diff --git a/commands/nv.c b/commands/nv.c
index 8cebb85..a1fb095 100644
--- a/commands/nv.c
+++ b/commands/nv.c
@@ -26,20 +26,26 @@
 static int do_nv(int argc, char *argv[])
 {
 	int opt;
-	int do_remove = 0;
-	int ret;
+	int do_remove = 0, do_save = 0;
+	int ret, i;
 	char *value;
 
-	while ((opt = getopt(argc, argv, "r")) > 0) {
+	while ((opt = getopt(argc, argv, "rs")) > 0) {
 		switch (opt) {
 		case 'r':
 			do_remove = 1;
 			break;
+		case 's':
+			do_save = 1;
+			break;
 		default:
 			return COMMAND_ERROR_USAGE;
 		}
 	}
 
+	if (do_save)
+		return nvvar_save();
+
 	if (argc == optind) {
 		nvvar_print();
 		return 0;
@@ -48,19 +54,21 @@
 	argc -= optind;
 	argv += optind;
 
-	if (argc != 1)
+	if (argc < 1)
 		return COMMAND_ERROR_USAGE;
 
-	value = strchr(argv[0], '=');
-	if (value) {
-		*value = 0;
-		value++;
-	}
+	for (i = 0; i < argc; i++) {
+		value = strchr(argv[0], '=');
+		if (value) {
+			*value = 0;
+			value++;
+		}
 
-	if (do_remove)
-		ret = nvvar_remove(argv[0]);
-	else
-		ret = nvvar_add(argv[0], value);
+		if (do_remove)
+			ret = nvvar_remove(argv[i]);
+		else
+			ret = nvvar_add(argv[i], value);
+	}
 
 	return ret;
 }
@@ -68,17 +76,18 @@
 BAREBOX_CMD_HELP_START(nv)
 BAREBOX_CMD_HELP_TEXT("Add a new non volatile variable named VAR, optionally set to VALUE.")
 BAREBOX_CMD_HELP_TEXT("non volatile variables are persistent variables that overwrite the")
-BAREBOX_CMD_HELP_TEXT("global variables of the same name. Their value is saved with")
-BAREBOX_CMD_HELP_TEXT("'saveenv'.")
+BAREBOX_CMD_HELP_TEXT("global variables of the same name. Their value is saved implicitly with")
+BAREBOX_CMD_HELP_TEXT("'saveenv' or explicitly with 'nv -s'")
 BAREBOX_CMD_HELP_TEXT("")
 BAREBOX_CMD_HELP_TEXT("Options:")
-BAREBOX_CMD_HELP_OPT("-r", "remove a non volatile variable")
+BAREBOX_CMD_HELP_OPT("-r", "remove non volatile variables")
+BAREBOX_CMD_HELP_OPT("-s", "Save NV variables")
 BAREBOX_CMD_HELP_END
 
 BAREBOX_CMD_START(nv)
 	.cmd		= do_nv,
 	BAREBOX_CMD_DESC("create or set non volatile variables")
-	BAREBOX_CMD_OPTS("[-r] VAR[=VALUE]")
+	BAREBOX_CMD_OPTS("[-r] VAR[=VALUE] ...")
 	BAREBOX_CMD_GROUP(CMD_GRP_ENV)
 	BAREBOX_CMD_HELP(cmd_nv_help)
 BAREBOX_CMD_END
diff --git a/common/Kconfig b/common/Kconfig
index 8326340..38225eb 100644
--- a/common/Kconfig
+++ b/common/Kconfig
@@ -172,6 +172,7 @@
 	default y if !SHELL_NONE
 	depends on GLOBALVAR
 	depends on ENV_HANDLING
+	select FNMATCH
 	help
 	  Non volatile environment variables begin with "nv.". They behave like
 	  global variables above, but their values are saved in the environment
@@ -424,6 +425,7 @@
 
 config GLOB
 	bool
+	select FNMATCH
 	prompt "globbing support"
 	help
 	  If you want to use wildcards like * or ? say y here.
diff --git a/common/environment.c b/common/environment.c
index c3ad252..db127d7 100644
--- a/common/environment.c
+++ b/common/environment.c
@@ -364,6 +364,10 @@
 
 	ret = 0;
 
+#ifdef CONFIG_NVVAR
+	if (!strcmp(filename, default_environment_path_get()))
+	    nv_var_set_clean();
+#endif
 out:
 	close(envfd);
 out1:
diff --git a/common/globalvar.c b/common/globalvar.c
index c0958e1..44e6528 100644
--- a/common/globalvar.c
+++ b/common/globalvar.c
@@ -9,6 +9,10 @@
 #include <fcntl.h>
 #include <libfile.h>
 #include <generated/utsrelease.h>
+#include <envfs.h>
+#include <fnmatch.h>
+
+static int nv_dirty;
 
 struct device_d global_device = {
 	.name = "global",
@@ -20,6 +24,11 @@
 	.id = DEVICE_ID_SINGLE,
 };
 
+void nv_var_set_clean(void)
+{
+	nv_dirty = 0;
+}
+
 int globalvar_add(const char *name,
 		int (*set)(struct device_d *dev, struct param_d *p, const char *val),
 		const char *(*get)(struct device_d *, struct param_d *p),
@@ -43,16 +52,16 @@
 	dev_remove_param(param);
 }
 
-static int nv_save(const char *name, const char *val)
+static int __nv_save(const char *prefix, const char *name, const char *val)
 {
 	int fd, ret;
 	char *fname;
 
-	ret = make_directory("/env/nv");
+	ret = make_directory(prefix);
 	if (ret)
 		return ret;
 
-	fname = basprintf("/env/nv/%s", name);
+	fname = basprintf("%s/%s", prefix, name);
 
 	fd = open(fname, O_CREAT | O_WRONLY | O_TRUNC);
 
@@ -68,6 +77,25 @@
 	return 0;
 }
 
+static int nv_save(const char *name, const char *val)
+{
+	int ret;
+	static int once = 1;
+
+	ret = __nv_save("/env/nv", name, val);
+	if (ret)
+		return ret;
+
+	if (once) {
+		pr_info("nv variable modified, will save nv variables on shutdown\n");
+		once = 0;
+	}
+
+	nv_dirty = 1;
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
 /**
  * dev_param_init_from_nv - initialize a device parameter from nv variable
  * @dev: The device
@@ -180,15 +208,26 @@
 	free(p->value);
 	p->value = xstrdup(val);
 
-	return nv_save(p->name, val);
+	return 0;
 }
 
-static const char *nv_get(struct device_d *dev, struct param_d *p)
+static const char *nv_param_get(struct device_d *dev, struct param_d *p)
 {
 	return p->value ? p->value : "";
 }
 
-int nvvar_add(const char *name, const char *value)
+static int nv_param_set(struct device_d *dev, struct param_d *p, const char *val)
+{
+	int ret;
+
+	ret = nv_set(dev, p, val);
+	if (ret)
+		return ret;
+
+	return nv_save(p->name, val);
+}
+
+static int __nvvar_add(const char *name, const char *value)
 {
 	struct param_d *p, *gp;
 	int ret;
@@ -226,7 +265,7 @@
 			return ret;
 	}
 
-	p = dev_add_param(&nv_device, name, nv_set, nv_get, 0);
+	p = dev_add_param(&nv_device, name, nv_param_set, nv_param_get, 0);
 	if (IS_ERR(p))
 		return PTR_ERR(p);
 
@@ -242,25 +281,36 @@
 	return nv_set(&nv_device, p, value);
 }
 
+int nvvar_add(const char *name, const char *value)
+{
+	int ret;
+
+	ret = __nvvar_add(name, value);
+	if (ret)
+		return ret;
+
+	return nv_save(name, value);
+}
+
 int nvvar_remove(const char *name)
 {
-	struct param_d *p;
+	struct param_d *p, *tmp;
 	char *fname;
 
 	if (!IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_NVVAR))
 		return -ENOSYS;
 
-	p = get_param_by_name(&nv_device, name);
-	if (!p)
-		return -ENOENT;
+	list_for_each_entry_safe(p, tmp, &nv_device.parameters, list) {
+		if (fnmatch(name, p->name, 0))
+			continue;
 
-	fname = basprintf("/env/nv/%s", p->name);
-	unlink(fname);
-	free(fname);
+		fname = basprintf("/env/nv/%s", p->name);
 
-	list_del(&p->list);
-	free(p->name);
-	free(p);
+		dev_remove_param(p);
+
+		unlink(fname);
+		free(fname);
+	}
 
 	return 0;
 }
@@ -288,7 +338,7 @@
 		pr_debug("%s: Setting \"%s\" to \"%s\"\n",
 				__func__, d->d_name, val);
 
-		ret = nvvar_add(d->d_name, val);
+		ret = __nvvar_add(d->d_name, val);
 		if (ret)
 			pr_err("failed to create nv variable %s: %s\n",
 					d->d_name, strerror(-ret));
@@ -401,3 +451,51 @@
 pure_initcall(globalvar_init);
 
 BAREBOX_MAGICVAR_NAMED(global_version, global.version, "The barebox version");
+
+/**
+ * nvvar_save - save NV variables to persistent environment
+ *
+ * This saves the NV variables to the persisitent environment without saving
+ * the other files in the environment that might be changed.
+ */
+int nvvar_save(void)
+{
+	struct param_d *param;
+	const char *env = default_environment_path_get();
+	int ret;
+#define TMPDIR "/.env.tmp"
+	if (!nv_dirty || !env)
+		return 0;
+
+	if (IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_DEFAULT_ENVIRONMENT))
+		defaultenv_load(TMPDIR, 0);
+
+	envfs_load(env, TMPDIR, 0);
+
+	list_for_each_entry(param, &nv_device.parameters, list) {
+		ret = __nv_save(TMPDIR "/nv", param->name,
+				dev_get_param(&nv_device, param->name));
+		if (ret) {
+			pr_err("Cannot save NV var: %s\n", strerror(-ret));
+			goto out;
+		}
+	}
+
+	envfs_save(env, TMPDIR, 0);
+out:
+	unlink_recursive(TMPDIR, NULL);
+
+	if (!ret)
+		nv_dirty = 0;
+
+	return ret;
+}
+
+static void nv_exit(void)
+{
+	if (nv_dirty)
+		pr_info("nv variables modified, saving them\n");
+
+	nvvar_save();
+}
+predevshutdown_exitcall(nv_exit);
diff --git a/include/globalvar.h b/include/globalvar.h
index 67b97de..1cd8d21 100644
--- a/include/globalvar.h
+++ b/include/globalvar.h
@@ -173,4 +173,7 @@
 
 #endif
 
+void nv_var_set_clean(void);
+int nvvar_save(void);
+
 #endif /* __GLOBALVAR_H */
diff --git a/lib/Kconfig b/lib/Kconfig
index d5f99ae..f9f25bd 100644
--- a/lib/Kconfig
+++ b/lib/Kconfig
@@ -39,6 +39,9 @@
 config BITREV
 	bool
 
+config FNMATCH
+	bool
+
 config QSORT
 	bool
 
diff --git a/lib/Makefile b/lib/Makefile
index 92404fd..1be1742 100644
--- a/lib/Makefile
+++ b/lib/Makefile
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
 obj-$(CONFIG_XZ_DECOMPRESS) += decompress_unxz.o xz/
 obj-$(CONFIG_CMDLINE_EDITING)	+= readline.o
 obj-$(CONFIG_SIMPLE_READLINE)	+= readline_simple.o
-obj-$(CONFIG_GLOB)		+= fnmatch.o
+obj-$(CONFIG_FNMATCH)		+= fnmatch.o
 obj-$(CONFIG_GENERIC_FIND_NEXT_BIT) += find_next_bit.o
 obj-y			+= glob.o
 obj-y			+= notifier.o