diff --git a/cmd/ipfs/daemon.go b/cmd/ipfs/daemon.go
index 976550036f57ee6e572aebb9f47e79bff3078cf5..5ceb5b79f7e3cdc2163ae858a2a28eb5351565e9 100644
--- a/cmd/ipfs/daemon.go
+++ b/cmd/ipfs/daemon.go
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/core/corerouting"
 	nodeMount "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/fuse/node"
 	fsrepo "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/repo/fsrepo"
+	migrate "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/repo/fsrepo/migrations"
 	pstore "gx/ipfs/QmQdnfvZQuhdT93LNc5bos52wAmdr3G2p6G8teLJMEN32P/go-libp2p-peerstore"
 	conn "gx/ipfs/QmVCe3SNMjkcPgnpFhZs719dheq6xE7gJwjzV7aWcUM4Ms/go-libp2p/p2p/net/conn"
 	util "gx/ipfs/QmZNVWh8LLjAavuQ2JXuFmuYH3C11xo988vSgp7UQrTRj1/go-ipfs-util"
@@ -30,18 +31,19 @@ import (
 )
 
 const (
+	adjustFDLimitKwd          = "manage-fdlimit"
+	enableGCKwd               = "enable-gc"
 	initOptionKwd             = "init"
-	routingOptionKwd          = "routing"
-	routingOptionSupernodeKwd = "supernode"
-	mountKwd                  = "mount"
-	writableKwd               = "writable"
 	ipfsMountKwd              = "mount-ipfs"
 	ipnsMountKwd              = "mount-ipns"
-	unrestrictedApiAccessKwd  = "unrestricted-api"
-	unencryptTransportKwd     = "disable-transport-encryption"
-	enableGCKwd               = "enable-gc"
-	adjustFDLimitKwd          = "manage-fdlimit"
+	migrateKwd                = "migrate"
+	mountKwd                  = "mount"
 	offlineKwd                = "offline"
+	routingOptionKwd          = "routing"
+	routingOptionSupernodeKwd = "supernode"
+	unencryptTransportKwd     = "disable-transport-encryption"
+	unrestrictedApiAccessKwd  = "unrestricted-api"
+	writableKwd               = "writable"
 	// apiAddrKwd    = "address-api"
 	// swarmAddrKwd  = "address-swarm"
 )
@@ -139,6 +141,7 @@ Headers.
 		cmds.BoolOption(enableGCKwd, "Enable automatic periodic repo garbage collection").Default(false),
 		cmds.BoolOption(adjustFDLimitKwd, "Check and raise file descriptor limits if needed").Default(true),
 		cmds.BoolOption(offlineKwd, "Run offline. Do not connect to the rest of the network but provide local API.").Default(false),
+		cmds.BoolOption(migrateKwd, "If true, assume yes at the migrate prompt. If false, assume no."),
 
 		// TODO: add way to override addresses. tricky part: updating the config if also --init.
 		// cmds.StringOption(apiAddrKwd, "Address for the daemon rpc API (overrides config)"),
@@ -216,9 +219,30 @@ func daemonFunc(req cmds.Request, res cmds.Response) {
 	// acquire the repo lock _before_ constructing a node. we need to make
 	// sure we are permitted to access the resources (datastore, etc.)
 	repo, err := fsrepo.Open(req.InvocContext().ConfigRoot)
-	if err != nil {
+	switch err {
+	default:
 		res.SetError(err, cmds.ErrNormal)
 		return
+	case fsrepo.ErrNeedMigration:
+		domigrate, found, _ := req.Option(migrateKwd).Bool()
+
+		if !found {
+			err = migrate.TryMigrating(fsrepo.RepoVersion)
+		} else if domigrate {
+			err = migrate.RunMigration(fsrepo.RepoVersion)
+		}
+		if err != nil {
+			res.SetError(err, cmds.ErrNormal)
+			return
+		}
+
+		repo, err = fsrepo.Open(req.InvocContext().ConfigRoot)
+		if err != nil {
+			res.SetError(err, cmds.ErrNormal)
+			return
+		}
+	case nil:
+		break
 	}
 
 	cfg, err := ctx.GetConfig()
diff --git a/repo/fsrepo/fsrepo.go b/repo/fsrepo/fsrepo.go
index e6ae0d384d09115852fc95bf9f8ebd60f2e99460..45963ad5198d1fc8fd9102c6248fbb90a7b79100 100644
--- a/repo/fsrepo/fsrepo.go
+++ b/repo/fsrepo/fsrepo.go
@@ -43,8 +43,9 @@ a migration in reverse.
 See https://github.com/ipfs/fs-repo-migrations/blob/master/run.md for details.`
 
 var (
-	ErrNoVersion = errors.New("no version file found, please run 0-to-1 migration tool.\n" + migrationInstructions)
-	ErrOldRepo   = errors.New("ipfs repo found in old '~/.go-ipfs' location, please run migration tool.\n" + migrationInstructions)
+	ErrNoVersion     = errors.New("no version file found, please run 0-to-1 migration tool.\n" + migrationInstructions)
+	ErrOldRepo       = errors.New("ipfs repo found in old '~/.go-ipfs' location, please run migration tool.\n" + migrationInstructions)
+	ErrNeedMigration = errors.New("ipfs repo needs migration.")
 )
 
 type NoRepoError struct {
@@ -141,18 +142,7 @@ func open(repoPath string) (repo.Repo, error) {
 	}
 
 	if RepoVersion > ver {
-		r.lockfile.Close()
-
-		err := mfsr.TryMigrating(RepoVersion)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
-		}
-
-		r.lockfile, err = lockfile.Lock(r.path)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf("reacquiring lock: %s", err)
-		}
-
+		return nil, ErrNeedMigration
 	} else if ver > RepoVersion {
 		// program version too low for existing repo
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf(programTooLowMessage, RepoVersion, ver)
diff --git a/repo/mock.go b/repo/mock.go
index bd8e72af87d786a94d0d8bf1c27b9b3d925d5345..8190a0bda1ba28ee45cf566faf4429ede0e36388 100644
--- a/repo/mock.go
+++ b/repo/mock.go
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/repo/config"
 )
 
-var errTODO = errors.New("TODO")
+var errTODO = errors.New("TODO: mock repo")
 
 // Mock is not thread-safe
 type Mock struct {