldap.h"
 #include "lutil.h"
+#include "ldif.h"
 
 #include "slapd-common.h"
 
-static char *
-get_add_entry( char *filename, LDAPMod ***mods );
+static LDIFRecord *
+get_add_entry( char *filename );
 
 static void
 do_addel( struct tester_conn_args *config,
-	char *dn, LDAPMod **attrs, int friendly );
+	LDIFRecord *record, int friendly );
 
 static void
 usage( char *name, char opt )
@@ -61,11 +62,13 @@ int
 main( int argc, char **argv )
 {
 	int		i;
-	char		*filename = NULL;
-	char		*entry = NULL;
+	char *filename = NULL, *buf = NULL;
 	int		friendly = 0;
-	LDAPMod		**attrs = NULL;
+	struct LDIFFP *fp;
+	LDIFRecord	record = {};
 	struct tester_conn_args	*config;
+	struct berval bv = {};
+	unsigned long lineno = 0;
 
 	config = tester_init( "slapd-addel", TESTER_ADDEL );
 
@@ -96,18 +99,29 @@ main( int argc, char **argv )
 	if ( filename == NULL )
 		usage( argv[0], 0 );
 
-	entry = get_add_entry( filename, &attrs );
-	if (( entry == NULL ) || ( *entry == '\0' )) {
-
-		fprintf( stderr, "%s: invalid entry DN in file \"%s\".\n",
-				argv[0], filename );
+	if ( (fp = ldif_open( filename, "r" )) == NULL ) {
+		tester_perror( filename, "while reading ldif file" );
 		exit( EXIT_FAILURE );
-
 	}
 
-	if (( attrs == NULL ) || ( *attrs == '\0' )) {
+	i = 0;
+	if ( ldif_read_record( fp, &lineno, &buf, &i ) < 0 ) {
+		tester_error( "ldif_read_record failed" );
+		exit( EXIT_FAILURE );
+	}
+	bv.bv_val = buf;
+	bv.bv_len = i;
 
-		fprintf( stderr, "%s: invalid attrs in file \"%s\".\n",
+	if ( ldap_parse_ldif_record( &bv, lineno, &record, "slapd-addel",
+			LDIF_DEFAULT_ADD | LDIF_ENTRIES_ONLY ) ) {
+		tester_error( "ldif_read_record failed" );
+		exit( EXIT_FAILURE );
+	}
+	ldif_close( fp );
+
+	if ( ( record.lr_op != LDAP_REQ_ADD ) || ( !record.lrop_mods ) ) {
+
+		fprintf( stderr, "%s: invalid entry DN in file \"%s\".\n",
 				argv[0], filename );
 		exit( EXIT_FAILURE );
 
@@ -116,9 +130,10 @@ main( int argc, char **argv )
 	tester_config_finish( config );
 
 	for ( i = 0; i < config->outerloops; i++ ) {
-		do_addel( config, entry, attrs, friendly );
+		do_addel( config, &record, friendly );
 	}
 
+	free( buf );
 	exit( EXIT_SUCCESS );
 }
 
@@ -195,56 +210,10 @@ addmodifyop( LDAPMod ***pmodsp, int modop, char *attr, char *value, int vlen )
 }
 
 
-static char *
-get_add_entry( char *filename, LDAPMod ***mods )
-{
-	FILE    *fp;
-	char    *entry = NULL;
-
-	if ( (fp = fopen( filename, "r" )) != NULL ) {
-		char  line[BUFSIZ];
-
-		if ( fgets( line, BUFSIZ, fp )) {
-			char *nl;
-
-			if (( nl = strchr( line, '\r' )) || ( nl = strchr( line, '\n' )))
-				*nl = '\0';
-			nl = line;
-			if ( !strncasecmp( nl, "dn: ", 4 ))
-				nl += 4;
-			entry = strdup( nl );
-
-		}
-
-		while ( fgets( line, BUFSIZ, fp )) {
-			char	*nl;
-			char	*value;
-
-			if (( nl = strchr( line, '\r' )) || ( nl = strchr( line, '\n' )))
-				*nl = '\0';
-
-			if ( *line == '\0' ) break;
-			if ( !( value = strchr( line, ':' ))) break;
-
-			*value++ = '\0'; 
-			while ( *value && isspace( (unsigned char) *value ))
-				value++;
-
-			addmodifyop( mods, LDAP_MOD_ADD, line, value, strlen( value ));
-
-		}
-		fclose( fp );
-	}
-
-	return( entry );
-}
-
-
 static void
 do_addel(
 	struct tester_conn_args *config,
-	char *entry,
-	LDAPMod **attrs,
+	LDIFRecord *record,
 	int friendly )
 {
 	LDAP	*ld = NULL;
@@ -258,13 +227,13 @@ retry:;
 
 	if ( do_retry == config->retries ) {
 		fprintf( stderr, "PID=%ld - Add/Delete(%d): entry=\"%s\".\n",
-			(long) pid, config->loops, entry );
+			(long) pid, config->loops, record->lr_dn.bv_val );
 	}
 
 	for ( ; i < config->loops; i++ ) {
 
 		/* add the entry */
-		rc = ldap_add_ext_s( ld, entry, attrs, NULL, NULL );
+		rc = ldap_add_ext_s( ld, record->lr_dn.bv_val, record->lrop_mods, NULL, NULL );
 		if ( rc != LDAP_SUCCESS ) {
 			tester_ldap_error( ld, "ldap_add_ext_s", NULL );
 			switch ( rc ) {
@@ -297,7 +266,7 @@ retry:;
 #endif
 
 		/* now delete the entry again */
-		rc = ldap_delete_ext_s( ld, entry, NULL, NULL );
+		rc = ldap_delete_ext_s( ld, record->lr_dn.bv_val, NULL, NULL );
 		if ( rc != LDAP_SUCCESS ) {
 			tester_ldap_error( ld, "ldap_delete_ext_s", NULL );
 			switch ( rc ) {