diff --git a/lib/vagrant-lxc/machine_state.rb b/lib/vagrant-lxc/machine_state.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3d9bea5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/vagrant-lxc/machine_state.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+module Vagrant
+  module LXC
+    class MachineState < Vagrant::MachineState
+      CONTAINER_STATE_FILE_PATH = '/tmp/vagrant-lxc-container-state-%<id>s'
+      CREATED_STATES            = %w( running poweroff ).map!(&:to_sym)
+
+      def initialize(machine)
+        @machine = machine
+      end
+
+      def id
+        @id ||=
+          begin
+            state_id = nil
+            state_id = :not_created if !@machine.id
+            # TODO: Grab the real machine state here
+            state_id = read_state_from_file if !state_id
+            state_id = :unknown if !state_id
+            state_id
+          end
+      end
+
+      def short_description
+        @short ||= self.id.to_s.gsub("_", " ")
+      end
+
+      def long_description
+        @long ||= I18n.t("vagrant.commands.status.#{self.id}")
+      end
+
+      def created?
+        CREATED_STATES.include?(self.id)
+      end
+
+      def off?
+        self.id == :poweroff
+      end
+
+      def running?
+        self.id == :running
+      end
+
+      def update!(state)
+        return File.delete(state_file_path) if state.to_sym == :not_created
+        File.open(state_file_path, 'w') { |f| f.print state }
+      end
+
+      def read_state_from_file
+        if File.exists?(state_file_path)
+          File.read(state_file_path).to_sym
+        elsif @machine.id
+          :unknown
+        end
+      end
+      private :read_state_from_file
+
+      def state_file_path
+        @path ||= CONTAINER_STATE_FILE_PATH % {id: @machine.id}
+      end
+      private :state_file_path
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/spec/unit/machine_state_spec.rb b/spec/unit/machine_state_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a18bf69
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/unit/machine_state_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+require 'unit_helper'
+require 'vagrant-lxc/machine_state'
+
+describe Vagrant::LXC::MachineState do
+  let(:machine)         { mocked_machine }
+  let(:state_file_path) { subject.send(:state_file_path) }
+
+  subject { described_class.new(machine) }
+
+  after { File.delete state_file_path if File.exists? state_file_path }
+
+  # Yeah, I know, this test is not really useful, but vagrant will complain
+  # if the state is not a Vagrant::MachineState:
+  #   https://github.com/mitchellh/vagrant/blob/master/lib/vagrant/machine.rb#L300
+  it { should be_a Vagrant::MachineState }
+
+  describe 'state id' do
+    context 'when machine id is not present' do
+      let(:machine) { mocked_machine(id: nil) }
+
+      its(:id) { should == :not_created }
+    end
+
+    context 'when machine id is present' do
+      let(:machine) { mocked_machine(id: 'machine-id') }
+
+      context 'and state file exists' do
+        before { File.stub(read: 'running', exists?: true) }
+        after  { File.unstub!(:exists?) }
+
+        it 'reads it from file' do
+          subject.id.should == :running
+        end
+      end
+
+      context 'and state file does not exist' do
+        it 'returns :unknown' do
+          subject.id.should == :unknown
+        end
+      end
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe 'short description' do
+    before { subject.stub(id: :not_created) }
+
+    it 'is a humanized version of state id' do
+      subject.short_description.should == 'not created'
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe 'long description' do
+    before do
+      subject.stub(id: 'short')
+      I18n.stub(t: 'some really long description')
+    end
+
+    it 'is a localized version of the state id' do
+      subject.long_description.should == 'some really long description'
+    end
+
+    it 'uses the status locale "namespace"' do
+      I18n.should have_received(:t).with('vagrant.commands.status.short')
+    end
+  end
+
+  context 'when state id is :running' do
+    before { subject.stub(id: :running) }
+
+    it { should be_created }
+    it { should be_running }
+    it { should_not be_off }
+  end
+
+  context 'when state id is :poweroff' do
+    before { subject.stub(id: :poweroff) }
+
+    it { should be_created }
+    it { should be_off }
+    it { should_not be_running }
+  end
+
+  MACHINE_DEFAULTS = {id: nil}
+  def mocked_machine(stubbed_methods = {})
+    fire_double('Vagrant::Machine', MACHINE_DEFAULTS.merge(stubbed_methods))
+  end
+end