diff --git a/build-aux/hydra/gnu-system.scm b/build-aux/hydra/gnu-system.scm
index b1554ced4c..7234e2d0e8 100644
--- a/build-aux/hydra/gnu-system.scm
+++ b/build-aux/hydra/gnu-system.scm
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 ;;; GNU Guix --- Functional package management for GNU
 ;;; Copyright © 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 Ludovic Courtès <ludo@gnu.org>
 ;;; Copyright © 2017 Jan Nieuwenhuizen <janneke@gnu.org>
+;;; Copyright © 2018 Clément Lassieur <clement@lassieur.org>
 ;;;
 ;;; This file is part of GNU Guix.
 ;;;
@@ -56,6 +57,7 @@
              (guix packages)
              (guix derivations)
              (guix monads)
+             (guix ui)
              ((guix licenses) #:select (gpl3+))
              ((guix utils) #:select (%current-system))
              ((guix scripts system) #:select (read-operating-system))
@@ -311,6 +313,30 @@ valid."
                           packages)))
                  #:select? (const #t)))           ;include hidden packages
 
+(define (arguments->manifests arguments)
+  "Return the list of manifests extracted from ARGUMENTS."
+  (map (match-lambda
+         ((input-name . relative-path)
+          (let* ((checkout (assq-ref arguments (string->symbol input-name)))
+                 (base (assq-ref checkout 'file-name)))
+            (in-vicinity base relative-path))))
+       (assq-ref arguments 'manifests)))
+
+(define (manifests->packages store manifests)
+  "Return the list of packages found in MANIFESTS."
+  (define (load-manifest manifest)
+    (save-module-excursion
+     (lambda ()
+       (set-current-module (make-user-module '((guix profiles) (gnu))))
+       (primitive-load manifest))))
+
+  (parameterize ((%graft? #f))
+    (delete-duplicates!
+     (map manifest-entry-item
+          (append-map (compose manifest-entries
+                               load-manifest)
+                      manifests)))))
+
 
 ;;;
 ;;; Hydra entry point.
@@ -323,6 +349,7 @@ valid."
       ("core" 'core)                              ; only build core packages
       ("hello" 'hello)                            ; only build hello
       (((? string?) (? string?) ...) 'list)       ; only build selected list of packages
+      ("manifests" 'manifests)                    ; only build packages in the list of manifests
       (_ 'all)))                                  ; build everything
 
   (define systems
@@ -419,6 +446,14 @@ valid."
                                                  package system))
                                   packages))
                          '()))
+                    ((manifests)
+                     ;; Build packages in the list of manifests.
+                     (let* ((manifests (arguments->manifests arguments))
+                            (packages (manifests->packages store manifests)))
+                       (map (lambda (package)
+                              (package-job store (job-name package)
+                                           package system))
+                            packages)))
                     (else
                      (error "unknown subset" subset))))
                 systems)))
diff --git a/doc/guix.texi b/doc/guix.texi
index 19a497c746..cccf166d03 100644
--- a/doc/guix.texi
+++ b/doc/guix.texi
@@ -18165,23 +18165,43 @@ The type of the Cuirass service.  Its value must be a
 @code{cuirass-configuration} object, as described below.
 @end defvr
 
-To add build jobs, you have to set the @code{specifications} field of
-the configuration.  Here is an example of a service defining a build job
-based on a specification that can be found in Cuirass source tree.  This
-service polls the Guix repository and builds a subset of the Guix
-packages, as prescribed in the @file{gnu-system.scm} example spec:
+To add build jobs, you have to set the @code{specifications} field of the
+configuration.  Here is an example of a service that polls the Guix repository
+and builds the packages from a manifest.  Some of the packages are defined in
+the @code{"custom-packages"} input, which is the equivalent of
+@code{GUIX_PACKAGE_PATH}.
 
 @example
-(let ((spec #~((#:name . "guix")
-               (#:url . "git://git.savannah.gnu.org/guix.git")
-               (#:load-path . ".")
-               (#:file . "build-aux/cuirass/gnu-system.scm")
-               (#:proc . cuirass-jobs)
-               (#:arguments (subset . "hello"))
-               (#:branch . "master"))))
-  (service cuirass-service-type
-           (cuirass-configuration
-            (specifications #~(list '#$spec)))))
+(define %cuirass-specs
+  #~(list
+     '((#:name . "my-manifest")
+       (#:load-path-inputs . ("guix"))
+       (#:package-path-inputs . ("custom-packages"))
+       (#:proc-input . "guix")
+       (#:proc-file . "build-aux/cuirass/gnu-system.scm")
+       (#:proc . cuirass-jobs)
+       (#:proc-args . ((subset . "manifests")
+                       (systems . ("x86_64-linux"))
+                       (manifests . (("config" . "guix/manifest.scm")))))
+       (#:inputs . (((#:name . "guix")
+                     (#:url . "git://git.savannah.gnu.org/guix.git")
+                     (#:load-path . ".")
+                     (#:branch . "master")
+                     (#:no-compile? . #t))
+                    ((#:name . "config")
+                     (#:url . "git://git.example.org/config.git")
+                     (#:load-path . ".")
+                     (#:branch . "master")
+                     (#:no-compile? . #t))
+                    ((#:name . "custom-packages")
+                     (#:url . "git://git.example.org/custom-packages.git")
+                     (#:load-path . ".")
+                     (#:branch . "master")
+                     (#:no-compile? . #t)))))))
+
+(service cuirass-service-type
+         (cuirass-configuration
+          (specifications %cuirass-specs)))
 @end example
 
 While information related to build jobs is located directly in the
@@ -18208,7 +18228,7 @@ Owner's group of the @code{cuirass} process.
 Number of seconds between the poll of the repositories followed by the
 Cuirass jobs.
 
-@item @code{database} (default: @code{"/var/run/cuirass/cuirass.db"})
+@item @code{database} (default: @code{"/var/lib/cuirass/cuirass.db"})
 Location of sqlite database which contains the build results and previously
 added specifications.