diff --git a/third_party/github.com/coreos/go-systemd/README.md b/third_party/github.com/coreos/go-systemd/README.md
index 9b8a2f83f..2adbac515 100644
--- a/third_party/github.com/coreos/go-systemd/README.md
+++ b/third_party/github.com/coreos/go-systemd/README.md
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
 # go-systemd
 
 Go bindings to systemd socket activation, journal and D-BUS APIs.
+
+## Socket Activation
+
+See an example in `examples/activation/httpserver.go`. For easy debugging use
+`/usr/lib/systemd/systemd-activate`
diff --git a/third_party/github.com/coreos/go-systemd/activation/files.go b/third_party/github.com/coreos/go-systemd/activation/files.go
index a05dbcc91..3f323d820 100644
--- a/third_party/github.com/coreos/go-systemd/activation/files.go
+++ b/third_party/github.com/coreos/go-systemd/activation/files.go
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ func Files(unsetEnv bool) []*os.File {
 	if err != nil || nfds == 0 {
 		return nil
 	}
-	files := []*os.File(nil)
+	var files []*os.File
 	for fd := listenFdsStart; fd < listenFdsStart+nfds; fd++ {
 		syscall.CloseOnExec(fd)
 		files = append(files, os.NewFile(uintptr(fd), "LISTEN_FD_"+strconv.Itoa(fd)))
diff --git a/third_party/github.com/coreos/go-systemd/activation/files_test.go b/third_party/github.com/coreos/go-systemd/activation/files_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..cee919e76
--- /dev/null
+++ b/third_party/github.com/coreos/go-systemd/activation/files_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+package activation
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"io"
+	"os"
+	"os/exec"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// correctStringWritten fails the text if the correct string wasn't written
+// to the other side of the pipe.
+func correctStringWritten(t *testing.T, r *os.File, expected string) bool {
+	bytes := make([]byte, len(expected))
+	io.ReadAtLeast(r, bytes, len(expected))
+
+	if string(bytes) != expected {
+		t.Fatalf("Unexpected string %s", string(bytes))
+	}
+
+	return true
+}
+
+// TestActivation forks out a copy of activation.go example and reads back two
+// strings from the pipes that are passed in.
+func TestActivation(t *testing.T) {
+	cmd := exec.Command("go", "run", "../examples/activation/activation.go")
+
+	r1, w1, _ := os.Pipe()
+	r2, w2, _ := os.Pipe()
+	cmd.ExtraFiles = []*os.File{
+		w1,
+		w2,
+	}
+
+	cmd.Env = os.Environ()
+	cmd.Env = append(cmd.Env, "LISTEN_FDS=2", "FIX_LISTEN_PID=1")
+
+	err := cmd.Run()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf(err.Error())
+	}
+
+	correctStringWritten(t, r1, "Hello world")
+	correctStringWritten(t, r2, "Goodbye world")
+}
+
+func TestActivationNoFix(t *testing.T) {
+	cmd := exec.Command("go", "run", "../examples/activation/activation.go")
+	cmd.Env = os.Environ()
+	cmd.Env = append(cmd.Env, "LISTEN_FDS=2")
+
+	out, _ := cmd.CombinedOutput()
+	if bytes.Contains(out, []byte("No files")) == false {
+		t.Fatalf("Child didn't error out as expected")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestActivationNoFiles(t *testing.T) {
+	cmd := exec.Command("go", "run", "../examples/activation/activation.go")
+	cmd.Env = os.Environ()
+	cmd.Env = append(cmd.Env, "LISTEN_FDS=0", "FIX_LISTEN_PID=1")
+
+	out, _ := cmd.CombinedOutput()
+	if bytes.Contains(out, []byte("No files")) == false {
+		t.Fatalf("Child didn't error out as expected")
+	}
+}
diff --git a/third_party/github.com/coreos/go-systemd/examples/activation/activation.go b/third_party/github.com/coreos/go-systemd/examples/activation/activation.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b3cf70ed8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/third_party/github.com/coreos/go-systemd/examples/activation/activation.go
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+// Activation example used by the activation unit tests.
+package main
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+
+	"github.com/coreos/go-systemd/activation"
+)
+
+func fixListenPid() {
+	if os.Getenv("FIX_LISTEN_PID") != "" {
+		// HACK: real systemd would set LISTEN_PID before exec'ing but
+		// this is too difficult in golang for the purpose of a test.
+		// Do not do this in real code.
+		os.Setenv("LISTEN_PID", fmt.Sprintf("%d", os.Getpid()))
+	}
+}
+
+func main() {
+	fixListenPid()
+
+	files := activation.Files(false)
+
+	if len(files) == 0 {
+		panic("No files")
+	}
+
+	if os.Getenv("LISTEN_PID") == "" || os.Getenv("LISTEN_FDS") == "" {
+		panic("Should not unset envs")
+	}
+
+	files = activation.Files(true)
+
+	if os.Getenv("LISTEN_PID") != "" || os.Getenv("LISTEN_FDS") != "" {
+		panic("Can not unset envs")
+	}
+
+	// Write out the expected strings to the two pipes
+	files[0].Write([]byte("Hello world"))
+	files[1].Write([]byte("Goodbye world"))
+
+	return
+}
diff --git a/third_party/github.com/coreos/go-systemd/examples/activation/httpserver/README.md b/third_party/github.com/coreos/go-systemd/examples/activation/httpserver/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..91c7cbf13
--- /dev/null
+++ b/third_party/github.com/coreos/go-systemd/examples/activation/httpserver/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Example of using socket activation with systemd to serve a simple HTTP server on http://127.0.0.1:8076
diff --git a/third_party/github.com/coreos/go-systemd/examples/activation/httpserver/hello.service b/third_party/github.com/coreos/go-systemd/examples/activation/httpserver/hello.service
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c8dea0f6b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/third_party/github.com/coreos/go-systemd/examples/activation/httpserver/hello.service
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+[Unit]
+Description=Hello World HTTP
+Requires=network.target
+After=multi-user.target
+
+[Service]
+Type=simple
+ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/httpserver
+
+[Install]
+WantedBy=multi-user.target
diff --git a/third_party/github.com/coreos/go-systemd/examples/activation/httpserver/hello.socket b/third_party/github.com/coreos/go-systemd/examples/activation/httpserver/hello.socket
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..723ed7ed9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/third_party/github.com/coreos/go-systemd/examples/activation/httpserver/hello.socket
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+[Socket]
+ListenStream=127.0.0.1:8076
+
+[Install]
+WantedBy=sockets.target
diff --git a/third_party/github.com/coreos/go-systemd/examples/activation/httpserver/httpserver.go b/third_party/github.com/coreos/go-systemd/examples/activation/httpserver/httpserver.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d47bfe5a4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/third_party/github.com/coreos/go-systemd/examples/activation/httpserver/httpserver.go
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"io"
+	"net"
+	"net/http"
+
+	"github.com/coreos/go-systemd/activation"
+)
+
+func HelloServer(w http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Request) {
+	io.WriteString(w, "hello socket activated world!\n")
+}
+
+func main() {
+	files := activation.Files()
+
+	if len(files) != 1 {
+		panic("Unexpected number of socket activation fds")
+	}
+
+	l, err := net.FileListener(files[0])
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+
+	http.HandleFunc("/", HelloServer)
+	http.Serve(l, nil)
+}
diff --git a/third_party/github.com/coreos/go-systemd/test b/third_party/github.com/coreos/go-systemd/test
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..ce0d9a6c3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/third_party/github.com/coreos/go-systemd/test
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+#!/bin/sh -e
+
+PKG="github.com/coreos/go-systemd"
+
+rm -R src
+mkdir -p src/$(dirname $PKG)
+ln -s ../../../ src/$PKG
+
+go test -v ${PKG}/activation