diff --git a/nixos/modules/system/activation/top-level.nix b/nixos/modules/system/activation/top-level.nix
index df8db7f34d0..f016fff824c 100644
--- a/nixos/modules/system/activation/top-level.nix
+++ b/nixos/modules/system/activation/top-level.nix
@@ -59,7 +59,10 @@ let
       ${if config.boot.initrd.systemd.enable then ''
         cp ${config.system.build.bootStage2} $out/prepare-root
         substituteInPlace $out/prepare-root --subst-var-by systemConfig $out
-        ln -s "$systemd/lib/systemd/systemd" $out/init
+        # This must not be a symlink or the abs_path of the grub builder for the tests
+        # will resolve the symlink and we end up with a path that doesn't point to a
+        # system closure.
+        cp "$systemd/lib/systemd/systemd" $out/init
       '' else ''
         cp ${config.system.build.bootStage2} $out/init
         substituteInPlace $out/init --subst-var-by systemConfig $out
diff --git a/nixos/modules/system/boot/systemd/initrd.nix b/nixos/modules/system/boot/systemd/initrd.nix
index 3af124d06a9..c900348619c 100644
--- a/nixos/modules/system/boot/systemd/initrd.nix
+++ b/nixos/modules/system/boot/systemd/initrd.nix
@@ -503,5 +503,8 @@ in {
         ];
       };
     };
+
+    boot.kernelParams = lib.mkIf (config.boot.resumeDevice != "") [ "resume=${config.boot.resumeDevice}" ];
+
   };
 }
diff --git a/nixos/tests/all-tests.nix b/nixos/tests/all-tests.nix
index a1d4e284657..56629ad7773 100644
--- a/nixos/tests/all-tests.nix
+++ b/nixos/tests/all-tests.nix
@@ -208,6 +208,7 @@ in
   # hibernation. This test happens to work on x86_64-linux but
   # not on other platforms.
   hibernate = handleTestOn ["x86_64-linux"] ./hibernate.nix {};
+  hibernate-systemd-stage-1 = handleTestOn ["x86_64-linux"] ./hibernate.nix { systemdStage1 = true; };
   hitch = handleTest ./hitch {};
   hledger-web = handleTest ./hledger-web.nix {};
   hocker-fetchdocker = handleTest ./hocker-fetchdocker {};
diff --git a/nixos/tests/hibernate.nix b/nixos/tests/hibernate.nix
index 032ac6527bc..7a4b331169a 100644
--- a/nixos/tests/hibernate.nix
+++ b/nixos/tests/hibernate.nix
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 { system ? builtins.currentSystem
 , config ? {}
 , pkgs ? import ../.. { inherit system config; }
+, systemdStage1 ? false
 }:
 
 with import ../lib/testing-python.nix { inherit system pkgs; };
@@ -29,6 +30,11 @@ let
       "/".device = "/dev/vda2";
     };
     swapDevices = mkOverride 0 [ { device = "/dev/vda1"; } ];
+    boot.resumeDevice = mkIf systemdStage1 "/dev/vda1";
+    boot.initrd.systemd = mkIf systemdStage1 {
+      enable = true;
+      emergencyAccess = true;
+    };
   };
   installedSystem = (import ../lib/eval-config.nix {
     inherit system;