diff --git a/conf/conf.h b/conf/conf.h
index 4ccaa54e..d193155b 100644
--- a/conf/conf.h
+++ b/conf/conf.h
@@ -124,6 +124,7 @@ struct symbol {
     struct ea_class *attribute;		/* For SYM_ATTRIBUTE */
     struct f_val *val;			/* For SYM_CONSTANT */
     uint offset;			/* For SYM_VARIABLE */
+    struct channel_config *ch_config;	/* For SYM_COUNTER */
   };
 
   char name[0];
@@ -156,6 +157,7 @@ struct bytestring {
 #define SYM_FILTER 4
 #define SYM_TABLE 5
 #define SYM_ATTRIBUTE 6
+#define SYM_COUNTER 7
 
 #define SYM_VARIABLE 0x100	/* 0x100-0x1ff are variable types */
 #define SYM_VARIABLE_RANGE SYM_VARIABLE ... (SYM_VARIABLE | 0xff)
diff --git a/filter/config.Y b/filter/config.Y
index 8cecf936..23b258cd 100644
--- a/filter/config.Y
+++ b/filter/config.Y
@@ -758,6 +758,9 @@ symbol_value: symbol_known
       case SYM_ATTRIBUTE:
 	$$ = f_new_inst(FI_EA_GET, $1->attribute);
 	break;
+      case SYM_COUNTER:
+	$$ = f_new_inst(FI_COUNTER, $1);
+	break;
       default:
 	cf_error("Can't get value of symbol %s", $1->name);
     }
diff --git a/filter/f-inst.c b/filter/f-inst.c
index e7b642ab..4dfd276b 100644
--- a/filter/f-inst.c
+++ b/filter/f-inst.c
@@ -473,6 +473,12 @@
     RESULT_VAL(fstk->vstk[curline.vbase + sym->offset]);
   }
 
+  INST(FI_COUNTER, 0, 1) {
+    SYMBOL;
+    NEVER_CONSTANT;
+    RESULT(T_INT, i, get_stats_sum(sym));
+  }
+
   INST(FI_CONSTANT, 0, 1) {
     FID_MEMBER(
       struct f_val,
diff --git a/filter/filter.c b/filter/filter.c
index ad2fafe2..bd65777f 100644
--- a/filter/filter.c
+++ b/filter/filter.c
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@
 #include "filter/filter.h"
 #include "filter/f-inst.h"
 #include "filter/data.h"
+#include "proto/stats/stats.h"  /* provides function get_stats_sum used in f-inst.c */
 
 
 /* Exception bits */
diff --git a/proto/stats/config.Y b/proto/stats/config.Y
index b32ea773..087ac75a 100644
--- a/proto/stats/config.Y
+++ b/proto/stats/config.Y
@@ -61,6 +61,9 @@ stats_channel_start: net_type symbol
 {
   this_channel = channel_config_get(&channel_stats, $2->name, $1, this_proto);
   STATS_CC->max_generation = 16;
+  /* from filter/config.Y:
+       cf_define_symbol($3, SYM_VARIABLE | $2, offset, $3->scope->slots++) */
+  $2 = cf_define_symbol($2, SYM_COUNTER, ch_config, this_channel);
 }
 
 stats_proto:
diff --git a/proto/stats/stats.h b/proto/stats/stats.h
index 51802341..d061e4ea 100644
--- a/proto/stats/stats.h
+++ b/proto/stats/stats.h
@@ -35,6 +35,13 @@ struct stats_channel_config {
   u8 max_generation;
 };
 
-
+static inline int
+get_stats_sum(struct symbol *sym)
+{
+  if (sym->ch_config->channel)
+    return (int) ((struct stats_channel *) sym->ch_config->channel)->sum;
+  else
+    return 0;
+}
 
 #endif