diff --git a/modules/system/activation/switch-to-configuration.sh b/modules/system/activation/switch-to-configuration.sh
index 8b8ea718666..781972882fd 100644
--- a/modules/system/activation/switch-to-configuration.sh
+++ b/modules/system/activation/switch-to-configuration.sh
@@ -102,6 +102,17 @@ initctl emit config-changed
 declare -A tasks=(@tasks@)
 declare -A noRestartIfChanged=(@noRestartIfChanged@)
 
+start_() {
+    local job="$1"
+    if start --quiet "$job"; then
+        # Handle services that cancel themselves.
+        if ! [ -n "${tasks[$job]}" ]; then
+            local status=$(status "$job")
+            [[ "$status" =~ start/running ]] || echo "job ‘$job’ failed to start!"
+        fi
+    fi
+}
+
 # Restart all running jobs that have changed.  (Here "running" means
 # all jobs that don't have a "stop" goal.)  We use the symlinks in
 # /var/run/upstart-jobs (created by each job's pre-start script) to
@@ -118,7 +129,7 @@ for job in @jobs@; do
     # Note: can't use "restart" here, since that only restarts the
     # job's main process.
     stop --quiet "$job" || true
-    start --quiet "$job" || true
+    start_ "$job" || true
 done
 
 # Start all jobs that are not running but should be.  The "should be"
@@ -141,7 +152,7 @@ for job in @jobs@; do
     else
         if ! grep -q "^start on" "$jobsDir/$job.conf"; then continue; fi
         echo "starting service ‘$job’..."
-        start --quiet "$job" || true
+        start_ "$job" || true
     fi
     
 done
diff --git a/modules/system/upstart/upstart.nix b/modules/system/upstart/upstart.nix
index 175c64bb88f..fa2e4fc22b7 100644
--- a/modules/system/upstart/upstart.nix
+++ b/modules/system/upstart/upstart.nix
@@ -175,10 +175,16 @@ let
       # Check whether the current job has been stopped.  Used in
       # post-start jobs to determine if they should continue.
       stop_check() {
-          if [[ "$(status)" =~ stop/ ]]; then
+          local status="$(status)"
+          if [[ "$status" =~ stop/ ]]; then
               echo "job asked to stop!"
               return 1
           fi
+          if [[ "$status" =~ respawn/ ]]; then
+              echo "job respawning unexpectedly!"
+              stop
+              return 1
+          fi
           return 0
       }
     '';