diff --git a/criu/config.c b/criu/config.c
index 57684b45f..2e57a2af4 100644
--- a/criu/config.c
+++ b/criu/config.c
@@ -149,12 +149,6 @@ static char ** parse_config(char *filepath)
 	return configuration;
 }
 
-#define PARSING_GLOBAL_CONF	1
-#define PARSING_USER_CONF	2
-#define PARSING_ENV_CONF	3
-#define PARSING_CMDLINE_CONF	4
-#define PARSING_ARGV		5
-
 static int next_config(char **argv, char ***_argv, bool no_default_config,
 		int state, char *cfg_file)
 {
@@ -162,7 +156,7 @@ static int next_config(char **argv, char ***_argv, bool no_default_config,
 	char *home_dir = NULL;
 	char *cfg_from_env = NULL;
 
-	if (state > PARSING_ARGV)
+	if (state >= PARSING_LAST)
 		return 0;
 
 	switch(state) {
@@ -197,6 +191,11 @@ static int next_config(char **argv, char ***_argv, bool no_default_config,
 		case PARSING_ARGV:
 			*_argv = argv;
 			break;
+		case PARSING_RPC_CONF:
+			if (!rpc_cfg_file)
+				break;
+			*_argv = parse_config(rpc_cfg_file);
+			break;
 		default:
 			break;
 	}
@@ -403,9 +402,9 @@ static int parse_join_ns(const char *ptr)
  * correct, '1' if something failed and '2' if the CRIU help text should
  * be displayed.
  */
-int parse_options(int argc, char **argv, bool *usage_error, bool *has_exec_cmd)
+int parse_options(int argc, char **argv, bool *usage_error,
+		bool *has_exec_cmd, int state)
 {
-	int state = PARSING_GLOBAL_CONF;
 	int ret;
 	int opt = -1;
 	int idx;
@@ -516,7 +515,6 @@ int parse_options(int argc, char **argv, bool *usage_error, bool *has_exec_cmd)
 					free(_argv[i]);
 				}
 				free(_argv);
-				;
 			}
 			/* This needs to be reset for a new getopt() run */
 			_argc = 0;
diff --git a/criu/cr-service.c b/criu/cr-service.c
index c7c28857e..dc2ff05f7 100644
--- a/criu/cr-service.c
+++ b/criu/cr-service.c
@@ -242,7 +242,11 @@ static int setup_opts_from_req(int sk, CriuOpts *req)
 	char images_dir_path[PATH_MAX];
 	char work_dir_path[PATH_MAX];
 	char status_fd[PATH_MAX];
+	bool output_changed_by_rpc_conf = false;
+	bool work_changed_by_rpc_conf = false;
+	bool imgs_changed_by_rpc_conf = false;
 	int i;
+	bool dummy = false;
 
 	if (getsockopt(sk, SOL_SOCKET, SO_PEERCRED, &ids, &ids_len)) {
 		pr_perror("Can't get socket options");
@@ -257,8 +261,68 @@ static int setup_opts_from_req(int sk, CriuOpts *req)
 	BUG_ON(st.st_ino == -1);
 	service_sk_ino = st.st_ino;
 
-	/* open images_dir */
-	sprintf(images_dir_path, "/proc/%d/fd/%d", ids.pid, req->images_dir_fd);
+	/*
+	 * Evaluate an additional configuration file if specified.
+	 * This needs to happen twice, because it is needed early to detect
+	 * things like work_dir, imgs_dir and logfile. The second parsing
+	 * of the optional RPC configuration file happens at the end and
+	 * overwrites all options set via RPC.
+	 */
+	if (req->config_file) {
+		char *tmp_output = NULL;
+		char *tmp_work = NULL;
+		char *tmp_imgs = NULL;
+
+		if (opts.output)
+			tmp_output = xstrdup(opts.output);
+		if (opts.work_dir)
+			tmp_work = xstrdup(opts.work_dir);
+		if (opts.imgs_dir)
+			tmp_imgs = xstrdup(opts.imgs_dir);
+		xfree(opts.output);
+		xfree(opts.work_dir);
+		xfree(opts.imgs_dir);
+		opts.output = NULL;
+		opts.work_dir = NULL;
+		opts.imgs_dir = NULL;
+		rpc_cfg_file = req->config_file;
+		i = parse_options(0, NULL, &dummy, &dummy, PARSING_RPC_CONF);
+		pr_warn("parse_options returns %d\n", i);
+		if (i) {
+			xfree(tmp_output);
+			xfree(tmp_work);
+			xfree(tmp_imgs);
+			goto err;
+		}
+		if (tmp_output && opts.output && !strncmp(tmp_output, opts.output, PATH_MAX))
+			output_changed_by_rpc_conf = true;
+		if (tmp_work && opts.work_dir && !strncmp(tmp_work, opts.work_dir, PATH_MAX))
+			work_changed_by_rpc_conf = true;
+		if (tmp_imgs && opts.imgs_dir && !strncmp(tmp_imgs, opts.imgs_dir, PATH_MAX))
+			imgs_changed_by_rpc_conf = true;
+		xfree(tmp_output);
+		xfree(tmp_work);
+		xfree(tmp_imgs);
+	}
+
+	/*
+	 * open images_dir
+	 * This assumes that if opts.imgs_dir is set we have a value
+	 * from the configuration file parser. The test to see that
+	 * imgs_changed_by_rpc_conf is true is used to make sure the value
+	 * is not the same as from one of the other configuration files.
+	 * The idea is that only the RPC configuration file is able to
+	 * overwrite RPC settings:
+	 *  * apply_config(global_conf)
+	 *  * apply_config(user_conf)
+	 *  * apply_config(environment variable)
+	 *  * apply_rpc_options()
+	 *  * apply_config(rpc_conf)
+	 */
+	if (opts.imgs_dir && imgs_changed_by_rpc_conf)
+		strncpy(images_dir_path, opts.imgs_dir, PATH_MAX);
+	else
+		sprintf(images_dir_path, "/proc/%d/fd/%d", ids.pid, req->images_dir_fd);
 
 	if (req->parent_img)
 		SET_CHAR_OPTS(img_parent, req->parent_img);
@@ -275,7 +339,9 @@ static int setup_opts_from_req(int sk, CriuOpts *req)
 	}
 
 	/* chdir to work dir */
-	if (req->has_work_dir_fd)
+	if (opts.work_dir && work_changed_by_rpc_conf)
+		strncpy(work_dir_path, opts.work_dir, PATH_MAX);
+	else if (req->has_work_dir_fd)
 		sprintf(work_dir_path, "/proc/%d/fd/%d", ids.pid, req->work_dir_fd);
 	else
 		strcpy(work_dir_path, images_dir_path);
@@ -286,15 +352,16 @@ static int setup_opts_from_req(int sk, CriuOpts *req)
 	}
 
 	/* initiate log file in work dir */
-	if (req->log_file) {
+	if (req->log_file && !(opts.output  && output_changed_by_rpc_conf)) {
 		if (strchr(req->log_file, '/')) {
 			pr_perror("No subdirs are allowed in log_file name");
 			goto err;
 		}
 
 		SET_CHAR_OPTS(output, req->log_file);
-	} else
+	} else if (!opts.output) {
 		SET_CHAR_OPTS(output, DEFAULT_LOG_FILENAME);
+	}
 
 	log_set_loglevel(req->log_level);
 	if (log_init(opts.output) == -1) {
@@ -381,7 +448,10 @@ static int setup_opts_from_req(int sk, CriuOpts *req)
 
 		if (!opts.lazy_pages) {
 			opts.use_page_server = true;
-			SET_CHAR_OPTS(addr, req->ps->address);
+			if (req->ps->address)
+				SET_CHAR_OPTS(addr, req->ps->address);
+			else
+				opts.addr = NULL;
 
 			if (req->ps->has_fd) {
 				if (!opts.swrk_restore)
@@ -539,6 +609,16 @@ static int setup_opts_from_req(int sk, CriuOpts *req)
 	if (check_namespace_opts())
 		goto err;
 
+	/* Evaluate additional configuration file a second time to overwrite
+	 * all RPC settings. */
+	if (req->config_file) {
+		rpc_cfg_file = req->config_file;
+		i = parse_options(0, NULL, &dummy, &dummy, PARSING_RPC_CONF);
+		if (i)
+			goto err;
+	}
+	log_set_loglevel(opts.log_level);
+
 	return 0;
 
 err:
diff --git a/criu/crtools.c b/criu/crtools.c
index 3c6ca078b..5d555ae56 100644
--- a/criu/crtools.c
+++ b/criu/crtools.c
@@ -101,6 +101,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[], char *envp[])
 	bool usage_error = true;
 	bool has_exec_cmd = false;
 	bool has_sub_command;
+	int state = PARSING_GLOBAL_CONF;
 
 	BUILD_BUG_ON(CTL_32 != SYSCTL_TYPE__CTL_32);
 	BUILD_BUG_ON(__CTL_STR != SYSCTL_TYPE__CTL_STR);
@@ -120,7 +121,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[], char *envp[])
 	init_opts();
 
 
-	ret = parse_options(argc, argv, &usage_error, &has_exec_cmd);
+	ret = parse_options(argc, argv, &usage_error, &has_exec_cmd, state);
 
 	if (ret == 1)
 		return 1;
diff --git a/criu/include/cr_options.h b/criu/include/cr_options.h
index bcf7d1c98..68281e8d5 100644
--- a/criu/include/cr_options.h
+++ b/criu/include/cr_options.h
@@ -6,6 +6,15 @@
 #include "common/config.h"
 #include "common/list.h"
 
+/* Configuration and CLI parsing order defines */
+#define PARSING_GLOBAL_CONF	1
+#define PARSING_USER_CONF	2
+#define PARSING_ENV_CONF	3
+#define PARSING_CMDLINE_CONF	4
+#define PARSING_ARGV		5
+#define PARSING_RPC_CONF	6
+#define PARSING_LAST		7
+
 #define SET_CHAR_OPTS(__dest, __src) \
 	do { \
 		free(opts.__dest); \
@@ -132,8 +141,9 @@ struct cr_options {
 };
 
 extern struct cr_options opts;
+char *rpc_cfg_file;
 
-extern int parse_options(int argc, char **argv, bool *usage_error, bool *has_exec_cmd);
+extern int parse_options(int argc, char **argv, bool *usage_error, bool *has_exec_cmd, int state);
 extern void init_opts();
 
 #endif /* __CR_OPTIONS_H__ */
diff --git a/images/rpc.proto b/images/rpc.proto
index 71f47d594..abf2f5d79 100644
--- a/images/rpc.proto
+++ b/images/rpc.proto
@@ -111,6 +111,7 @@ message criu_opts {
 	optional bool			lazy_pages		= 48;
 	optional int32			status_fd		= 49;
 	optional bool			orphan_pts_master	= 50;
+	optional string			config_file		= 51;
 }
 
 message criu_dump_resp {