diff --git a/contrib/initramfs/Makefile.am b/contrib/initramfs/Makefile.am
index b1ab0c951ead..87ec7a86f5ac 100644
--- a/contrib/initramfs/Makefile.am
+++ b/contrib/initramfs/Makefile.am
@@ -1,15 +1,17 @@
 initrddir = $(datarootdir)/initramfs-tools
 
-initrd_SCRIPTS = conf-hooks.d/zfs hooks/zfs scripts/zfs scripts/local-top/zfs
+initrd_SCRIPTS = \
+	conf.d/zfs conf-hooks.d/zfs hooks/zfs scripts/zfs scripts/local-top/zfs
 
 SUBDIRS = hooks scripts
 
 EXTRA_DIST = \
+	$(top_srcdir)/contrib/initramfs/conf.d/zfs \
 	$(top_srcdir)/contrib/initramfs/conf-hooks.d/zfs \
 	$(top_srcdir)/contrib/initramfs/README.initramfs.markdown
 
 install-initrdSCRIPTS: $(EXTRA_DIST)
-	for d in conf-hooks.d hooks scripts scripts/local-top; do \
+	for d in conf.d conf-hooks.d hooks scripts scripts/local-top; do \
 	  $(MKDIR_P) $(DESTDIR)$(initrddir)/$$d; \
 	  cp $(top_srcdir)/contrib/initramfs/$$d/zfs \
 	    $(DESTDIR)$(initrddir)/$$d/; \
diff --git a/contrib/initramfs/conf.d/zfs b/contrib/initramfs/conf.d/zfs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..c67d75ba8672
--- /dev/null
+++ b/contrib/initramfs/conf.d/zfs
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+for x in $(cat /proc/cmdline)
+do
+	case $x in
+		root=ZFS=*|root=zfs:*)
+			BOOT=zfs
+			;;
+	esac
+done