--- src/main/festival_main.cc
+++ src/main/festival_main.cc
@@ -39,6 +39,10 @@
 /*                                                                       */
 /*=======================================================================*/
 #include <cstdio>
+#include <sys/types.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+#include <pwd.h>
+#include <grp.h>
 
 using namespace std;
 
@@ -75,6 +79,9 @@
     EST_StrList files;
     int real_number_of_files = 0;
     int heap_size = FESTIVAL_HEAP_SIZE;
+	unsigned int uid = -1;
+	unsigned int gid = -1;
+	struct passwd *pw;
 
     if (festival_check_script_mode(argc,argv) == TRUE)
     {   // Need to check this directly as in script mode args are 
@@ -106,6 +113,9 @@
 	"              english, spanish and welsh are available\n"+
 	"--server      Run in server mode waiting for clients\n"+
 	"              of server_port (1314)\n"+
+	"--chroot <string> Run server in chroot\n"+
+	"--uid <string> Run server as given user\n"+
+	"--gid <int> Run server with this group\n"+
 	"--script <ifile>\n"+
         "              Used in #! scripts, runs in batch mode on\n"+
 	"              file and passes all other args to Scheme\n"+
@@ -123,6 +133,77 @@
 	exit(0);
     }
 
+	if( al.present( "--uid" ) )
+	{
+		EST_String b = al.sval( "--uid" );
+
+		pw = getpwnam( b.str() );
+		if( pw != NULL )
+		{
+			uid = pw->pw_uid;
+			gid = pw->pw_gid;
+		}
+		else
+		{
+			printf("unknow user\n");
+			festival_error();
+		}
+	}
+
+	if( al.present( "--gid" ) )
+	{
+		gid = al.ival( "--gid" );
+		if( al.present( "--uid" ) )
+		{
+			printf( "useless without --uid\n" );
+			festival_error();
+		}
+	}
+
+	if( al.present( "--chroot" ) )
+	{
+		if( !al.present( "--uid" ) )
+		{
+			printf( "chroot only makes sense in combination with uid switching\n" );
+			festival_error();
+		}
+
+		EST_String a = al.sval( "--chroot" );
+		printf( "chroot to %s\n", a.str() );
+		if( chdir( a.str() ) )
+		{
+			festival_error();
+		}
+		if( chroot( a.str() ) )
+		{
+        	festival_error();
+		}
+		if( chdir( "/" ) )
+		{
+			festival_error();
+		}
+	}
+
+	if( al.present( "--uid" ) )
+	{
+		if( setgroups( 1, &gid ) < 0 )
+		{
+			festival_error();
+		}
+
+		if( setgid( gid ) != 0 )
+		{
+			printf( "can't setgid\n" );
+			festival_error();
+		}
+
+		if( setuid( uid ) != 0 )
+		{
+			printf( "can't setuid\n" );
+			festival_error();
+		}
+	}
+
     if (al.present("--libdir"))
 	festival_libdir = wstrdup(al.val("--libdir"));
     else if (getenv("FESTLIBDIR") != 0)