diff --git a/roles/darkserver/backend/files/loopback.py b/roles/darkserver/backend/files/loopback.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3b8b02136b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/roles/darkserver/backend/files/loopback.py
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+# This file is for staging only.
+# It instructs all fedmsg processes on this machine to listen to the production
+# bus.. as a kind of loopback.  We have this here so staging darkserver can test
+# against all of the prod activity.
+config = {
+    'endpoints': {
+        'production-loopback': [
+            'tcp://hub.fedoraproject.org:9940',
+        ],
+    },
+}
diff --git a/roles/darkserver/backend/tasks/main.yml b/roles/darkserver/backend/tasks/main.yml
index f4fd19f22a..fce8ddad85 100644
--- a/roles/darkserver/backend/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/roles/darkserver/backend/tasks/main.yml
@@ -9,6 +9,11 @@
   notify:
   - restart fedmsg-hub
 
+- name: install a loopback so we listen to the prod fedmsg bus (only in staging)
+  copy: src=loopback.py dest=/etc/fedmsg.d/loopback.py
+  notify: restart fedmsg-hub
+  when: environment == 'staging'
+
 - name: email.json file
   copy: src=email.json dest=/etc/darkserver/email.json owner=root group=root mode=0644