diff --git a/spring-integration-adapters/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/adapter/config/spring-integration-adapters-1.0.xsd b/spring-integration-adapters/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/adapter/config/spring-integration-adapters-1.0.xsd
index e61e00f5af..da8572d532 100644
--- a/spring-integration-adapters/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/adapter/config/spring-integration-adapters-1.0.xsd
+++ b/spring-integration-adapters/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/adapter/config/spring-integration-adapters-1.0.xsd
@@ -102,6 +102,7 @@
 			</xsd:annotation>
 			<xsd:attribute name="id" type="xsd:string"/>
 			<xsd:attribute name="mail-sender" type="xsd:string"/>
+			<xsd:attribute name="header-generator" type="xsd:string"/>
 			<xsd:attribute name="host" type="xsd:string"/>
 			<xsd:attribute name="username" type="xsd:string"/>
 			<xsd:attribute name="password" type="xsd:string"/>
diff --git a/spring-integration-adapters/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/adapter/mail/config/MailTargetAdapterParser.java b/spring-integration-adapters/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/adapter/mail/config/MailTargetAdapterParser.java
index 1d743463e0..f0c337fe54 100644
--- a/spring-integration-adapters/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/adapter/mail/config/MailTargetAdapterParser.java
+++ b/spring-integration-adapters/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/adapter/mail/config/MailTargetAdapterParser.java
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ public class MailTargetAdapterParser extends AbstractSingleBeanDefinitionParser
 		String host = element.getAttribute("host");
 		String username = element.getAttribute("username");
 		String password = element.getAttribute("password");
+		String headerGeneratorRef = element.getAttribute("header-generator");
 		if (StringUtils.hasText(mailSenderRef)) {
 			if (StringUtils.hasText(host) || StringUtils.hasText(username) || StringUtils.hasText(password)) {
 				throw new MessagingConfigurationException("The 'host', 'username', and 'password' properties " +
@@ -77,6 +78,10 @@ public class MailTargetAdapterParser extends AbstractSingleBeanDefinitionParser
 		else {
 			throw new MessagingConfigurationException("Either a 'mail-sender' reference or 'host' property is required.");
 		}
+		if (StringUtils.hasText(headerGeneratorRef)) {
+			adapterDef.getPropertyValues().addPropertyValue(
+					"headerGenerator", new RuntimeBeanReference(headerGeneratorRef));
+		}
 		String adapterBeanName = parserContext.getReaderContext().generateBeanName(adapterDef);
 		parserContext.registerBeanComponent(new BeanComponentDefinition(adapterDef, adapterBeanName));
 		builder.addPropertyReference("handler", adapterBeanName);
diff --git a/spring-integration-adapters/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/adapter/mail/config/MailTargetAdapterParserTests.java b/spring-integration-adapters/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/adapter/mail/config/MailTargetAdapterParserTests.java
index dcb4367220..be36927d7b 100644
--- a/spring-integration-adapters/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/adapter/mail/config/MailTargetAdapterParserTests.java
+++ b/spring-integration-adapters/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/adapter/mail/config/MailTargetAdapterParserTests.java
@@ -16,16 +16,21 @@
 
 package org.springframework.integration.adapter.mail.config;
 
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertNotNull;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;
 
 import org.junit.Test;
 
+import org.springframework.beans.DirectFieldAccessor;
 import org.springframework.context.ApplicationContext;
 import org.springframework.context.support.ClassPathXmlApplicationContext;
+import org.springframework.integration.adapter.mail.MailHeaderGenerator;
 import org.springframework.integration.adapter.mail.MailTargetAdapter;
 import org.springframework.integration.endpoint.DefaultMessageEndpoint;
 import org.springframework.integration.handler.MessageHandler;
+import org.springframework.integration.message.Message;
+import org.springframework.mail.MailMessage;
 
 /**
  * @author Mark Fisher
@@ -52,4 +57,25 @@ public class MailTargetAdapterParserTests {
 		assertTrue(handler instanceof MailTargetAdapter);
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	public void testAdapterWithHeaderGeneratorReference() {
+		ApplicationContext context = new ClassPathXmlApplicationContext(
+				"mailTargetAdapterParserTests.xml", this.getClass());
+		DefaultMessageEndpoint endpoint = (DefaultMessageEndpoint) context.getBean("adapterWithHeaderGeneratorReference");
+		MessageHandler handler = endpoint.getHandler();
+		assertNotNull(handler);
+		assertTrue(handler instanceof MailTargetAdapter);
+		DirectFieldAccessor fieldAccessor = new DirectFieldAccessor(handler);
+		MailHeaderGenerator headerGenerator =
+				(MailHeaderGenerator) fieldAccessor.getPropertyValue("mailHeaderGenerator");
+		assertEquals(TestHeaderGenerator.class, headerGenerator.getClass());
+	}
+
+
+	public static class TestHeaderGenerator implements MailHeaderGenerator {
+
+		public void populateMailMessageHeader(MailMessage mailMessage, Message<?> message) {
+		}
+	}
+
 }
diff --git a/spring-integration-adapters/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/adapter/mail/config/mailTargetAdapterParserTests.xml b/spring-integration-adapters/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/adapter/mail/config/mailTargetAdapterParserTests.xml
index 0699350033..53d1bd0200 100644
--- a/spring-integration-adapters/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/adapter/mail/config/mailTargetAdapterParserTests.xml
+++ b/spring-integration-adapters/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/adapter/mail/config/mailTargetAdapterParserTests.xml
@@ -24,4 +24,10 @@
 		</constructor-arg>
 	</bean>
 
+	<si:mail-target id="adapterWithHeaderGeneratorReference" mail-sender="mailSender" channel="testChannel"
+			header-generator="testHeaderGenerator"/>
+
+	<bean id="testHeaderGenerator"
+			class="org.springframework.integration.adapter.mail.config.MailTargetAdapterParserTests$TestHeaderGenerator"/>
+
 </beans>
\ No newline at end of file