diff --git a/files/openstack-cli-server/openstack b/files/openstack-cli-server/openstack
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..ef05f1b841
--- /dev/null
+++ b/files/openstack-cli-server/openstack
@@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+# Copyright 2016 Red Hat, Inc.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may
+# not use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain
+# a copy of the License at
+#
+#      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT
+# WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the
+# License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations
+# under the License.
+
+import socket
+import sys
+import os
+import os.path
+import json
+
+server_address = "/tmp/openstack.sock"
+
+sock = socket.socket(socket.AF_UNIX, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
+
+try:
+    sock.connect(server_address)
+except socket.error as msg:
+    print(msg, file=sys.stderr)
+    sys.exit(1)
+
+
+def send(sock, doc):
+    jdoc = json.dumps(doc)
+    sock.send(b'%d\n' % len(jdoc))
+    sock.sendall(jdoc.encode('utf-8'))
+
+def recv(sock):
+    length_str = b''
+
+    char = sock.recv(1)
+    if len(char) == 0:
+        print("Unexpected end of file", file=sys.stderr)
+        sys.exit(1)
+
+    while char != b'\n':
+        length_str += char
+        char = sock.recv(1)
+        if len(char) == 0:
+            print("Unexpected end of file", file=sys.stderr)
+            sys.exit(1)
+
+    total = int(length_str)
+
+    # use a memoryview to receive the data chunk by chunk efficiently
+    jdoc = memoryview(bytearray(total))
+    next_offset = 0
+    while total - next_offset > 0:
+        recv_size = sock.recv_into(jdoc[next_offset:], total - next_offset)
+        next_offset += recv_size
+    try:
+        doc = json.loads(jdoc.tobytes())
+    except (TypeError, ValueError) as e:
+        raise Exception('Data received was not in JSON format')
+    return doc
+
+try:
+    env = {}
+    passenv = ["CINDER_VERSION",
+               "OS_AUTH_URL",
+               "OS_IDENTITY_API_VERSION",
+               "OS_NO_CACHE",
+               "OS_PASSWORD",
+               "OS_PROJECT_NAME",
+               "OS_REGION_NAME",
+               "OS_TENANT_NAME",
+               "OS_USERNAME",
+               "OS_VOLUME_API_VERSION",
+               "OS_CLOUD"]
+    for name in passenv:
+        if name in os.environ:
+            env[name] = os.environ[name]
+
+    cmd = {
+        "app": os.path.basename(sys.argv[0]),
+        "env": env,
+        "argv": sys.argv[1:]
+    }
+    try:
+        image_idx = sys.argv.index('image')
+        create_idx = sys.argv.index('create')
+        missing_file = image_idx < create_idx and \
+                not any(x.startswith('--file') for x in sys.argv)
+    except ValueError:
+        missing_file = False
+
+    if missing_file:
+        # This means we were called with an image create command, but were
+        # not provided a --file option. That likely means we're being passed
+        # the image data to stdin, which won't work because we do not proxy
+        # stdin to the server. So, we just reject the operation and ask the
+        # caller to provide the file with --file instead.
+        # We've already connected to the server, we need to send it some dummy
+        # data so it doesn't wait forever.
+        send(sock, {})
+        print('Image create without --file is not allowed in server mode',
+              file=sys.stderr)
+        sys.exit(1)
+    else:
+        send(sock, cmd)
+
+    doc = recv(sock)
+    if doc["stdout"] != b'':
+        print(doc["stdout"], end='')
+    if doc["stderr"] != b'':
+        print(doc["stderr"], file=sys.stderr)
+    sys.exit(doc["status"])
+finally:
+    sock.close()
diff --git a/files/openstack-cli-server/openstack-cli-server b/files/openstack-cli-server/openstack-cli-server
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..f3d2747e52
--- /dev/null
+++ b/files/openstack-cli-server/openstack-cli-server
@@ -0,0 +1,118 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+# Copyright 2016 Red Hat, Inc.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may
+# not use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain
+# a copy of the License at
+#
+#      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT
+# WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the
+# License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations
+# under the License.
+
+import socket
+import sys
+import os
+import json
+
+from openstackclient import shell as osc_shell
+from io import StringIO
+
+server_address = "/tmp/openstack.sock"
+
+try:
+    os.unlink(server_address)
+except OSError:
+    if os.path.exists(server_address):
+        raise
+
+sock = socket.socket(socket.AF_UNIX, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
+print('starting up on %s' % server_address, file=sys.stderr)
+sock.bind(server_address)
+
+# Listen for incoming connections
+sock.listen(1)
+
+def send(sock, doc):
+    jdoc = json.dumps(doc)
+    sock.send(b'%d\n' % len(jdoc))
+    sock.sendall(jdoc.encode('utf-8'))
+
+def recv(sock):
+    length_str = b''
+    char = sock.recv(1)
+    while char != b'\n':
+        length_str += char
+        char = sock.recv(1)
+
+    total = int(length_str)
+
+    # use a memoryview to receive the data chunk by chunk efficiently
+    jdoc = memoryview(bytearray(total))
+    next_offset = 0
+    while total - next_offset > 0:
+        recv_size = sock.recv_into(jdoc[next_offset:], total - next_offset)
+        next_offset += recv_size
+    try:
+        doc = json.loads(jdoc.tobytes())
+    except (TypeError, ValueError) as e:
+        raise Exception('Data received was not in JSON format')
+    return doc
+
+while True:
+    csock, client_address = sock.accept()
+    try:
+        doc = recv(csock)
+
+        print("%s %s" % (doc["app"], doc["argv"]), file=sys.stderr)
+        oldenv = {}
+        for name in doc["env"].keys():
+            oldenv[name] = os.environ.get(name, None)
+            os.environ[name] = doc["env"][name]
+
+        try:
+            old_stdout = sys.stdout
+            old_stderr = sys.stderr
+            my_stdout = sys.stdout = StringIO()
+            my_stderr = sys.stderr = StringIO()
+
+            class Exit(BaseException):
+                def __init__(self, status):
+                    self.status = status
+
+            def noexit(stat):
+                raise Exit(stat)
+
+            sys.exit = noexit
+
+            if doc["app"] == "openstack":
+                sh = osc_shell.OpenStackShell()
+                ret = sh.run(doc["argv"])
+            else:
+                print("Unknown application %s" % doc["app"], file=sys.stderr)
+                ret = 1
+        except Exit as e:
+            ret = e.status
+        finally:
+            sys.stdout = old_stdout
+            sys.stderr = old_stderr
+
+            for name in oldenv.keys():
+                if oldenv[name] is None:
+                    del os.environ[name]
+                else:
+                    os.environ[name] = oldenv[name]
+
+        send(csock, {
+            "stdout": my_stdout.getvalue(),
+            "stderr": my_stderr.getvalue(),
+            "status": ret,
+        })
+
+    except BaseException as e:
+        print(e, file=sys.stderr)
+    finally:
+        csock.close()
diff --git a/functions-common b/functions-common
index 8ea6df7c1d..84d281b21e 100644
--- a/functions-common
+++ b/functions-common
@@ -2438,6 +2438,11 @@ function time_stop {
     _TIME_TOTAL[$name]=$(($total + $elapsed_time))
 }
 
+function install_openstack_cli_server {
+    export PATH=$TOP_DIR/files/openstack-cli-server:$PATH
+    run_process openstack-cli-server "$PYTHON $TOP_DIR/files/openstack-cli-server/openstack-cli-server"
+}
+
 function oscwrap {
     local xtrace
     xtrace=$(set +o | grep xtrace)
diff --git a/stack.sh b/stack.sh
index c6652e5c6a..0c36e1034e 100755
--- a/stack.sh
+++ b/stack.sh
@@ -1022,6 +1022,9 @@ if use_library_from_git "python-openstackclient"; then
     setup_dev_lib "python-openstackclient"
 else
     pip_install_gr python-openstackclient
+    if is_service_enabled openstack-cli-server; then
+        install_openstack_cli_server
+    fi
 fi
 
 # Installs alias for osc so that we can collect timing for all
diff --git a/unstack.sh b/unstack.sh
index 33b069b6a3..1b2d8dd62a 100755
--- a/unstack.sh
+++ b/unstack.sh
@@ -168,6 +168,10 @@ if is_service_enabled etcd3; then
     cleanup_etcd3
 fi
 
+if is_service_enabled openstack-cli-server; then
+    stop_service devstack@openstack-cli-server
+fi
+
 stop_dstat
 
 # NOTE: Cinder automatically installs the lvm2 package, independently of the