diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 8477cf0..28ef316 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -153,6 +153,7 @@ pkgs:
 # - android-cloexec-pipe
 # - android-cloexec-pipe2
 # - android-cloexec-epoll-create1
+# - android-cloexec-inotify-init1
 #	TODO: check, fix except for the few cases where we need to share fds
 #
 # - bugprone-narrowing-conversions
@@ -197,7 +198,7 @@ clang-tidy: $(wildcard *.c) $(wildcard *.h)
 	-cppcoreguidelines-avoid-magic-numbers,\
 	-readability-isolate-declaration,\
 	-android-cloexec-open,-android-cloexec-pipe,-android-cloexec-pipe2,\
-	-android-cloexec-epoll-create1,\
+	-android-cloexec-epoll-create1,-android-cloexec-inotify-init1,\
 	-bugprone-narrowing-conversions,\
 	-cppcoreguidelines-narrowing-conversions,\
 	-cppcoreguidelines-avoid-non-const-global-variables,\
diff --git a/conf.c b/conf.c
index 21e9bc0..9851575 100644
--- a/conf.c
+++ b/conf.c
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 #include <sched.h>
 #include <sys/types.h>
 #include <sys/stat.h>
+#include <libgen.h>
 #include <limits.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <stdint.h>
@@ -414,20 +415,34 @@ static int conf_ns_opt(struct ctx *c,
 
 		nfd = open(netns, O_RDONLY);
 
-		if (nfd >= 0 && (ufd >= 0 || c->netns_only)) {
-			c->pasta_netns_fd = nfd;
-			c->pasta_userns_fd = ufd;
+		if (nfd == -1 || (ufd == -1 && !c->netns_only)) {
+			if (nfd >= 0)
+				close(nfd);
 
-			NS_CALL(conf_ns_check, c);
-			if (c->pasta_netns_fd >= 0)
-				return 0;
+			if (ufd >= 0)
+				close(ufd);
+
+			continue;
 		}
 
-		if (nfd >= 0)
-			close(nfd);
+		c->pasta_netns_fd = nfd;
+		c->pasta_userns_fd = ufd;
 
-		if (ufd >= 0)
-			close(ufd);
+		NS_CALL(conf_ns_check, c);
+
+		if (c->pasta_netns_fd >= 0) {
+			char buf[PATH_MAX];
+
+			if (try == 0 || c->no_netns_quit)
+				return 0;
+
+			strncpy(buf, netns, PATH_MAX);
+			strncpy(c->netns_base, basename(buf), PATH_MAX - 1);
+			strncpy(buf, netns, PATH_MAX);
+			strncpy(c->netns_dir, dirname(buf), PATH_MAX - 1);
+
+			return 0;
+		}
 	}
 
 	c->netns_only = netns_only_reset;
@@ -813,6 +828,7 @@ void conf(struct ctx *c, int argc, char **argv)
 		{"dhcp-search", no_argument,		NULL,		7 },
 		{"no-dhcp-search", no_argument,		NULL,		8 },
 		{"dns-forward",	required_argument,	NULL,		9 },
+		{"no-netns-quit", no_argument,		NULL,		10 },
 		{ 0 },
 	};
 	struct get_bound_ports_ns_arg ns_ports_arg = { .c = c };
@@ -937,6 +953,13 @@ void conf(struct ctx *c, int argc, char **argv)
 			err("Invalid DNS forwarding address: %s", optarg);
 			usage(argv[0]);
 			break;
+		case 10:
+			if (c->mode != MODE_PASTA) {
+				err("--no-netns-quit is for pasta mode only");
+				usage(argv[0]);
+			}
+			c->no_netns_quit = 1;
+			break;
 		case 'd':
 			if (c->debug) {
 				err("Multiple --debug options given");
diff --git a/passt.1 b/passt.1
index 7070a31..485e1db 100644
--- a/passt.1
+++ b/passt.1
@@ -426,6 +426,11 @@ Join only a target network namespace, not a user namespace, and don't create one
 for sandboxing purposes either. This is implied if PATH or NAME are given
 without \-\-userns.
 
+.TP
+.BR \-\-no-netns-quit
+If the target network namespace is bound to the filesystem (that is, if PATH or
+NAME are given as target), do not exit once the network namespace is deleted.
+
 .TP
 .BR \-\-nsrun-dir " " \fIpath
 Directory for nsfs mountpoints, used as path prefix for names of namespaces.
diff --git a/passt.c b/passt.c
index 67ad1c7..36f0161 100644
--- a/passt.c
+++ b/passt.c
@@ -301,7 +301,7 @@ void exit_handler(int signal)
  */
 int main(int argc, char **argv)
 {
-	int nfds, i, devnull_fd = -1, pidfile_fd = -1;
+	int nfds, i, devnull_fd = -1, pidfile_fd = -1, quit_fd;
 	struct epoll_event events[EPOLL_EVENTS];
 	struct ctx c = { 0 };
 	struct rlimit limit;
@@ -357,6 +357,8 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 		exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
 	}
 
+	quit_fd = pasta_netns_quit_init(&c);
+
 	if (getrlimit(RLIMIT_NOFILE, &limit)) {
 		perror("getrlimit");
 		exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
@@ -416,6 +418,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 	seccomp(&c);
 
 	timer_init(&c, &now);
+
 loop:
 	nfds = epoll_wait(c.epollfd, events, EPOLL_EVENTS, TIMER_INTERVAL);
 	if (nfds == -1 && errno != EINTR) {
@@ -431,6 +434,8 @@ loop:
 
 		if (fd == c.fd_tap || fd == c.fd_tap_listen)
 			tap_handler(&c, fd, events[i].events, &now);
+		else if (fd == quit_fd)
+			pasta_netns_quit_handler(&c, fd);
 		else
 			sock_handler(&c, ref, events[i].events, &now);
 	}
diff --git a/passt.h b/passt.h
index 2589ee7..042f760 100644
--- a/passt.h
+++ b/passt.h
@@ -101,6 +101,9 @@ enum passt_modes {
  * @pasta_netns_fd:	File descriptor for network namespace in pasta mode
  * @pasta_userns_fd:	Descriptor for user namespace to join, -1 once joined
  * @netns_only:		In pasta mode, don't join or create a user namespace
+ * @no_netns_quit:	In pasta mode, don't exit if fs-bound namespace is gone
+ * @netns_base:		Base name for fs-bound namespace, if any, in pasta mode
+ * @netns_dir:		Directory of fs-bound namespace, if any, in pasta mode
  * @proc_net_tcp:	Stored handles for /proc/net/tcp{,6} in init and ns
  * @proc_net_udp:	Stored handles for /proc/net/udp{,6} in init and ns
  * @epollfd:		File descriptor for epoll instance
@@ -161,6 +164,10 @@ struct ctx {
 	int pasta_userns_fd;
 	int netns_only;
 
+	int no_netns_quit;
+	char netns_base[PATH_MAX];
+	char netns_dir[PATH_MAX];
+
 	int proc_net_tcp[IP_VERSIONS][2];
 	int proc_net_udp[IP_VERSIONS][2];
 
diff --git a/pasta.c b/pasta.c
index 972cbcf..e45cc92 100644
--- a/pasta.c
+++ b/pasta.c
@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@
 #include <stdint.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
 #include <syslog.h>
+#include <sys/epoll.h>
+#include <sys/inotify.h>
 #include <sys/types.h>
 #include <sys/stat.h>
 #include <fcntl.h>
@@ -219,3 +221,53 @@ void pasta_ns_conf(struct ctx *c)
 
 	proto_update_l2_buf(c->mac_guest, NULL, NULL);
 }
+
+/**
+ * pasta_netns_quit_init() - Watch network namespace to quit once it's gone
+ * @c:		Execution context
+ *
+ * Return: inotify file descriptor, -1 on failure or if not needed/applicable
+ */
+int pasta_netns_quit_init(struct ctx *c)
+{
+	struct epoll_event ev = { .events = EPOLLIN };
+	int inotify_fd;
+
+	if (c->mode != MODE_PASTA || c->no_netns_quit || !*c->netns_base)
+		return -1;
+
+	if ((inotify_fd = inotify_init1(O_NONBLOCK)) < 0) {
+		perror("inotify_init(): won't quit once netns is gone");
+		return -1;
+	}
+
+	if (inotify_add_watch(inotify_fd, c->netns_dir, IN_DELETE) < 0) {
+		perror("inotify_add_watch(): won't quit once netns is gone");
+		return -1;
+	}
+
+	ev.data.fd = inotify_fd;
+	epoll_ctl(c->epollfd, EPOLL_CTL_ADD, inotify_fd, &ev);
+
+	return inotify_fd;
+}
+
+/**
+ * pasta_netns_quit_handler() - Handle ns directory events, exit if ns is gone
+ * @c:		Execution context
+ * @inotify_fd:	inotify file descriptor with watch on namespace directory
+ */
+void pasta_netns_quit_handler(struct ctx *c, int inotify_fd)
+{
+	char buf[sizeof(struct inotify_event) + NAME_MAX + 1];
+	struct inotify_event *in_ev = (struct inotify_event *)buf;
+
+	if (read(inotify_fd, buf, sizeof(buf)) < (ssize_t)sizeof(*in_ev))
+		return;
+
+	if (strncmp(in_ev->name, c->netns_base, sizeof(c->netns_base)))
+		return;
+
+	info("Namespace %s is gone, exiting", c->netns_base);
+	exit(EXIT_SUCCESS);
+}
diff --git a/pasta.h b/pasta.h
index 1fcd6a9..235bfb9 100644
--- a/pasta.h
+++ b/pasta.h
@@ -6,3 +6,5 @@
 void pasta_start_ns(struct ctx *c);
 void pasta_ns_conf(struct ctx *c);
 void pasta_child_handler(int signal);
+int pasta_netns_quit_init(struct ctx *c);
+void pasta_netns_quit_handler(struct ctx *c, int inotify_fd);