diff --git a/src/lib-config/get.c b/src/lib-config/get.c
index f3a6b563..34096ef7 100644
--- a/src/lib-config/get.c
+++ b/src/lib-config/get.c
@@ -33,6 +33,14 @@ CONFIG_NODE *config_node_find(CONFIG_NODE *parent, const char *key)
 
 		if (node->key != NULL && g_ascii_strcasecmp(node->key, key) == 0)
 			return node;
+
+		/* the primary children of an include node should also be searched */
+		if (node->type == NODE_TYPE_INCLUDE) {
+			CONFIG_INCLUDE *inc = node->value;
+			node = config_node_find(inc->rec->mainnode, key);
+			if (node)
+				return node;
+		}
 	}
 
 	return NULL;
diff --git a/src/lib-config/iconfig.h b/src/lib-config/iconfig.h
index cc2cbf79..829b11ef 100644
--- a/src/lib-config/iconfig.h
+++ b/src/lib-config/iconfig.h
@@ -2,20 +2,26 @@
 #define __ICONFIG_H
 
 enum {
-        NODE_TYPE_KEY,
-        NODE_TYPE_VALUE,
-        NODE_TYPE_BLOCK,
-        NODE_TYPE_LIST,
-	NODE_TYPE_COMMENT
+	NODE_TYPE_KEY,
+	NODE_TYPE_VALUE,
+	NODE_TYPE_INCLUDE,
+	NODE_TYPE_BLOCK,
+	NODE_TYPE_LIST,
+	NODE_TYPE_COMMENT,
+
+	NODE_TYPE_COUNT
 };
 
 #define has_node_value(a) \
-	((a)->type == NODE_TYPE_KEY || (a)->type == NODE_TYPE_VALUE)
+	((a)->type == NODE_TYPE_KEY || (a)->type == NODE_TYPE_VALUE || \
+	 (a)->type == NODE_TYPE_INCLUDE)
+
 #define is_node_list(a) \
         ((a)->type == NODE_TYPE_BLOCK || (a)->type == NODE_TYPE_LIST)
 
 typedef struct _CONFIG_NODE CONFIG_NODE;
 typedef struct _CONFIG_REC CONFIG_REC;
+typedef struct _CONFIG_INCLUDE CONFIG_INCLUDE;
 
 struct _CONFIG_NODE {
 	int type;
@@ -23,6 +29,13 @@ struct _CONFIG_NODE {
 	void *value;
 };
 
+struct _CONFIG_INCLUDE {
+	/* the user probably specified a relative path from the root config, store
+	   it for writing back, but set the rec->fname to the absolute path */
+	char *original_path;
+	CONFIG_REC *rec;
+};
+
 /* a = { x=y; y=z; }
 
    node1: type = NODE_TYPE_BLOCK, key = "a", value = (GSList *) nodes
@@ -44,12 +57,27 @@ struct _CONFIG_NODE {
    also in comments so they won't be forgotten when the config file is
    written.
 
+   Include nodes have key=NULL, the path value is stored in CONFIG_INCLUDE's
+   original_path member as it's usually converted to an absolute path. All of
+   the include node's modifications and caches are stored in the 'root' config
+   and a write of the root config causes all included configs to be written
+   whether a modification has been made in them or not. A list of included
+   file names is maintained in the root rec to prevent circular inclusions.
+   It could eventually be better to keep a list of GFiles and use g_file_equal
+   for the comparison, but right now it doesn't even cover symbolic links.
+
 */
 
 struct _CONFIG_REC {
+	/* used for updating the root config's modifycounter from included configs */
+	CONFIG_REC *root_rec;
+	/* this list is only maintained in the root_rec, it's to prevent circular
+	   inclusions */
+	GHashTable *includes;
 	char *fname;
 	int create_mode;
-	int modifycounter; /* increase every time something is changed */
+	/* use config_rec_increase_modifycounter every time something changes */
+	int modifycounter;
 
 	char *last_error;
 	CONFIG_NODE *mainnode;
@@ -144,6 +172,9 @@ int config_node_get_bool(CONFIG_NODE *parent, const char *key, int def);
 void config_node_set_str(CONFIG_REC *rec, CONFIG_NODE *parent, const char *key, const char *value);
 void config_node_set_int(CONFIG_REC *rec, CONFIG_NODE *parent, const char *key, int value);
 void config_node_set_bool(CONFIG_REC *rec, CONFIG_NODE *parent, const char *key, int value);
+/* if a relative path is specified then you can access the absolute path using
+   node->value->fname. the key is set to the specified include path */
+void config_node_set_include(CONFIG_REC *rec, CONFIG_NODE *parent, const char *fname);
 
 /* Remove one node from block/list. */
 void config_node_remove(CONFIG_REC *rec, CONFIG_NODE *parent, CONFIG_NODE *node);
diff --git a/src/lib-config/module.h b/src/lib-config/module.h
index 22e0e7c7..ca0afe29 100644
--- a/src/lib-config/module.h
+++ b/src/lib-config/module.h
@@ -2,5 +2,5 @@
 #include "iconfig.h"
 
 /* private */
-int config_error(CONFIG_REC *rec, const char *msg);
+int config_error(CONFIG_REC *rec, const char *msg, ...);
 
diff --git a/src/lib-config/parse.c b/src/lib-config/parse.c
index c106fc46..768a6b43 100644
--- a/src/lib-config/parse.c
+++ b/src/lib-config/parse.c
@@ -43,10 +43,16 @@ static unsigned int g_istr_hash(gconstpointer v)
 	return h /* % M */;
 }
 
-int config_error(CONFIG_REC *rec, const char *msg)
+int config_error(CONFIG_REC *rec, const char *msg, ...)
 {
+	va_list vl;
+
 	g_free_and_null(rec->last_error);
-	rec->last_error = g_strdup(msg);
+
+	va_start(vl, msg);
+	rec->last_error = g_strdup_vprintf(msg, vl);
+	va_end(vl);
+
 	return -1;
 }
 
@@ -133,6 +139,7 @@ static GTokenType config_parse_symbol(CONFIG_REC *rec, CONFIG_NODE *node)
 	GTokenType last_char;
 	int print_warning;
 	char *key;
+	int key_is_include = FALSE;
 
 	g_return_val_if_fail(rec != NULL, G_TOKEN_ERROR);
 	g_return_val_if_fail(node != NULL, G_TOKEN_ERROR);
@@ -147,12 +154,23 @@ static GTokenType config_parse_symbol(CONFIG_REC *rec, CONFIG_NODE *node)
 	    (rec->scanner->token == G_TOKEN_STRING)) {
 		key = g_strdup(rec->scanner->value.v_string);
 
-                config_parse_warn_missing(rec, node, '=', TRUE);
+		if (g_ascii_strcasecmp(key, "include") == 0)
+			key_is_include = TRUE;
+		else
+			config_parse_warn_missing(rec, node, '=', TRUE);
+
 		config_parse_get_token(rec->scanner, node);
 	}
 
  	switch (rec->scanner->token) {
 	case G_TOKEN_STRING:
+		if (key_is_include) {
+			g_free_not_null(key);
+			config_node_set_include(rec, node, rec->scanner->value.v_string);
+			config_parse_warn_missing(rec, node, last_char, TRUE);
+			return G_TOKEN_NONE;
+		}
+
 		/* value */
 		config_node_set_str(rec, node, key, rec->scanner->value.v_string);
 		g_free_not_null(key);
@@ -332,6 +350,8 @@ void config_close(CONFIG_REC *rec)
 	g_hash_table_destroy(rec->cache_nodes);
 	g_free_not_null(rec->last_error);
 	g_free_not_null(rec->fname);
+	if (rec->includes)
+		g_hash_table_destroy(rec->includes);
 	g_free(rec);
 }
 
diff --git a/src/lib-config/set.c b/src/lib-config/set.c
index 7ca55871..2d6dac82 100644
--- a/src/lib-config/set.c
+++ b/src/lib-config/set.c
@@ -20,6 +20,15 @@
 
 #include "module.h"
 
+static void config_rec_increase_modifycounter(CONFIG_REC *rec)
+{
+	g_return_if_fail(rec != NULL);
+
+	/* handle CONFIG_RECs which are includes of other configs */
+	if (rec->root_rec)
+		rec->root_rec->modifycounter++;
+}
+
 static void cache_remove(CONFIG_REC *rec, CONFIG_NODE *node)
 {
 	char *path;
@@ -39,7 +48,7 @@ void config_node_remove(CONFIG_REC *rec, CONFIG_NODE *parent, CONFIG_NODE *node)
 	if (parent == NULL)
                 parent = rec->mainnode;
 
-	rec->modifycounter++;
+	config_rec_increase_modifycounter(rec);
 	cache_remove(rec, node);
 	parent->value = g_slist_remove(parent->value, node);
 
@@ -49,6 +58,16 @@ void config_node_remove(CONFIG_REC *rec, CONFIG_NODE *parent, CONFIG_NODE *node)
 	case NODE_TYPE_COMMENT:
 		g_free_not_null(node->value);
 		break;
+	case NODE_TYPE_INCLUDE: {
+		CONFIG_INCLUDE *inc = node->value;
+		if (inc) {
+			g_hash_table_remove(inc->rec->root_rec->includes, inc->original_path);
+			config_close(inc->rec);
+			g_free_not_null(inc->original_path);
+			g_free(inc);
+		}
+		break;
+	}
 	case NODE_TYPE_BLOCK:
 	case NODE_TYPE_LIST:
 		while (node->value != NULL)
@@ -87,6 +106,79 @@ void config_nodes_remove_all(CONFIG_REC *rec)
 		config_node_remove(rec, rec->mainnode, ((GSList *) rec->mainnode->value)->data);
 }
 
+void config_node_set_include(CONFIG_REC *rec, CONFIG_NODE *parent, const char *fname)
+{
+	CONFIG_NODE *node;
+	CONFIG_INCLUDE *inc;
+	CONFIG_REC *root_rec;
+	char *full_path = NULL;
+
+	g_return_if_fail(rec != NULL);
+	g_return_if_fail(parent != NULL);
+
+	if (!fname || !*fname) {
+		config_error(rec, "Included filename is empty.\n");
+		return;
+	}
+
+	/* if the parent rec has no root_rec, it is the root */
+	root_rec = rec->root_rec ? rec->root_rec : rec;
+	if (!root_rec->includes) {
+		root_rec->includes = g_hash_table_new_full(g_str_hash, g_str_equal,
+		                                           g_free, NULL);
+		if (!root_rec->includes)
+			return;
+	}
+
+	if (g_hash_table_contains(root_rec->includes, fname)) {
+		config_error(rec, "'%s' has already been included.\n", fname);
+		return;
+	}
+
+	if (!g_path_is_absolute(fname)) {
+		gchar *dirname = g_path_get_dirname(rec->fname);
+		if (!dirname) {
+			config_error(rec, "g_path_get_dirname failed.\n");
+			return;
+		}
+		full_path = g_build_filename(dirname, fname, NULL);
+		g_free(dirname);
+	}
+
+	node = g_new0(CONFIG_NODE, 1);
+	if (!node) {
+		return;
+	}
+	node->type = NODE_TYPE_INCLUDE;
+
+	inc = g_new0(CONFIG_INCLUDE, 1);
+	if (!inc) {
+		config_node_remove(rec, parent, node);
+		return;
+	}
+	node->value = inc;
+	inc->original_path = g_strdup(fname);
+
+	inc->rec = config_open(full_path ? full_path : fname, 0660);
+	if (!inc->rec) {
+		config_error(rec, "Unable to open '%s': %s.\n", fname,
+		             strerror(errno));
+		config_node_remove(rec, parent, node);
+		return;
+	}
+	g_free_not_null(full_path);
+	inc->rec->root_rec = root_rec;
+	g_hash_table_add(root_rec->includes, g_strdup(fname));
+
+	if (config_parse(inc->rec) != 0) {
+		config_node_remove(rec, parent, node);
+		return;
+	}
+
+	parent->value = g_slist_append(parent->value, node);
+	config_rec_increase_modifycounter(rec);
+}
+
 void config_node_set_str(CONFIG_REC *rec, CONFIG_NODE *parent, const char *key, const char *value)
 {
 	CONFIG_NODE *node;
@@ -123,7 +215,7 @@ void config_node_set_str(CONFIG_REC *rec, CONFIG_NODE *parent, const char *key,
 	}
 
 	node->value = g_strdup(value);
-	rec->modifycounter++;
+	config_rec_increase_modifycounter(rec);
 }
 
 void config_node_set_int(CONFIG_REC *rec, CONFIG_NODE *parent, const char *key, int value)
diff --git a/src/lib-config/write.c b/src/lib-config/write.c
index 37e51f09..87561154 100644
--- a/src/lib-config/write.c
+++ b/src/lib-config/write.c
@@ -149,6 +149,18 @@ static int config_write_node(CONFIG_REC *rec, CONFIG_NODE *node, int line_feeds)
 		if (config_write_word(rec, node->value, TRUE) == -1)
 			return -1;
 		break;
+	case NODE_TYPE_INCLUDE: {
+		CONFIG_INCLUDE *inc = node->value;
+		if (config_write_str(rec, "include ") == -1)
+			return -1;
+
+		if (config_write_word(rec, inc->original_path, TRUE) == -1)
+			return -1;
+
+		config_write(inc->rec, NULL, -1);
+
+		break;
+	}
 	case NODE_TYPE_BLOCK:
 		/* key = { */
 		if (node->key != NULL) {
@@ -217,6 +229,11 @@ static int config_node_get_length(CONFIG_REC *rec, CONFIG_NODE *node)
 		/* "value, " */
 		len = 2 + strlen(node->value);
 		break;
+	case NODE_TYPE_INCLUDE: {
+		CONFIG_INCLUDE *inc = node->value;
+		len = strlen("include \"\"") + strlen(inc->rec->fname);
+		break;
+	}
 	case NODE_TYPE_BLOCK:
 	case NODE_TYPE_LIST:
 		/* "{ list }; " */