diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 7761c09a..04a1dffa 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 - vips_system() now supports many input images and you can change image
   argument order
 - support 16-bit palette TIFFs, plus palette TIFFs can have an alpha
+- add ".vips" as an alternative suffix for vips files
 - add vips_tiffload_buffer()
 
 6/3/14 started 7.38.6
diff --git a/libvips/deprecated/format.c b/libvips/deprecated/format.c
index be3849ec..36bbe1c0 100644
--- a/libvips/deprecated/format.c
+++ b/libvips/deprecated/format.c
@@ -346,7 +346,7 @@ vips_format_get_flags( VipsFormatClass *format, const char *filename )
 /* VIPS format class.
  */
 
-static const char *vips_suffs[] = { ".v", NULL };
+static const char *vips_suffs[] = { ".v", ".vips", NULL };
 
 int
 im_isvips( const char *filename )
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/vipsload.c b/libvips/foreign/vipsload.c
index 54d7b324..dd8a445f 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/vipsload.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/vipsload.c
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ vips_foreign_load_vips_header( VipsForeignLoad *load )
 	return( 0 );
 }
 
-static const char *vips_suffs[] = { ".v", NULL };
+const char *vips__suffs[] = { ".v", ".vips", NULL };
 
 static void
 vips_foreign_load_vips_class_init( VipsForeignLoadVipsClass *class )
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ vips_foreign_load_vips_class_init( VipsForeignLoadVipsClass *class )
 	object_class->nickname = "vipsload";
 	object_class->description = _( "load vips from file" );
 
-	foreign_class->suffs = vips_suffs;
+	foreign_class->suffs = vips__suffs;
 
 	load_class->is_a = vips_foreign_load_vips_is_a;
 	load_class->get_flags = vips_foreign_load_vips_get_flags;
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/vipssave.c b/libvips/foreign/vipssave.c
index 47af18fc..74929a80 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/vipssave.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/vipssave.c
@@ -75,7 +75,9 @@ vips_foreign_save_vips_build( VipsObject *object )
 	return( 0 );
 }
 
-static const char *vips_suffs[] = { ".v", NULL };
+/* From vipsload.c.
+ */
+extern const char *vips__suffs[];
 
 static void
 vips_foreign_save_vips_class_init( VipsForeignSaveVipsClass *class )
@@ -94,7 +96,7 @@ vips_foreign_save_vips_class_init( VipsForeignSaveVipsClass *class )
 	object_class->description = _( "save image to vips file" );
 	object_class->build = vips_foreign_save_vips_build;
 
-	foreign_class->suffs = vips_suffs;
+	foreign_class->suffs = vips__suffs;
 
 	save_class->saveable = VIPS_SAVEABLE_ANY;
 	for( i = 0; i < VIPS_CODING_LAST; i++ )