diff --git a/templates/lxc-debian.in b/templates/lxc-debian.in
index 5ffbe2163..7e2f8f57d 100644
--- a/templates/lxc-debian.in
+++ b/templates/lxc-debian.in
@@ -183,6 +183,38 @@ install_packages()
     fi
 }
 
+configure_debian_systemd()
+{
+    path=$1
+    rootfs=$2
+    init="$(chroot ${rootfs} dpkg-query --search /sbin/init | cut -d : -f 1)"
+    if [ "$init" != "systemd-sysv" ]; then
+       # systemd is not PID 1
+       return
+    fi
+
+    echo 'lxc.autodev = 1' >> "$path/config"
+    echo 'lxc.kmsg = 0' >> "$path/config"
+
+    # This function has been copied and adapted from lxc-fedora
+    rm -f ${rootfs}/etc/systemd/system/default.target
+    touch ${rootfs}/etc/fstab
+    chroot ${rootfs} ln -s /dev/null /etc/systemd/system/udev.service
+    chroot ${rootfs} ln -s /lib/systemd/system/multi-user.target /etc/systemd/system/default.target
+    # Make systemd honor SIGPWR
+    chroot ${rootfs} ln -s /lib/systemd/system/halt.target /etc/systemd/system/sigpwr.target
+    sed -e 's/^ConditionPathExists=/# ConditionPathExists=/' \
+        -e 's/After=dev-%i.device/After=/' \
+        < ${rootfs}/lib/systemd/system/getty\@.service \
+        > ${rootfs}/etc/systemd/system/getty\@.service
+    # Setup getty service on the 4 ttys we are going to allow in the
+    # default config.  Number should match lxc.tty
+    ( cd ${rootfs}/etc/systemd/system/getty.target.wants
+        for i in 1 2 3 4 ; do ln -sf ../getty\@.service getty@tty${i}.service; done )
+
+    return 0
+}
+
 cleanup()
 {
     rm -rf $cache/partial-$release-$arch
@@ -528,6 +560,8 @@ if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
     exit 1
 fi
 
+configure_debian_systemd $path $rootfs
+
 post_process ${rootfs} ${release} ${arch} ${hostarch} ${packages}
 
 if [ ! -z $clean ]; then