diff --git a/build/gulpfile.vscode.js b/build/gulpfile.vscode.js
index ef1e701c18d00..625afbc8b5dc7 100644
--- a/build/gulpfile.vscode.js
+++ b/build/gulpfile.vscode.js
@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@ const shrinkwrap = require('../npm-shrinkwrap.json');
 const crypto = require('crypto');
 const i18n = require('./lib/i18n');
 const glob = require('glob');
+const os = require('os');
+const cp = require('child_process');
 
 const productDependencies = Object.keys(product.dependencies || {});
 const dependencies = Object.keys(shrinkwrap.dependencies)
@@ -369,6 +371,53 @@ gulp.task('vscode-linux-ia32-min', ['minify-vscode', 'clean-vscode-linux-ia32'],
 gulp.task('vscode-linux-x64-min', ['minify-vscode', 'clean-vscode-linux-x64'], packageTask('linux', 'x64', { minified: true }));
 gulp.task('vscode-linux-arm-min', ['minify-vscode', 'clean-vscode-linux-arm'], packageTask('linux', 'arm', { minified: true }));
 
+// --- v8 snapshots ---
+
+function snapshotTask(platform, arch) {
+
+	const destination = path.join(path.dirname(root), 'VSCode') + (platform ? '-' + platform : '') + (arch ? '-' + arch : '');
+	const command = path.join(process.cwd(), 'node_modules/.bin/mksnapshot');
+
+	let startupBlobFilepath;
+
+	if (platform === 'darwin') {
+		startupBlobFilepath = path.join(destination, 'Code - OSS.app/Contents/Frameworks/Electron Framework.framework/Resources/snapshot_blob.bin')
+	} else if (platform === 'windows') {
+		startupBlobFilepath = path.join(destination, 'snapshot_blob.bin')
+		// TODO
+		return () => { };
+	} else if (platform === 'linux') {
+		// TODO
+		return () => { };
+	}
+
+	return () => {
+		const inputFile = fs.readFileSync(path.join(destination, 'Code - OSS.app/Contents/Resources/app/out/vs/loader.js'));
+		const wrappedInputFile = `
+		var Monaco_Loader_Init;
+		(function() {
+			var doNotInitLoader = true;
+			${inputFile.toString()};
+			Monaco_Loader_Init = function() {
+				AMDLoader.init();
+				CSSLoaderPlugin.init();
+				NLSLoaderPlugin.init();
+
+				return define;
+			}
+		})();
+		`;
+		const wrappedInputFilepath = path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'wrapped-loader.js');
+		console.log(wrappedInputFilepath);
+		fs.writeFileSync(wrappedInputFilepath, wrappedInputFile);
+
+		cp.execFileSync(command, [wrappedInputFilepath, `--startup_blob`, startupBlobFilepath]);
+	}
+}
+
+gulp.task('vscode-darwin-snapshots', ['vscode-darwin'], snapshotTask('darwin', undefined));
+
+
 // Transifex Localizations
 const vscodeLanguages = [
 	'zh-hans',
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 9e926b9878c0f..4386a156994b5 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@
     "cson-parser": "^1.3.3",
     "debounce": "^1.0.0",
     "documentdb": "^1.5.1",
+    "electron-mksnapshot": "1.6.0",
     "eslint": "^3.4.0",
     "event-stream": "^3.1.7",
     "express": "^4.13.1",
@@ -127,4 +128,4 @@
     "windows-mutex": "^0.2.0",
     "fsevents": "0.3.8"
   }
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/electron-browser/bootstrap/index.js b/src/vs/workbench/electron-browser/bootstrap/index.js
index b3ed8729203a5..d79e86de78518 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/electron-browser/bootstrap/index.js
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/electron-browser/bootstrap/index.js
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ if (window.location.search.indexOf('prof-startup') >= 0) {
 	profiler.startProfiling('renderer', true);
 }
 
-/*global window,document,define*/
+/*global window,document,define,Monaco_Loader_Init*/
 
 const startTimer = require('../../../base/node/startupTimers').startTimer;
 const path = require('path');
@@ -157,10 +157,7 @@ function main() {
 	// Load the loader and start loading the workbench
 	const rootUrl = uriFromPath(configuration.appRoot) + '/out';
 
-	// In the bundled version the nls plugin is packaged with the loader so the NLS Plugins
-	// loads as soon as the loader loads. To be able to have pseudo translation
-	const loaderTimer = startTimer('load:loader');
-	createScript(rootUrl + '/vs/loader.js', function () {
+	function onLoader() {
 		define('fs', ['original-fs'], function (originalFS) { return originalFS; }); // replace the patched electron fs with the original node fs for all AMD code
 		loaderTimer.stop();
 
@@ -211,7 +208,19 @@ function main() {
 					});
 			});
 		});
-	});
+	}
+
+	// In the bundled version the nls plugin is packaged with the loader so the NLS Plugins
+	// loads as soon as the loader loads. To be able to have pseudo translation
+	const loaderTimer = startTimer('load:loader');
+	if (typeof Monaco_Loader_Init === 'function') {
+		//eslint-disable-next-line no-global-assign
+		define = Monaco_Loader_Init();
+		onLoader();
+
+	} else {
+		createScript(rootUrl + '/vs/loader.js', onLoader);
+	}
 }
 
 main();