diff --git a/dom/plugins/PluginModuleParent.cpp b/dom/plugins/PluginModuleParent.cpp
index da5a4602a382..748774e03a87 100644
--- a/dom/plugins/PluginModuleParent.cpp
+++ b/dom/plugins/PluginModuleParent.cpp
@@ -48,9 +48,6 @@
 
 #include "nsContentUtils.h"
 #include "nsCRT.h"
-#ifdef MOZ_CRASHREPORTER
-#  include "nsExceptionHandler.h"
-#endif
 #include "nsNPAPIPlugin.h"
 
 using base::KillProcess;
@@ -261,10 +258,8 @@ PluginModuleParent::ActorDestroy(ActorDestroyReason why)
 {
     switch (why) {
     case AbnormalShutdown: {
-#ifdef MOZ_CRASHREPORTER
         nsCOMPtr<nsIFile> dump;
-        if (CrashReporter::TakeMinidumpForChild(ChildProcessHandle(),
-                                                getter_AddRefs(dump))) {
+        if (TakeMinidump(getter_AddRefs(dump))) {
             WriteExtraDataForMinidump(dump);
             if (NS_SUCCEEDED(dump->GetLeafName(mDumpID))) {
                 mDumpID.Replace(mDumpID.Length() - 4, 4,
@@ -274,7 +269,6 @@ PluginModuleParent::ActorDestroy(ActorDestroyReason why)
         else {
             NS_WARNING("[PluginModuleParent::ActorDestroy] abnormal shutdown without minidump!");
         }
-#endif
 
         mShutdown = true;
         // Defer the PluginCrashed method so that we don't re-enter
diff --git a/ipc/ipdl/ipdl/lower.py b/ipc/ipdl/ipdl/lower.py
index a7fe48e2087d..31b4acdd78c6 100644
--- a/ipc/ipdl/ipdl/lower.py
+++ b/ipc/ipdl/ipdl/lower.py
@@ -2944,6 +2944,39 @@ class _GenerateProtocolActorCode(ipdl.ast.Visitor):
         if p.usesShmem():
             self.cls.addstmts(self.makeShmemIface())
 
+        if ptype.isToplevel() and self.side is 'parent':
+            ## bool GetMinidump(nsIFile** dump)
+            self.cls.addstmt(Label.PROTECTED)
+
+            otherpidvar = ExprVar('OtherSidePID')
+            otherpid = MethodDefn(MethodDecl(
+                otherpidvar.name, params=[ ],
+                ret=Type('base::ProcessId'),
+                const=1))
+            otherpid.addstmts([
+                StmtReturn(ExprCall(
+                    ExprVar('base::GetProcId'),
+                    args=[ p.otherProcessVar() ])),
+            ])
+
+            dumpvar = ExprVar('aDump')
+            getdump = MethodDefn(MethodDecl(
+                'TakeMinidump',
+                params=[ Decl(Type('nsIFile', ptrptr=1), dumpvar.name) ],
+                ret=Type.BOOL,
+                const=1))
+            getdump.addstmts([
+                CppDirective('ifdef', 'MOZ_CRASHREPORTER'),
+                StmtReturn(ExprCall(
+                    ExprVar('XRE_TakeMinidumpForChild'),
+                    args=[ ExprCall(otherpidvar), dumpvar ])),
+                CppDirective('else'),
+                StmtReturn(ExprLiteral.FALSE),
+                CppDirective('endif')
+            ])
+            self.cls.addstmts([ otherpid, Whitespace.NL,
+                                getdump, Whitespace.NL ])
+
         if (ptype.isToplevel() and self.side is 'parent'
             and ptype.talksRpc()):
             # offer BlockChild() and UnblockChild().
diff --git a/toolkit/crashreporter/nsExceptionHandler.cpp b/toolkit/crashreporter/nsExceptionHandler.cpp
index debbca29b11a..6e48808c593c 100644
--- a/toolkit/crashreporter/nsExceptionHandler.cpp
+++ b/toolkit/crashreporter/nsExceptionHandler.cpp
@@ -1418,19 +1418,17 @@ SetRemoteExceptionHandler()
 
 
 bool
-TakeMinidumpForChild(ProcessHandle childPid, nsIFile** dump)
+TakeMinidumpForChild(PRUint32 childPid, nsIFile** dump)
 {
   if (!GetEnabled())
     return false;
 
-  PRUint32 key = PRUint32(childPid);
-
   MutexAutoLock lock(*dumpMapLock);
 
   nsCOMPtr<nsIFile> d;
-  bool found = pidToMinidump->Get(key, getter_AddRefs(d));
+  bool found = pidToMinidump->Get(childPid, getter_AddRefs(d));
   if (found)
-    pidToMinidump->Remove(key);
+    pidToMinidump->Remove(childPid);
 
   *dump = NULL;
   d.swap(*dump);
diff --git a/toolkit/crashreporter/nsExceptionHandler.h b/toolkit/crashreporter/nsExceptionHandler.h
index 05212f23e2fb..151f6955e43b 100644
--- a/toolkit/crashreporter/nsExceptionHandler.h
+++ b/toolkit/crashreporter/nsExceptionHandler.h
@@ -76,16 +76,10 @@ nsresult SetSubmitReports(PRBool aSubmitReport);
 #ifdef MOZ_IPC
 // Out-of-process crash reporter API.
 
-#if defined(XP_WIN32)
-typedef HANDLE ProcessHandle;
-#else
-typedef int ProcessHandle;
-#endif
-
 // Return true iff a dump was found for |childPid|, and return the
 // path in |dump|.  The caller owns the last reference to |dump| if it
 // is non-NULL.
-bool TakeMinidumpForChild(ProcessHandle childPid, nsIFile** dump NS_OUTPARAM);
+bool TakeMinidumpForChild(PRUint32 childPid, nsIFile** dump NS_OUTPARAM);
 
 #  if defined(XP_WIN32)
 // Parent-side API for children
diff --git a/toolkit/xre/nsEmbedFunctions.cpp b/toolkit/xre/nsEmbedFunctions.cpp
index a8edb528a3e8..3ecb05eaff83 100644
--- a/toolkit/xre/nsEmbedFunctions.cpp
+++ b/toolkit/xre/nsEmbedFunctions.cpp
@@ -251,6 +251,15 @@ GeckoProcessType sChildProcessType = GeckoProcessType_Default;
 static MessageLoop* sIOMessageLoop;
 
 #if defined(MOZ_CRASHREPORTER)
+// FIXME/bug 539522: this out-of-place function is stuck here because
+// IPDL wants access to this crashreporter interface, and
+// crashreporter is built in such a way to make that awkward
+PRBool
+XRE_TakeMinidumpForChild(PRUint32 aChildPid, nsIFile** aDump)
+{
+  return CrashReporter::TakeMinidumpForChild(aChildPid, aDump);
+}
+
 PRBool
 XRE_SetRemoteExceptionHandler(const char* aPipe/*= 0*/)
 {
diff --git a/xpcom/build/nsXULAppAPI.h b/xpcom/build/nsXULAppAPI.h
index ccd37d844400..504038c0e4b2 100644
--- a/xpcom/build/nsXULAppAPI.h
+++ b/xpcom/build/nsXULAppAPI.h
@@ -450,6 +450,10 @@ XRE_API(GeckoProcessType,
         XRE_StringToChildProcessType, (const char* aProcessTypeString))
 
 #if defined(MOZ_CRASHREPORTER)
+// Used in the "master" parent process hosting the crash server
+XRE_API(PRBool,
+        XRE_TakeMinidumpForChild, (PRUint32 aChildPid, nsIFile** aDump))
+
 // Used in child processes.
 XRE_API(PRBool,
         XRE_SetRemoteExceptionHandler, (const char* aPipe))