diff --git a/emperor.c b/emperor.c
index d601f161..5a931f32 100644
--- a/emperor.c
+++ b/emperor.c
@@ -328,7 +328,12 @@ void emperor_loop() {
 
         events = event_queue_alloc(64);
 
-	uwsgi_log("*** starting uWSGI Emperor ***\n");
+	if (uwsgi.has_emperor) {
+		uwsgi_log("*** starting uWSGI sub-Emperor ***\n");
+	}
+	else {
+		uwsgi_log("*** starting uWSGI Emperor ***\n");
+	}
 
 	amqp_port = strchr(uwsgi.emperor_dir, ':');
 
@@ -356,7 +361,7 @@ reconnect:
 		event_queue_add_fd_read(emperor_queue, amqp_fd);
 	}
 	else {
-		if (!glob(uwsgi.emperor_dir, GLOB_MARK, NULL, &g)) {
+		if (!glob(uwsgi.emperor_dir, GLOB_MARK|GLOB_NOCHECK, NULL, &g)) {
 			if (g.gl_pathc == 1 && g.gl_pathv[0][strlen(g.gl_pathv[0]) - 1] == '/') {
 				simple_mode = 1;
 				if (chdir(uwsgi.emperor_dir)) {
@@ -531,7 +536,7 @@ reconnect:
 			closedir(dir);
 		}
 		else {
-			if (glob(uwsgi.emperor_dir, GLOB_MARK, NULL, &g)) {
+			if (glob(uwsgi.emperor_dir, GLOB_MARK|GLOB_NOCHECK, NULL, &g)) {
 				uwsgi_error("glob()");
 				continue;
 			}
diff --git a/uwsgi.c b/uwsgi.c
index a92bb7c2..54d9a6fd 100644
--- a/uwsgi.c
+++ b/uwsgi.c
@@ -422,6 +422,7 @@ void kill_them_all(int signum) {
 
 	if (uwsgi.emperor_pid >= 0) {
 		kill(uwsgi.emperor_pid, SIGKILL);
+		waitpid(uwsgi.emperor_pid, &i, 0);
                 uwsgi_log( "killed the emperor with pid %d\n", uwsgi.emperor_pid);
 	}
 
@@ -456,6 +457,7 @@ void grace_them_all(int signum) {
 
 	if (uwsgi.emperor_pid >= 0) {
 		kill(uwsgi.emperor_pid, SIGKILL);
+		waitpid(uwsgi.emperor_pid, &i, 0);
                 uwsgi_log( "killed the emperor with pid %d\n", uwsgi.emperor_pid);
 	}
 
@@ -529,6 +531,12 @@ void reap_them_all(int signum) {
 			kill(uwsgi.gateways[i].pid, SIGKILL);
 	}
 
+	if (uwsgi.emperor_pid >= 0) {
+		kill(uwsgi.emperor_pid, SIGKILL);
+		waitpid(uwsgi.emperor_pid, &i, 0);
+                uwsgi_log( "killed the emperor with pid %d\n", uwsgi.emperor_pid);
+	}
+
 	if (!uwsgi.workers)
 		return;
 
@@ -1357,6 +1365,11 @@ int uwsgi_start(void *v_argv) {
 			exit(1);
 		}
 		else if (uwsgi.emperor_pid == 0) {
+#ifdef __linux__
+                	if (prctl(PR_SET_PDEATHSIG, SIGKILL, 0, 0, 0)) {
+                        	uwsgi_error("prctl()");
+                	}
+#endif
 			emperor_loop();
 			// never here
 			exit(1);
@@ -1743,7 +1756,7 @@ int uwsgi_start(void *v_argv) {
 	}
 #endif
 
-	if (!uwsgi.sockets && !uwsgi.gateways_cnt && !uwsgi.no_server && !uwsgi.udp_socket) {
+	if (!uwsgi.sockets && !uwsgi.gateways_cnt && !uwsgi.no_server && !uwsgi.udp_socket && !uwsgi.emperor_dir) {
 		uwsgi_log("The -s/--socket option is missing and stdin is not a socket.\n");
 		exit(1);
 	}