diff --git a/boards/msbiot/Makefile.dep b/boards/msbiot/Makefile.dep
index 33f667abb9fd4b1189c50219658a48e8a8335f68..763297ec9570473fce572f5a099928d2aa838dbe 100644
--- a/boards/msbiot/Makefile.dep
+++ b/boards/msbiot/Makefile.dep
@@ -2,3 +2,7 @@
 ifneq (,$(filter netdev_default gnrc_netdev_default,$(USEMODULE)))
   USEMODULE += cc110x
 endif
+# add support for LEDs and buttons as default saul devices
+ifneq (,$(filter saul_default,$(USEMODULE)))
+  USEMODULE += saul_gpio
+endif
diff --git a/boards/msbiot/include/gpio_params.h b/boards/msbiot/include/gpio_params.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..6694f7cd223dd07e9afcdcf5638e3a30116d5eaa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/boards/msbiot/include/gpio_params.h
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2018 Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg
+ *
+ * This file is subject to the terms and conditions of the GNU Lesser
+ * General Public License v2.1. See the file LICENSE in the top level
+ * directory for more details.
+ */
+
+/**
+ * @ingroup     boards_msbiot
+ * @{
+ *
+ * @file
+ * @brief       Board specific configuration of direct mapped GPIOs
+ *
+ * @author      Marian Buschsieweke <marian.buschsieweke@ovgu.de>
+ */
+
+#ifndef GPIO_PARAMS_H
+#define GPIO_PARAMS_H
+
+#include "board.h"
+#include "saul/periph.h"
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+extern "C" {
+#endif
+
+/**
+ * @brief    GPIO pin configuration
+ */
+static const  saul_gpio_params_t saul_gpio_params[] =
+{
+    {
+        .name = "red LED",
+        .pin = LED0_PIN,
+        .mode = GPIO_OUT,
+        .flags = (SAUL_GPIO_INVERTED | SAUL_GPIO_INIT_CLEAR)
+    },
+    {
+        .name = "yellow LED",
+        .pin = LED1_PIN,
+        .mode = GPIO_OUT,
+        .flags = (SAUL_GPIO_INVERTED | SAUL_GPIO_INIT_CLEAR)
+    },
+    {
+        .name = "green LED",
+        .pin = LED2_PIN,
+        .mode = GPIO_OUT,
+        .flags = (SAUL_GPIO_INVERTED | SAUL_GPIO_INIT_CLEAR)
+    },
+    {
+        .name = "left button",
+        .pin = BUTTON0_PIN,
+        .mode = GPIO_IN,
+        .flags = 0
+    },
+    {
+        .name = "right button",
+        .pin = BUTTON1_PIN,
+        .mode = GPIO_IN,
+        .flags = 0
+    },
+};
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+}
+#endif
+
+#endif /* GPIO_PARAMS_H */
+/** @} */