diff --git a/doc/configuration.txt b/doc/configuration.txt
index adba26802..e1257accf 100644
--- a/doc/configuration.txt
+++ b/doc/configuration.txt
@@ -629,6 +629,7 @@ The following keywords are supported in the "global" section :
    - wurfl-information-list
    - wurfl-information-list-separator
    - wurfl-cache-size
+   - strict-limits
 
  * Performance tuning
    - busy-polling
@@ -1405,6 +1406,14 @@ wurfl-cache-size <size>
   Please note that this option is only available when haproxy has been compiled
   with USE_WURFL=1.
 
+strict-limits
+  Makes process fail at startup when a setrlimit fails. Haproxy is tries to set
+  the best setrlimit according to what has been calculated. If it fails, it
+  will emit a warning. Use this option if you want an explicit failure of
+  haproxy when those limits fail. This option is disabled by default. If it has
+  been enabled, it may still be forcibly disabled by prefixing it with the "no"
+  keyword.
+
 3.2. Performance tuning
 -----------------------
 
diff --git a/include/types/global.h b/include/types/global.h
index df6614eb1..d5dbc7f90 100644
--- a/include/types/global.h
+++ b/include/types/global.h
@@ -72,8 +72,8 @@
 #define GTUNE_BUSY_POLLING       (1<<11)
 #define GTUNE_LISTENER_MQ        (1<<12)
 #define GTUNE_SET_DUMPABLE       (1<<13)
-
 #define GTUNE_USE_EVPORTS        (1<<14)
+#define GTUNE_STRICT_LIMITS      (1<<15)
 
 /* SSL server verify mode */
 enum {
diff --git a/src/cfgparse-global.c b/src/cfgparse-global.c
index b117ebc7c..dd37559a5 100644
--- a/src/cfgparse-global.c
+++ b/src/cfgparse-global.c
@@ -1172,6 +1172,14 @@ int cfg_parse_global(const char *file, int linenum, char **args, int kwm)
 				env++;
 		}
 	}
+	else if (!strcmp(args[0], "strict-limits")) { /* "no strict-limits" or "strict-limits" */
+		if (alertif_too_many_args(0, file, linenum, args, &err_code))
+			goto out;
+		if (kwm == KWM_NO)
+			global.tune.options &= ~GTUNE_STRICT_LIMITS;
+		else
+			global.tune.options |= GTUNE_STRICT_LIMITS;
+	}
 	else {
 		struct cfg_kw_list *kwl;
 		int index;
diff --git a/src/cfgparse.c b/src/cfgparse.c
index 0cad16ba8..eaad6c2cd 100644
--- a/src/cfgparse.c
+++ b/src/cfgparse.c
@@ -2149,10 +2149,10 @@ int readcfgfile(const char *file)
 
 		if (kwm != KWM_STD && strcmp(args[0], "option") != 0 &&
 		    strcmp(args[0], "log") != 0 && strcmp(args[0], "busy-polling") != 0 &&
-		    strcmp(args[0], "set-dumpable") != 0) {
+		    strcmp(args[0], "set-dumpable") != 0 && strcmp(args[0], "strict-limits") != 0) {
 			ha_alert("parsing [%s:%d]: negation/default currently "
-				 "supported only for options, log, busy-polling and "
-				 "set-dumpable.\n", file, linenum);
+				 "supported only for options, log, busy-polling, "
+				 "set-dumpable and strict-limits.\n", file, linenum);
 			err_code |= ERR_ALERT | ERR_FATAL;
 		}
 
diff --git a/src/haproxy.c b/src/haproxy.c
index a7f294d6a..cf23c396f 100644
--- a/src/haproxy.c
+++ b/src/haproxy.c
@@ -2829,14 +2829,24 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 		limit.rlim_max = MAX(rlim_fd_max_at_boot, limit.rlim_cur);
 
 		if (setrlimit(RLIMIT_NOFILE, &limit) == -1) {
-			/* try to set it to the max possible at least */
 			getrlimit(RLIMIT_NOFILE, &limit);
-			limit.rlim_cur = limit.rlim_max;
-			if (setrlimit(RLIMIT_NOFILE, &limit) != -1)
-				getrlimit(RLIMIT_NOFILE, &limit);
+			if (global.tune.options & GTUNE_STRICT_LIMITS) {
+				ha_alert("[%s.main()] Cannot raise FD limit to %d, limit is %d.\n",
+					 argv[0], global.rlimit_nofile, (int)limit.rlim_cur);
+				if (!(global.mode & MODE_MWORKER))
+					exit(1);
+			}
+			else {
+				/* try to set it to the max possible at least */
+				limit.rlim_cur = limit.rlim_max;
+				if (setrlimit(RLIMIT_NOFILE, &limit) != -1)
+					getrlimit(RLIMIT_NOFILE, &limit);
 
-			ha_warning("[%s.main()] Cannot raise FD limit to %d, limit is %d.\n", argv[0], global.rlimit_nofile, (int)limit.rlim_cur);
-			global.rlimit_nofile = limit.rlim_cur;
+				ha_warning("[%s.main()] Cannot raise FD limit to %d, limit is %d. "
+				           "This will fail in >= v2.3\n",
+					   argv[0], global.rlimit_nofile, (int)limit.rlim_cur);
+				global.rlimit_nofile = limit.rlim_cur;
+			}
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -2845,13 +2855,29 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 			global.rlimit_memmax * 1048576ULL;
 #ifdef RLIMIT_AS
 		if (setrlimit(RLIMIT_AS, &limit) == -1) {
-			ha_warning("[%s.main()] Cannot fix MEM limit to %d megs.\n",
-				   argv[0], global.rlimit_memmax);
+			if (global.tune.options & GTUNE_STRICT_LIMITS) {
+				ha_alert("[%s.main()] Cannot fix MEM limit to %d megs.\n",
+					 argv[0], global.rlimit_memmax);
+				if (!(global.mode & MODE_MWORKER))
+					exit(1);
+			}
+			else
+				ha_warning("[%s.main()] Cannot fix MEM limit to %d megs."
+					   "This will fail in >= v2.3\n",
+					   argv[0], global.rlimit_memmax);
 		}
 #else
 		if (setrlimit(RLIMIT_DATA, &limit) == -1) {
-			ha_warning("[%s.main()] Cannot fix MEM limit to %d megs.\n",
-				   argv[0], global.rlimit_memmax);
+			if (global.tune.options & GTUNE_STRICT_LIMITS) {
+				ha_alert("[%s.main()] Cannot fix MEM limit to %d megs.\n",
+					 argv[0], global.rlimit_memmax);
+				if (!(global.mode & MODE_MWORKER))
+					exit(1);
+			}
+			else
+				ha_warning("[%s.main()] Cannot fix MEM limit to %d megs.",
+					   "This will fail in >= v2.3\n",
+					   argv[0], global.rlimit_memmax);
 		}
 #endif
 	}
@@ -3050,13 +3076,31 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 		limit.rlim_cur = limit.rlim_max = RLIM_INFINITY;
 
 #if defined(RLIMIT_FSIZE)
-		if (setrlimit(RLIMIT_FSIZE, &limit) == -1)
-			ha_warning("[%s.main()] Failed to set the raise the maximum file size.\n", argv[0]);
+		if (setrlimit(RLIMIT_FSIZE, &limit) == -1) {
+			if (global.tune.options & GTUNE_STRICT_LIMITS) {
+				ha_alert("[%s.main()] Failed to set the raise the maximum "
+					 "file size.\n", argv[0]);
+				if (!(global.mode & MODE_MWORKER))
+					exit(1);
+			}
+			else
+				ha_warning("[%s.main()] Failed to set the raise the maximum "
+					   "file size. This will fail in >= v2.3\n", argv[0]);
+		}
 #endif
 
 #if defined(RLIMIT_CORE)
-		if (setrlimit(RLIMIT_CORE, &limit) == -1)
-			ha_warning("[%s.main()] Failed to set the raise the core dump size.\n", argv[0]);
+		if (setrlimit(RLIMIT_CORE, &limit) == -1) {
+			if (global.tune.options & GTUNE_STRICT_LIMITS) {
+				ha_alert("[%s.main()] Failed to set the raise the core "
+					 "dump size.\n", argv[0]);
+				if (!(global.mode & MODE_MWORKER))
+					exit(1);
+			}
+			else
+				ha_warning("[%s.main()] Failed to set the raise the core "
+					   "dump size. This will fail in >= v2.3\n", argv[0]);
+		}
 #endif
 
 #if defined(USE_PRCTL)
@@ -3069,8 +3113,20 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 	limit.rlim_cur = limit.rlim_max = 0;
 	getrlimit(RLIMIT_NOFILE, &limit);
 	if (limit.rlim_cur < global.maxsock) {
-		ha_warning("[%s.main()] FD limit (%d) too low for maxconn=%d/maxsock=%d. Please raise 'ulimit-n' to %d or more to avoid any trouble.\n",
-			   argv[0], (int)limit.rlim_cur, global.maxconn, global.maxsock, global.maxsock);
+		if (global.tune.options & GTUNE_STRICT_LIMITS) {
+			ha_alert("[%s.main()] FD limit (%d) too low for maxconn=%d/maxsock=%d. "
+				 "Please raise 'ulimit-n' to %d or more to avoid any trouble.\n",
+			         argv[0], (int)limit.rlim_cur, global.maxconn, global.maxsock,
+				 global.maxsock);
+			if (!(global.mode & MODE_MWORKER))
+				exit(1);
+		}
+		else
+			ha_alert("[%s.main()] FD limit (%d) too low for maxconn=%d/maxsock=%d. "
+				 "Please raise 'ulimit-n' to %d or more to avoid any trouble."
+				 "This will fail in >= v2.3\n",
+			         argv[0], (int)limit.rlim_cur, global.maxconn, global.maxsock,
+				 global.maxsock);
 	}
 
 	if (global.mode & (MODE_DAEMON | MODE_MWORKER | MODE_MWORKER_WAIT)) {