diff --git a/browser/base/content/browser-pageActions.js b/browser/base/content/browser-pageActions.js
index f3b76832a743..1d9d468c31d0 100644
--- a/browser/base/content/browser-pageActions.js
+++ b/browser/base/content/browser-pageActions.js
@@ -2,6 +2,12 @@
  * License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
  * file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/. */
 
+ChromeUtils.defineModuleGetter(
+  this,
+  "SiteSpecificBrowserService",
+  "resource:///modules/SiteSpecificBrowserService.jsm"
+);
+
 var BrowserPageActions = {
   /**
    * The main page action button in the urlbar (DOM node)
@@ -1098,20 +1104,7 @@ BrowserPageActions.launchSSB = {
       return;
     }
 
-    let sa = Cc["@mozilla.org/array;1"].createInstance(Ci.nsIMutableArray);
-    let uri = Cc["@mozilla.org/supports-string;1"].createInstance(
-      Ci.nsISupportsString
-    );
-    uri.data = gBrowser.currentURI.spec;
-    sa.appendElement(uri);
-    Services.ww.openWindow(
-      null,
-      "chrome://browser/content/ssb/ssb.html",
-      "_blank",
-      "chrome,dialog=no,all",
-      sa
-    );
-
+    SiteSpecificBrowserService.launchFromURI(gBrowser.currentURI);
     gBrowser.removeTab(gBrowser.selectedTab, { closeWindowWithLastTab: false });
   },
 };
diff --git a/browser/components/ssb/SiteSpecificBrowserService.jsm b/browser/components/ssb/SiteSpecificBrowserService.jsm
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..9935b9a187a8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/browser/components/ssb/SiteSpecificBrowserService.jsm
@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+/* This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
+ * License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
+ * file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/. */
+
+var EXPORTED_SYMBOLS = ["SiteSpecificBrowserService", "SSBCommandLineHandler"];
+
+const { Services } = ChromeUtils.import("resource://gre/modules/Services.jsm");
+const { XPCOMUtils } = ChromeUtils.import(
+  "resource://gre/modules/XPCOMUtils.jsm"
+);
+
+const SiteSpecificBrowserService = {
+  /**
+   * Given a URI launches the SSB UI to display it.
+   *
+   * @param {nsIURI} uri the URI to display.
+   */
+  launchFromURI(uri) {
+    if (!this.isEnabled) {
+      throw new Error("Site specific browsing is disabled.");
+    }
+
+    if (!uri.schemeIs("https")) {
+      throw new Error(
+        "Site specific browsers can only be opened for secure sites."
+      );
+    }
+
+    let sa = Cc["@mozilla.org/array;1"].createInstance(Ci.nsIMutableArray);
+    let uristr = Cc["@mozilla.org/supports-string;1"].createInstance(
+      Ci.nsISupportsString
+    );
+    uristr.data = uri.spec;
+    sa.appendElement(uristr);
+    Services.ww.openWindow(
+      null,
+      "chrome://browser/content/ssb/ssb.html",
+      "_blank",
+      "chrome,dialog=no,all",
+      sa
+    );
+  },
+};
+
+XPCOMUtils.defineLazyPreferenceGetter(
+  SiteSpecificBrowserService,
+  "isEnabled",
+  "browser.ssb.enabled",
+  false
+);
+
+class SSBCommandLineHandler {
+  /* nsICommandLineHandler */
+  handle(cmdLine) {
+    if (!SiteSpecificBrowserService.isEnabled) {
+      return;
+    }
+
+    let site = cmdLine.handleFlagWithParam("ssb", false);
+    if (site) {
+      cmdLine.preventDefault = true;
+
+      try {
+        let fixupInfo = Services.uriFixup.getFixupURIInfo(
+          site,
+          Services.uriFixup.FIXUP_FLAG_FIX_SCHEME_TYPOS
+        );
+
+        let uri = fixupInfo.preferredURI;
+        if (!uri) {
+          dump(`Unable to parse '${site}' as a URI.\n`);
+          return;
+        }
+
+        if (fixupInfo.fixupChangedProtocol && uri.schemeIs("http")) {
+          uri = uri
+            .mutate()
+            .setScheme("https")
+            .finalize();
+        }
+        SiteSpecificBrowserService.launchFromURI(uri);
+      } catch (e) {
+        dump(`Unable to parse '${site}' as a URI: ${e}\n`);
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  get helpInfo() {
+    return "  --ssb <uri>        Open a site specific browser for <uri>.\n";
+  }
+}
+
+SSBCommandLineHandler.prototype.QueryInterface = ChromeUtils.generateQI([
+  Ci.nsICommandLineHandler,
+]);
diff --git a/browser/components/ssb/components.conf b/browser/components/ssb/components.conf
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..c58fe7eda0a0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/browser/components/ssb/components.conf
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+# -*- Mode: python; indent-tabs-mode: nil; tab-width: 40 -*-
+# vim: set filetype=python:
+# This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
+# License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
+# file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
+
+Classes = [
+    {
+        'cid': '{6344f783-c893-4db8-91ec-7d43a46bd6f4}',
+        'contract_ids': [
+            '@mozilla.org/browser/ssb/clh;1',
+        ],
+        'jsm': 'resource:///modules/SiteSpecificBrowserService.jsm',
+        'constructor': 'SSBCommandLineHandler',
+        'categories': {
+            'command-line-handler': 'e-ssb',
+        },
+    },
+]
diff --git a/browser/components/ssb/moz.build b/browser/components/ssb/moz.build
index 240a6da16494..9514edda9675 100644
--- a/browser/components/ssb/moz.build
+++ b/browser/components/ssb/moz.build
@@ -6,3 +6,11 @@
 
 JAR_MANIFESTS += ['content/jar.mn']
 BROWSER_CHROME_MANIFESTS += ['tests/browser/browser.ini']
+
+XPCOM_MANIFESTS += [
+    'components.conf',
+]
+
+EXTRA_JS_MODULES += [
+    'SiteSpecificBrowserService.jsm',
+]
diff --git a/browser/components/ssb/tests/browser/browser_ssb_lasttab.js b/browser/components/ssb/tests/browser/browser_ssb_lasttab.js
index 795d14a29d62..4c4d514da593 100644
--- a/browser/components/ssb/tests/browser/browser_ssb_lasttab.js
+++ b/browser/components/ssb/tests/browser/browser_ssb_lasttab.js
@@ -13,20 +13,23 @@ add_task(async () => {
   Assert.equal(win.gBrowser.tabs.length, 1, "Should be only one tab.");
   let tab = win.gBrowser.selectedTab;
 
-  let loaded = BrowserTestUtils.browserLoaded(
-    win.gBrowser.selectedBrowser,
-    false,
-    gHttpsTestRoot + "test_page.html"
-  );
   BrowserTestUtils.loadURI(
     win.gBrowser.selectedBrowser,
     gHttpsTestRoot + "test_page.html"
   );
-  await loaded;
+  await BrowserTestUtils.browserLoaded(
+    win.gBrowser.selectedBrowser,
+    true,
+    gHttpsTestRoot + "test_page.html"
+  );
 
   let ssb = await openSSBFromBrowserWindow(win);
   Assert.equal(win.gBrowser.tabs.length, 1, "Should still be only one tab.");
   Assert.notEqual(tab, win.gBrowser.selectedTab, "Should be a new tab.");
+  Assert.equal(
+    getBrowser(ssb).currentURI.spec,
+    gHttpsTestRoot + "test_page.html"
+  );
 
   Assert.ok(!windowClosed, "Should not have seen the window close.");
   await BrowserTestUtils.closeWindow(ssb);
diff --git a/browser/components/ssb/tests/browser/head.js b/browser/components/ssb/tests/browser/head.js
index b466121e637a..54d062681280 100644
--- a/browser/components/ssb/tests/browser/head.js
+++ b/browser/components/ssb/tests/browser/head.js
@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@ async function openSSBFromBrowserWindow(win = window) {
   EventUtils.synthesizeMouseAtCenter(pageActionButton, {}, win);
   await popupShown;
 
+  let expectedUri = win.gBrowser.selectedBrowser.currentURI;
+
   let openItem = doc.getElementById("pageAction-panel-launchSSB");
   Assert.ok(!openItem.disabled, "Open menu item should not be disabled");
   Assert.ok(!openItem.hidden, "Open menu item should not be hidden");
@@ -39,7 +41,7 @@ async function openSSBFromBrowserWindow(win = window) {
   EventUtils.synthesizeMouseAtCenter(openItem, {}, win);
   let ssbwin = await openPromise;
   let browser = ssbwin.document.getElementById("browser");
-  await BrowserTestUtils.browserLoaded(browser, true);
+  await BrowserTestUtils.browserLoaded(browser, true, expectedUri.spec);
   return ssbwin;
 }
 
diff --git a/browser/modules/PageActions.jsm b/browser/modules/PageActions.jsm
index 300752eb7b81..c06118e6cade 100644
--- a/browser/modules/PageActions.jsm
+++ b/browser/modules/PageActions.jsm
@@ -36,6 +36,11 @@ ChromeUtils.defineModuleGetter(
   "PrivateBrowsingUtils",
   "resource://gre/modules/PrivateBrowsingUtils.jsm"
 );
+ChromeUtils.defineModuleGetter(
+  this,
+  "SiteSpecificBrowserService",
+  "resource:///modules/SiteSpecificBrowserService.jsm"
+);
 
 const ACTION_ID_BOOKMARK = "bookmark";
 const ACTION_ID_PIN_TAB = "pinTab";
@@ -1280,7 +1285,7 @@ if (Services.prefs.getBoolPref("identity.fxaccounts.enabled")) {
   });
 }
 
-if (Services.prefs.getBoolPref("browser.ssb.enabled", false)) {
+if (SiteSpecificBrowserService.isEnabled) {
   gBuiltInActions.push({
     id: "launchSSB",
     // Hardcoded for now. Localization tracked in bug 1602528.