diff --git a/libvirt.spec.in b/libvirt.spec.in
index b7c6d845ef..786f1535cf 100644
--- a/libvirt.spec.in
+++ b/libvirt.spec.in
@@ -1380,19 +1380,37 @@ fi
 
 %posttrans daemon
 if [ -f %{_localstatedir}/lib/rpm-state/libvirt/restart ]; then
-    # Old libvirtd owns the sockets and will delete them on
-    # shutdown. Can't use a try-restart as libvirtd will simply
-    # own the sockets again when it comes back up. Thus we must
-    # do this particular ordering
-    /bin/systemctl is-active libvirtd.service 1>/dev/null 2>&1
-    if test $? = 0 ; then
-        /bin/systemctl stop libvirtd.service >/dev/null 2>&1 || :
+    # See if user has previously modified their install to
+    # tell libvirtd to use --listen
+    grep -E '^LIBVIRTD_ARGS=.*--listen' /etc/sysconfig/libvirtd 1>/dev/null 2>&1
+    if test $? = 0
+    then
+        # Then lets keep honouring --listen and *not* use
+        # systemd socket activation, because switching things
+        # might confuse mgmt tool like puppet/ansible that
+        # expect the old style libvirtd
+        /bin/systemctl mask libvirtd.socket >/dev/null 2>&1 || :
+        /bin/systemctl mask libvirtd-ro.socket >/dev/null 2>&1 || :
+        /bin/systemctl mask libvirtd-admin.socket >/dev/null 2>&1 || :
+        /bin/systemctl mask libvirtd-tls.socket >/dev/null 2>&1 || :
+        /bin/systemctl mask libvirtd-tcp.socket >/dev/null 2>&1 || :
+    else
+        # Old libvirtd owns the sockets and will delete them on
+        # shutdown. Can't use a try-restart as libvirtd will simply
+        # own the sockets again when it comes back up. Thus we must
+        # do this particular ordering, so that we get libvirtd
+        # running with socket activation in use
+        /bin/systemctl is-active libvirtd.service 1>/dev/null 2>&1
+        if test $? = 0
+        then
+            /bin/systemctl stop libvirtd.service >/dev/null 2>&1 || :
 
-        /bin/systemctl try-restart libvirtd.socket >/dev/null 2>&1 || :
-        /bin/systemctl try-restart libvirtd-ro.socket >/dev/null 2>&1 || :
-        /bin/systemctl try-restart libvirtd-admin.socket >/dev/null 2>&1 || :
+            /bin/systemctl try-restart libvirtd.socket >/dev/null 2>&1 || :
+            /bin/systemctl try-restart libvirtd-ro.socket >/dev/null 2>&1 || :
+            /bin/systemctl try-restart libvirtd-admin.socket >/dev/null 2>&1 || :
 
-        /bin/systemctl start libvirtd.service >/dev/null 2>&1 || :
+            /bin/systemctl start libvirtd.service >/dev/null 2>&1 || :
+        fi
     fi
 fi
 rm -rf %{_localstatedir}/lib/rpm-state/libvirt || :