The lipid droplet (LD) biogenesis protein seipin is crucial for formation of normal LDs, but its exact functional role has been enigmatic. In this issue, Sui et al. (2018. J. Cell Biol. https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.201809067) report the cryo­–electron microscopy structure of seipin, which provides novel insights into how seipin might mediate LD formation.