diff --git a/browser/base/content/test/general/browser.ini b/browser/base/content/test/general/browser.ini
index 8ec115527f0..1197328ad5f 100644
--- a/browser/base/content/test/general/browser.ini
+++ b/browser/base/content/test/general/browser.ini
@@ -105,6 +105,8 @@ skip-if = e10s # Bug ?????? - no about:home support yet
 skip-if = os == "linux" # Bug 1073339 - Investigate autocomplete test unreliability on Linux 
 [browser_action_searchengine.js]
 skip-if = os == "linux" # Bug 1073339 - Investigate autocomplete test unreliability on Linux 
+[browser_action_searchengine_alias.js]
+skip-if = os == "linux" # Bug 1073339 - Investigate autocomplete test unreliability on Linux 
 [browser_addKeywordSearch.js]
 skip-if = e10s
 [browser_alltabslistener.js]
diff --git a/browser/base/content/test/general/browser_action_searchengine_alias.js b/browser/base/content/test/general/browser_action_searchengine_alias.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..f1f77088aa9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/browser/base/content/test/general/browser_action_searchengine_alias.js
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+/**
+ * Any copyright is dedicated to the Public Domain.
+ * http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
+ **/
+
+ let gOriginalEngine;
+
+add_task(function* () {
+  // This test is only relevant if UnifiedComplete is enabled.
+  if (!Services.prefs.getBoolPref("browser.urlbar.unifiedcomplete"))
+    return;
+
+  Services.search.addEngineWithDetails("MozSearch", "", "moz", "", "GET",
+                                       "http://example.com/?q={searchTerms}");
+  let engine = Services.search.getEngineByName("MozSearch");
+  gOriginalEngine = Services.search.currentEngine;
+  Services.search.currentEngine = engine;
+
+  let tab = gBrowser.selectedTab = gBrowser.addTab();
+
+  registerCleanupFunction(() => {
+    Services.search.currentEngine = gOriginalEngine;
+    let engine = Services.search.getEngineByName("MozSearch");
+    Services.search.removeEngine(engine);
+
+    try {
+      gBrowser.removeTab(tab);
+    } catch(ex) { /* tab may have already been closed in case of failure */ }
+
+    return promiseClearHistory();
+  });
+
+  gURLBar.focus();
+  gURLBar.value = "moz open a searc";
+  EventUtils.synthesizeKey("h" , {});
+  yield promiseSearchComplete();
+
+  EventUtils.synthesizeKey("VK_RETURN" , { });
+  yield promiseTabLoaded(gBrowser.selectedTab);
+
+  is(gBrowser.selectedBrowser.currentURI.spec, "http://example.com/?q=open+a+search");
+});
diff --git a/toolkit/components/places/PlacesSearchAutocompleteProvider.jsm b/toolkit/components/places/PlacesSearchAutocompleteProvider.jsm
index a7707e5e94a..6914cd5a692 100644
--- a/toolkit/components/places/PlacesSearchAutocompleteProvider.jsm
+++ b/toolkit/components/places/PlacesSearchAutocompleteProvider.jsm
@@ -25,6 +25,11 @@ const SearchAutocompleteProviderInternal = {
    */
   priorityMatches: null,
 
+  /**
+   * Array of objects in the format returned by findMatchByAlias.
+   */
+  aliasMatches: null,
+
   /**
    * Object for the default search match.
    **/
@@ -65,6 +70,7 @@ const SearchAutocompleteProviderInternal = {
 
   _refresh: function () {
     this.priorityMatches = [];
+    this.aliasMatches = [];
     this.defaultMatch = null;
 
     let currentEngine = Services.search.currentEngine;
@@ -82,19 +88,25 @@ const SearchAutocompleteProviderInternal = {
   },
 
   _addEngine: function (engine) {
-    let token = engine.getResultDomain();
-    if (!token) {
-      return;
+    if (engine.alias) {
+      this.aliasMatches.push({
+        alias: engine.alias,
+        engineName: engine.name,
+        iconUrl: engine.iconURI ? engine.iconURI.spec : null,
+      });
     }
 
-    this.priorityMatches.push({
-      token: token,
-      // The searchForm property returns a simple URL for the search engine, but
-      // we may need an URL which includes an affiliate code (bug 990799).
-      url: engine.searchForm,
-      engineName: engine.name,
-      iconUrl: engine.iconURI ? engine.iconURI.spec : null,
-    });
+    let domain = engine.getResultDomain();
+    if (domain) {
+      this.priorityMatches.push({
+        token: domain,
+        // The searchForm property returns a simple URL for the search engine, but
+        // we may need an URL which includes an affiliate code (bug 990799).
+        url: engine.searchForm,
+        engineName: engine.name,
+        iconUrl: engine.iconURI ? engine.iconURI.spec : null,
+      });
+    }
   },
 
   QueryInterface: XPCOMUtils.generateQI([Ci.nsIObserver,
@@ -138,7 +150,30 @@ this.PlacesSearchAutocompleteProvider = Object.freeze({
     // Match at the beginning for now.  In the future, an "options" argument may
     // allow the matching behavior to be tuned.
     return SearchAutocompleteProviderInternal.priorityMatches
-                 .find(m => m.token.startsWith(searchToken));
+                                             .find(m => m.token.startsWith(searchToken));
+  }),
+
+  /**
+   * Matches a given search string to an item that should be included by
+   * components wishing to search using search engine aliases, like
+   * autocomple.
+   *
+   * @param searchToken
+   *        Search string to match exactly a search engine alias.
+   *
+   * @return An object with the following properties, or undefined if the token
+   *         does not match any relevant URL:
+   *         {
+   *           alias: The matched search engine's alias.
+   *           engineName: The display name of the search engine.
+   *           iconUrl: Icon associated to the match, or null if not available.
+   *         }
+   */
+  findMatchByAlias: Task.async(function* (searchToken) {
+    yield this.ensureInitialized();
+
+    return SearchAutocompleteProviderInternal.aliasMatches
+                                             .find(m => m.alias == searchToken);
   }),
 
   getDefaultMatch: Task.async(function* () {
diff --git a/toolkit/components/places/UnifiedComplete.js b/toolkit/components/places/UnifiedComplete.js
index a81fb715900..355db1f813f 100644
--- a/toolkit/components/places/UnifiedComplete.js
+++ b/toolkit/components/places/UnifiedComplete.js
@@ -706,6 +706,12 @@ Search.prototype = {
       hasFirstResult = true;
     }
 
+    if (this._enableActions && !hasFirstResult) {
+      // If it's not a bookmarked keyword, then it may be a search engine
+      // with an alias - which works like a keyword.
+      hasFirstResult = yield this._matchSearchEngineAlias();
+    }
+
     let shouldAutofill = this._shouldAutofill;
     if (this.pending && !hasFirstResult && shouldAutofill) {
       // Or it may look like a URL we know about from search engines.
@@ -833,6 +839,21 @@ Search.prototype = {
     return true;
   },
 
+  _matchSearchEngineAlias: function* () {
+    if (this._searchTokens.length < 2)
+      return false;
+
+    let match = yield PlacesSearchAutocompleteProvider.findMatchByAlias(
+                                                         this._searchTokens[0]);
+    if (!match)
+      return false;
+
+    let query = this._searchTokens.slice(1).join(" ");
+
+    yield this._addSearchEngineMatch(match, query);
+    return true;
+  },
+
   _matchCurrentSearchEngine: function* () {
     let match = yield PlacesSearchAutocompleteProvider.getDefaultMatch();
     if (!match)
diff --git a/toolkit/components/places/tests/unifiedcomplete/test_searchEngine_alias.js b/toolkit/components/places/tests/unifiedcomplete/test_searchEngine_alias.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..80430dd1e9c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/toolkit/components/places/tests/unifiedcomplete/test_searchEngine_alias.js
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+/* Any copyright is dedicated to the Public Domain.
+ * http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ */
+
+
+add_task(function*() {
+  Services.search.addEngineWithDetails("MozSearch", "", "", "", "GET",
+                                       "http://s.example.com/search");
+  let engine = Services.search.getEngineByName("MozSearch");
+  Services.search.currentEngine = engine;
+  Services.search.addEngineWithDetails("AliasedMozSearch", "", "doit", "",
+                                       "GET", "http://s.example.com/search");
+
+
+  yield check_autocomplete({
+    search: "doit",
+    searchParam: "enable-actions",
+    matches: [ { uri: makeActionURI("searchengine", {engineName: "MozSearch", input: "doit", searchQuery: "doit"}), title: "MozSearch" }, ]
+  });
+
+  yield check_autocomplete({
+    search: "doit mozilla",
+    searchParam: "enable-actions",
+    matches: [ { uri: makeActionURI("searchengine", {engineName: "AliasedMozSearch", input: "doit mozilla", searchQuery: "mozilla"}), title: "AliasedMozSearch" }, ]
+  });
+
+  yield check_autocomplete({
+    search: "doit mozzarella mozilla",
+    searchParam: "enable-actions",
+    matches: [ { uri: makeActionURI("searchengine", {engineName: "AliasedMozSearch", input: "doit mozzarella mozilla", searchQuery: "mozzarella mozilla"}), title: "AliasedMozSearch" }, ]
+  });
+
+  yield cleanup();
+});
diff --git a/toolkit/components/places/tests/unifiedcomplete/xpcshell.ini b/toolkit/components/places/tests/unifiedcomplete/xpcshell.ini
index bea512368e9..66bf29b625d 100644
--- a/toolkit/components/places/tests/unifiedcomplete/xpcshell.ini
+++ b/toolkit/components/places/tests/unifiedcomplete/xpcshell.ini
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ tail =
 [test_match_beginning.js]
 [test_multi_word_search.js]
 [test_queryurl.js]
+[test_searchEngine_alias.js]
 [test_searchEngine_current.js]
 [test_searchEngine_host.js]
 [test_searchEngine_restyle.js]
diff --git a/toolkit/components/places/tests/unit/test_PlacesSearchAutocompleteProvider.js b/toolkit/components/places/tests/unit/test_PlacesSearchAutocompleteProvider.js
index 2e6628449ba..3b2df432a0e 100644
--- a/toolkit/components/places/tests/unit/test_PlacesSearchAutocompleteProvider.js
+++ b/toolkit/components/places/tests/unit/test_PlacesSearchAutocompleteProvider.js
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ add_task(function* hide_search_engine_nomatch() {
 add_task(function* add_search_engine_match() {
   let promiseTopic = promiseSearchTopic("engine-added");
   do_check_eq(null, yield PlacesSearchAutocompleteProvider.findMatchByToken("bacon"));
-  Services.search.addEngineWithDetails("bacon", "", "bacon", "Search Bacon",
+  Services.search.addEngineWithDetails("bacon", "", "pork", "Search Bacon",
                                        "GET", "http://www.bacon.moz/?search={searchTerms}");
   yield promiseSearchTopic;
   let match = yield PlacesSearchAutocompleteProvider.findMatchByToken("bacon");
@@ -43,6 +43,15 @@ add_task(function* add_search_engine_match() {
   do_check_eq(match.iconUrl, null);
 });
 
+add_task(function* test_aliased_search_engine_match() {
+  do_check_eq(null, yield PlacesSearchAutocompleteProvider.findMatchByAlias("sober"));
+
+  let match = yield PlacesSearchAutocompleteProvider.findMatchByAlias("pork");
+  do_check_eq(match.engineName, "bacon");
+  do_check_eq(match.alias, "pork");
+  do_check_eq(match.iconUrl, null);
+});
+
 add_task(function* remove_search_engine_nomatch() {
   let engine = Services.search.getEngineByName("bacon");
   let promiseTopic = promiseSearchTopic("engine-removed");