Index: usr.sbin/bhyve/bhyverun.c
===================================================================
--- usr.sbin/bhyve/bhyverun.c
+++ usr.sbin/bhyve/bhyverun.c
@@ -1247,15 +1247,13 @@
 
 	restore_file = NULL;
 #endif
-	cap_channel_t *capcas;
-
-
+	char *ckp_path = NULL;
 	init_config();
 	set_defaults();
 	progname = basename(argv[0]);
 
 #ifdef BHYVE_SNAPSHOT
-	optstr = "aehuwxACDHIPSWYk:o:p:G:c:s:m:l:K:U:r:";
+	optstr = "aehuwxACDHIPSWYk:o:p:G:c:s:m:l:K:U:r:t:";
 #else
 	optstr = "aehuwxACDHIPSWYk:o:p:G:c:s:m:l:K:U:";
 #endif
@@ -1307,6 +1305,9 @@
 		case 'r':
 			restore_file = optarg;
 			break;
+		case 't':
+			ckp_path = optarg;
+			break;
 #endif
 		case 's':
 			if (strncmp(optarg, "help", strlen(optarg)) == 0) {
@@ -1552,11 +1553,6 @@
 	 */
 	setproctitle("%s", vmname);
 
-	/*	Open capability	to Casper. */
-    capcas = cap_init();
-    if (capcas == NULL)
-		errx(EX_OSERR, "cap_init() failed");
-
 #ifdef BHYVE_SNAPSHOT
 	if (restore_file != NULL)
 		destroy_restore_state(&rstate);
@@ -1564,10 +1560,13 @@
 	/* initialize mutex/cond variables */
 	init_snapshot();
 
+	/* initialize snapshot files parent directory and casper channel */
+	init_capsicum_info(ckp_path);
+
 	/*
 	 * checkpointing thread for communication with bhyvectl
 	 */
-	if (init_checkpoint_thread(ctx, capcas) < 0)
+	if (init_checkpoint_thread(ctx) < 0)
 		printf("Failed to start checkpoint thread!\r\n");
 
 	if (restore_file != NULL)
Index: usr.sbin/bhyve/snapshot.h
===================================================================
--- usr.sbin/bhyve/snapshot.h
+++ usr.sbin/bhyve/snapshot.h
@@ -68,7 +68,6 @@
 struct checkpoint_thread_info {
 	struct vmctx *ctx;
 	int socket_fd;
-	cap_channel_t *channel;
 };
 
 typedef int (*vm_snapshot_dev_cb)(struct vm_snapshot_meta *);
@@ -108,7 +107,8 @@
 int get_checkpoint_msg(int conn_fd, struct vmctx *ctx);
 void *checkpoint_thread(void *param);
 void init_snapshot(void);
-int init_checkpoint_thread(struct vmctx *ctx, cap_channel_t *chn);
+int init_checkpoint_thread(struct vmctx *ctx);
+void init_capsicum_info(char *ckp_path);
 
 int load_restore_file(const char *filename, struct restore_state *rstate);
 
Index: usr.sbin/bhyve/snapshot.c
===================================================================
--- usr.sbin/bhyve/snapshot.c
+++ usr.sbin/bhyve/snapshot.c
@@ -171,7 +171,9 @@
 static pthread_cond_t vcpus_idle, vcpus_can_run;
 static bool checkpoint_active;
 
-static int cdir_fd = -1;
+static int cdir_fd = AT_FDCWD;
+static cap_channel_t *casper_channel = NULL;
+
 /*
  * TODO: Harden this function and all of its callers since 'base_str' is a user
  * provided string.
@@ -1362,39 +1364,39 @@
 }
 
 #ifndef WITHOUT_CAPSICUM
-#define DESTROY(vm, ch, err, LABEL)												\
-do {																			\
-	cap_channel_t *capsysctl = NULL;											\
-	char *name = "hw.vmm.destroy";												\
-	void *limit;																\
-																				\
-    /*  Create capability to the system.sysctl service with Casper. */			\
-	capsysctl = cap_service_open(ch, "system.sysctl");							\
-	if (capsysctl == NULL)														\
+#define DESTROY(vm, ch, err, LABEL)							\
+do {											\
+	cap_channel_t *capsysctl = NULL;						\
+	char *name = "hw.vmm.destroy";							\
+	void *limit;									\
+											\
+	/*  Create capability to the system.sysctl service with Casper. */		\
+	capsysctl = cap_service_open(ch, "system.sysctl");				\
+	if (capsysctl == NULL)								\
 		fprintf(stderr, "%s: Unable to open system.sysctl service", __func__);	\
-																				\
-	cap_close(ch);																\
-																				\
-    /* Create limit for one MIB with write access only. */						\
-	limit = cap_sysctl_limit_init(capsysctl);									\
-	(void)cap_sysctl_limit_name(limit, name, CAP_SYSCTL_WRITE);					\
-																				\
-    /* Limit system.sysctl. */													\
-	if (cap_sysctl_limit(limit) < 0)											\
-		fprintf(stderr, "%s: Unable to set limits", __func__);					\
-																				\
+											\
+	cap_close(ch);									\
+											\
+	/* Create limit for one MIB with write access only. */				\
+	limit = cap_sysctl_limit_init(capsysctl);					\
+	(void)cap_sysctl_limit_name(limit, name, CAP_SYSCTL_WRITE);			\
+											\
+	/* Limit system.sysctl. */							\
+	if (cap_sysctl_limit(limit) < 0)						\
+		fprintf(stderr, "%s: Unable to set limits", __func__);			\
+											\
 	err = cap_sysctlbyname(capsysctl, name, NULL, NULL, (vm), strlen((vm)));	\
-																				\
-	cap_close(capsysctl);														\
-	if (err != 0) {																\
-		fprintf(stderr, "%s: err is %d\r\n", __func__, errno);					\
-		goto LABEL;																\
-	}																			\
+											\
+	cap_close(capsysctl);								\
+	if (err != 0) {									\
+		fprintf(stderr, "%s: err is %d\r\n", __func__, errno);			\
+		goto LABEL;								\
+	}										\
 } while(0)
 #endif
 
 static int
-vm_checkpoint(struct vmctx *ctx, char *checkpoint_file, cap_channel_t *chn, bool stop_vm)
+vm_checkpoint(struct vmctx *ctx, const char *checkpoint_file, bool stop_vm)
 {
 	int fd_checkpoint = 0, kdata_fd = 0, meta_fd = 0;
 	int ret = 0;
@@ -1456,8 +1458,7 @@
 		fprintf(stderr, "Could not pause devices\r\n");
 		error = ret;
 		goto done;
-	if (cdir_fd > 0)
-		close(cdir_fd);}
+	}
 
 	memsz = vm_snapshot_mem(ctx, fd_checkpoint, 0, true);
 	if (memsz == 0) {
@@ -1491,13 +1492,13 @@
 
 
 	if (stop_vm) {
-		if (chn != NULL) {
+		if (casper_channel != NULL) {
 			error = vm_get_name(ctx, vmname, MAX_VMNAME - 1);
 			if (error != 0) {
 				fprintf(stderr, "%s: Failed to get VM name", __func__);
 				goto done;
 			}
-			DESTROY(vmname, chn, error, done);
+			DESTROY(vmname, casper_channel, error, done);
 			free(ctx);
 		} else
 			vm_destroy(ctx);
@@ -1528,7 +1529,7 @@
 }
 
 int
-handle_message(struct vmctx *ctx, nvlist_t *nvl, cap_channel_t *chn)
+handle_message(struct vmctx *ctx, nvlist_t *nvl)
 {
 	int err;
 	const char *cmd;
@@ -1542,8 +1543,8 @@
 		    !nvlist_exists_bool(nvl, "suspend"))
 			err = -1;
 		else
-			err = vm_checkpoint(ctx, nvlist_get_string(nvl, "filename"),
-				chn, nvlist_get_bool(nvl, "suspend"));
+			err = vm_checkpoint(ctx, nvlist_get_string(nvl, "filename"), 
+				nvlist_get_bool(nvl, "suspend"));
 	} else {
 			EPRINTLN("Unrecognized checkpoint operation\n");
 			err = -1;
@@ -1575,8 +1576,8 @@
 		 * slight sanity check: see if there's enough data to at
 		 * least determine the type of message.
 		 */
-		if (n >= sizeof(imsg.code))
-			handle_message(&imsg, thread_info->ctx, thread_info->channel);
+		if (nvl != NULL)
+			handle_message(thread_info->ctx, nvl);
 		else
 			EPRINTLN("nvlist_recv() failed: %s", strerror(errno));
 	}
@@ -1623,11 +1624,27 @@
 
 #endif
 
+void
+init_capsicum_info(char *ckp_path)
+{
+	/* Open capability to Casper. */
+        casper_channel = cap_init();
+        if (casper_channel == NULL)
+                errx(EX_OSERR, "cap_init() failed");
+
+	if (ckp_path != NULL) {
+		cdir_fd = open(ckp_path, O_RDONLY | O_DIRECTORY);
+		if (cdir_fd < 0)
+			errc(1, cdir_fd, "open snapshot files directory");
+		limit_file_operations();
+	}
+}
+
 /*
  * Create the listening socket for IPC with bhyvectl
  */
 int
-init_checkpoint_thread(struct vmctx *ctx, cap_channel_t *chn)
+init_checkpoint_thread(struct vmctx *ctx)
 {
 	struct checkpoint_thread_info *checkpoint_info = NULL;
 	struct sockaddr_un addr;
@@ -1646,18 +1663,7 @@
 		goto fail;
 	}
 
-	cdir_name = getcwd(NULL, 0);
-	cdir_fd = open(cdir_name, O_RDONLY | O_DIRECTORY);
-	if (cdir_fd < 0) {
-		perror("Failed to open working directory.");
-		err = -1;
-		goto fail;
-	}
-	free(cdir_name);
-#ifndef WITHOUT_CAPSICUM
 	limit_control_socket(socket_fd);
-	limit_file_operations();
-#endif
 	addr.sun_family = AF_UNIX;
 
 	err = vm_get_name(ctx, vmname_buf, MAX_VMNAME - 1);
@@ -1682,7 +1688,6 @@
 	checkpoint_info = calloc(1, sizeof(*checkpoint_info));
 	checkpoint_info->ctx = ctx;
 	checkpoint_info->socket_fd = socket_fd;
-	checkpoint_info->channel = chn;
 
 	err = pthread_create(&checkpoint_pthread, NULL, checkpoint_thread,
 		checkpoint_info);