diff --git a/.rubocop.yml b/.rubocop.yml
index 15bcb5df..b0fef47a 100644
--- a/.rubocop.yml
+++ b/.rubocop.yml
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ Lint/UnreachableCode:
 Lint/UselessAccessModifier:
   Enabled: false
 Metrics/AbcSize:
-  Max: 20
+  Max: 21
 Metrics/ClassLength:
   Exclude:
     - !ruby/regexp /features\/.*.rb$/
diff --git a/features/theme.feature b/features/theme.feature
index 0e05d693..7729a0eb 100644
--- a/features/theme.feature
+++ b/features/theme.feature
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ Feature: Writing themes
   Scenario: A theme with SCSS
     Given I have a configuration file with "theme" set to "test-theme"
     And I have a css directory
-    And I have a "css/main.scss" page that contains "@import 'style';"
+    And I have a "css/main.scss" page that contains "@import 'test-theme-black';"
     When I run jekyll build
     Then I should get a zero exit status
     And the _site directory should exist
diff --git a/lib/jekyll.rb b/lib/jekyll.rb
index a9fe696f..3c4def1a 100644
--- a/lib/jekyll.rb
+++ b/lib/jekyll.rb
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ module Jekyll
   autoload :PostReader,          "jekyll/readers/post_reader"
   autoload :PageReader,          "jekyll/readers/page_reader"
   autoload :StaticFileReader,    "jekyll/readers/static_file_reader"
+  autoload :ThemeAssetsReader,   "jekyll/readers/theme_assets_reader"
   autoload :LogAdapter,          "jekyll/log_adapter"
   autoload :Page,                "jekyll/page"
   autoload :PluginManager,       "jekyll/plugin_manager"
diff --git a/lib/jekyll/page.rb b/lib/jekyll/page.rb
index 4e3efe3f..3e3c7ec8 100644
--- a/lib/jekyll/page.rb
+++ b/lib/jekyll/page.rb
@@ -40,7 +40,11 @@ module Jekyll
       @base = base
       @dir  = dir
       @name = name
-      @path = site.in_source_dir(base, dir, name)
+      @path = if site.in_theme_dir(base) == base # we're in a theme
+                site.in_theme_dir(base, dir, name)
+              else
+                site.in_source_dir(base, dir, name)
+              end
 
       process(name)
       read_yaml(File.join(base, dir), name)
diff --git a/lib/jekyll/reader.rb b/lib/jekyll/reader.rb
index abbe923f..7bde499d 100644
--- a/lib/jekyll/reader.rb
+++ b/lib/jekyll/reader.rb
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ module Jekyll
       sort_files!
       @site.data = DataReader.new(site).read(site.config["data_dir"])
       CollectionReader.new(site).read
+      ThemeAssetsReader.new(site).read
     end
 
     # Sorts posts, pages, and static files.
diff --git a/lib/jekyll/readers/theme_assets_reader.rb b/lib/jekyll/readers/theme_assets_reader.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..035c0607
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/jekyll/readers/theme_assets_reader.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+module Jekyll
+  class ThemeAssetsReader
+    attr_reader :site
+    def initialize(site)
+      @site = site
+    end
+
+    def read
+      return unless site.theme && site.theme.assets_path
+
+      Find.find(site.theme.assets_path) do |path|
+        next if File.directory?(path)
+        if File.symlink?(path)
+          Jekyll.logger.warn "Theme reader:", "Ignored symlinked asset: #{path}"
+        else
+          read_theme_asset(path)
+        end
+      end
+    end
+
+    private
+    def read_theme_asset(path)
+      base = site.theme.root
+      dir = File.dirname(path.sub("#{site.theme.root}/", ""))
+      name = File.basename(path)
+
+      if Utils.has_yaml_header?(path)
+        append_unless_exists site.pages,
+          Jekyll::Page.new(site, base, dir, name)
+      else
+        append_unless_exists site.static_files,
+          Jekyll::StaticFile.new(site, base, dir, name)
+      end
+    end
+
+    def append_unless_exists(haystack, new_item)
+      if haystack.any? { |file| file.relative_path == new_item.relative_path }
+        Jekyll.logger.debug "Theme:",
+          "Ignoring #{new_item.relative_path} in theme due to existing file " \
+          "with that path in site."
+        return
+      end
+
+      haystack << new_item
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/lib/jekyll/theme.rb b/lib/jekyll/theme.rb
index 0dd73f78..803004f3 100644
--- a/lib/jekyll/theme.rb
+++ b/lib/jekyll/theme.rb
@@ -18,15 +18,19 @@ module Jekyll
     end
 
     def includes_path
-      path_for :includes
+      path_for "_includes".freeze
     end
 
     def layouts_path
-      path_for :layouts
+      path_for "_layouts".freeze
     end
 
     def sass_path
-      path_for :sass
+      path_for "_sass".freeze
+    end
+
+    def assets_path
+      path_for "assets".freeze
     end
 
     def configure_sass
@@ -43,7 +47,7 @@ module Jekyll
     end
 
     def realpath_for(folder)
-      File.realpath(Jekyll.sanitized_path(root, "_#{folder}"))
+      File.realpath(Jekyll.sanitized_path(root, folder.to_s))
     rescue Errno::ENOENT, Errno::EACCES, Errno::ELOOP
       nil
     end
diff --git a/lib/jekyll/theme_builder.rb b/lib/jekyll/theme_builder.rb
index 33477185..68a5eeab 100644
--- a/lib/jekyll/theme_builder.rb
+++ b/lib/jekyll/theme_builder.rb
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 class Jekyll::ThemeBuilder
   SCAFFOLD_DIRECTORIES = %w(
-    _layouts _includes _sass
+    assets _layouts _includes _sass
   ).freeze
 
   attr_reader :name, :path, :code_of_conduct
diff --git a/site/_docs/themes.md b/site/_docs/themes.md
index 988f6ebd..c7d6d574 100644
--- a/site/_docs/themes.md
+++ b/site/_docs/themes.md
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ Jekyll themes set default layouts, includes, and stylesheets, that can be overri
 
 Jekyll will look first to your site's content, before looking to the theme's defaults, for any requested file in the following folders:
 
+* `/assets`
 * `/_layouts`
 * `/_includes`
 * `/_sass`
@@ -68,6 +69,12 @@ Theme layouts and includes work just like they work in any Jekyll site. Place la
 
 For example, if your theme has a `/_layouts/page.html` file, and a page has `layout: page` in its YAML front matter, Jekyll will first look to the site's `_layouts` folder for a the `page` layout, and if none exists, will use your theme's `page` layout.
 
+### Assets
+
+Any file in `/assets` will be copied over to the user's site upon build unless they have a file with the same relative path. You may ship any kind of asset here: SCSS, an image, a webfont, etc. These files behave just like pages and static files in Jekyll: if the file has [YAML front matter]({{ site.baseurl }}/docs/frontmatter/) at the top, then it will be rendered. If it does not have YAML front matter, it will simply be copied over into the resulting site. This allows theme creators to ship a default `/assets/styles.scss` file which their layouts can depend on as `/assets/styles.css`.
+
+All files in `/assets` will be output into the compiled site in the `/assets` folder just as you'd expect from using Jekyll on your sites.
+
 ### Stylesheets
 
 Your theme's stylesheets should be placed in your theme's `/_sass` folder, again, just as you would when authoring a Jekyll site. Your theme's styles can be included in the user's stylesheet using the `@import` directive.
diff --git a/test/fixtures/test-theme/_sass/style.scss b/test/fixtures/test-theme/_sass/test-theme-black.scss
similarity index 100%
rename from test/fixtures/test-theme/_sass/style.scss
rename to test/fixtures/test-theme/_sass/test-theme-black.scss
diff --git a/test/fixtures/test-theme/_sass/test-theme-red.scss b/test/fixtures/test-theme/_sass/test-theme-red.scss
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0307e17a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/test-theme/_sass/test-theme-red.scss
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+.sample {
+  color: red;
+}
diff --git a/test/fixtures/test-theme/assets/application.coffee b/test/fixtures/test-theme/assets/application.coffee
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..02f33515
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/test-theme/assets/application.coffee
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+---
+---
+alert "From your theme."
diff --git a/test/fixtures/test-theme/assets/img/another-logo.png b/test/fixtures/test-theme/assets/img/another-logo.png
new file mode 120000
index 00000000..bd36e718
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/test-theme/assets/img/another-logo.png
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+logo.png
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/fixtures/test-theme/assets/img/logo.png b/test/fixtures/test-theme/assets/img/logo.png
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0d1cbe53
Binary files /dev/null and b/test/fixtures/test-theme/assets/img/logo.png differ
diff --git a/test/fixtures/test-theme/assets/style.scss b/test/fixtures/test-theme/assets/style.scss
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..47c4a2f1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/test-theme/assets/style.scss
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+---
+---
+@import "test-theme-{{ site.theme-color | default: "red" }}";
diff --git a/test/source/assets/application.coffee b/test/source/assets/application.coffee
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b9f5e1ef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/source/assets/application.coffee
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+---
+---
+alert "From your site."
diff --git a/test/test_filters.rb b/test/test_filters.rb
index b5f0a395..d6ff9eac 100644
--- a/test/test_filters.rb
+++ b/test/test_filters.rb
@@ -475,7 +475,7 @@ class TestFilters < JekyllUnitTest
               g["items"].is_a?(Array),
               "The list of grouped items for '' is not an Array."
             )
-            assert_equal 14, g["items"].size
+            assert_equal 15, g["items"].size
           end
         end
       end
diff --git a/test/test_site.rb b/test/test_site.rb
index 83d6e456..1f0d30a1 100644
--- a/test/test_site.rb
+++ b/test/test_site.rb
@@ -180,6 +180,7 @@ class TestSite < JekyllUnitTest
         %#\ +.md
         .htaccess
         about.html
+        application.coffee
         bar.html
         coffeescript.coffee
         contacts.html
diff --git a/test/test_theme.rb b/test/test_theme.rb
index a448ce30..fd380d95 100644
--- a/test/test_theme.rb
+++ b/test/test_theme.rb
@@ -34,16 +34,16 @@ class TestTheme < JekyllUnitTest
   end
 
   context "path generation" do
-    [:layouts, :includes, :sass].each do |folder|
+    [:assets, :_layouts, :_includes, :_sass].each do |folder|
       should "know the #{folder} path" do
-        expected = File.expand_path("_#{folder}", @expected_root)
-        assert_equal expected, @theme.public_send("#{folder}_path")
+        expected = File.expand_path(folder.to_s, @expected_root)
+        assert_equal expected, @theme.public_send("#{folder.to_s.tr("_", "")}_path")
       end
     end
 
     should "generate folder paths" do
       expected = File.expand_path("./_sass", @expected_root)
-      assert_equal expected, @theme.send(:path_for, :sass)
+      assert_equal expected, @theme.send(:path_for, :_sass)
     end
 
     should "not allow paths outside of the theme root" do
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ class TestTheme < JekyllUnitTest
 
     should "return the resolved path when a symlink & resolved path exists" do
       expected = File.expand_path("./_layouts", @expected_root)
-      assert_equal expected, @theme.send(:path_for, :symlink)
+      assert_equal expected, @theme.send(:path_for, :_symlink)
     end
   end
 
diff --git a/test/test_theme_assets_reader.rb b/test/test_theme_assets_reader.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..fc335248
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/test_theme_assets_reader.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+require "helper"
+
+class TestThemeAssetsReader < JekyllUnitTest
+  def setup
+    @site = fixture_site(
+      "theme"       => "test-theme",
+      "theme-color" => "black"
+    )
+    assert @site.theme
+  end
+
+  def assert_file_with_relative_path(haystack, relative_path)
+    assert haystack.any? { |f|
+      f.relative_path == relative_path
+    }, "Site should read in the #{relative_path} file, " \
+      "but it was not found in #{haystack.inspect}"
+  end
+
+  def refute_file_with_relative_path(haystack, relative_path)
+    refute haystack.any? { |f|
+      f.relative_path == relative_path
+    }, "Site should not have read in the #{relative_path} file, " \
+      "but it was found in #{haystack.inspect}"
+  end
+
+  context "with a valid theme" do
+    should "read all assets" do
+      @site.reset
+      ThemeAssetsReader.new(@site).read
+      assert_file_with_relative_path @site.static_files, "assets/img/logo.png"
+      assert_file_with_relative_path @site.pages, "assets/style.scss"
+    end
+
+    should "convert pages" do
+      @site.process
+
+      file = @site.pages.find { |f| f.relative_path == "assets/style.scss" }
+      refute_nil file
+      assert_equal @site.in_dest_dir("assets/style.css"), file.destination(@site.dest)
+      assert_includes file.output, ".sample {\n  color: black; }"
+    end
+
+    should "not overwrite site content with the same relative path" do
+      @site.reset
+      @site.read
+
+      file = @site.pages.find { |f| f.relative_path == "assets/application.coffee" }
+      refute_nil file
+      assert_includes file.content, "alert \"From your site.\""
+    end
+  end
+
+  context "with a valid theme without an assets dir" do
+    should "not read any assets" do
+      site = fixture_site("theme" => "test-theme")
+      allow(site.theme).to receive(:assets_path).and_return(nil)
+      ThemeAssetsReader.new(site).read
+      refute_file_with_relative_path site.static_files, "assets/img/logo.png"
+      refute_file_with_relative_path site.pages, "assets/style.scss"
+    end
+  end
+
+  context "with no theme" do
+    should "not read any assets" do
+      site = fixture_site("theme" => nil)
+      ThemeAssetsReader.new(site).read
+      refute_file_with_relative_path site.static_files, "assets/img/logo.png"
+      refute_file_with_relative_path site.pages, "assets/style.scss"
+    end
+  end
+end