diff --git a/library/Core.cpp b/library/Core.cpp
index 59334906d..826576b77 100644
--- a/library/Core.cpp
+++ b/library/Core.cpp
@@ -752,6 +752,7 @@ Core::Core()
     misc_data_mutex=0;
     last_world_data_ptr = NULL;
     last_local_map_ptr = NULL;
+    last_pause_state = false;
     top_viewscreen = NULL;
     screen_window = NULL;
     server = NULL;
@@ -1116,6 +1117,15 @@ int Core::Update()
         }
     }
 
+    if (df::global::pause_state)
+    {
+        if (*df::global::pause_state != last_pause_state)
+        {
+            onStateChange(out, last_pause_state ? SC_UNPAUSED : SC_PAUSED);
+            last_pause_state = *df::global::pause_state;
+        }
+    }
+
     // Execute per-frame handlers
     onUpdate(out);
 
diff --git a/library/include/Core.h b/library/include/Core.h
index e4d1080d6..0d5d3150e 100644
--- a/library/include/Core.h
+++ b/library/include/Core.h
@@ -75,7 +75,9 @@ namespace DFHack
         SC_MAP_UNLOADED = 3,
         SC_VIEWSCREEN_CHANGED = 4,
         SC_CORE_INITIALIZED = 5,
-        SC_BEGIN_UNLOAD = 6
+        SC_BEGIN_UNLOAD = 6,
+        SC_PAUSED = 7,
+        SC_UNPAUSED = 8
     };
 
     // Core is a singleton. Why? Because it is closely tied to SDL calls. It tracks the global state of DF.
@@ -221,6 +223,7 @@ namespace DFHack
         // for state change tracking
         void *last_local_map_ptr;
         df::viewscreen *top_viewscreen;
+        bool last_pause_state;
         // Very important!
         bool started;
 
diff --git a/library/lua/dfhack.lua b/library/lua/dfhack.lua
index d56d4df60..86ea1459f 100644
--- a/library/lua/dfhack.lua
+++ b/library/lua/dfhack.lua
@@ -39,6 +39,8 @@ if dfhack.is_core_context then
     SC_MAP_UNLOADED = 3
     SC_VIEWSCREEN_CHANGED = 4
     SC_CORE_INITIALIZED = 5
+    SC_PAUSED = 7
+    SC_UNPAUSED = 8
 end
 
 -- Error handling
diff --git a/plugins/ruby/ruby.cpp b/plugins/ruby/ruby.cpp
index 6dd0b39c8..08ea13b9f 100644
--- a/plugins/ruby/ruby.cpp
+++ b/plugins/ruby/ruby.cpp
@@ -194,6 +194,8 @@ DFhackCExport command_result plugin_onstatechange ( color_ostream &out, state_ch
         // if we go through plugin_eval at BEGIN_UNLOAD, it'll
         // try to get the suspend lock and deadlock at df exit
         case SC_BEGIN_UNLOAD : return CR_OK;
+        SCASE(PAUSED);
+        SCASE(UNPAUSED);
 #undef SCASE
     }