diff --git a/ardour.rc.in b/ardour.rc.in
index 44738f8062..a1d0d37177 100644
--- a/ardour.rc.in
+++ b/ardour.rc.in
@@ -33,6 +33,8 @@
     <Option name="use-vst" value="yes"/>
     <Option name="use-tranzport" value="yes"/>
     <Option name="destructive-xfade-msecs" value="20"/>
+    <Option name="periodic-safety-backups" value="1"/>
+    <Option name="periodic-safety-backup-interval" value="120"/>
   </Config>
   <extra>
     <Keyboard edit-button="3" edit-modifier="4" delete-button="3" delete-modifier="1" snap-modifier="32"/>
diff --git a/gtk2_ardour/ardour.menus b/gtk2_ardour/ardour.menus
index 9b857b5a52..5529b4de0c 100644
--- a/gtk2_ardour/ardour.menus
+++ b/gtk2_ardour/ardour.menus
@@ -348,6 +348,7 @@
                <menuitem action='LatchedRecordEnable'/>
                <menuitem action='RegionEquivalentsOverlap'/>
                <separator/>
+               <menuitem action='PeriodicSafetyBackups'/>
                <menuitem action='VerifyRemoveLastCapture'/>
                <menuitem action='StopRecordingOnXrun'/>
                <menuitem action='StopTransportAtEndOfSession'/>
diff --git a/gtk2_ardour/ardour_ui.cc b/gtk2_ardour/ardour_ui.cc
index 8fa4f283f8..850f29fe0a 100644
--- a/gtk2_ardour/ardour_ui.cc
+++ b/gtk2_ardour/ardour_ui.cc
@@ -428,6 +428,39 @@ ARDOUR_UI::save_ardour_state ()
 	save_keybindings ();
 }
 
+gint
+ARDOUR_UI::autosave_session ()
+{
+        if (!Config->get_periodic_safety_backups())
+                return 1;
+        
+        if (session) {
+                session->maybe_write_autosave();
+        }
+
+        return 1;
+}
+
+void
+ARDOUR_UI::update_autosave ()
+{
+        ENSURE_GUI_THREAD (mem_fun (*this, &ARDOUR_UI::update_autosave));
+        
+        if (session->dirty()) {
+                if (_autosave_connection.connected()) {
+                        _autosave_connection.disconnect();
+                }
+
+                _autosave_connection = Glib::signal_timeout().connect (mem_fun (*this, &ARDOUR_UI::autosave_session),
+								    Config->get_periodic_safety_backup_interval() * 1000);
+
+        } else {
+                if (_autosave_connection.connected()) {
+                        _autosave_connection.disconnect();
+                }               
+        }
+}
+
 void
 ARDOUR_UI::startup ()
 {
diff --git a/gtk2_ardour/ardour_ui.h b/gtk2_ardour/ardour_ui.h
index 3cee38372b..1ebb7407af 100644
--- a/gtk2_ardour/ardour_ui.h
+++ b/gtk2_ardour/ardour_ui.h
@@ -291,6 +291,11 @@ class ARDOUR_UI : public Gtkmm2ext::UI
 	int  ask_about_saving_session (const string & why);
 	int  save_the_session;
 
+	/* periodic safety backup, to be precise */
+	gint autosave_session();
+	void update_autosave();
+	sigc::connection _autosave_connection;
+
 	void queue_transport_change ();
 	void map_transport_state ();
 	int32_t do_engine_start ();
@@ -668,6 +673,7 @@ class ARDOUR_UI : public Gtkmm2ext::UI
 	void toggle_StopPluginsWithTransport();
 	void toggle_DoNotRunPluginsWhileRecording();
 	void toggle_VerifyRemoveLastCapture();
+	void toggle_PeriodicSafetyBackups();
 	void toggle_StopRecordingOnXrun();
 	void toggle_StopTransportAtEndOfSession();
 	void toggle_GainReduceFastTransport();
diff --git a/gtk2_ardour/ardour_ui_dialogs.cc b/gtk2_ardour/ardour_ui_dialogs.cc
index c3b82c74a8..8a50697e85 100644
--- a/gtk2_ardour/ardour_ui_dialogs.cc
+++ b/gtk2_ardour/ardour_ui_dialogs.cc
@@ -126,6 +126,10 @@ ARDOUR_UI::connect_to_session (Session *s)
 
 	solo_alert_button.set_active (session->soloing());
 
+	/* update autochange callback on dirty state changing */
+
+	session->DirtyChanged.connect (mem_fun(*this, &ARDOUR_UI::update_autosave));
+
 	/* can't be auditioning here */
 
 	primary_clock.set_session (s);
diff --git a/gtk2_ardour/ardour_ui_ed.cc b/gtk2_ardour/ardour_ui_ed.cc
index 7ecbb0d01b..1add49af69 100644
--- a/gtk2_ardour/ardour_ui_ed.cc
+++ b/gtk2_ardour/ardour_ui_ed.cc
@@ -402,6 +402,7 @@ ARDOUR_UI::install_actions ()
 
 	ActionManager::register_toggle_action (option_actions, X_("StopPluginsWithTransport"), _("Stop plugins with transport"), mem_fun (*this, &ARDOUR_UI::toggle_StopPluginsWithTransport));
 	ActionManager::register_toggle_action (option_actions, X_("VerifyRemoveLastCapture"), _("Verify remove last capture"), mem_fun (*this, &ARDOUR_UI::toggle_VerifyRemoveLastCapture));
+	ActionManager::register_toggle_action (option_actions, X_("PeriodicSafetyBackups"), _("Make periodic safety backups"), mem_fun (*this, &ARDOUR_UI::toggle_PeriodicSafetyBackups));
 	ActionManager::register_toggle_action (option_actions, X_("StopRecordingOnXrun"), _("Stop recording on xrun"), mem_fun (*this, &ARDOUR_UI::toggle_StopRecordingOnXrun));
 	ActionManager::register_toggle_action (option_actions, X_("StopTransportAtEndOfSession"), _("Stop transport at session end"), mem_fun (*this, &ARDOUR_UI::toggle_StopTransportAtEndOfSession));
 	ActionManager::register_toggle_action (option_actions, X_("GainReduceFastTransport"), _("-12dB gain reduce ffwd/rewind"), mem_fun (*this, &ARDOUR_UI::toggle_GainReduceFastTransport));
diff --git a/gtk2_ardour/ardour_ui_options.cc b/gtk2_ardour/ardour_ui_options.cc
index 9565c46e40..34431aeafb 100644
--- a/gtk2_ardour/ardour_ui_options.cc
+++ b/gtk2_ardour/ardour_ui_options.cc
@@ -398,6 +398,12 @@ ARDOUR_UI::toggle_VerifyRemoveLastCapture()
 	ActionManager::toggle_config_state ("options", "VerifyRemoveLastCapture", &Configuration::set_verify_remove_last_capture, &Configuration::get_verify_remove_last_capture);
 }
 
+void
+ARDOUR_UI::toggle_PeriodicSafetyBackups()
+{
+	ActionManager::toggle_config_state ("options", "PeriodicSafetyBackups", &Configuration::set_periodic_safety_backups, &Configuration::get_periodic_safety_backups);
+}
+
 void
 ARDOUR_UI::toggle_StopRecordingOnXrun()
 {
@@ -891,6 +897,8 @@ ARDOUR_UI::parameter_changed (const char* parameter_name)
 		ActionManager::map_some_state ("options", "LatchedRecordEnable", &Configuration::get_latched_record_enable);
 	} else if (PARAM_IS ("verify-remove-last-capture")) {
 		ActionManager::map_some_state ("options",  "VerifyRemoveLastCapture", &Configuration::get_verify_remove_last_capture);
+	} else if (PARAM_IS ("periodic-safety-backups")) {
+		ActionManager::map_some_state ("options",  "PeriodicSafetyBackups", &Configuration::get_periodic_safety_backups);
 	} else if (PARAM_IS ("stop-recording-on-xrun")) {
 		ActionManager::map_some_state ("options",  "StopRecordingOnXrun", &Configuration::get_stop_recording_on_xrun);
 	} else if (PARAM_IS ("stop-at-session-end")) {
@@ -944,8 +952,6 @@ ARDOUR_UI::parameter_changed (const char* parameter_name)
 		map_meter_hold ();
 	} else if (PARAM_IS ("meter-falloff")) {
 		map_meter_falloff ();
-	} else if (PARAM_IS ("verify-remove-last-capture")) {
-		ActionManager::map_some_state ("options", "VerifyRemoveLastCapture", &Configuration::get_verify_remove_last_capture);
 	} else if (PARAM_IS ("video-pullup") || PARAM_IS ("smpte-format")) {
 		if (session) {
 			primary_clock.set (session->audible_frame(), true);
diff --git a/libs/ardour/ardour/configuration_vars.h b/libs/ardour/ardour/configuration_vars.h
index 62bf826dc9..395732e727 100644
--- a/libs/ardour/ardour/configuration_vars.h
+++ b/libs/ardour/ardour/configuration_vars.h
@@ -137,6 +137,8 @@ CONFIG_VARIABLE (bool, use_vst, "use-vst", true)
 CONFIG_VARIABLE (uint32_t, subframes_per_frame, "subframes-per-frame", 100)
 CONFIG_VARIABLE (uint32_t, saved_history_depth, "save-history-depth", 100)
 CONFIG_VARIABLE (bool, use_overlap_equivalency, "use-overlap-equivalency", false)
+CONFIG_VARIABLE (bool, periodic_safety_backups, "periodic-safety-backups", true)
+CONFIG_VARIABLE (uint32_t, periodic_safety_backup_interval, "periodic-safety-backup-interval", 120)
 
 /* BWAV */
 
diff --git a/libs/ardour/ardour/session.h b/libs/ardour/ardour/session.h
index 675fa7ca0a..70a9d7c96f 100644
--- a/libs/ardour/ardour/session.h
+++ b/libs/ardour/ardour/session.h
@@ -323,6 +323,8 @@ class Session : public PBD::StatefulDestructible
 	void disable_record (bool rt_context, bool force = false);
 	void step_back_from_record ();
 	
+	void maybe_write_autosave ();
+
 	/* Proxy signal for region hidden changes */
 
 	sigc::signal<void,boost::shared_ptr<Region> > RegionHiddenChange;
diff --git a/libs/ardour/session_state.cc b/libs/ardour/session_state.cc
index d3bf70a2dd..418709a826 100644
--- a/libs/ardour/session_state.cc
+++ b/libs/ardour/session_state.cc
@@ -574,6 +574,14 @@ Session::load_diskstreams (const XMLNode& node)
 	return 0;
 }
 
+void
+Session::maybe_write_autosave()
+{
+        if (dirty() && record_status() != Recording) {
+                save_state("", true);
+        }
+}
+
 void
 Session::remove_pending_capture_state ()
 {
@@ -681,7 +689,7 @@ Session::save_state (string snapshot_name, bool pending)
 	tmp_path += snapshot_name;
 	tmp_path += ".tmp";
 
-	cerr << "actually writing state\n";
+	cerr << "actually writing state to " << xml_path << endl;
 
 	if (!tree.write (tmp_path)) {
 		error << string_compose (_("state could not be saved to %1"), tmp_path) << endmsg;