diff --git a/gnome-session.changes b/gnome-session.changes
index ac9d340..43e0f81 100644
--- a/gnome-session.changes
+++ b/gnome-session.changes
@@ -1,3 +1,11 @@
+-------------------------------------------------------------------
+Wed Sep 20 12:12:26 UTC 2017 - dimstar@opensuse.org
+
+- Register GNOME with u-a handler for default.desktop
+  implementation, which obsoletes the change in
+  /etc/sysconfig/windowmanager to pick the 'default window manager'
+  (boo#1039756).
+
 -------------------------------------------------------------------
 Fri Sep 15 03:53:53 UTC 2017 - xwang@suse.com
 
diff --git a/gnome-session.spec b/gnome-session.spec
index 0312609..96dee81 100644
--- a/gnome-session.spec
+++ b/gnome-session.spec
@@ -31,9 +31,6 @@ BuildRequires:  fdupes
 BuildRequires:  intltool
 BuildRequires:  pkgconfig
 BuildRequires:  tcpd-devel
-%if !0%{?is_opensuse}
-BuildRequires:  translation-update-upstream
-%endif
 BuildRequires:  update-desktop-files
 BuildRequires:  xsltproc
 BuildRequires:  pkgconfig(dbus-glib-1) >= 0.76
@@ -59,6 +56,9 @@ BuildRequires:  pkgconfig(xtst)
 Requires:       %{name}-core = %{version}
 Requires:       %{name}-default-session = %{version}
 Recommends:     %{name}-lang
+%if !0%{?is_opensuse}
+BuildRequires:  translation-update-upstream
+%endif
 # gnome-session-wayland not recommended by default yet: causes various issues:
 # qemu's default video mode is 'cirrus', which stays black with GNOME Wayland
 # YaST cannot be started without additional tricks
@@ -137,11 +137,26 @@ install -m644 %{SOURCE3} %{buildroot}%{_datadir}/wayland-sessions/sle-classic.de
 rm -fr %{buildroot}%{_datadir}/wayland-sessions
 %endif
 
+# Prepare for 'default.desktop' being update-alternative handled, boo#1039756
+mkdir -p %{buildroot}%{_sysconfdir}/alternatives
+touch %{buildroot}%{_sysconfdir}/alternatives/default-xsession.desktop
+ln -s %{_sysconfdir}/alternatives/default-xsession.desktop %{buildroot}%{_datadir}/xsessions/default.desktop
+
+%post
+%{_sbindir}/update-alternatives --install %{_datadir}/xsessions/default.desktop \
+  default-xsession.desktop %{_datadir}/xsessions/gnome.desktop 25
+
+%postun
+[ -f %{_datadir}/xsessions/gnome.desktop ] || %{_sbindir}/update-alternatives \
+  --remove default-xsession.desktop %{_datadir}/xsessions/gnome.desktop
+
 %files
 %defattr (-, root, root)
 %{_bindir}/gnome
+%{_datadir}/xsessions/default.desktop
 %{_datadir}/xsessions/gnome.desktop
 %{_datadir}/xsessions/gnome-xorg.desktop
+%ghost %{_sysconfdir}/alternatives/default-xsession.desktop
 
 %files default-session
 %defattr (-, root, root)