diff --git a/app/helpers/application_helper.rb b/app/helpers/application_helper.rb
index c61fafea9..e611a2cbd 100644
--- a/app/helpers/application_helper.rb
+++ b/app/helpers/application_helper.rb
@@ -35,4 +35,19 @@ module ApplicationHelper
   def diaspora_id_host
     User.diaspora_id_host
   end
+
+  # Require jQuery from CDN if possible, falling back to vendored copy, and require
+  # vendored jquery_ujs
+  def jquery_include_tag
+    buf = []
+    if AppConfig[:jquery_cdn]
+      version = Jquery::Rails::JQUERY_VERSION
+      buf << [ javascript_include_tag("//ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/#{version}/jquery.min.js") ]
+      buf << [ javascript_tag("!window.jQuery && document.write(unescape('#{j javascript_include_tag("jquery")}'));") ]
+    else
+      buf << [ javascript_include_tag('jquery') ]
+    end
+    buf << [ javascript_include_tag('jquery_ujs') ]
+    buf.join("\n").html_safe
+  end
 end
diff --git a/app/views/layouts/application.html.haml b/app/views/layouts/application.html.haml
index a3a0c4c7a..01fa8f767 100644
--- a/app/views/layouts/application.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/layouts/application.html.haml
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
     = javascript_include_tag :ie
     <![endif]-->
 
-    = javascript_include_tag 'jquery', 'jquery_ujs'
+    = jquery_include_tag
 
     - unless @landing_page
       = javascript_include_tag :main, :templates
diff --git a/config/application.yml.example b/config/application.yml.example
index 1de63b89a..164768668 100644
--- a/config/application.yml.example
+++ b/config/application.yml.example
@@ -39,6 +39,9 @@ defaults: &defaults
   # let your reverse proxy/webserver do it.
   serve_static_assets: false
 
+  # Serve jQuery from Google's CDN
+  jquery_cdn: true
+
   #
   # Settings
   #
diff --git a/spec/helpers/application_helper_spec.rb b/spec/helpers/application_helper_spec.rb
index 271fd662b..7a34f9b89 100644
--- a/spec/helpers/application_helper_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/helpers/application_helper_spec.rb
@@ -48,4 +48,35 @@ describe ApplicationHelper do
       all_services_connected?.should be_false
     end
   end
+
+  describe "#jquery_include_tag" do
+    describe "with google cdn" do
+      before do
+        AppConfig[:jquery_cdn] = true
+      end
+
+      it 'inclues jquery.js from google cdn' do
+        jquery_include_tag.should match(/googleapis\.com/)
+      end
+
+      it 'falls back to asset pipeline on cdn failure' do
+        jquery_include_tag.should match(/document\.write/)
+      end
+    end
+
+    describe "without google cdn" do
+      before do
+        AppConfig[:jquery_cdn] = false
+      end
+
+      it 'includes jquery.js from asset pipeline' do
+        jquery_include_tag.should match(/jquery\.js/)
+        jquery_include_tag.should_not match(/googleapis\.com/)
+      end
+    end
+
+    it 'inclues jquery_ujs.js' do
+      jquery_include_tag.should match(/jquery_ujs\.js/)
+    end
+  end
 end