One of the key questions regarding macroautophagy/autophagy is the mechanism through which the transmembrane protein ATG9 functions in delivering membrane to the expanding phagophore, the sequestering compartment that matures into an autophagosome. In a recent study, Zhou et al. identified a novel mechanism that regulates ATG9 trafficking from the plasma membrane and trans-Golgi network, which involves two conserved sorting signals required for ATG9 interaction with the AP1/2 adaptor complex and phosphorylation of ATG9 at Tyr8 by SRC kinase and at Ser14 by ULK1 for proper function during basal and starvation-induced autophagy.