diff --git a/cr-restore.c b/cr-restore.c
index 270d1d162..dc560593c 100644
--- a/cr-restore.c
+++ b/cr-restore.c
@@ -1374,7 +1374,7 @@ static int restore_switch_stage(int next_stage)
 	return restore_wait_inprogress_tasks();
 }
 
-static int attach_to_tasks()
+static int attach_to_tasks(bool root_seized)
 {
 	struct pstree_item *item;
 
@@ -1394,9 +1394,21 @@ static int attach_to_tasks()
 		for (i = 0; i < item->nr_threads; i++) {
 			pid = item->threads[i].real;
 
-			if (ptrace(PTRACE_ATTACH, pid, 0, 0)) {
-				pr_perror("Can't attach to %d", pid);
-				return -1;
+			if (item != root_item || !root_seized) {
+				if (ptrace(PTRACE_ATTACH, pid, 0, 0)) {
+					pr_perror("Can't attach to %d", pid);
+					return -1;
+				}
+			} else {
+				/*
+				 * Root item is SEIZE-d, so we only need
+				 * to stop one (INTERRUPT) to make wait4
+				 * and SYSCALL below work.
+				 */
+				if (ptrace(PTRACE_INTERRUPT, pid, 0, 0)) {
+					pr_perror("Can't interrupt task");
+					return -1;
+				}
 			}
 
 			if (wait4(pid, &status, __WALL, NULL) != pid) {
@@ -1513,10 +1525,43 @@ static int restore_root_task(struct pstree_item *init)
 	futex_set(&task_entries->nr_in_progress,
 			stage_participants(CR_STATE_RESTORE_NS));
 
+	/*
+	 * This means we're called from lib's criu_restore_child().
+	 * In that case create the root task as the child one to+
+	 * the caller. This is the only way to correctly restore the
+	 * pdeath_sig of the root task. But also looks nice.
+	 */
+	if (opts.swrk_restore)
+		init->rst->clone_flags |= CLONE_PARENT;
+
 	ret = fork_with_pid(init);
 	if (ret < 0)
 		return -1;
 
+	if (opts.swrk_restore) {
+		/*
+		 * Root task is not our sibling. This means, that
+		 * we will not notice when (if) it dies in SIGCHLD
+		 * handler, but we should. To do this -- attach to
+		 * the guy with ptrace and (!) make the kernel
+		 * deliver us the signal when it will get stopped.
+		 * It will in case of e.g. segfault before handling
+		 * the signal.
+		 */
+
+		act.sa_flags &= ~SA_NOCLDSTOP;
+		ret = sigaction(SIGCHLD, &act, NULL);
+		if (ret < 0) {
+			pr_perror("sigaction() failed");
+			goto out;
+		}
+
+		if (ptrace(PTRACE_SEIZE, init->pid.real, 0, 0)) {
+			pr_perror("Can't attach to init");
+			goto out;
+		}
+	}
+
 	pr_info("Wait until namespaces are created\n");
 	ret = restore_wait_inprogress_tasks();
 	if (ret)
@@ -1570,7 +1615,7 @@ static int restore_root_task(struct pstree_item *init)
 
 	timing_stop(TIME_RESTORE);
 
-	ret = attach_to_tasks();
+	ret = attach_to_tasks(opts.swrk_restore);
 
 	pr_info("Restore finished successfully. Resuming tasks.\n");
 	futex_set_and_wake(&task_entries->start, CR_STATE_COMPLETE);
diff --git a/crtools.c b/crtools.c
index c3a2e270b..b662fff36 100644
--- a/crtools.c
+++ b/crtools.c
@@ -183,14 +183,16 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 	if (init_service_fd())
 		return 1;
 
-	if (!strcmp(argv[1], "swrk"))
+	if (!strcmp(argv[1], "swrk")) {
 		/*
 		 * This is to start criu service worker from libcriu calls.
 		 * The usage is "criu swrk <fd>" and is not for CLI/scripts.
 		 * The arguments semantics can change at any tyme with the
 		 * corresponding lib call change.
 		 */
+		opts.swrk_restore = true;
 		return cr_service_work(atoi(argv[2]));
+	}
 
 	while (1) {
 		idx = -1;
diff --git a/include/cr_options.h b/include/cr_options.h
index 2732e58d6..55ca70b32 100644
--- a/include/cr_options.h
+++ b/include/cr_options.h
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ struct cr_options {
 	bool			link_remap_ok;
 	unsigned int		rst_namespaces_flags;
 	bool			log_file_per_pid;
+	bool			swrk_restore;
 	char			*output;
 	char			*root;
 	char			*pidfile;
diff --git a/lib/criu.c b/lib/criu.c
index 86256fd0a..7c1ac0785 100644
--- a/lib/criu.c
+++ b/lib/criu.c
@@ -15,10 +15,6 @@
 #include "rpc.pb-c.h"
 #include "cr-service-const.h"
 
-#ifndef PR_SET_CHILD_SUBREAPER
-#define PR_SET_CHILD_SUBREAPER 36
-#endif
-
 const char *criu_lib_version = CRIU_VERSION;
 
 static char *service_address = CR_DEFAULT_SERVICE_ADDRESS;
@@ -582,15 +578,6 @@ int criu_restore_child(void)
 	if (socketpair(PF_LOCAL, SOCK_SEQPACKET, 0, sks))
 		goto out;
 
-	/*
-	 * Set us as child subreaper so that after the swrk
-	 * finishes restore and exits the restored subtree
-	 * gets reparented to us.
-	 */
-
-	if (prctl(PR_SET_CHILD_SUBREAPER, 1, 0, 0))
-		goto err;
-
 	pid = fork();
 	if (pid < 0)
 		goto err;
@@ -633,8 +620,6 @@ int criu_restore_child(void)
 
 	close(sks[0]);
 	waitpid(pid, NULL, 0);
-	/* Drop the subreaper role _after_ swrk exits */
-	prctl(PR_SET_CHILD_SUBREAPER, 0, 0, 0);
 
 	if (!ret) {
 		ret = resp->success ? resp->restore->pid : -EBADE;