diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index cd859100..e9db2544 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -1,11 +1,17 @@
 gnome-shell-extensions (3.8.4-1) UNRELEASED; urgency=low
 
+  [ Jeremy Bicha ]
   * New upstream release
   * Dropped patches applied in new version:
     - fix-hibernate.patch
     - fix-applications-menu-resolution-change.patch
     - look-in-data-home-for-themes.patch
 
+  [ Michael Biebl ]
+  * Add a wrapper script to start the GNOME Classic session as currently
+    Xsession doesn't allow to run gnome-session with custom arguments due to
+    #653327.
+
  -- Jeremy Bicha <jbicha@ubuntu.com>  Wed, 11 Sep 2013 16:42:22 -0400
 
 gnome-shell-extensions (3.8.3.1-1) experimental; urgency=low
diff --git a/debian/control b/debian/control
index 6e00e54a..fd28efc2 100644
--- a/debian/control
+++ b/debian/control
@@ -2,11 +2,12 @@
 # 
 # Modifications should be made to debian/control.in instead.
 # This file is regenerated automatically in the clean target.
+
 Source: gnome-shell-extensions
 Section: gnome
 Priority: optional
 Maintainer: Debian GNOME Maintainers <pkg-gnome-maintainers@lists.alioth.debian.org>
-Uploaders: Victor Seva <linuxmaniac@torreviejawireless.org>, Michael Biebl <biebl@debian.org>
+Uploaders: Victor Seva <linuxmaniac@torreviejawireless.org>, Andreas Henriksson <andreas@fatal.se>, Jeremy Bicha <jbicha@ubuntu.com>, Michael Biebl <biebl@debian.org>
 Build-Depends: debhelper (>= 8.0.0),
                cdbs,
                dh-autoreconf,
diff --git a/debian/local/gnome-session-classic b/debian/local/gnome-session-classic
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..d4065e31
--- /dev/null
+++ b/debian/local/gnome-session-classic
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+#! /bin/sh
+exec gnome-session --session gnome-classic "$@"
diff --git a/debian/patches/gnome-session-classic-wrapper-script.patch b/debian/patches/gnome-session-classic-wrapper-script.patch
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e6c9ab85
--- /dev/null
+++ b/debian/patches/gnome-session-classic-wrapper-script.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+Description: Use a wrapper script to start GNOME classic session
+ Xsession currently doesn't allow to pass more then one argument, as it
+ otherwise fails with
+ Xsession: unable to launch "gnome-session --session classic" X session ---
+ "gnome-session --session classic" not found; falling back to default session.
+ .
+ This is due to [1]. Add a wrapper script to start the GNOME classic session
+ as a workaround. Once [1] is fixed, this should be removed again.
+ .
+ [1] http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=653327.
+Author: Michael Biebl <biebl@debian.org>
+
+Index: gnome-shell-extensions-3.8.4/data/gnome-classic.desktop.in
+===================================================================
+--- gnome-shell-extensions-3.8.4.orig/data/gnome-classic.desktop.in	2013-07-16 13:12:50.000000000 +0200
++++ gnome-shell-extensions-3.8.4/data/gnome-classic.desktop.in	2013-10-11 18:45:36.749513420 +0200
+@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
+ [Desktop Entry]
+ _Name=GNOME Classic
+ _Comment=This session logs you into GNOME Classic
+-Exec=gnome-session --session gnome-classic
++Exec=gnome-session-classic
+ TryExec=gnome-session
+ Icon=
+ Type=Application
diff --git a/debian/patches/series b/debian/patches/series
index 8e0ec36b..6410b5c4 100644
--- a/debian/patches/series
+++ b/debian/patches/series
@@ -1 +1,2 @@
 dont-require-nautilus-classic.patch
+gnome-session-classic-wrapper-script.patch
diff --git a/debian/rules b/debian/rules
index 45ed72b6..caba18db 100755
--- a/debian/rules
+++ b/debian/rules
@@ -17,3 +17,7 @@ EXTENSIONS_DISABLED="example xrandr-indicator"
 DEB_CONFIGURE_EXTRA_FLAGS := \
 	--enable-extensions=$(EXTENSIONS_ENABLED) \
 	--enable-classic-mode
+
+binary-install/gnome-shell-extensions::
+	install -m 755 -D debian/local/gnome-session-classic \
+		debian/$(cdbs_curpkg)/usr/bin/gnome-session-classic