diff --git a/nova/flags.py b/nova/flags.py
index e3feb252..e0181102 100644
--- a/nova/flags.py
+++ b/nova/flags.py
@@ -141,6 +141,7 @@ def _wrapper(func):
     return _wrapped
 
 
+DEFINE = _wrapper(gflags.DEFINE)
 DEFINE_string = _wrapper(gflags.DEFINE_string)
 DEFINE_integer = _wrapper(gflags.DEFINE_integer)
 DEFINE_bool = _wrapper(gflags.DEFINE_bool)
@@ -152,6 +153,8 @@ DEFINE_spaceseplist = _wrapper(gflags.DEFINE_spaceseplist)
 DEFINE_multistring = _wrapper(gflags.DEFINE_multistring)
 DEFINE_multi_int = _wrapper(gflags.DEFINE_multi_int)
 
+ArgumentSerializer = gflags.ArgumentSerializer
+
 
 def DECLARE(name, module_string, flag_values=FLAGS):
     if module_string not in sys.modules:
diff --git a/nova/server.py b/nova/server.py
index 96550f07..c6b60e09 100644
--- a/nova/server.py
+++ b/nova/server.py
@@ -44,6 +44,8 @@ flags.DEFINE_bool('use_syslog', True, 'output to syslog when daemonizing')
 flags.DEFINE_string('logfile', None, 'log file to output to')
 flags.DEFINE_string('pidfile', None, 'pid file to output to')
 flags.DEFINE_string('working_directory', './', 'working directory...')
+flags.DEFINE_integer('uid', os.getuid(), 'uid under which to run')
+flags.DEFINE_integer('gid', os.getgid(), 'gid under which to run')
 
 
 def stop(pidfile):
@@ -135,6 +137,8 @@ def daemonize(args, name, main):
                                                    threaded=False),
             stdin=stdin,
             stdout=stdout,
-            stderr=stderr
+            stderr=stderr,
+            uid=FLAGS.uid,
+            gid=FLAGS.gid
             ):
         main(args)
diff --git a/nova/twistd.py b/nova/twistd.py
index 8de322aa..a72cc85e 100644
--- a/nova/twistd.py
+++ b/nova/twistd.py
@@ -48,6 +48,13 @@ class TwistdServerOptions(ServerOptions):
     def parseArgs(self, *args):
         return
 
+class FlagParser(object):
+    def __init__(self, parser):
+        self.parser = parser
+
+    def Parse(self, s):
+        return self.parser(s)
+
 
 def WrapTwistedOptions(wrapped):
     class TwistedOptionsToFlags(wrapped):
@@ -79,7 +86,10 @@ def WrapTwistedOptions(wrapped):
             reflect.accumulateClassList(self.__class__, 'optParameters', twistd_params)
             for param in twistd_params:
                 key = param[0].replace('-', '_')
-                flags.DEFINE_string(key, param[2], str(param[-1]))
+                if len(param) > 4:
+                    flags.DEFINE(FlagParser(param[4]), key, param[2], str(param[3]), serializer=flags.ArgumentSerializer())
+                else:
+                    flags.DEFINE_string(key, param[2], str(param[3]))
 
         def _absorbHandlers(self):
             twistd_handlers = {}