diff --git a/src/lxc/execute.c b/src/lxc/execute.c
index 40856a337..6adef9bf2 100644
--- a/src/lxc/execute.c
+++ b/src/lxc/execute.c
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ static struct lxc_operations execute_start_ops = {
 
 int lxc_execute(const char *name, char *const argv[], int quiet,
 		struct lxc_handler *handler, const char *lxcpath,
-		bool backgrounded)
+		bool backgrounded, int *error_num)
 {
 	struct execute_args args = {.argv = argv, .quiet = quiet};
 
@@ -129,5 +129,5 @@ int lxc_execute(const char *name, char *const argv[], int quiet,
 
 	handler->conf->is_execute = 1;
 	return __lxc_start(name, handler, &execute_start_ops, &args, lxcpath,
-			   backgrounded);
+			   backgrounded, error_num);
 }
diff --git a/src/lxc/lxc.h b/src/lxc/lxc.h
index c9064ff08..d3c08ddf2 100644
--- a/src/lxc/lxc.h
+++ b/src/lxc/lxc.h
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ struct lxc_handler;
  */
 extern int lxc_start(const char *name, char *const argv[],
 		     struct lxc_handler *handler, const char *lxcpath,
-		     bool backgrounded);
+		     bool backgrounded, int *error_num);
 
 /*
  * Start the specified command inside an application container
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ extern int lxc_start(const char *name, char *const argv[],
  */
 extern int lxc_execute(const char *name, char *const argv[], int quiet,
 		       struct lxc_handler *handler, const char *lxcpath,
-		       bool backgrounded);
+		       bool backgrounded, int *error_num);
 
 /*
  * Close the fd associated with the monitoring
diff --git a/src/lxc/lxccontainer.c b/src/lxc/lxccontainer.c
index ede0be58f..ecb770f48 100644
--- a/src/lxc/lxccontainer.c
+++ b/src/lxc/lxccontainer.c
@@ -1066,10 +1066,9 @@ reboot:
 	}
 
 	if (useinit)
-		ret = lxc_execute(c->name, argv, 1, handler, c->config_path, daemonize);
+		ret = lxc_execute(c->name, argv, 1, handler, c->config_path, daemonize, &c->error_num);
 	else
-		ret = lxc_start(c->name, argv, handler, c->config_path, daemonize);
-	c->error_num = handler->exit_status;
+		ret = lxc_start(c->name, argv, handler, c->config_path, daemonize, &c->error_num);
 
 	if (conf->reboot == 1) {
 		INFO("Container requested reboot");
diff --git a/src/lxc/start.c b/src/lxc/start.c
index 4e2f8a433..c728a62be 100644
--- a/src/lxc/start.c
+++ b/src/lxc/start.c
@@ -1824,7 +1824,7 @@ out_abort:
 
 int __lxc_start(const char *name, struct lxc_handler *handler,
 		struct lxc_operations* ops, void *data, const char *lxcpath,
-		bool backgrounded)
+		bool backgrounded, int *error_num)
 {
 	int ret, status;
 	struct lxc_conf *conf = handler->conf;
@@ -1920,6 +1920,8 @@ int __lxc_start(const char *name, struct lxc_handler *handler,
 
 	lxc_monitor_send_exit_code(name, status, handler->lxcpath);
 	lxc_error_set_and_log(handler->pid, status);
+	if (error_num)
+		*error_num = handler->exit_status;
 
 out_fini:
 	lxc_delete_network(handler);
@@ -1965,13 +1967,13 @@ static struct lxc_operations start_ops = {
 };
 
 int lxc_start(const char *name, char *const argv[], struct lxc_handler *handler,
-	      const char *lxcpath, bool backgrounded)
+	      const char *lxcpath, bool backgrounded, int *error_num)
 {
 	struct start_args start_arg = {
 		.argv = argv,
 	};
 
-	return __lxc_start(name, handler, &start_ops, &start_arg, lxcpath, backgrounded);
+	return __lxc_start(name, handler, &start_ops, &start_arg, lxcpath, backgrounded, error_num);
 }
 
 static void lxc_destroy_container_on_signal(struct lxc_handler *handler,
diff --git a/src/lxc/start.h b/src/lxc/start.h
index 64e5a937e..e6aabe78c 100644
--- a/src/lxc/start.h
+++ b/src/lxc/start.h
@@ -165,7 +165,8 @@ extern void lxc_fini(const char *name, struct lxc_handler *handler);
 extern int lxc_check_inherited(struct lxc_conf *conf, bool closeall,
 			       int *fds_to_ignore, size_t len_fds);
 extern int __lxc_start(const char *, struct lxc_handler *,
-		       struct lxc_operations *, void *, const char *, bool);
+		       struct lxc_operations *, void *, const char *, bool,
+		       int *);
 
 extern int resolve_clone_flags(struct lxc_handler *handler);