diff --git a/container_linux.go b/container_linux.go
index d52610f07..1ffd7d9cb 100644
--- a/container_linux.go
+++ b/container_linux.go
@@ -16,6 +16,8 @@ import (
 	"github.com/docker/libcontainer/configs"
 )
 
+const stdioFdCount = 3
+
 type linuxContainer struct {
 	id            string
 	root          string
@@ -139,7 +141,8 @@ func (c *linuxContainer) commandTemplate(p *Process, childPipe *os.File) (*exec.
 	if cmd.SysProcAttr == nil {
 		cmd.SysProcAttr = &syscall.SysProcAttr{}
 	}
-	cmd.ExtraFiles = []*os.File{childPipe}
+	cmd.ExtraFiles = append(p.ExtraFiles, childPipe)
+	cmd.Env = append(cmd.Env, fmt.Sprintf("_LIBCONTAINER_INITPIPE=%d", stdioFdCount+len(cmd.ExtraFiles)-1))
 	// NOTE: when running a container with no PID namespace and the parent process spawning the container is
 	// PID1 the pdeathsig is being delivered to the container's init process by the kernel for some reason
 	// even with the parent still running.
@@ -178,11 +181,9 @@ func (c *linuxContainer) newSetnsProcess(p *Process, cmd *exec.Cmd, parentPipe,
 		fmt.Sprintf("_LIBCONTAINER_INITPID=%d", c.initProcess.pid()),
 		"_LIBCONTAINER_INITTYPE=setns",
 	)
-
 	if p.consolePath != "" {
 		cmd.Env = append(cmd.Env, "_LIBCONTAINER_CONSOLE_PATH="+p.consolePath)
 	}
-
 	// TODO: set on container for process management
 	return &setnsProcess{
 		cmd:         cmd,
@@ -195,13 +196,14 @@ func (c *linuxContainer) newSetnsProcess(p *Process, cmd *exec.Cmd, parentPipe,
 
 func (c *linuxContainer) newInitConfig(process *Process) *initConfig {
 	return &initConfig{
-		Config:       c.config,
-		Args:         process.Args,
-		Env:          process.Env,
-		User:         process.User,
-		Cwd:          process.Cwd,
-		Console:      process.consolePath,
-		Capabilities: process.Capabilities,
+		Config:           c.config,
+		Args:             process.Args,
+		Env:              process.Env,
+		User:             process.User,
+		Cwd:              process.Cwd,
+		Console:          process.consolePath,
+		Capabilities:     process.Capabilities,
+		PassedFilesCount: len(process.ExtraFiles),
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/factory.go b/factory.go
index 0c9fa63a3..6a3706fd9 100644
--- a/factory.go
+++ b/factory.go
@@ -33,14 +33,12 @@ type Factory interface {
 	Load(id string) (Container, error)
 
 	// StartInitialization is an internal API to libcontainer used during the rexec of the
-	// container.  pipefd is the fd to the child end of the pipe used to syncronize the
-	// parent and child process providing state and configuration to the child process and
-	// returning any errors during the init of the container
+	// container.
 	//
 	// Errors:
-	// pipe connection error
-	// system error
-	StartInitialization(pipefd uintptr) error
+	// Pipe connection error
+	// System error
+	StartInitialization() error
 
 	// Type returns info string about factory type (e.g. lxc, libcontainer...)
 	Type() string
diff --git a/factory_linux.go b/factory_linux.go
index a2d3bec78..3cf1c3d25 100644
--- a/factory_linux.go
+++ b/factory_linux.go
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import (
 	"os/exec"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"regexp"
+	"strconv"
 	"syscall"
 
 	"github.com/docker/docker/pkg/mount"
@@ -194,7 +195,11 @@ func (l *LinuxFactory) Type() string {
 
 // StartInitialization loads a container by opening the pipe fd from the parent to read the configuration and state
 // This is a low level implementation detail of the reexec and should not be consumed externally
-func (l *LinuxFactory) StartInitialization(pipefd uintptr) (err error) {
+func (l *LinuxFactory) StartInitialization() (err error) {
+	pipefd, err := strconv.Atoi(os.Getenv("_LIBCONTAINER_INITPIPE"))
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
 	var (
 		pipe = os.NewFile(uintptr(pipefd), "pipe")
 		it   = initType(os.Getenv("_LIBCONTAINER_INITTYPE"))
diff --git a/init_linux.go b/init_linux.go
index 1786b1ed7..4bbb713d0 100644
--- a/init_linux.go
+++ b/init_linux.go
@@ -40,14 +40,15 @@ type network struct {
 
 // initConfig is used for transferring parameters from Exec() to Init()
 type initConfig struct {
-	Args         []string        `json:"args"`
-	Env          []string        `json:"env"`
-	Cwd          string          `json:"cwd"`
-	Capabilities []string        `json:"capabilities"`
-	User         string          `json:"user"`
-	Config       *configs.Config `json:"config"`
-	Console      string          `json:"console"`
-	Networks     []*network      `json:"network"`
+	Args             []string        `json:"args"`
+	Env              []string        `json:"env"`
+	Cwd              string          `json:"cwd"`
+	Capabilities     []string        `json:"capabilities"`
+	User             string          `json:"user"`
+	Config           *configs.Config `json:"config"`
+	Console          string          `json:"console"`
+	Networks         []*network      `json:"network"`
+	PassedFilesCount int             `json:"passed_files_count"`
 }
 
 type initer interface {
@@ -95,10 +96,10 @@ func populateProcessEnvironment(env []string) error {
 // and working dir, and closes any leaked file descriptors
 // before executing the command inside the namespace
 func finalizeNamespace(config *initConfig) error {
-	// Ensure that all non-standard fds we may have accidentally
+	// Ensure that all unwanted fds we may have accidentally
 	// inherited are marked close-on-exec so they stay out of the
 	// container
-	if err := utils.CloseExecFrom(3); err != nil {
+	if err := utils.CloseExecFrom(config.PassedFilesCount + 3); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
diff --git a/integration/exec_test.go b/integration/exec_test.go
index 12457ba1a..be35b5e94 100644
--- a/integration/exec_test.go
+++ b/integration/exec_test.go
@@ -648,3 +648,69 @@ func TestContainerState(t *testing.T) {
 	stdinW.Close()
 	p.Wait()
 }
+
+func TestPassExtraFiles(t *testing.T) {
+	if testing.Short() {
+		return
+	}
+
+	rootfs, err := newRootfs()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer remove(rootfs)
+
+	config := newTemplateConfig(rootfs)
+
+	factory, err := libcontainer.New(rootfs, libcontainer.Cgroupfs)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	container, err := factory.Create("test", config)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer container.Destroy()
+
+	var stdout bytes.Buffer
+	pipeout1, pipein1, err := os.Pipe()
+	pipeout2, pipein2, err := os.Pipe()
+	process := libcontainer.Process{
+		Args:       []string{"sh", "-c", "cd /proc/$$/fd; echo -n *; echo -n 1 >3; echo -n 2 >4"},
+		Env:        []string{"PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin"},
+		ExtraFiles: []*os.File{pipein1, pipein2},
+		Stdin:      nil,
+		Stdout:     &stdout,
+	}
+	err = container.Start(&process)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	waitProcess(&process, t)
+
+	out := string(stdout.Bytes())
+	// fd 5 is the directory handle for /proc/$$/fd
+	if out != "0 1 2 3 4 5" {
+		t.Fatalf("expected to have the file descriptors '0 1 2 3 4 5' passed to init, got '%s'", out)
+	}
+	var buf = []byte{0}
+	_, err = pipeout1.Read(buf)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	out1 := string(buf)
+	if out1 != "1" {
+		t.Fatalf("expected first pipe to receive '1', got '%s'", out1)
+	}
+
+	_, err = pipeout2.Read(buf)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	out2 := string(buf)
+	if out2 != "2" {
+		t.Fatalf("expected second pipe to receive '2', got '%s'", out2)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/integration/init_test.go b/integration/init_test.go
index f11834de3..1f75ef525 100644
--- a/integration/init_test.go
+++ b/integration/init_test.go
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ func init() {
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Fatalf("unable to initialize for container: %s", err)
 	}
-	if err := factory.StartInitialization(3); err != nil {
+	if err := factory.StartInitialization(); err != nil {
 		log.Fatal(err)
 	}
 }
diff --git a/nsinit/init.go b/nsinit/init.go
index 7b2cf1935..c7506a0e9 100644
--- a/nsinit/init.go
+++ b/nsinit/init.go
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ var initCommand = cli.Command{
 		if err != nil {
 			fatal(err)
 		}
-		if err := factory.StartInitialization(3); err != nil {
+		if err := factory.StartInitialization(); err != nil {
 			fatal(err)
 		}
 		panic("This line should never been executed")
diff --git a/process.go b/process.go
index 82fcff8c4..caabbea9b 100644
--- a/process.go
+++ b/process.go
@@ -38,6 +38,9 @@ type Process struct {
 	// Stderr is a pointer to a writer which receives the standard error stream.
 	Stderr io.Writer
 
+	// ExtraFiles specifies additional open files to be inherited by the container
+	ExtraFiles []*os.File
+
 	// consolePath is the path to the console allocated to the container.
 	consolePath string