diff --git a/doc/guix.texi b/doc/guix.texi
index cca46218f2..c930530228 100644
--- a/doc/guix.texi
+++ b/doc/guix.texi
@@ -5001,7 +5001,7 @@ $ wget -O - \
 Guix and its package collection are updated by running @command{guix pull}
 (@pxref{Invoking guix pull}).  By default @command{guix pull} downloads and
 deploys Guix itself from the official GNU@tie{}Guix repository.  This can be
-customized by defining @dfn{channels} in the
+customized by defining @dfn{channels} in @file{/etc/guix/channels.scm} and
 @file{~/.config/guix/channels.scm} file.  A channel specifies a URL and branch
 of a Git repository to be deployed, and @command{guix pull} can be instructed
 to pull from one or more channels.  In other words, channels can be used
@@ -15549,6 +15549,18 @@ This example assumes that the file @file{./guix.example.org-key.pub}
 contains the public key that @code{guix.example.org} uses to sign
 substitutes.
 
+@item @code{channels} (default: @code{'()})
+List of system channels to use, it populates
+@file{/etc/guix/channels.scm}.
+
+@quotation Note
+When booting or reconfiguring to a system where @code{channels}
+is not null, the existing @file{/etc/guix/channels.scm} file is backed up as
+@file{/etc/guix/channels.scm.bak} if it was determined to be a manually modified
+file.  This is to facilitate migration from earlier versions, which
+allowed for in-place modifications to @file{/etc/guix/channels.scm}.
+@end quotation
+
 @item @code{max-silent-time} (default: @code{0})
 @itemx @code{timeout} (default: @code{0})
 The number of seconds of silence and the number of seconds of activity,
diff --git a/gnu/services/base.scm b/gnu/services/base.scm
index e206bea5f0..db63eb540b 100644
--- a/gnu/services/base.scm
+++ b/gnu/services/base.scm
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@
   #:use-module (gnu packages terminals)
   #:use-module ((gnu build file-systems)
                 #:select (mount-flags->bit-mask))
+  #:use-module (guix channels)
   #:use-module (guix gexp)
   #:use-module (guix records)
   #:use-module (guix modules)
@@ -66,6 +67,7 @@
   #:use-module (srfi srfi-26)
   #:use-module (ice-9 match)
   #:use-module (ice-9 format)
+  #:use-module (ice-9 pretty-print)
   #:re-export (user-processes-service-type        ;backwards compatibility
                %default-substitute-urls)
   #:export (fstab-service-type
@@ -1502,6 +1504,35 @@ archive' public keys, with GUIX."
         ;; Installed the declared ACL.
         (symlink #+default-acl "/etc/guix/acl"))))
 
+;; FIXME Does this gexp should be build before boot, such as
+;; substitute-key-authorization does?
+(define (setup-channels channels)
+  "Return a gexp with code to setup CHANNELS, a list of channels"
+  (define channels-file
+    (plain-file "channels.scm"
+                (with-output-to-string
+                  (lambda _
+                    (pretty-print (map channel->code
+                                       channels))))))
+
+  (with-imported-modules '((guix build utils))
+    #~(begin
+        (use-modules (guix build utils))
+
+        ;; If channels.scm already exists, move it out of the way. Create a
+        ;; backup if it's a regular file: it's likely that the user
+        ;; manually defined it.
+        (if (file-exists? "/etc/guix/channels.scm")
+            (if (and (symbolic-link? "/etc/guix/channels.scm")
+                     (store-file-name? (readlink "/etc/guix/channels.scm")))
+                (delete-file "/etc/guix/channels.scm")
+                (rename-file "/etc/guix/channels.scm"
+                             "/etc/guix/channels.scm.bak"))
+            (mkdir-p "/etc/guix"))
+
+        ;; Installed the declared channels.
+        (symlink #+channels-file "/etc/guix/channels.scm"))))
+
 (define %default-authorized-guix-keys
   ;; List of authorized substitute keys.
   (list (file-append guix "/share/guix/berlin.guix.gnu.org.pub")
@@ -1524,6 +1555,8 @@ archive' public keys, with GUIX."
                     (default #t))
   (substitute-urls  guix-configuration-substitute-urls ;list of strings
                     (default %default-substitute-urls))
+  (channels         guix-configuration-channels ;list of channels
+                    (default '()))
   (chroot-directories guix-configuration-chroot-directories ;list of file-like/strings
                       (default '()))
   (max-silent-time  guix-configuration-max-silent-time ;integer
@@ -1701,7 +1734,7 @@ proxy of 'guix-daemon'...~%")
 (define (guix-activation config)
   "Return the activation gexp for CONFIG."
   (match-record config <guix-configuration>
-    (guix authorize-key? authorized-keys)
+    (guix authorize-key? authorized-keys channels)
     #~(begin
         ;; Assume that the store has BUILD-GROUP as its group.  We could
         ;; otherwise call 'chown' here, but the problem is that on a COW overlayfs,
@@ -1714,6 +1747,10 @@ proxy of 'guix-daemon'...~%")
 
         #$(if authorize-key?
               (substitute-key-authorization authorized-keys guix)
+              #~#f)
+
+        #$(if (not (null? channels))
+              (setup-channels channels)
               #~#f))))
 
 (define* (references-file item #:optional (name "references"))
