@@ -50,6 +50,9 @@ func remote(eng *engine.Engine) error {

 // These components should be broken off into plugins of their own.

 //

 func daemon(eng *engine.Engine) error {

+	if err := eng.Register("initserverpidfile", server.InitPidfile); err != nil {

+		return err

+	}

 	if err := eng.Register("initserver", server.InitServer); err != nil {

 		return err

 	}

@@ -149,12 +149,22 @@ func main() {

 		if err := builtins.Register(eng); err != nil {

 			log.Fatal(err)

 		}

+

+		// handle the pidfile early. https://github.com/dotcloud/docker/issues/6973

+		if len(*pidfile) > 0 {

+			job := eng.Job("initserverpidfile", *pidfile)

+			if err := job.Run(); err != nil {

+				log.Fatal(err)

+			}

+		}

+

 		// load the daemon in the background so we can immediately start

 		// the http api so that connections don't fail while the daemon

 		// is booting

 		go func() {

 			// Load plugin: httpapi

 			job := eng.Job("initserver")

+			// include the variable here too, for the server config

 			job.Setenv("Pidfile", *pidfile)

 			job.Setenv("Root", realRoot)

 			job.SetenvBool("AutoRestart", *flAutoRestart)

@@ -72,6 +72,17 @@ func (srv *Server) handlerWrap(h engine.Handler) engine.Handler {

 	}

 }

+func InitPidfile(job *engine.Job) engine.Status {

+	if len(job.Args) == 0 {

+		return job.Error(fmt.Errorf("no pidfile provided to initialize"))

+	}

+	job.Logf("Creating pidfile")

+	if err := utils.CreatePidFile(job.Args[0]); err != nil {

+		return job.Error(err)

+	}

+	return engine.StatusOK

+}

+

 // jobInitApi runs the remote api server `srv` as a daemon,

 // Only one api server can run at the same time - this is enforced by a pidfile.

 // The signals SIGINT, SIGQUIT and SIGTERM are intercepted for cleanup.

@@ -81,13 +92,6 @@ func InitServer(job *engine.Job) engine.Status {

 	if err != nil {

 		return job.Error(err)

 	}

-	if srv.daemon.Config().Pidfile != "" {

-		job.Logf("Creating pidfile")

-		if err := utils.CreatePidFile(srv.daemon.Config().Pidfile); err != nil {

-			// FIXME: do we need fatal here instead of returning a job error?

-			log.Fatal(err)

-		}

-	}

 	job.Logf("Setting up signal traps")

 	c := make(chan os.Signal, 1)

 	gosignal.Notify(c, os.Interrupt, syscall.SIGTERM, syscall.SIGQUIT)