diff --git a/doc/api/modules.markdown b/doc/api/modules.markdown
index 11afb21d475..68e60cfef59 100644
--- a/doc/api/modules.markdown
+++ b/doc/api/modules.markdown
@@ -69,6 +69,19 @@ interrupting once a file is found. Files ending in `'.node'` are binary Addon
 Modules; see 'Addons' below. `'index.js'` allows one to package a module as
 a directory.
 
+Additionally, a `package.json` file may be used to treat a folder as a
+module, if it specifies a `'main'` field.  For example, if the file at
+`./foo/bar/package.json` contained this data:
+
+    { "name" : "bar",
+      "version" : "1.2.3",
+      "main" : "./lib/bar.js" }
+
+then `require('./foo/bar')` would load the file at
+`'./foo/bar/lib/bar.js'`.  This allows package authors to specify an
+entry point to their module, while structuring their package how it
+suits them.
+
 `require.paths` can be modified at runtime by simply unshifting new
 paths onto it, or at startup with the `NODE_PATH` environmental
 variable (which should be a list of paths, colon separated).
diff --git a/lib/module.js b/lib/module.js
index f3324e348c3..99e839ee368 100644
--- a/lib/module.js
+++ b/lib/module.js
@@ -60,6 +60,34 @@ function statPath(path) {
   return false;
 }
 
+// check if the directory is a package.json dir
+var packageCache = {};
+
+function readPackage(requestPath) {
+  if (packageCache.hasOwnProperty(requestPath)) {
+    return packageCache[requestPath];
+  }
+
+  var fs = NativeModule.require('fs');
+  try {
+    var jsonPath = path.resolve(requestPath, 'package.json');
+    var json = fs.readFileSync(jsonPath, 'utf8');
+    var pkg = packageCache[requestPath] = JSON.parse(json);
+    return pkg;
+  } catch (e) {}
+
+  return false;
+}
+
+function tryPackage(requestPath, exts) {
+  var pkg = readPackage(requestPath);
+
+  if (!pkg || !pkg.main) return false;
+
+  var filename = path.resolve(requestPath, pkg.main);
+  return tryFile(filename) || tryExtensions(filename, exts);
+}
+
 // check if the file exists and is not a directory
 function tryFile(requestPath) {
   var fs = NativeModule.require('fs');
@@ -113,6 +141,10 @@ Module._findPath = function(request, paths) {
       }
     }
 
+    if (!filename) {
+      filename = tryPackage(basePath, exts);
+    }
+
     if (!filename) {
       // try it with each of the extensions at "index"
       filename = tryExtensions(path.resolve(basePath, 'index'), exts);
diff --git a/test/fixtures/packages/main/package-main-module.js b/test/fixtures/packages/main/package-main-module.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a9fe79564c7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/packages/main/package-main-module.js
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+exports.ok = "ok"
diff --git a/test/fixtures/packages/main/package.json b/test/fixtures/packages/main/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..13a7d58042e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/packages/main/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+{"name":"package-name"
+,"version":"1.2.3"
+,"main":"package-main-module"}
diff --git a/test/simple/test-module-loading.js b/test/simple/test-module-loading.js
index d2e5308952b..fc1e63b8d2c 100644
--- a/test/simple/test-module-loading.js
+++ b/test/simple/test-module-loading.js
@@ -67,6 +67,10 @@ var three = require('../fixtures/nested-index/three'),
 assert.equal(threeFolder, threeIndex);
 assert.notEqual(threeFolder, three);
 
+common.debug('test package.json require() loading');
+assert.equal(require('../fixtures/packages/main').ok, 'ok',
+             'Failed loading package');
+
 common.debug('test cycles containing a .. path');
 var root = require('../fixtures/cycles/root'),
     foo = require('../fixtures/cycles/folder/foo');