diff --git a/modules/system/activation/top-level.nix b/modules/system/activation/top-level.nix
index 262a3bb9ae7..cb3c4e8941d 100644
--- a/modules/system/activation/top-level.nix
+++ b/modules/system/activation/top-level.nix
@@ -99,8 +99,7 @@ let
     let
       kernelPath = "${config.boot.kernelPackages.kernel}/" +
         "${config.system.boot.loader.kernelFile}";
-    in 
-      ''
+    in ''
       ensureDir $out
 
       if [ ! -f ${kernelPath} ]; then
diff --git a/modules/system/boot/stage-1.nix b/modules/system/boot/stage-1.nix
index 9a324124a9d..7f8287e7e4b 100644
--- a/modules/system/boot/stage-1.nix
+++ b/modules/system/boot/stage-1.nix
@@ -329,5 +329,6 @@ in {
 
   system.build.bootStage1 = bootStage1;
   system.build.initialRamdisk = initialRamdisk;
+  system.build.extraUtils = extraUtils;
 
 }
diff --git a/tests/default.nix b/tests/default.nix
index 015eb071a15..e99bce510ec 100644
--- a/tests/default.nix
+++ b/tests/default.nix
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ with import ../lib/testing.nix { inherit nixpkgs services system; };
   portmap = makeTest (import ./portmap.nix);
   proxy = makeTest (import ./proxy.nix);
   quake3 = makeTest (import ./quake3.nix);
+  remote_builds = makeTest (import ./remote-builds.nix);
   subversion = makeTest (import ./subversion.nix);
   trac = makeTest (import ./trac.nix);
 }
diff --git a/tests/remote-builds.nix b/tests/remote-builds.nix
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..b567c2547f7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/remote-builds.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+# Test Nix's remote build feature.
+
+{ pkgs, ... }:
+
+let
+
+  # The configuration of the build slaves.
+  slave = 
+    { config, pkgs, ... }:
+    { services.openssh.enable = true;
+      virtualisation.writableStore = true;
+    };
+
+  # Trivial Nix expression to build remotely.
+  expr = config: pkgs.writeText "expr.nix"
+    ''
+      let utils = builtins.storePath ${config.system.build.extraUtils}; in
+      derivation {
+        name = "hello";
+        system = "i686-linux";
+        PATH = "''${utils}/bin";
+        builder = "''${utils}/bin/sh";
+        args = [ "-c" "echo Hello; mkdir $out; cat /proc/sys/kernel/hostname > $out/host" ];
+      }
+    '';
+
+in
+
+{
+
+  nodes =
+    { slave1 = slave;
+      #slave2 = slave;
+
+      client =
+        { config, pkgs, ... }:
+        { nix.maxJobs = 0; # force remote building
+          nix.distributedBuilds = true;
+          nix.buildMachines =
+            [ { hostName = "slave1";
+                sshUser = "root";
+                sshKey = "/root/.ssh/id_dsa";
+                system = "i686-linux";
+                maxJobs = 1;
+              }
+            ];
+          virtualisation.writableStore = true;
+          virtualisation.pathsInNixDB = [ config.system.build.extraUtils ];
+        };
+    };
+
+  testScript = { nodes }:
+    ''
+      startAll;
+
+      # Create an SSH key on the client.
+      my $key = `${pkgs.openssh}/bin/ssh-keygen -t dsa -f key -N ""`;
+      $client->succeed("mkdir -m 700 /root/.ssh");
+      $client->copyFileFromHost("key", "/root/.ssh/id_dsa");
+      $client->succeed("chmod 600 /root/.ssh/id_dsa");
+
+      # Install the SSH key on the slaves.
+      $slave1->succeed("mkdir -m 700 /root/.ssh");
+      $slave1->copyFileFromHost("key.pub", "/root/.ssh/authorized_keys");
+      $slave1->waitForJob("sshd");
+      $client->succeed("ssh -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no slave1 'echo hello world'");
+
+      # Perform a build and check that it was performed on the slave.
+      my $out = $client->succeed("nix-build ${expr nodes.client.config}");
+      $slave1->succeed("test -e $out");
+    '';
+
+}