diff --git a/config/menus_edit.cfg b/config/menus_edit.cfg
index 992d6fc5..09494a40 100644
--- a/config/menus_edit.cfg
+++ b/config/menus_edit.cfg
@@ -344,7 +344,7 @@ menuinit [
             push __distribution (getmapmodelattributes (mapmodelslotname $__mmslot) distribution)
             if (! (strlen $__distribution)) [ __distribution = "custom/unsorted" ]
             menuitem (concat "Distribution:" (pop __distribution)) -1
-            looplist [defaults "Defaults:" usage "Usage:" license "License:" version "Version:"] [attr hd] [ // also possible: desc "Desc:" author "Author:"
+            looplist [defaults "Defaults:" usage "Usage:" license "License:" version "Version:" requires "Requires:"] [attr hd] [ // also possible: desc "Desc:" author "Author:"
                 attr = (getmapmodelattributes (mapmodelslotname $__mmslot) $attr)
                 if (strlen $attr) [
                     menuitem (concat $hd $attr) -1
@@ -365,6 +365,9 @@ menuinit [
             looplist (mapmodelslotusage $__mmslot) ii [
                 menuitem (concatword "slot used by map entity #" $ii) (concat gotoentity $ii) (concat gotoentity $ii)
             ]
+            if (strcmp " " (mapmodelslotusage $__mmslot)) [
+                menuitem "(this model is required by another model)" -1
+            ]
             menuitem "" -1 (concat gotoposition (gotoposition))
         ][
             menuitem "" -1
diff --git a/source/src/model.h b/source/src/model.h
index a5e4c13d..9e3c8a77 100644
--- a/source/src/model.h
+++ b/source/src/model.h
@@ -67,9 +67,10 @@ struct model
     virtual void endrender() {}
 };
 
-struct mapmodelinfo { int rad, h, zoff; float scale; string name; model *m; };
+struct mapmodelinfo { int rad, h, zoff; float scale; string name; model *m; int flags; };
 
-enum { MMA_KEYWORDS = 0, MMA_DESC, MMA_DEFAULTPARAMS, MMA_USAGE, MMA_AUTHOR, MMA_LICENSE, MMA_DISTRIBUTION, MMA_VERSION, MMA_NUM };
+enum { MMA_KEYWORDS = 0, MMA_DESC, MMA_DEFAULTPARAMS, MMA_USAGE, MMA_AUTHOR, MMA_LICENSE, MMA_DISTRIBUTION, MMA_VERSION, MMA_REQUIRES, MMA_NUM };
+enum { MMF_REQUIRED = 1<<0, MMF_TEMP_USED = 1<<30, MMF_CONFIGMASK = 0xff };
 
 struct mapmodelattributes
 {
diff --git a/source/src/protos.h b/source/src/protos.h
index df003804..15f133c4 100644
--- a/source/src/protos.h
+++ b/source/src/protos.h
@@ -898,6 +898,7 @@ extern void renderclients();
 extern void renderclient(playerent *d);
 extern void renderclient(playerent *d, const char *mdlname, const char *vwepname, int tex = 0);
 extern void updateclientname(playerent *d);
+extern void updatemapmodeldependencies();
 extern void writemapmodelattributes();
 extern const char *mmshortname(const char *name);
 
diff --git a/source/src/rendermodel.cpp b/source/src/rendermodel.cpp
index a441fd7c..771b0c1b 100644
--- a/source/src/rendermodel.cpp
+++ b/source/src/rendermodel.cpp
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ void mdlcachelimit(int *limit)
 
 COMMAND(mdlcachelimit, "i");
 
-const char *mdlattrnames[] = { "keywords", "desc", "defaults", "usage", "author", "license", "distribution", "version", "" };
+const char *mdlattrnames[] = { "keywords", "desc", "defaults", "usage", "author", "license", "distribution", "version", "requires", "" };
 
 void mdlattribute(char *attrname, char *val)
 {
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ vector<mapmodelinfo> mapmodels;
 const char *mmpath = "mapmodels/";
 const char *mmshortname(const char *name) { return !strncmp(name, mmpath, strlen(mmpath)) ? name + strlen(mmpath) : name; }
 
-void mapmodel(int *rad, int *h, int *zoff, char *scale, char *name)
+void mapmodel(int *rad, int *h, int *zoff, char *scale, char *name, char *flags)
 {
     if(*scale && *name) // ignore "mapmodel" commands with insufficient parameters
     {
@@ -120,6 +120,8 @@ void mapmodel(int *rad, int *h, int *zoff, char *scale, char *name)
         mmi.h = *h;
         mmi.zoff = *zoff;
         mmi.scale = atof(scale);
+        mmi.flags = 0;
+        if(*flags) mmi.flags = ATOI(flags);
         if(mmi.scale < 0.25f || mmi.scale > 4.0f)
         {
             mmi.scale = 1.0f;
@@ -134,7 +136,7 @@ void mapmodel(int *rad, int *h, int *zoff, char *scale, char *name)
     }
     else flagmapconfigerror(LWW_CONFIGERR * 2);
 }
-COMMAND(mapmodel, "iiiss");
+COMMAND(mapmodel, "iiisss");
 
 void mapmodelreset()
 {
@@ -160,7 +162,7 @@ void mapmodelslotusage(int *n) // returns all entity indices that contain a mapm
 {
     string res = "";
     loopv(ents) if(ents[i].type == MAPMODEL && ents[i].attr2 == *n) concatformatstring(res, "%s%d", i ? " " : "", i);
-    result(res);
+    result(*res ? res : (mapmodels.inrange(*n) && (mapmodels[*n].flags & MMF_REQUIRED) ? " " : res));
 }
 COMMAND(mapmodelslotusage, "i");
 
@@ -433,6 +435,42 @@ void getmapmodelattributes(char *name, char *attr)
 }
 COMMAND(getmapmodelattributes, "ss");
 
+void updatemapmodeldependencies()
+{
+    loopv(mapmodels) mapmodels[i].flags = 0;
+    loopv(ents) if(ents[i].type == MAPMODEL && mapmodels.inrange(ents[i].attr2)) mapmodels[ents[i].attr2].flags |= MMF_TEMP_USED;
+    bool foundone = true;
+    while(foundone)
+    {
+        foundone = false;
+        loopvk(mapmodels) if(mapmodels[k].flags & MMF_TEMP_USED)
+        {
+            const char *name = mmshortname(mapmodels[k].name);
+            mapmodelattributes **ap = mdlregistry.access(name), *a = ap ? *ap : NULL;
+            const char *dep = a ? a->n[MMA_REQUIRES] : NULL;
+            if(dep && *dep)
+            {
+                bool found = false;
+                loopv(mapmodels) if(!strcmp(mmshortname(mapmodels[i].name), dep))
+                {
+                    if(!(mapmodels[i].flags & MMF_TEMP_USED)) foundone = true;
+                    mapmodels[i].flags |= MMF_REQUIRED | MMF_TEMP_USED;
+                    found = true;
+                }
+                if(!found)
+                {
+                    defformatstring(cmd)("mapmodel 0 0 0 0 \"%s\" %d", dep, MMF_REQUIRED);
+                    execute(cmd);
+                    foundone = true;
+                    clientlogf(" mapmodel %s added to config, because %s requires it", dep, name);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    loopv(mapmodels) mapmodels[i].flags &= MMF_CONFIGMASK;
+}
+COMMAND(updatemapmodeldependencies, "");
+
 static int mmasortorder = 0;
 int mmasort(mapmodelattributes **a, mapmodelattributes **b) { return strcmp((*a)->name, (*b)->name); }
 int mmasort2(mapmodelattributes **a, mapmodelattributes **b)
@@ -915,13 +953,15 @@ void preload_entmodels()
 bool preload_mapmodels(bool trydl)
 {
     int missing = 0;
+    loopv(mapmodels) mapmodels[i].flags &= ~MMF_TEMP_USED;
     loopv(ents)
     {
         entity &e = ents[i];
         if(e.type!=MAPMODEL || !mapmodels.inrange(e.attr2)) continue;
-        if(!loadmodel(NULL, e.attr2, trydl)) missing++;
+        mapmodels[ents[i].attr2].flags |= MMF_TEMP_USED;
         if(e.attr4 && lookuptexture(e.attr4, notexture, trydl) == notexture) missing++;
     }
+    loopv(mapmodels) if((mapmodels[i].flags & (MMF_REQUIRED | MMF_TEMP_USED)) && !loadmodel(NULL, i, trydl)) missing++;
     return !missing;
 }
 
diff --git a/source/src/worldio.cpp b/source/src/worldio.cpp
index 30b50b71..b40f56d5 100644
--- a/source/src/worldio.cpp
+++ b/source/src/worldio.cpp
@@ -438,7 +438,9 @@ void getcurrentmapconfig(vector<char> &f, bool onlysounds)
         {
             mapmodelinfo *mmi = getmminfo(i);
             if(!mmi) break;
-            cvecprintf(f, "mapmodel %d %d %d %s \"%s\"\n", mmi->rad, mmi->h, mmi->zoff, mmi->scale == 1.0f ? "0" : floatstr(mmi->scale, true), mmshortname(mmi->name));
+            cvecprintf(f, "mapmodel %d %d %d %s \"%s\"", mmi->rad, mmi->h, mmi->zoff, mmi->scale == 1.0f ? "0" : floatstr(mmi->scale, true), mmshortname(mmi->name));
+            if(mmi->flags & MMF_CONFIGMASK) cvecprintf(f, " %d", mmi->flags & MMF_CONFIGMASK);
+            f.add('\n');
         }
         cvecprintf(f, "\ntexturereset\n");
         loopi(256)
@@ -463,6 +465,7 @@ void getcurrentmapconfig(vector<char> &f, bool onlysounds)
 COMMANDF(dumpmapconfig, "", ()
 {
     vector<char> buf;
+    updatemapmodeldependencies();
     getcurrentmapconfig(buf, false);
     stream *f = openfile("dumpmapconfig.txt", "w");
     if(f) f->write(buf.getbuf(), buf.length() - 1);
@@ -596,6 +599,7 @@ void save_world(char *mname, bool skipoptimise, bool addcomfort)
     if(!f) { conoutf("could not write map to %s", cgzname); return; }
 
     // update embedded config file (if used)
+    updatemapmodeldependencies();
     bool autoembedconfig = (hdr.flags & MHF_AUTOMAPCONFIG) != 0;
     if(autoembedconfig)
     { // write embedded map config