diff --git a/scripts/Makefile.am b/scripts/Makefile.am
index 714bd03b..3de5046f 100644
--- a/scripts/Makefile.am
+++ b/scripts/Makefile.am
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 noinst_SCRIPTS = new-object.sh 
 
 initrdscriptdir = $(libexecdir)/plymouth
-initrdscript_SCRIPTS = plymouth-update-initrd plymouth-populate-initrd
+initrdscript_SCRIPTS = plymouth-update-initrd plymouth-generate-initrd plymouth-populate-initrd
 
 sbinscriptsdir = $(sbindir)
 sbinscripts_SCRIPTS = plymouth-set-default-theme
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ plymouth-set-default-theme: $(srcdir)/plymouth-set-default-theme.in
 	    $(srcdir)/plymouth-set-default-theme.in > plymouth-set-default-theme
 
 EXTRA_DIST= plymouth-update-initrd                                             \
+	    plymouth-generate-initrd                                           \
 	    plymouth-populate-initrd.in                                        \
 	    plymouth-set-default-theme.in                                     \
 	    $(noinst_SCRIPTS)                                                  \
diff --git a/scripts/plymouth-generate-initrd b/scripts/plymouth-generate-initrd
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..1a2ca831
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/plymouth-generate-initrd
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+[ -z "$DESTDIR" ] || exit 0
+
+[ -z "$PLYMOUTH_LIBEXECDIR" ] && PLYMOUTH_LIBEXECDIR="/usr/libexec"
+[ -z "$PLYMOUTH_DATADIR" ] && PLYMOUTH_DATADIR="/usr/share"
+[ -z "$PLYMOUTH_POPULATE_INITRD" ] && PLYMOUTH_POPULATE_INITRD="$PLYMOUTH_LIBEXECDIR/plymouth/plymouth-populate-initrd"
+[ -z "$PLYMOUTH_DESTDIR" ] && PLYMOUTH_DESTDIR="/boot"
+[ -z "$PLYMOUTH_IMAGE_FILE" ] && PLYMOUTH_IMAGE_FILE="$PLYMOUTH_DESTDIR/initrd-plymouth.img"
+
+PLYMOUTH_INITRD_DIR="$(mktemp --tmpdir -d plymouth-XXXXXXX)"
+
+$PLYMOUTH_POPULATE_INITRD -t "$PLYMOUTH_INITRD_DIR"
+
+if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
+    (cd $PLYMOUTH_INITRD_DIR;
+        # FIXME: might make sense to add a flag to plymouth-populate-initrd to
+        #        skip these from the start
+        rm -f lib*/{ld*,libc*,libdl*,libm*,libz*,libpthread*}
+        find | cpio -Hnewc -o | gzip -9 > $PLYMOUTH_IMAGE_FILE
+    )
+fi
+
+rm -rf $PLYMOUTH_INITRD_DIR