diff --git a/templates/shadow.prepost-action b/templates/shadow.prepost-action
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..b39ed5d1898
--- /dev/null
+++ b/templates/shadow.prepost-action
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+#!/bin/sh -e
+
+export PATH="/bin:/sbin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin"
+
+# $1 = chrootdir
+# $2 = action
+# $3 = pkgname
+# $4 = version
+
+create_passwd()
+{
+	cat > ./etc/passwd <<_EOF
+root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash
+nobody:x:99:99:Unprivileged User:/dev/null:/bin/false
+_EOF
+	echo "Created default /etc/passwd file."
+}
+
+create_group()
+{
+	# Default group list as specified by LFS.
+	cat > ./etc/group <<_EOF
+root:x:0:
+bin:x:1:
+sys:x:2:
+kmem:x:3:
+tty:x:4:
+tape:x:5:
+daemon:x:6:
+floppy:x:7:
+disk:x:8:
+lp:x:9:
+uucp:x:10:
+audio:x:11:
+video:x:12:
+utmp:x:13:
+usb:x:14:
+cdrom:x:15:
+mail:x:34:
+nogroup:x:99:
+users:x:1000:
+_EOF
+	echo "Created default /etc/group file."
+}
+
+case "$2" in
+preinst)
+	;;
+postinst)
+	if [ "$1" = "NOTSET" ]; then
+		run_cmd="pwconv"
+	else
+		run_cmd="chroot $1 pwconv"
+	fi
+
+	[ ! -f ./etc/passwd ] && create_passwd
+	[ ! -f ./etc/group ] && create_group
+
+	if [ ! -f ./etc/shadow ]; then
+		echo "Enabling shadow passwords..."
+	       	${run_cmd}
+	fi
+	;;
+esac
+
+exit 0
+