diff --git a/akka-cluster-tools/src/main/resources/reference.conf b/akka-cluster-tools/src/main/resources/reference.conf
index ed792f7235..a933cd5837 100644
--- a/akka-cluster-tools/src/main/resources/reference.conf
+++ b/akka-cluster-tools/src/main/resources/reference.conf
@@ -153,3 +153,16 @@ akka.cluster.singleton-proxy {
   buffer-size = 1000 
 }
 # //#singleton-proxy-config
+
+# Serializer for cluster ClusterSingleton messages
+akka.actor {
+  serializers {
+    akka-singleton = "akka.cluster.singleton.protobuf.ClusterSingletonMessageSerializer"
+  }
+  serialization-bindings {
+    "akka.cluster.singleton.ClusterSingletonMessage" = akka-singleton
+  }
+  serialization-identifiers {
+    "akka.cluster.singleton.protobuf.ClusterSingletonMessageSerializer" = 14
+  }
+}
diff --git a/akka-cluster-tools/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/singleton/ClusterSingletonManager.scala b/akka-cluster-tools/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/singleton/ClusterSingletonManager.scala
index 366c4f3e55..8d4cd3c8d7 100644
--- a/akka-cluster-tools/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/singleton/ClusterSingletonManager.scala
+++ b/akka-cluster-tools/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/singleton/ClusterSingletonManager.scala
@@ -111,6 +111,11 @@ final class ClusterSingletonManagerSettings(
     new ClusterSingletonManagerSettings(singletonName, role, removalMargin, handOverRetryInterval)
 }
 
+/**
+ * Marker trait for remote messages with special serializer.
+ */
+sealed trait ClusterSingletonMessage extends Serializable
+
 object ClusterSingletonManager {
 
   /**
@@ -136,25 +141,25 @@ object ClusterSingletonManager {
   /**
    * INTERNAL API
    */
-  private object Internal {
+  private[akka] object Internal {
     /**
      * Sent from new oldest to previous oldest to initiate the
      * hand-over process. `HandOverInProgress` and `HandOverDone`
      * are expected replies.
      */
-    case object HandOverToMe
+    case object HandOverToMe extends ClusterSingletonMessage
     /**
      * Confirmation by the previous oldest that the hand
      * over process, shut down of the singleton actor, has
      * started.
      */
-    case object HandOverInProgress
+    case object HandOverInProgress extends ClusterSingletonMessage
     /**
      * Confirmation by the previous oldest that the singleton
      * actor has been terminated and the hand-over process is
      * completed.
      */
-    case object HandOverDone
+    case object HandOverDone extends ClusterSingletonMessage
     /**
      * Sent from from previous oldest to new oldest to
      * initiate the normal hand-over process.
@@ -162,7 +167,7 @@ object ClusterSingletonManager {
      * oldest immediately, without knowing who was previous
      * oldest.
      */
-    case object TakeOverFromMe
+    case object TakeOverFromMe extends ClusterSingletonMessage
 
     final case class HandOverRetry(count: Int)
     final case class TakeOverRetry(count: Int)
diff --git a/akka-cluster-tools/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/singleton/protobuf/ClusterSingletonMessageSerializer.scala b/akka-cluster-tools/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/singleton/protobuf/ClusterSingletonMessageSerializer.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..63e59a8f17
--- /dev/null
+++ b/akka-cluster-tools/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/singleton/protobuf/ClusterSingletonMessageSerializer.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright (C) 2015 Typesafe Inc. <http://www.typesafe.com>
+ */
+package akka.cluster.singleton.protobuf
+
+import akka.actor.ExtendedActorSystem
+import akka.cluster.singleton.ClusterSingletonManager.Internal.HandOverDone
+import akka.cluster.singleton.ClusterSingletonManager.Internal.HandOverInProgress
+import akka.cluster.singleton.ClusterSingletonManager.Internal.HandOverToMe
+import akka.cluster.singleton.ClusterSingletonManager.Internal.TakeOverFromMe
+import akka.serialization.BaseSerializer
+import akka.serialization.SerializationExtension
+import akka.serialization.SerializerWithStringManifest
+
+/**
+ * INTERNAL API: Serializer of ClusterSingleton messages.
+ * It is actually not using protobuf, but if we add more messages to
+ * the ClusterSingleton we want to make protobuf representations of them.
+ */
+private[akka] class ClusterSingletonMessageSerializer(val system: ExtendedActorSystem)
+  extends SerializerWithStringManifest with BaseSerializer {
+
+  private lazy val serialization = SerializationExtension(system)
+
+  private val HandOverToMeManifest = "A"
+  private val HandOverInProgressManifest = "B"
+  private val HandOverDoneManifest = "C"
+  private val TakeOverFromMeManifest = "D"
+
+  private val emptyByteArray = Array.empty[Byte]
+
+  private val fromBinaryMap = collection.immutable.HashMap[String, Array[Byte] ⇒ AnyRef](
+    HandOverToMeManifest -> { _ ⇒ HandOverToMe },
+    HandOverInProgressManifest -> { _ ⇒ HandOverInProgress },
+    HandOverDoneManifest -> { _ ⇒ HandOverDone },
+    TakeOverFromMeManifest -> { _ ⇒ TakeOverFromMe })
+
+  override def manifest(obj: AnyRef): String = obj match {
+    case HandOverToMe       ⇒ HandOverToMeManifest
+    case HandOverInProgress ⇒ HandOverInProgressManifest
+    case HandOverDone       ⇒ HandOverDoneManifest
+    case TakeOverFromMe     ⇒ TakeOverFromMeManifest
+    case _ ⇒
+      throw new IllegalArgumentException(s"Can't serialize object of type ${obj.getClass} in [${getClass.getName}]")
+  }
+
+  override def toBinary(obj: AnyRef): Array[Byte] = obj match {
+    case HandOverToMe       ⇒ emptyByteArray
+    case HandOverInProgress ⇒ emptyByteArray
+    case HandOverDone       ⇒ emptyByteArray
+    case TakeOverFromMe     ⇒ emptyByteArray
+    case _ ⇒
+      throw new IllegalArgumentException(s"Can't serialize object of type ${obj.getClass} in [${getClass.getName}]")
+  }
+
+  override def fromBinary(bytes: Array[Byte], manifest: String): AnyRef =
+    fromBinaryMap.get(manifest) match {
+      case Some(f) ⇒ f(bytes)
+      case None ⇒ throw new IllegalArgumentException(
+        s"Unimplemented deserialization of message with manifest [$manifest] in [${getClass.getName}]")
+    }
+
+}
diff --git a/akka-cluster-tools/src/test/scala/akka/cluster/singleton/protobuf/ClusterSingletonMessageSerializerSpec.scala b/akka-cluster-tools/src/test/scala/akka/cluster/singleton/protobuf/ClusterSingletonMessageSerializerSpec.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4d87caa7b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/akka-cluster-tools/src/test/scala/akka/cluster/singleton/protobuf/ClusterSingletonMessageSerializerSpec.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright (C) 2015 Typesafe Inc. <http://www.typesafe.com>
+ */
+package akka.cluster.singleton.protobuf
+
+import akka.actor.ExtendedActorSystem
+import akka.testkit.AkkaSpec
+import akka.cluster.singleton.ClusterSingletonManager.Internal.HandOverDone
+import akka.cluster.singleton.ClusterSingletonManager.Internal.HandOverInProgress
+import akka.cluster.singleton.ClusterSingletonManager.Internal.HandOverToMe
+import akka.cluster.singleton.ClusterSingletonManager.Internal.TakeOverFromMe
+
+class ClusterSingletonMessageSerializerSpec extends AkkaSpec {
+
+  val serializer = new ClusterSingletonMessageSerializer(system.asInstanceOf[ExtendedActorSystem])
+
+  def checkSerialization(obj: AnyRef): Unit = {
+    val blob = serializer.toBinary(obj)
+    val ref = serializer.fromBinary(blob, serializer.manifest(obj))
+    ref should ===(obj)
+  }
+
+  "ClusterSingletonMessages" must {
+
+    "be serializable" in {
+      checkSerialization(HandOverDone)
+      checkSerialization(HandOverInProgress)
+      checkSerialization(HandOverToMe)
+      checkSerialization(TakeOverFromMe)
+    }
+  }
+}