diff --git a/modules/shepherd/service.scm b/modules/shepherd/service.scm
index ad8608b..c6f0f4e 100644
--- a/modules/shepherd/service.scm
+++ b/modules/shepherd/service.scm
@@ -787,7 +787,8 @@ daemon writing FILE is running in a separate PID namespace."
                        (directory (default-service-directory))
                        (file-creation-mask #f)
                        (create-session? #t)
-                       (environment-variables (default-environment-variables)))
+                       (environment-variables (default-environment-variables))
+                       (rlimits '()))
   "Run COMMAND as the current process from DIRECTORY, with FILE-CREATION-MASK
 if it's true, and with ENVIRONMENT-VARIABLES (a list of strings like
 \"PATH=/bin\").  File descriptors 1 and 2 are kept as is or redirected to
@@ -795,6 +796,9 @@ LOG-FILE if it's true, whereas file descriptor 0 (standard input) points to
 /dev/null; all other file descriptors are closed prior to yielding control to
 COMMAND.  When CREATE-SESSION? is true, call 'setsid' first.
 
+Guile's SETRLIMIT function will be applied on the entries in RLIMITS.  For
+example a valid value would be '((nproc 10 100) (nofile 4096 4096)).
+
 By default, COMMAND is run as the current user.  If the USER keyword
 argument is present and not false, change to USER immediately before
 invoking COMMAND.  USER may be a string, indicating a user name, or a
@@ -808,6 +812,8 @@ false."
        ;; Programs such as 'mingetty' expect this.
        (setsid))
 
+     (for-each (cut apply setrlimit <>) rlimits)
+
      (chdir directory)
      (environ environment-variables)
 
@@ -893,7 +899,8 @@ false."
                             (file-creation-mask #f)
                             (create-session? #t)
                             (environment-variables
-                             (default-environment-variables)))
+                             (default-environment-variables))
+                            (rlimits '()))
   "Spawn a process that executed COMMAND as per 'exec-command', and return
 its PID."
   ;; Install the SIGCHLD handler if this is the first fork+exec-command call.
@@ -924,7 +931,8 @@ its PID."
                           #:directory directory
                           #:file-creation-mask file-creation-mask
                           #:create-session? create-session?
-                          #:environment-variables environment-variables))
+                          #:environment-variables environment-variables
+                          #:rlimits rlimits))
           pid))))
 
 (define* (make-forkexec-constructor command
@@ -932,15 +940,16 @@ its PID."
                                     (user #f)
                                     (group #f)
                                     (supplementary-groups '())
+                                    (log-file #f)
                                     (directory (default-service-directory))
-                                    (environment-variables
-                                     (default-environment-variables))
                                     (file-creation-mask #f)
                                     (create-session? #t)
+                                    (environment-variables
+                                     (default-environment-variables))
+                                    (rlimits '())
                                     (pid-file #f)
                                     (pid-file-timeout
-                                     (default-pid-file-timeout))
-                                    (log-file #f))
+                                     (default-pid-file-timeout)))
   "Return a procedure that forks a child process, closes all file
 descriptors except the standard output and standard error descriptors, sets
 the current directory to @var{directory}, sets the umask to
@@ -978,7 +987,8 @@ start."
                                   #:file-creation-mask file-creation-mask
                                   #:create-session? create-session?
                                   #:environment-variables
-                                  environment-variables)))
+                                  environment-variables
+                                  #:rlimits rlimits)))
       (if pid-file
           (match (read-pid-file pid-file
                                 #:max-delay pid-file-timeout
diff --git a/tests/forking-service.sh b/tests/forking-service.sh
index bd9aac9..a745bf4 100644
--- a/tests/forking-service.sh
+++ b/tests/forking-service.sh
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ conf="t-conf-$$"
 log="t-log-$$"
 pid="t-pid-$$"
 service_pid="t-service-pid-$$"
+service_nofiles="t-service-nofiles-$$"
 service2_pid="t-service2-pid-$$"
 service2_started="t-service2-starts-$$"
 
@@ -49,14 +50,15 @@ cat > "$conf"<<EOF
 (default-pid-file-timeout 10)
 
 (define %command
-  '("$SHELL" "-c" "sleep 600 & echo \$! > $PWD/$service_pid"))
+  '("$SHELL" "-c" "ulimit -n >$PWD/$service_nofiles; sleep 600 & echo \$! > $PWD/$service_pid"))
 
 (register-services
  (make <service>
    ;; A service that forks into a different process.
    #:provides '(test)
    #:start (make-forkexec-constructor %command
-                                      #:pid-file "$PWD/$service_pid")
+                                      #:pid-file "$PWD/$service_pid"
+                                      #:rlimits '((nofile 1567 1567)))
    #:stop  (make-kill-destructor)
    #:respawn? #f))
 
@@ -125,6 +127,15 @@ $herd status test2 | grep started
 test "`cat $PWD/$service2_started`" = "started
 started"
 
+
+
+# test if nofiles was set properly
+test -f "$service_nofiles"
+nofiles_value="`cat $service_nofiles`"
+test 1567 -eq $nofiles_value
+
+
+
 # Try to trigger eventual race conditions, when killing a process between fork
 # and execv calls.
 for i in `seq 1 50`
