Index: sys/kern/imgact_aout.c
===================================================================
--- sys/kern/imgact_aout.c
+++ sys/kern/imgact_aout.c
@@ -328,7 +328,7 @@
 			    (virtual_offset + a_out->a_text);
 
 	/* Fill in image_params */
-	imgp->interpreted = 0;
+	imgp->interpreted = NULL;
 	imgp->entry_addr = a_out->a_entry;
 
 	imgp->proc->p_sysent = &aout_sysvec;
Index: sys/kern/imgact_binmisc.c
===================================================================
--- sys/kern/imgact_binmisc.c
+++ sys/kern/imgact_binmisc.c
@@ -599,14 +599,6 @@
 		return (-1);
 	}
 
-	/* No interpreter nesting allowed. */
-	if (imgp->interpreted) {
-		mtx_unlock(&interp_list_mtx);
-		return (ENOEXEC);
-	}
-
-	imgp->interpreted = 1;
-
 	if (imgp->args->fname != NULL) {
 		fname = imgp->args->fname;
 		sname = NULL;
Index: sys/kern/imgact_elf.c
===================================================================
--- sys/kern/imgact_elf.c
+++ sys/kern/imgact_elf.c
@@ -977,7 +977,7 @@
 	elf_auxargs->entry = entry;
 
 	imgp->auxargs = elf_auxargs;
-	imgp->interpreted = 0;
+	imgp->interpreted = NULL;
 	imgp->reloc_base = addr;
 	imgp->proc->p_osrel = osrel;
 
Index: sys/kern/imgact_gzip.c
===================================================================
--- sys/kern/imgact_gzip.c
+++ sys/kern/imgact_gzip.c
@@ -285,7 +285,7 @@
 			    (gz->virtual_offset + gz->a_out.a_text);
 
 	/* Fill in image_params */
-	gz->ip->interpreted = 0;
+	gz->ip->interpreted = NULL;
 	gz->ip->entry_addr = gz->a_out.a_entry;
 
 	gz->ip->proc->p_sysent = &aout_sysvec;
Index: sys/kern/imgact_shell.c
===================================================================
--- sys/kern/imgact_shell.c
+++ sys/kern/imgact_shell.c
@@ -112,15 +112,6 @@
 		return (-1);
 
 	/*
-	 * Don't allow a shell script to be the shell for a shell
-	 *	script. :-)
-	 */
-	if (imgp->interpreted)
-		return (ENOEXEC);
-
-	imgp->interpreted = 1;
-
-	/*
 	 * At this point we have the first page of the file mapped.
 	 * However, we don't know how far into the page the contents are
 	 * valid -- the actual file might be much shorter than the page.
Index: sys/kern/kern_exec.c
===================================================================
--- sys/kern/kern_exec.c
+++ sys/kern/kern_exec.c
@@ -360,6 +360,7 @@
 	struct pmckern_procexec pe;
 #endif
 	static const char fexecv_proc_title[] = "(fexecv)";
+	int num_interpreted = 0;
 
 	imgp = &image_params;
 
@@ -385,7 +386,7 @@
 	imgp->entry_addr = 0;
 	imgp->reloc_base = 0;
 	imgp->vmspace_destroyed = 0;
-	imgp->interpreted = 0;
+	imgp->interpreted = NULL;
 	imgp->opened = 0;
 	imgp->interpreter_name = NULL;
 	imgp->auxargs = NULL;
@@ -497,14 +498,33 @@
 	/*
 	 *	Loop through the list of image activators, calling each one.
 	 *	An activator returns -1 if there is no match, 0 on success,
-	 *	and an error otherwise.
+	 *	and an error otherwise. Skip over an interpreter, if we have
+	 * 	already invoked and saved its address into imgp->interpreted.
 	 */
-	for (i = 0; error == -1 && execsw[i]; ++i) {
+	for (i = 0; error == -1 && execsw[i] &&
+	    num_interpreted < MAXINTERPRETED; ++i) {
 		if (execsw[i]->ex_imgact == NULL ||
-		    execsw[i]->ex_imgact == img_first) {
+		    execsw[i]->ex_imgact == img_first ||
+		    execsw[i]->ex_imgact == imgp->interpreted) {
+			/*
+			 * If we have already run this interpreter on this
+			 * argv[0], clear interpreted and continue.
+			 */
+			if (imgp->interpreted == execsw[i]->ex_imgact)
+				imgp->interpreted = NULL;
 			continue;
 		}
 		error = (*execsw[i]->ex_imgact)(imgp);
+		/*
+		 * If an activator runs to completion and indicates success,
+		 * store the address of the activator that was used on this
+		 * pass, this will be used by all activators that need to 
+		 * protect themselves from recursion, e.g. shell, binmisc
+		 */
+		if (!error) {
+			imgp->interpreted  = execsw[i]->ex_imgact;
+			num_interpreted++;
+		}
 	}
 
 	if (error) {
Index: sys/sys/imgact.h
===================================================================
--- sys/sys/imgact.h
+++ sys/sys/imgact.h
@@ -37,6 +37,8 @@
 #include <vm/vm.h>
 
 #define MAXSHELLCMDLEN	PAGE_SIZE
+#define MAXINTERPRETED	10	/* Maximum times argv[0] is allowed
+				 * to be adjusted in do_exec() */
 
 struct image_args {
 	char *buf;		/* pointer to string buffer */
@@ -61,7 +63,7 @@
 	unsigned long entry_addr; /* entry address of target executable */
 	unsigned long reloc_base; /* load address of image */
 	char vmspace_destroyed;	/* flag - we've blown away original vm space */
-	char interpreted;	/* flag - this executable is interpreted */
+	int (*interpreted)();	/* Address of last imgact function run */
 	char opened;		/* flag - we have opened executable vnode */
 	char *interpreter_name;	/* name of the interpreter */
 	void *auxargs;		/* ELF Auxinfo structure pointer */