diff --git a/upstart-jobs/acpid.nix b/upstart-jobs/acpid.nix
index 5bd1fa635906..efd608e13537 100644
--- a/upstart-jobs/acpid.nix
+++ b/upstart-jobs/acpid.nix
@@ -12,6 +12,9 @@ let
     ''
       event=button/power.*
       action=${powerEventHandler} "%e"
+
+      event=button/lid.*
+      action=${lidEventHandler} "%e"
     '';
 
   # Called when the power button is pressed.
@@ -23,6 +26,22 @@ let
       exit 0
     '';
 
+  # Called when the laptop lid is opened/closed.
+  lidEventHandler = pkgs.writeScript "acpi-lid.sh"
+    ''
+      #! ${pkgs.bash}/bin/sh
+
+      # Suspend to RAM if the lid is closed.  (We also get this event
+      # when the lid just opened, in which case we obviously don't
+      # want to suspend again.) 
+      if grep -q closed /proc/acpi/button/lid/LID/state; then
+          sync
+          echo mem > /sys/power/state
+      fi
+
+      exit 0
+    '';
+
 in
 
 {
diff --git a/upstart-jobs/hal.nix b/upstart-jobs/hal.nix
index 181341fdcf4c..969823410800 100644
--- a/upstart-jobs/hal.nix
+++ b/upstart-jobs/hal.nix
@@ -44,6 +44,8 @@ let
     job = ''
       description "HAL daemon"
 
+      # !!! TODO: make sure that HAL starts after acpid,
+      # otherwise hald-addon-acpi will grab /proc/acpi/event.
       start on dbus
       stop on shutdown