diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 1f78f335c..c0343d2b1 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 
 0.16.8 release
 
+	* make rename_file create missing directories for new filename
 	* added missing python function: parse_magnet_uri
 	* fix alerts.all_categories in python binding
 	* fix torrent-abort issue which would cancel name lookups of other torrents
diff --git a/src/storage.cpp b/src/storage.cpp
index 48e7a6687..7078f22f4 100644
--- a/src/storage.cpp
+++ b/src/storage.cpp
@@ -503,8 +503,23 @@ namespace libtorrent
 		m_pool.release(this, index);
 
 		error_code ec;
-		rename(old_name, combine_path(m_save_path, new_filename), ec);
+		std::string new_path = combine_path(m_save_path, new_filename);
+		std::string new_dir = parent_path(new_path);
+
+		// create any missing directories that the new filename
+		// lands in
+		create_directories(new_dir, ec);
+		if (ec)
+		{
+			set_error(new_dir, ec);
+			return true;
+		}
+
+		rename(old_name, new_path, ec);
 		
+		// if old_name doesn't exist, that's not an error
+		// here. Once we start writing to the file, it will
+		// be written to the new filename
 		if (ec && ec != boost::system::errc::no_such_file_or_directory)
 		{
 			set_error(old_name, ec);
diff --git a/test/test_storage.cpp b/test/test_storage.cpp
index 908482c9f..857841c60 100644
--- a/test/test_storage.cpp
+++ b/test/test_storage.cpp
@@ -547,13 +547,23 @@ void run_storage_tests(boost::intrusive_ptr<torrent_info> info
 	// test rename_file
 	remove(combine_path(test_path, "part0"), ec);
 	if (ec) std::cerr << "remove: " << ec.message() << std::endl;
+	remove_all(combine_path(test_path, "test_dir"), ec);
+	if (ec) std::cerr << "remove: " << ec.message() << std::endl;
 	TEST_CHECK(exists(combine_path(test_path, "temp_storage/test1.tmp")));
 	TEST_CHECK(!exists(combine_path(test_path, "part0")));	
-	boost::function<void(int, disk_io_job const&)> none;
+	TEST_CHECK(!exists(combine_path(test_path, "test_dir/subdir/part0")));	
+
+	// test that we can create missing directories when we rename a file
+	done = false;
+	pm->async_rename_file(0, "test_dir/subdir/part0", boost::bind(&signal_bool, &done, "rename_file"));
+	run_until(ios, done);
+	TEST_CHECK(!exists(combine_path(test_path, "temp_storage/test1.tmp")));
+	TEST_CHECK(!exists(combine_path(test_path, "temp_storage2")));
+	TEST_CHECK(exists(combine_path(test_path, "test_dir/subdir/part0")));
+
 	done = false;
 	pm->async_rename_file(0, "part0", boost::bind(&signal_bool, &done, "rename_file"));
 	run_until(ios, done);
-
 	TEST_CHECK(!exists(combine_path(test_path, "temp_storage/test1.tmp")));
 	TEST_CHECK(!exists(combine_path(test_path, "temp_storage2")));
 	TEST_CHECK(exists(combine_path(test_path, "part0")));