diff --git a/services/web/app/src/models/User.js b/services/web/app/src/models/User.js
index 988e020385..d1b14e0195 100644
--- a/services/web/app/src/models/User.js
+++ b/services/web/app/src/models/User.js
@@ -97,6 +97,9 @@ const UserSchema = new Schema({
       default: Settings.defaultFeatures.referencesSearch
     }
   },
+  // when auto-merged from SL and must-reconfirm is set, we may end up using
+  // `sharelatexHashedPassword` to recover accounts...
+  sharelatexHashedPassword: String,
   must_reconfirm: { type: Boolean, default: false },
   referal_id: {
     type: String,
diff --git a/services/web/scripts/copy_old_sharelatex_passwords.js b/services/web/scripts/copy_old_sharelatex_passwords.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1933a4474b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/services/web/scripts/copy_old_sharelatex_passwords.js
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+const { db } = require('../app/src/infrastructure/mongojs')
+const Async = require('async')
+const minimist = require('minimist')
+
+const argv = minimist(process.argv.slice(2))
+const limit = argv.limit
+
+if (!limit) {
+  console.log('Please supply an async limit with --limit')
+  process.exit(1)
+}
+
+db.users.find(
+  { hashedPassword: { $exists: 1 }, sharelatexHashedPassword: { $exists: 0 } },
+  { hashedPassword: 1 },
+  (err, users) => {
+    if (err) {
+      throw err
+    }
+
+    Async.eachLimit(
+      users,
+      limit,
+      (user, cb) => {
+        db.users.update(
+          { _id: user._id },
+          { $set: { sharelatexHashedPassword: user.hashedPassword } },
+          cb
+        )
+      },
+      err => {
+        if (err) {
+          throw err
+        }
+        console.log('finished')
+        process.exit(0)
+      }
+    )
+  }
+)