diff --git a/lib/guestfs-internal.h b/lib/guestfs-internal.h
index 2ee16ea1e..9ba4d4ad4 100644
--- a/lib/guestfs-internal.h
+++ b/lib/guestfs-internal.h
@@ -669,6 +669,7 @@ extern int guestfs_int_lazy_make_tmpdir (guestfs_h *g);
 extern int guestfs_int_lazy_make_sockdir (guestfs_h *g);
 extern char *guestfs_int_make_temp_path (guestfs_h *g, const char *name, const char *extension);
 extern int guestfs_int_create_socketname (guestfs_h *g, const char *filename, char (*sockname)[UNIX_PATH_MAX]);
+extern char *guestfs_int_make_pid_path (guestfs_h *g, const char *name);
 extern char *guestfs_int_lazy_make_supermin_appliance_dir (guestfs_h *g);
 extern void guestfs_int_remove_tmpdir (guestfs_h *g);
 extern void guestfs_int_remove_sockdir (guestfs_h *g);
diff --git a/lib/tmpdirs.c b/lib/tmpdirs.c
index 24adf98da..22b8f54b0 100644
--- a/lib/tmpdirs.c
+++ b/lib/tmpdirs.c
@@ -279,6 +279,21 @@ guestfs_int_create_socketname (guestfs_h *g, const char *filename,
   return 0;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Generate unique paths for PID files.
+ *
+ * Returns a unique path or NULL on error.  On success, the pathname points
+ * under sockdir and not tmpdir; daemons that write PID files after dropping
+ * privileges may not have access to tmpdir.
+ */
+char *
+guestfs_int_make_pid_path (guestfs_h *g, const char *name)
+{
+  if (guestfs_int_lazy_make_sockdir (g) < 0)
+    return NULL;
+  return safe_asprintf (g, "%s/%s%d.pid", g->sockdir, name, ++g->unique);
+}
+
 /**
  * Create the supermin appliance directory under cachedir, if it does
  * not exist.