diff --git a/include/uv-private/uv-unix.h b/include/uv-private/uv-unix.h
index 21078fe3..1c33684a 100644
--- a/include/uv-private/uv-unix.h
+++ b/include/uv-private/uv-unix.h
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@
 #include <netinet/tcp.h>
 #include <arpa/inet.h>
 #include <netdb.h>
+#include <pwd.h>
 #include <termios.h>
 
 /* Note: May be cast to struct iovec. See writev(2). */
@@ -43,6 +44,10 @@ typedef struct {
 
 typedef int uv_file;
 
+/* Platform-specific definitions for uv_spawn support. */
+typedef gid_t uv_gid_t;
+typedef uid_t uv_uid_t;
+
 /* Platform-specific definitions for uv_dlopen support. */
 typedef void* uv_lib_t;
 #define UV_DYNAMIC /* empty */
diff --git a/include/uv-private/uv-win.h b/include/uv-private/uv-win.h
index e620f8b0..4d8ac9c6 100644
--- a/include/uv-private/uv-win.h
+++ b/include/uv-private/uv-win.h
@@ -137,6 +137,10 @@ typedef struct uv_buf_t {
 
 typedef int uv_file;
 
+/* Platform-specific definitions for uv_spawn support. */
+typedef unsigned char uv_uid_t;
+typedef unsigned char uv_gid_t;
+
 /* Platform-specific definitions for uv_dlopen support. */
 typedef HMODULE uv_lib_t;
 #define UV_DYNAMIC FAR WINAPI
diff --git a/include/uv.h b/include/uv.h
index ed6100ae..c6f15e84 100644
--- a/include/uv.h
+++ b/include/uv.h
@@ -1058,6 +1058,34 @@ struct uv_process_s {
 UV_EXTERN int uv_spawn(uv_loop_t*, uv_process_t*,
     uv_process_options_t options);
 
+
+/* Temporary fix for node. Do no use. */
+enum uv_process_flags {
+  UV_PROCESS_SETUID = (1 << 0),
+  UV_PROCESS_SETGID = (1 << 1),
+  UV_PROCESS_WINDOWS_VERBATIM_ARGUMENTS = (1 << 2)
+};
+
+/* Temporary fix for node. Do not use. */
+typedef struct uv_process_options2_s {
+  uv_exit_cb exit_cb; /* Called after the process exits. */
+  const char* file; /* Path to program to execute. */
+  char** args;
+  char** env;
+  char* cwd;
+  unsigned int flags;
+  uv_pipe_t* stdin_stream;
+  uv_pipe_t* stdout_stream;
+  uv_pipe_t* stderr_stream;
+  uv_uid_t uid;
+  uv_gid_t gid;
+} uv_process_options2_t;
+
+/* Temporary fix for node. Do not use. */
+UV_EXTERN int uv_spawn2(uv_loop_t*, uv_process_t*,
+    uv_process_options2_t options);
+
+
 /*
  * Kills the process with the specified signal. The user must still
  * call uv_close on the process.
diff --git a/src/unix/process.c b/src/unix/process.c
index 5581d8b8..89c2c77c 100644
--- a/src/unix/process.c
+++ b/src/unix/process.c
@@ -161,8 +161,8 @@ static int uv__process_init_pipe(uv_pipe_t* handle, int fds[2], int flags) {
 # define SPAWN_WAIT_EXEC 1
 #endif
 
-int uv_spawn(uv_loop_t* loop, uv_process_t* process,
-    uv_process_options_t options) {
+int uv_spawn2(uv_loop_t* loop, uv_process_t* process,
+    uv_process_options2_t options) {
   /*
    * Save environ in the case that we get it clobbered
    * by the child process.
@@ -179,6 +179,12 @@ int uv_spawn(uv_loop_t* loop, uv_process_t* process,
   pid_t pid;
   int flags;
 
+  assert(options.file != NULL);
+  assert(!(options.flags & ~(UV_PROCESS_WINDOWS_VERBATIM_ARGUMENTS |
+                             UV_PROCESS_SETGID |
+                             UV_PROCESS_SETUID)));
+
+
   uv__handle_init(loop, (uv_handle_t*)process, UV_PROCESS);
   loop->counters.process_init++;
 
@@ -268,6 +274,16 @@ int uv_spawn(uv_loop_t* loop, uv_process_t* process,
       _exit(127);
     }
 
+    if ((options.flags & UV_PROCESS_SETGID) && setgid(options.gid)) {
+      perror("setgid()");
+      _exit(127);
+    }
+
+    if ((options.flags & UV_PROCESS_SETUID) && setuid(options.uid)) {
+      perror("setuid()");
+      _exit(127);
+    }
+
     environ = options.env;
 
     execvp(options.file, options.args);
diff --git a/src/uv-common.c b/src/uv-common.c
index 3143bd2d..c5172f62 100644
--- a/src/uv-common.c
+++ b/src/uv-common.c
@@ -261,3 +261,29 @@ int uv_tcp_connect6(uv_connect_t* req,
 
   return uv__tcp_connect6(req, handle, address, cb);
 }
+
+
+/* Thunk that converts uv_process_options_t into uv_process_options2_t, */
+/* and then calls uv_spawn2. */
+int uv_spawn(uv_loop_t* loop, uv_process_t* process,
+    uv_process_options_t options) {
+  uv_process_options2_t options2;
+
+  options2.exit_cb = options.exit_cb;
+  options2.file = options.file;
+  options2.args = options.args;
+  options2.cwd = options.cwd;
+  options2.env = options.env;
+  options2.stdin_stream = options.stdin_stream;
+  options2.stdout_stream = options.stdout_stream;
+  options2.stderr_stream = options.stderr_stream;
+
+  options2.flags = 0;
+  if (options.windows_verbatim_arguments) {
+    options2.flags |= UV_PROCESS_WINDOWS_VERBATIM_ARGUMENTS;
+  }
+
+  /* No need to set gid and uid. */
+
+  return uv_spawn2(loop, process, options2);
+}
diff --git a/src/win/process.c b/src/win/process.c
index a23ba0b1..71620a00 100644
--- a/src/win/process.c
+++ b/src/win/process.c
@@ -860,8 +860,8 @@ static int duplicate_std_handle(uv_loop_t* loop, DWORD id, HANDLE* dup) {
 }
 
 
-int uv_spawn(uv_loop_t* loop, uv_process_t* process,
-    uv_process_options_t options) {
+int uv_spawn2(uv_loop_t* loop, uv_process_t* process,
+    uv_process_options2_t options) {
   int err = 0, keep_child_stdio_open = 0;
   wchar_t* path = NULL;
   int size;
@@ -872,17 +872,22 @@ int uv_spawn(uv_loop_t* loop, uv_process_t* process,
   STARTUPINFOW startup;
   PROCESS_INFORMATION info;
 
-  if (!options.file) {
-    uv__set_artificial_error(loop, UV_EINVAL);
+  if (options.flags & (UV_PROCESS_SETGID | UV_PROCESS_SETUID)) {
+    uv__set_sys_error(loop, UV_ENOTSUP);
     return -1;
   }
 
+  assert(options.file != NULL);
+  assert(!(options.flags & ~(UV_PROCESS_WINDOWS_VERBATIM_ARGUMENTS |
+                             UV_PROCESS_SETGID |
+                             UV_PROCESS_SETUID)));
+
   uv_process_init(loop, process);
 
   process->exit_cb = options.exit_cb;
   UTF8_TO_UTF16(options.file, application);
   arguments = options.args ? make_program_args(options.args,
-      options.windows_verbatim_arguments) : NULL;
+      options.flags & UV_PROCESS_WINDOWS_VERBATIM_ARGUMENTS) : NULL;
   env = options.env ? make_program_env(options.env) : NULL;
 
   if (options.cwd) {