diff --git a/ray.sub b/ray.sub
index 32076d5fb3..442fe1968c 100644
--- a/ray.sub
+++ b/ray.sub
@@ -69,7 +69,12 @@ DASHBOARD_AGENT_LISTEN_PORT=${DASHBOARD_AGENT_LISTEN_PORT:-52365}
 # Setting ulimit is recommended by ray best practices page
 # @ https://docs.ray.io/en/latest/cluster/vms/user-guides/large-cluster-best-practices.html
 # It's session based and won't affect the system outside the script
-ulimit -Sn 65535
+# Ensure that the soft limit isn't above the hard limit
+if [[ $(ulimit -Hn) == "unlimited" ]] || [[ 65535 -lt $(ulimit -Hn) ]]; then
+  ulimit -Sn 65535
+elif [[ $(ulimit -Hn) != "unlimited" ]] && [[ $(ulimit -Hn) -lt 65535 ]]; then
+  echo "[WARNING]: Cannot increase ulimit on file descriptors to 65535 according ray recommendation: https://docs.ray.io/en/latest/cluster/vms/user-guides/large-cluster-best-practices.html. Speak to cluster admins to increase, otherwise ray may crash unexpectedly."
+fi
 
 # On our clusters, the largest port range on an idle worker appeared between 52369-64607
 # (not including the other ports set by this script). So this range is chosen to be