diff --git a/pkg/cmd/server/origin/master.go b/pkg/cmd/server/origin/master.go
index 318bb729ea38..e6bcfc73a551 100644
--- a/pkg/cmd/server/origin/master.go
+++ b/pkg/cmd/server/origin/master.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package origin
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"net/http"
 	"net/url"
@@ -11,10 +12,13 @@ import (
 	"gopkg.in/natefinch/lumberjack.v2"
 
 	apiextensionsinformers "k8s.io/apiextensions-apiserver/pkg/client/informers/internalversion"
+	auditinternal "k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/apis/audit"
+	auditpolicy "k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/audit/policy"
 	apifilters "k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/endpoints/filters"
 	apirequest "k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/endpoints/request"
 	apiserver "k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/server"
 	apiserverfilters "k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/server/filters"
+	auditlog "k8s.io/apiserver/plugin/pkg/audit/log"
 	aggregatorapiserver "k8s.io/kube-aggregator/pkg/apiserver"
 	kubeapiserver "k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/master"
 	kcorestorage "k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/registry/core/rest"
@@ -225,6 +229,14 @@ func (c *MasterConfig) Run(kubeAPIServerConfig *kubeapiserver.Config, assetConfi
 		return err
 	}
 
+	// Start the audit backend before any request comes in. This means we cannot turn it into a
+	// post start hook because without calling Backend.Run the Backend.ProcessEvents call might block.
+	if c.AuditBackend != nil {
+		if err := c.AuditBackend.Run(stopCh); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("failed to run the audit backend: %v", err)
+		}
+	}
+
 	// add post-start hooks
 	aggregatedAPIServer.GenericAPIServer.AddPostStartHook("user.openshift.io-groupcache",
 		func(context apiserver.PostStartHookContext) error {
@@ -275,7 +287,13 @@ func (c *MasterConfig) buildHandlerChain(assetConfig *AssetConfig) (func(http.Ha
 				// backwards compatible writer to regular log
 				writer = cmdutil.NewGLogWriterV(0)
 			}
-			handler = apifilters.WithLegacyAudit(handler, contextMapper, writer)
+			c.AuditBackend = auditlog.NewBackend(writer)
+			auditPolicyChecker := auditpolicy.NewChecker(&auditinternal.Policy{
+				// This is for backwards compatibility maintaining the old visibility, ie. just
+				// raw overview of the requests comming in.
+				Rules: []auditinternal.PolicyRule{{Level: auditinternal.LevelMetadata}},
+			})
+			handler = apifilters.WithAudit(handler, contextMapper, c.AuditBackend, auditPolicyChecker, kc.LongRunningFunc)
 		}
 		handler = serverhandlers.AuthenticationHandlerFilter(handler, c.Authenticator, contextMapper)
 		handler = namespacingFilter(handler, contextMapper)
diff --git a/pkg/cmd/server/origin/master_config.go b/pkg/cmd/server/origin/master_config.go
index 847f6ab64f90..c47d267dad63 100644
--- a/pkg/cmd/server/origin/master_config.go
+++ b/pkg/cmd/server/origin/master_config.go
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import (
 	"k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/admission"
 	"k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/admission/initializer"
 	"k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/admission/plugin/namespace/lifecycle"
+	"k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/audit"
 	"k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/authentication/authenticator"
 	"k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/authentication/group"
 	"k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/authentication/request/anonymous"
@@ -178,6 +179,8 @@ type MasterConfig struct {
 	// for that component.
 	PrivilegedLoopbackOpenShiftClient *osclient.Client
 
+	AuditBackend audit.Backend
+
 	// TODO inspect uses to eliminate them
 	InternalKubeInformers  kinternalinformers.SharedInformerFactory
 	ExternalKubeInformers  kinformers.SharedInformerFactory