diff --git a/build_library/check_root b/build_library/check_root
index a6af980ccb..2e5ed60c59 100755
--- a/build_library/check_root
+++ b/build_library/check_root
@@ -84,6 +84,22 @@ IGNORE_SHEBANG = (
     b"*/doc/*",
 )
 
+IGNORE_SYMLINK = (
+    # symlinks to sdk chroot
+    b"/build/*",
+    b"/var/tmp/portage/*",
+    b"/etc/portage/*",
+
+    # symlinks to /run
+    b"/usr/share/baselayout/motd",
+    b"/etc/issue",
+    b"/etc/motd",
+
+    # Other
+    b"/etc/lsb-release"  # set later in the build process
+)
+
+
 def provided_sonames():
     for cpv in VARDB.cpv_all():
         raw = VARDB.aux_get(cpv, ["PROVIDES"])[0]
@@ -94,11 +110,13 @@ def provided_sonames():
     for atom in VARDB.settings.soname_provided:
         yield atom
 
+
 def ignore_sonames(cpv):
     for key in dep.match_to_list(cpv, IGNORE_MISSING.iterkeys()):
         for atom in IGNORE_MISSING[key]:
             yield atom
 
+
 def missing_sonames():
     provided = frozenset(provided_sonames())
     for cpv in VARDB.cpv_all():
@@ -109,6 +127,7 @@ def missing_sonames():
         if missing:
             yield (cpv, missing)
 
+
 def usr_conflicts():
     for cpv in VARDB.cpv_all():
         raw = VARDB.aux_get(cpv, ["CONTENTS"])[0]
@@ -141,6 +160,7 @@ def usr_conflicts():
         if conflicts:
             yield (cpv, conflicts)
 
+
 def check_libs():
     ok = True
     for cpv, sonames in missing_sonames():
@@ -150,6 +170,7 @@ def check_libs():
         ok = False
     return ok
 
+
 def check_usr():
     ok = True
     for cpv, conflicts in usr_conflicts():
@@ -159,11 +180,13 @@ def check_usr():
         ok = False
     return ok
 
+
 def is_exe(path):
     # just check other, assuming root or group only commands are not scripts.
-    perms = stat.S_IROTH|stat.S_IXOTH
+    perms = stat.S_IROTH | stat.S_IXOTH
     mode = os.lstat(path).st_mode
-    return stat.S_ISREG(mode) and mode&perms == perms
+    return stat.S_ISREG(mode) and (mode & perms) == perms
+
 
 def check_shebang():
     ok = True
@@ -171,7 +194,7 @@ def check_shebang():
     root = os.environ.get("ROOT", b"/")
     for parent, _, files in os.walk(root):
         for path in [os.path.join(parent, f) for f in files]:
-            if any(fnmatch.fnmatchcase(path,i) for i in IGNORE_SHEBANG):
+            if any(fnmatch.fnmatchcase(path, i) for i in IGNORE_SHEBANG):
                 continue
             if not is_exe(path):
                 continue
@@ -201,16 +224,66 @@ def check_shebang():
                     ok = False
     return ok
 
+
+class chrooted():
+    """
+    chrooted provides a context so that it can be used via with.
+    For example:
+
+    with chrooted("/some/rootfs"):
+       do_operations_in_rootfs()
+    do_operations_not_in_rootfs()
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, path):
+        self.path = path
+
+    def __enter__(self):
+        self.restore_fd = os.open(b"/", os.O_RDONLY)
+        self.working_dir = os.getcwd()
+
+        os.chroot(self.path)
+
+    def __exit__(self, type, value, traceback):
+        os.fchdir(self.restore_fd)
+        os.chroot(b".")
+        os.chdir(self.working_dir)
+        os.close(self.restore_fd)
+
+
+def check_symlink():
+    if os.getuid() != 0:
+        error("symlink check must be run as root (chroot)")
+        return False
+
+    ok = True
+    root = os.environ.get("ROOT", b"/")
+
+    with chrooted(root):
+        for parent, dirs, files in os.walk(b"/"):
+            for path in [os.path.join(parent, p) for p in files + dirs]:
+                if any(fnmatch.fnmatchcase(path, i) for i in IGNORE_SYMLINK):
+                    continue
+
+                if os.path.islink(path) and not os.path.exists(path):
+                    ok = False
+                    error("broken link: %s", path)
+
+    return ok
+
+
 def error(fmt, *args):
     sys.stderr.write(output.red(fmt % args))
     sys.stderr.write("\n")
 
+
 def main():
     ok = True
     check_funcs = {
             "libs": check_libs,
             "usr": check_usr,
             "shebang": check_shebang,
+            "symlink": check_symlink,
     }
 
     if not sys.stderr.isatty():
diff --git a/build_library/test_image_content.sh b/build_library/test_image_content.sh
index 2136811941..2189e5ec17 100644
--- a/build_library/test_image_content.sh
+++ b/build_library/test_image_content.sh
@@ -56,6 +56,11 @@ test_image_content() {
     #returncode=1
   fi
 
+  if ! sudo ROOT="$root" "$check_root" symlink; then
+    error "test_image_content: Failed symlink check"
+    returncode=1
+  fi
+
   if ! ROOT="$root" glsa_image; then
       returncode=1
   fi