diff --git a/tools/ocaml/libs/eventchn/xeneventchn.ml b/tools/ocaml/libs/eventchn/xeneventchn.ml
index be4de82f46..c16fdd4674 100644
--- a/tools/ocaml/libs/eventchn/xeneventchn.ml
+++ b/tools/ocaml/libs/eventchn/xeneventchn.ml
@@ -16,7 +16,10 @@
 
 type handle
 
-external init: unit -> handle = "stub_eventchn_init"
+external _init: bool -> handle = "stub_eventchn_init"
+
+let init ?(cloexec=true) () = _init cloexec
+
 external fdopen: Unix.file_descr -> handle = "stub_eventchn_fdopen"
 external fd: handle -> Unix.file_descr = "stub_eventchn_fd"
 
diff --git a/tools/ocaml/libs/eventchn/xeneventchn.mli b/tools/ocaml/libs/eventchn/xeneventchn.mli
index 98b3c86f37..870429b6b5 100644
--- a/tools/ocaml/libs/eventchn/xeneventchn.mli
+++ b/tools/ocaml/libs/eventchn/xeneventchn.mli
@@ -43,9 +43,12 @@ val to_int: t -> int
 
 val of_int: int -> t
 
-val init: unit -> handle
-(** Return an initialised event channel interface. On error it
-    will throw a Failure exception. *)
+val init: ?cloexec:bool -> unit -> handle
+(** [init ?cloexec ()]
+    Return an initialised event channel interface.
+    The default is to close the underlying file descriptor
+    on [execve], which can be overriden with [~cloexec:false].
+    On error it will throw a Failure exception. *)
 
 val fdopen: Unix.file_descr -> handle
 (** Return an initialised event channel interface, from an already open evtchn
diff --git a/tools/ocaml/libs/eventchn/xeneventchn_stubs.c b/tools/ocaml/libs/eventchn/xeneventchn_stubs.c
index 7bdf711bc1..aa8a69cc1e 100644
--- a/tools/ocaml/libs/eventchn/xeneventchn_stubs.c
+++ b/tools/ocaml/libs/eventchn/xeneventchn_stubs.c
@@ -50,14 +50,18 @@ static struct custom_operations xenevtchn_ops = {
 	.compare_ext = custom_compare_ext_default, /* Can't compare     */
 };
 
-CAMLprim value stub_eventchn_init(void)
+CAMLprim value stub_eventchn_init(value cloexec)
 {
-	CAMLparam0();
+	CAMLparam1(cloexec);
 	CAMLlocal1(result);
 	xenevtchn_handle *xce;
+	unsigned int flags = 0;
+
+	if ( !Bool_val(cloexec) )
+		flags |= XENEVTCHN_NO_CLOEXEC;
 
 	caml_enter_blocking_section();
-	xce = xenevtchn_open(NULL, 0);
+	xce = xenevtchn_open(NULL, flags);
 	caml_leave_blocking_section();
 
 	if (xce == NULL)