diff --git a/zuul/cmd/executor.py b/zuul/cmd/executor.py
index ef0cef54ef..910f65d5a9 100755
--- a/zuul/cmd/executor.py
+++ b/zuul/cmd/executor.py
@@ -82,6 +82,9 @@ class Executor(zuul.cmd.ZuulDaemonApp):
     def run(self):
         self.handleCommands()
 
+        self.setup_logging('executor', 'log_config')
+        self.log = logging.getLogger("zuul.Executor")
+
         self.configure_connections(source_only=True, check_bwrap=True)
 
         if self.config.has_option('executor', 'job_dir'):
@@ -96,9 +99,6 @@ class Executor(zuul.cmd.ZuulDaemonApp):
             if not os.path.exists(self.job_dir):
                 os.mkdir(self.job_dir)
 
-        self.setup_logging('executor', 'log_config')
-        self.log = logging.getLogger("zuul.Executor")
-
         self.finger_port = int(
             get_default(self.config, 'executor', 'finger_port',
                         zuul.executor.server.DEFAULT_FINGER_PORT)
diff --git a/zuul/driver/bubblewrap/__init__.py b/zuul/driver/bubblewrap/__init__.py
index d1b0b6a24a..81fdd93306 100644
--- a/zuul/driver/bubblewrap/__init__.py
+++ b/zuul/driver/bubblewrap/__init__.py
@@ -33,6 +33,11 @@ from typing import Dict, List  # noqa
 from zuul.driver import (Driver, WrapperInterface)
 from zuul.execution_context import BaseExecutionContext
 
+# Increase the OOM badness score by about 20% of the available RAM.
+# This should be sufficient to make child processes the target of the
+# oom killer.
+OOM_SCORE_ADJ = 200
+
 
 class WrappedPopen(object):
     def __init__(self, command, fds):
@@ -192,6 +197,14 @@ class BubblewrapDriver(Driver, WrapperInterface):
     bwrap_version_re = re.compile(r'^(\d+\.\d+\.\d+).*')
 
     def __init__(self, check_bwrap):
+        pid = os.getpid()
+        with open(f"/proc/{pid}/oom_score_adj") as f:
+            starting_score_adj = int(f.read().strip())
+
+        self.oom_score_adj = min(1000, (starting_score_adj) + OOM_SCORE_ADJ)
+        self.log.debug("Initializing bubblewrap with oom_score_adj "
+                       "starting: %s, final: %s",
+                       starting_score_adj, self.oom_score_adj)
         self.userns_enabled = self._is_userns_enabled()
         self.bwrap_version = self._parse_bwrap_version()
         self.bwrap_command = self._bwrap_command()
@@ -272,6 +285,9 @@ class BubblewrapDriver(Driver, WrapperInterface):
             'setpriv',
             '--ambient-caps',
             '-all',
+            'choom',
+            '-n', str(self.oom_score_adj),
+            '--',
             'bwrap',
             '--dir', '/tmp',
             '--tmpfs', '/tmp',