diff --git a/libcontainer/container_linux.go b/libcontainer/container_linux.go
index 912673a3..0b7fdeb3 100644
--- a/libcontainer/container_linux.go
+++ b/libcontainer/container_linux.go
@@ -218,7 +218,7 @@ func (c *linuxContainer) newParentProcess(p *Process, doInit bool) (parentProces
 		return nil, newSystemError(err)
 	}
 	if !doInit {
-		return c.newSetnsProcess(p, cmd, parentPipe, childPipe), nil
+		return c.newSetnsProcess(p, cmd, parentPipe, childPipe)
 	}
 	return c.newInitProcess(p, cmd, parentPipe, childPipe)
 }
@@ -273,7 +273,7 @@ func (c *linuxContainer) newInitProcess(p *Process, cmd *exec.Cmd, parentPipe, c
 	}, nil
 }
 
-func (c *linuxContainer) newSetnsProcess(p *Process, cmd *exec.Cmd, parentPipe, childPipe *os.File) *setnsProcess {
+func (c *linuxContainer) newSetnsProcess(p *Process, cmd *exec.Cmd, parentPipe, childPipe *os.File) (*setnsProcess, error) {
 	cmd.Env = append(cmd.Env,
 		fmt.Sprintf("_LIBCONTAINER_INITPID=%d", c.initProcess.pid()),
 		"_LIBCONTAINER_INITTYPE=setns",
@@ -289,7 +289,7 @@ func (c *linuxContainer) newSetnsProcess(p *Process, cmd *exec.Cmd, parentPipe,
 		parentPipe:  parentPipe,
 		config:      c.newInitConfig(p),
 		process:     p,
-	}
+	}, nil
 }
 
 func (c *linuxContainer) newInitConfig(process *Process) *initConfig {
diff --git a/libcontainer/process_linux.go b/libcontainer/process_linux.go
index 4d17cbc5..f27b6cf4 100644
--- a/libcontainer/process_linux.go
+++ b/libcontainer/process_linux.go
@@ -41,13 +41,14 @@ type parentProcess interface {
 }
 
 type setnsProcess struct {
-	cmd         *exec.Cmd
-	parentPipe  *os.File
-	childPipe   *os.File
-	cgroupPaths map[string]string
-	config      *initConfig
-	fds         []string
-	process     *Process
+	cmd           *exec.Cmd
+	parentPipe    *os.File
+	childPipe     *os.File
+	cgroupPaths   map[string]string
+	config        *initConfig
+	fds           []string
+	process       *Process
+	bootstrapData io.Reader
 }
 
 func (p *setnsProcess) startTime() (string, error) {
@@ -64,6 +65,16 @@ func (p *setnsProcess) signal(sig os.Signal) error {
 
 func (p *setnsProcess) start() (err error) {
 	defer p.parentPipe.Close()
+	err = p.cmd.Start()
+	p.childPipe.Close()
+	if err != nil {
+		return newSystemError(err)
+	}
+	if p.bootstrapData != nil {
+		if _, err := io.Copy(p.parentPipe, p.bootstrapData); err != nil {
+			return newSystemError(err)
+		}
+	}
 	if err = p.execSetns(); err != nil {
 		return newSystemError(err)
 	}
@@ -96,11 +107,6 @@ func (p *setnsProcess) start() (err error) {
 // before the go runtime boots, we wait on the process to die and receive the child's pid
 // over the provided pipe.
 func (p *setnsProcess) execSetns() error {
-	err := p.cmd.Start()
-	p.childPipe.Close()
-	if err != nil {
-		return newSystemError(err)
-	}
 	status, err := p.cmd.Process.Wait()
 	if err != nil {
 		p.cmd.Wait()