diff --git a/lib/latexfonts b/lib/latexfonts
index 5fd5a2ed55..c0cc9ac027 100644
--- a/lib/latexfonts
+++ b/lib/latexfonts
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 #	ScOption           <option for true smallcaps support>
 #	OsfScOption        <option for combined osf and true smallcaps support>
 #	ScaleOption        <option for font scaling>
+#	Provides           <features provided by the font packages (comma-separated)>
 # EndFont
 #
 #
@@ -127,6 +128,7 @@ Font mdbch
 	Package          mathdesign
 	PackageOption    charter
 	Requires         mdbch
+	Provides         amssymb,amsfonts
 EndFont
 
 Font mdput
@@ -138,6 +140,7 @@ Font mdput
 	Package          mathdesign
 	PackageOption    utopia
 	Requires         mdput
+	Provides         amssymb,amsfonts
 EndFont
 
 Font mdugm
@@ -149,6 +152,7 @@ Font mdugm
 	Package          mathdesign
 	PackageOption    garamond
 	Requires         mdugm
+	Provides         amssymb,amsfonts
 EndFont
 
 Font newcent
diff --git a/src/BufferParams.cpp b/src/BufferParams.cpp
index 24613e5bf8..6379c399e6 100644
--- a/src/BufferParams.cpp
+++ b/src/BufferParams.cpp
@@ -1204,7 +1204,7 @@ void BufferParams::validate(LaTeXFeatures & features) const
 		if (it->first == "amsmath") {
 			// AMS Style is at document level
 			if (it->second == package_on ||
-			    documentClass().provides("amsmath"))
+			    features.isProvided("amsmath"))
 				features.require(it->first);
 		} else if (it->second == package_on)
 			features.require(it->first);
@@ -1372,7 +1372,7 @@ bool BufferParams::writeLaTeX(otexstream & os, LaTeXFeatures & features,
 		features.useLanguage(default_language);
 
 	ostringstream language_options;
-	bool const use_babel = features.useBabel() && !tclass.provides("babel");
+	bool const use_babel = features.useBabel() && !features.isProvided("babel");
 	bool const use_polyglossia = features.usePolyglossia();
 	bool const global = lyxrc.language_global_options;
 	if (use_babel || (use_polyglossia && global)) {
@@ -1432,7 +1432,7 @@ bool BufferParams::writeLaTeX(otexstream & os, LaTeXFeatures & features,
 	// LFE encoding
 	// XeTeX and LuaTeX (with OS fonts) work without fontenc
 	if (font_encoding() != "default" && language->lang() != "japanese"
-	    && !useNonTeXFonts && !tclass.provides("fontenc")) {
+	    && !useNonTeXFonts && !features.isProvided("fontenc")) {
 		size_t fars = language_options.str().find("farsi");
 		size_t arab = language_options.str().find("arabic");
 		if (language->lang() == "arabic_arabi"
@@ -1490,7 +1490,7 @@ bool BufferParams::writeLaTeX(otexstream & os, LaTeXFeatures & features,
 		os << from_utf8(par)
 		   << "}\n";
 	}
-	if (!tclass.provides("geometry")
+	if (!features.isProvided("geometry")
 	    && (use_geometry || nonstandard_papersize)) {
 		odocstringstream ods;
 		if (!getGraphicsDriver("geometry").empty())
@@ -1765,7 +1765,7 @@ bool BufferParams::writeLaTeX(otexstream & os, LaTeXFeatures & features,
 	}
 
 	// Line spacing
-	lyxpreamble += from_utf8(spacing().writePreamble(tclass.provides("SetSpace")));
+	lyxpreamble += from_utf8(spacing().writePreamble(features.isProvided("SetSpace")));
 
 	// PDF support.
 	// * Hyperref manual: "Make sure it comes last of your loaded
@@ -1783,7 +1783,7 @@ bool BufferParams::writeLaTeX(otexstream & os, LaTeXFeatures & features,
 
 		OutputParams tmp_params = features.runparams();
 		pdfoptions().writeLaTeX(tmp_params, os,
-					documentClass().provides("hyperref"));
+					features.isProvided("hyperref"));
 		// set back for the rest
 		lyxpreamble.clear();
 		// correctly break URLs with hyperref and dvi output
diff --git a/src/LaTeXFeatures.cpp b/src/LaTeXFeatures.cpp
index 6b4f4b3cbc..34c2a0177f 100644
--- a/src/LaTeXFeatures.cpp
+++ b/src/LaTeXFeatures.cpp
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 #include "Floating.h"
 #include "FloatList.h"
 #include "Language.h"
+#include "LaTeXFonts.h"
 #include "LaTeXPackages.h"
 #include "Layout.h"
 #include "Lexer.h"
@@ -317,7 +318,7 @@ LaTeXFeatures::LangPackage LaTeXFeatures::langPackage(bool englishbabel) const
 	bool const polyglossia_required =
 		isRequired("polyglossia")
 		&& isAvailable("polyglossia")
-		&& !params_.documentClass().provides("babel")
+		&& !isProvided("babel")
 		&& this->hasOnlyPolyglossiaLanguages();
 	bool const babel_required = 
 		((englishbabel || bufferParams().language->lang() != "english")
@@ -435,9 +436,17 @@ bool LaTeXFeatures::isRequired(string const & name) const
 }
 
 
+bool LaTeXFeatures::isProvided(string const & name) const
+{
+	return params_.documentClass().provides(name)
+		|| theLaTeXFonts().getLaTeXFont(from_ascii(params_.fonts_roman)).provides(name)
+		|| theLaTeXFonts().getLaTeXFont(from_ascii(params_.fonts_sans)).provides(name)
+		|| theLaTeXFonts().getLaTeXFont(from_ascii(params_.fonts_typewriter)).provides(name);
+}
+
 bool LaTeXFeatures::mustProvide(string const & name) const
 {
-	return isRequired(name) && !params_.documentClass().provides(name);
+	return isRequired(name) && !isProvided(name);
 }
 
 
@@ -721,7 +730,6 @@ string const LaTeXFeatures::getColorOptions() const
 string const LaTeXFeatures::getPackages() const
 {
 	ostringstream packages;
-	DocumentClass const & tclass = params_.documentClass();
 
 	// FIXME: currently, we can only load packages and macros known
 	// to LyX.
@@ -792,9 +800,9 @@ string const LaTeXFeatures::getPackages() const
 
 	// makeidx.sty
 	if (isRequired("makeidx") || isRequired("splitidx")) {
-		if (!tclass.provides("makeidx") && !isRequired("splitidx"))
+		if (!isProvided("makeidx") && !isRequired("splitidx"))
 			packages << "\\usepackage{makeidx}\n";
-		if (!tclass.provides("splitidx") && isRequired("splitidx"))
+		if (mustProvide("splitidx"))
 			packages << "\\usepackage{splitidx}\n";
 		packages << "\\makeindex\n";
 	}
@@ -814,7 +822,7 @@ string const LaTeXFeatures::getPackages() const
 		packages << "\\usepackage[ps,mover]{lyxskak}\n";
 
 	// setspace.sty
-	if (mustProvide("setspace") && !tclass.provides("SetSpace"))
+	if (mustProvide("setspace") && !isProvided("SetSpace"))
 		packages << "\\usepackage{setspace}\n";
 
 	// esint must be after amsmath and wasysym, since it will redeclare
@@ -827,7 +835,7 @@ string const LaTeXFeatures::getPackages() const
 	// Some classes load natbib themselves, but still allow (or even require)
 	// plain numeric citations (ReVTeX is such a case, see bug 5182).
 	// This special case is indicated by the "natbib-internal" key.
-	if (mustProvide("natbib") && !tclass.provides("natbib-internal")) {
+	if (mustProvide("natbib") && !isProvided("natbib-internal")) {
 		packages << "\\usepackage[";
 		if (params_.citeEngineType() == ENGINE_TYPE_NUMERICAL)
 			packages << "numbers";
diff --git a/src/LaTeXFeatures.h b/src/LaTeXFeatures.h
index 9bbc247d89..46608fd73d 100644
--- a/src/LaTeXFeatures.h
+++ b/src/LaTeXFeatures.h
@@ -101,9 +101,12 @@ public:
 	static bool isAvailable(std::string const & name);
 	/// Has the package been required?
 	bool isRequired(std::string const & name) const;
+	/** Is this feature already provided
+	 *  e.g. by the document class?
+	*/
+	bool isProvided(std::string const & name) const;
 	/** Is it necessary to load the package? This is true if
-	    isRequired is true and the feature is not provided by the
-	    textclass.
+	    isRequired is true and the feature is not already provided
 	*/
 	bool mustProvide(std::string const & name) const;
 	///
diff --git a/src/LaTeXFonts.cpp b/src/LaTeXFonts.cpp
index b603f81ae2..70c500543b 100644
--- a/src/LaTeXFonts.cpp
+++ b/src/LaTeXFonts.cpp
@@ -78,6 +78,17 @@ bool LaTeXFont::providesScale(bool ot1) const
 	return (!scaleoption_.empty());
 }
 
+bool LaTeXFont::provides(std::string const & name) const
+{
+	if (provides_.empty())
+		return false;
+	for (size_t i = 0; i < provides_.size(); ++i) {
+		if (provides_[i] == name)
+			return true;
+	}
+	return false;
+}
+
 
 string const LaTeXFont::getAvailablePackage(bool dryrun, bool ot1, bool complete, bool & alt)
 {
@@ -206,6 +217,7 @@ bool LaTeXFont::readFont(Lexer & lex)
 		LF_OT1_PACKAGE,
 		LF_PACKAGE,
 		LF_PACKAGEOPTION,
+		LF_PROVIDES,
 		LF_REQUIRES,
 		LF_SCALEOPTION,
 		LF_SCOPTION,
@@ -225,6 +237,7 @@ bool LaTeXFont::readFont(Lexer & lex)
 		{ "ot1package",           LF_OT1_PACKAGE },
 		{ "package",              LF_PACKAGE },
 		{ "packageoption",        LF_PACKAGEOPTION },
+		{ "provides",             LF_PROVIDES },
 		{ "requires",             LF_REQUIRES },
 		{ "scaleoption",          LF_SCALEOPTION },
 		{ "scoption",             LF_SCOPTION },
@@ -255,8 +268,8 @@ bool LaTeXFont::readFont(Lexer & lex)
 			finished = true;
 			break;
 		case LF_ALT_PACKAGES: {
-			docstring altp;
-			lex >> altp;
+			lex.eatLine();
+			docstring altp = lex.getDocString();
 			altpackages_ = getVectorFromString(altp);
 			break;
 		}
@@ -287,6 +300,12 @@ bool LaTeXFont::readFont(Lexer & lex)
 		case LF_PACKAGEOPTION:
 			lex >> packageoption_;
 			break;
+		case LF_PROVIDES: {
+			lex.eatLine();
+			string features = lex.getString();
+			provides_ = getVectorFromString(features);
+			break;
+		}
 		case LF_REQUIRES:
 			lex >> requires_;
 			break;
diff --git a/src/LaTeXFonts.h b/src/LaTeXFonts.h
index b4d7d43496..54ed5ad9c4 100644
--- a/src/LaTeXFonts.h
+++ b/src/LaTeXFonts.h
@@ -55,6 +55,8 @@ public:
 	docstring const & scaleoption() { return scaleoption_; }
 	/// Alternative requirement to test for
 	docstring const & requires() { return requires_; }
+	/// Does this font provide a given \p feature
+	bool provides(std::string const & name) const;
 	/// Issue the familydefault switch
 	bool switchdefault() const { return switchdefault_; }
 	/// Is this font available?
@@ -111,6 +113,8 @@ private:
 	///
 	docstring scaleoption_;
 	///
+	std::vector<std::string> provides_;
+	///
 	docstring requires_;
 	///
 	bool switchdefault_;