diff --git a/src/lxc/execute.c b/src/lxc/execute.c
index b78bcbfc0..a0f7ff11c 100644
--- a/src/lxc/execute.c
+++ b/src/lxc/execute.c
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ int lxc_execute(const char *name, char *const argv[], int quiet,
 		.quiet = quiet
 	};
 
-	if (lxc_check_inherited(conf, -1))
+	if (lxc_check_inherited(conf, false, -1))
 		return -1;
 
 	conf->is_execute = 1;
diff --git a/src/lxc/lxccontainer.c b/src/lxc/lxccontainer.c
index 0d366873b..7ed871708 100644
--- a/src/lxc/lxccontainer.c
+++ b/src/lxc/lxccontainer.c
@@ -606,7 +606,6 @@ static bool lxcapi_start(struct lxc_container *c, int useinit, char * const argv
 	* while container is running...
 	*/
 	if (daemonize) {
-		conf->close_all_fds = 1;
 		lxc_monitord_spawn(c->config_path);
 
 		pid_t pid = fork();
@@ -634,7 +633,7 @@ static bool lxcapi_start(struct lxc_container *c, int useinit, char * const argv
 			SYSERROR("Error chdir()ing to /.");
 			return false;
 		}
-		lxc_check_inherited(conf, -1);
+		lxc_check_inherited(conf, true, -1);
 		close(0);
 		close(1);
 		close(2);
@@ -673,6 +672,13 @@ static bool lxcapi_start(struct lxc_container *c, int useinit, char * const argv
 
 reboot:
 	conf->reboot = 0;
+
+	if (lxc_check_inherited(conf, daemonize, -1)) {
+		ERROR("Inherited fds found");
+		ret = 1;
+		goto out;
+	}
+
 	ret = lxc_start(c->name, argv, conf, c->config_path);
 	c->error_num = ret;
 
@@ -682,6 +688,7 @@ reboot:
 		goto reboot;
 	}
 
+out:
 	if (c->pidfile) {
 		unlink(c->pidfile);
 		free(c->pidfile);
diff --git a/src/lxc/monitor.c b/src/lxc/monitor.c
index f6d36a96b..1e1c094a9 100644
--- a/src/lxc/monitor.c
+++ b/src/lxc/monitor.c
@@ -331,7 +331,7 @@ int lxc_monitord_spawn(const char *lxcpath)
 		SYSERROR("failed to setsid");
 		exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
 	}
-	lxc_check_inherited(NULL, pipefd[1]);
+	lxc_check_inherited(NULL, true, pipefd[1]);
 	close(0);
 	close(1);
 	close(2);
diff --git a/src/lxc/start.c b/src/lxc/start.c
index cd78665ec..f9bff5192 100644
--- a/src/lxc/start.c
+++ b/src/lxc/start.c
@@ -170,12 +170,24 @@ static int match_fd(int fd)
 	return (fd == 0 || fd == 1 || fd == 2);
 }
 
-int lxc_check_inherited(struct lxc_conf *conf, int fd_to_ignore)
+/*
+ * Check for any fds we need to close
+ * * if fd_to_ignore != -1, then if we find that fd open we will ignore it.
+ * * By default we warn about open fds we find.
+ * * If closeall is true, we will close open fds.
+ * * If lxc-start was passed "-C", then conf->close_all_fds will be true,
+ *     in which case we also close all open fds.
+ * * A daemonized container will always pass closeall=true.
+ */
+int lxc_check_inherited(struct lxc_conf *conf, bool closeall, int fd_to_ignore)
 {
 	struct dirent dirent, *direntp;
 	int fd, fddir;
 	DIR *dir;
 
+	if (conf && conf->close_all_fds)
+		closeall = true;
+
 restart:
 	dir = opendir("/proc/self/fd");
 	if (!dir) {
@@ -203,7 +215,7 @@ restart:
 		if (match_fd(fd))
 			continue;
 
-		if (conf == NULL || conf->close_all_fds) {
+		if (closeall) {
 			close(fd);
 			closedir(dir);
 			INFO("closed inherited fd %d", fd);
@@ -1187,9 +1199,6 @@ int lxc_start(const char *name, char *const argv[], struct lxc_conf *conf,
 		.argv = argv,
 	};
 
-	if (lxc_check_inherited(conf, -1))
-		return -1;
-
 	conf->need_utmp_watch = 1;
 	return __lxc_start(name, conf, &start_ops, &start_arg, lxcpath);
 }
diff --git a/src/lxc/start.h b/src/lxc/start.h
index 7c75b16f3..d39b3b46a 100644
--- a/src/lxc/start.h
+++ b/src/lxc/start.h
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 
 #include <signal.h>
 #include <sys/param.h>
+#include <stdbool.h>
 
 #include "config.h"
 #include "state.h"
@@ -81,7 +82,7 @@ extern void lxc_abort(const char *name, struct lxc_handler *handler);
 extern struct lxc_handler *lxc_init(const char *name, struct lxc_conf *, const char *);
 extern void lxc_fini(const char *name, struct lxc_handler *handler);
 
-extern int lxc_check_inherited(struct lxc_conf *conf, int fd_to_ignore);
+extern int lxc_check_inherited(struct lxc_conf *conf, bool closeall, int fd_to_ignore);
 int __lxc_start(const char *, struct lxc_conf *, struct lxc_operations *,
 		void *, const char *);