diff --git a/gnu/services/shepherd.scm b/gnu/services/shepherd.scm
index 08bb33039c..ec49244cf6 100644
--- a/gnu/services/shepherd.scm
+++ b/gnu/services/shepherd.scm
@@ -277,45 +277,87 @@ and return the resulting '.go' file."
 
   (let ((files (map shepherd-service-file services)))
     (define config
-      #~(begin
-          (use-modules (srfi srfi-34)
-                       (system repl error-handling))
+      (with-imported-modules '((guix build syscalls))
+        #~(begin
+            (use-modules (srfi srfi-34)
+                         (system repl error-handling)
+                         (guix build syscalls)
+                         (system foreign))
 
-          ;; Arrange to spawn a REPL if something goes wrong.  This is better
-          ;; than a kernel panic.
-          (call-with-error-handling
-            (lambda ()
-              (apply register-services
-                     (map load-compiled '#$(map scm->go files)))))
+            (define signal
+              (let ((proc (pointer->procedure int
+                                              (dynamic-func "signal"
+                                                            (dynamic-link))
+                                              (list int '*))))
+                (lambda (signum handler)
+                  (proc signum
+                        (if (integer? handler)                ;SIG_DFL, etc.
+                            (make-pointer handler)
+                            (procedure->pointer void handler (list int)))))))
 
-          ;; guix-daemon 0.6 aborts if 'PATH' is undefined, so work around
-          ;; it.
-          (setenv "PATH" "/run/current-system/profile/bin")
+            (define (handle-crash sig)
+              (dynamic-wind
+                (const #t)
+                (lambda ()
+                  (gc-disable)
+                  (pk 'crash! sig)
+                  ;; Fork and have the child dump core at the root.
+                  (match (clone SIGCHLD)
+                    (0
+                     (setrlimit 'core #f #f)
+                     (chdir "/")
+                     (signal sig SIG_DFL)
+                     ;; Note: 'getpid' would return 1, hence this hack.
+                     (kill (string->number (readlink "/proc/self"))
+                           sig)
+                     (primitive-_exit 253))
+                    (child
+                     (waitpid child)
+                     (sync)
+                     ;; Hopefully at this point core has been dumped.
+                     (pk 'done)
+                     (sleep 3)
+                     (primitive-_exit 255))))
+                (lambda ()
+                  (primitive-_exit 254))))
 
-          (format #t "starting services...~%")
-          (for-each (lambda (service)
-                      ;; In the Shepherd 0.3 the 'start' method can raise
-                      ;; '&action-runtime-error' if it fails, so protect
-                      ;; against it.  (XXX: 'action-runtime-error?' is not
-                      ;; exported is 0.3, hence 'service-error?'.)
-                      (guard (c ((service-error? c)
-                                 (format (current-error-port)
-                                         "failed to start service '~a'~%"
-                                         service)))
-                        (start service)))
-                    '#$(append-map shepherd-service-provision
-                                   (filter shepherd-service-auto-start?
-                                           services)))
+            (signal SIGSEGV handle-crash)
 
-          ;; Hang up stdin.  At this point, we assume that 'start' methods
-          ;; that required user interaction on the console (e.g.,
-          ;; 'cryptsetup open' invocations, post-fsck emergency REPL) have
-          ;; completed.  User interaction becomes impossible after this
-          ;; call; this avoids situations where services wrongfully lead
-          ;; PID 1 to read from stdin (the console), which users may not
-          ;; have access to (see <https://bugs.gnu.org/23697>).
-          (redirect-port (open-input-file "/dev/null")
-                         (current-input-port))))
+            ;; Arrange to spawn a REPL if something goes wrong.  This is better
+            ;; than a kernel panic.
+            (call-with-error-handling
+              (lambda ()
+                (apply register-services
+                       (map load-compiled '#$(map scm->go files)))))
+
+            ;; guix-daemon 0.6 aborts if 'PATH' is undefined, so work around
+            ;; it.
+            (setenv "PATH" "/run/current-system/profile/bin")
+
+            (format #t "starting services...~%")
+            (for-each (lambda (service)
+                        ;; In the Shepherd 0.3 the 'start' method can raise
+                        ;; '&action-runtime-error' if it fails, so protect
+                        ;; against it.  (XXX: 'action-runtime-error?' is not
+                        ;; exported is 0.3, hence 'service-error?'.)
+                        (guard (c ((service-error? c)
+                                   (format (current-error-port)
+                                           "failed to start service '~a'~%"
+                                           service)))
+                          (start service)))
+                      '#$(append-map shepherd-service-provision
+                                     (filter shepherd-service-auto-start?
+                                             services)))
+
+            ;; Hang up stdin.  At this point, we assume that 'start' methods
+            ;; that required user interaction on the console (e.g.,
+            ;; 'cryptsetup open' invocations, post-fsck emergency REPL) have
+            ;; completed.  User interaction becomes impossible after this
+            ;; call; this avoids situations where services wrongfully lead
+            ;; PID 1 to read from stdin (the console), which users may not
+            ;; have access to (see <https://bugs.gnu.org/23697>).
+            (redirect-port (open-input-file "/dev/null")
+                           (current-input-port)))))
 
     (scheme-file "shepherd.conf" config)))