diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 67e4d18..04bb9d7 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -53,6 +53,10 @@ beamctl start \
   -- /usr/local/bin/my-app --listen "0.0.0.0:8080"
 ```
 
+### Autostart
+
+Services can also be autostarted by placing the executable at `/etc/beam-init/svc/<service-name>/run`
+
 ## Testing
 
 > [!NOTE]
diff --git a/beam-init/src/main.rs b/beam-init/src/main.rs
index 876ea57..1663722 100644
--- a/beam-init/src/main.rs
+++ b/beam-init/src/main.rs
@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@ mod signal_stream;
 static DEBUG_LOGS: LazyLock<bool> =
     LazyLock::new(|| env::var("BEAM_INIT_ENABLE_DEBUG_LOGS").as_deref() == Ok("1"));
 
+const AUTOSTART_DIR: &str = "/etc/beam-init/svc";
+
 enum Event {
     Command {
         command: api_impl::Command,
@@ -71,6 +73,14 @@ async fn main() {
     let old_sigmask = signal_stream::init(&[SIGCHLD], tx_event.clone())
         .expect("failed to initialize the signal stream");
 
+    let autostart_svcs = match services::get_autostart_events(AUTOSTART_DIR) {
+        Ok(svcs) => svcs,
+        Err(e) => {
+            eprintln!("failed to get autostart services: {e}");
+            Vec::new()
+        }
+    };
+
     let fdstore = if cfg!(feature = "unstable-pty") {
         fdstore::FdStore::bind_socket().expect("failed to bind fdstore socket")
     } else {
@@ -80,6 +90,10 @@ async fn main() {
     // Listen for API commands
     api_impl::bind_api_socket(tx_event.clone()).expect("failed to bind api socket");
 
+    tokio::task::spawn(services::autostart_services(
+        tx_event.clone(),
+        autostart_svcs,
+    ));
     let mut service_manager = ServiceManager::new(old_sigmask, tx_event, fdstore);
     loop {
         match rx_event
diff --git a/beam-init/src/services.rs b/beam-init/src/services.rs
index 5ebaed6..c9ccb11 100644
--- a/beam-init/src/services.rs
+++ b/beam-init/src/services.rs
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ use std::collections::btree_map::Entry;
 use std::ffi::{CString, NulError, c_int, c_uint};
 use std::io::{self, Read, Write};
 use std::os::fd::{AsRawFd, OwnedFd};
+use std::path::Path;
 use std::pin::pin;
 use std::process::ExitStatus;
 use std::ptr;
@@ -16,7 +17,7 @@ use tokio::sync::mpsc;
 use tokio::task::AbortHandle;
 use tokio_stream::StreamExt;
 
-use crate::api_impl::Credentials;
+use crate::api_impl::{Command, Credentials};
 use crate::fdstore::{FdStore, StoredFd};
 use crate::logs::{AsyncRingBuffer, Logs};
 use crate::signal_stream::OldSigmask;
@@ -24,7 +25,7 @@ use crate::{DEBUG_LOGS, Event};
 use beam_init::system::fork::unsafe_fork;
 use beam_init::system::pty::{Pty, PtyClient};
 use beam_init::system::{_exit, cerr, kill_process_group, waitpid};
-use beam_init_api::Probe;
+use beam_init_api::{CreateService, Probe};
 
 pub struct ServiceManager {
     old_sigmask: OldSigmask,
@@ -772,3 +773,156 @@ fn spawn_service(old_sigmask: OldSigmask, config: &ServiceConfig, sink: Sink) ->
         Err(err) => Err(err),
     }
 }
+
+pub(crate) async fn autostart_services(tx: mpsc::Sender<Event>, services: Vec<Event>) {
+    for svc in services {
+        if tx.send(svc).await.is_err() {
+            return;
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+pub(crate) fn get_autostart_events(dir: impl AsRef<Path>) -> Result<Vec<Event>, io::Error> {
+    let dir = std::fs::read_dir(dir)?;
+    Ok(dir
+        .filter_map(|entry| {
+            let entry = entry.ok()?;
+            let svc_dir = entry.path();
+            let run = svc_dir.join("run");
+
+            if !run.is_file() {
+                eprintln!("run not found in {}", svc_dir.display());
+                return None;
+            }
+
+            let name = svc_dir.file_name()?.to_str()?.to_string();
+            let run = run.to_str()?.to_string();
+            Some((name, run))
+        })
+        .map(|(name, cmd)| Event::Command {
+            command: Command::CreateService {
+                name,
+                service: CreateService {
+                    cmd,
+                    args: Vec::new(),
+                    liveness: None,
+                    pty: false,
+                },
+            },
+            tx: tokio::sync::oneshot::channel().0,
+            credentials: Credentials::root(),
+        })
+        .collect())
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+    use std::fs;
+    use std::io;
+    use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
+
+    struct TestDir(PathBuf);
+
+    impl TestDir {
+        fn new(name: &str) -> io::Result<Self> {
+            let path = std::env::temp_dir().join(format!("beam-init-test-{name}"));
+            let _ = fs::remove_dir_all(&path);
+
+            fs::create_dir(&path)?;
+            Ok(Self(path))
+        }
+
+        fn path(&self) -> &Path {
+            &self.0
+        }
+
+        fn create_file(&self, relative_path: &str) -> io::Result<PathBuf> {
+            let path = self.0.join(relative_path);
+            let parent = path
+                .parent()
+                .expect("relative file path should have a parent");
+
+            fs::create_dir_all(parent)?;
+            fs::File::create_new(&path)?;
+            Ok(path)
+        }
+    }
+
+    impl Drop for TestDir {
+        fn drop(&mut self) {
+            let _ = fs::remove_dir_all(&self.0);
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn discovers_service_run_files() -> io::Result<()> {
+        let temp = TestDir::new("discovers-service-run-files")?;
+
+        let regular_run = temp.create_file("regular/run")?;
+        let symlink_run = temp.path().join("symlink/run");
+
+        let target = temp.create_file("actual-run")?;
+        fs::create_dir(temp.path().join("symlink"))?;
+        std::os::unix::fs::symlink(target, &symlink_run)?;
+
+        temp.create_file("ignored/not-run")?;
+
+        let mut actual: Vec<CreateServiceEventParts> = get_autostart_events(temp.path())?
+            .into_iter()
+            .map(CreateServiceEventParts::try_from)
+            .collect::<Result<_, _>>()?;
+
+        let mut expected = vec![
+            CreateServiceEventParts {
+                name: "regular".to_owned(),
+                cmd: regular_run.to_string_lossy().into_owned(),
+            },
+            CreateServiceEventParts {
+                name: "symlink".to_owned(),
+                cmd: symlink_run.to_string_lossy().into_owned(),
+            },
+        ];
+
+        actual.sort();
+        expected.sort();
+
+        assert_eq!(actual, expected);
+
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    #[derive(Debug, PartialOrd, Ord, PartialEq, Eq)]
+    struct CreateServiceEventParts {
+        name: String,
+        cmd: String,
+    }
+    impl TryFrom<Event> for CreateServiceEventParts {
+        type Error = io::Error;
+
+        fn try_from(value: Event) -> Result<Self, Self::Error> {
+            let Event::Command {
+                command:
+                    Command::CreateService {
+                        name,
+                        service:
+                            CreateService {
+                                cmd,
+                                args: _,
+                                liveness: _,
+                                pty: _,
+                            },
+                    },
+                tx: _,
+                credentials: _,
+            } = value
+            else {
+                return Err(io::Error::new(
+                    io::ErrorKind::InvalidInput,
+                    "only create service events supported",
+                ));
+            };
+            Ok(Self { name, cmd })
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/tests/fixtures/autostart/run b/tests/fixtures/autostart/run
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..5cc2dcc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/fixtures/autostart/run
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+sleep infinity
diff --git a/tests/src/basic.rs b/tests/src/basic.rs
index 194cdb7..1e4b60f 100644
--- a/tests/src/basic.rs
+++ b/tests/src/basic.rs
@@ -130,3 +130,13 @@ fn pty_attach_race() {
         .run("pty_attach_race.py")
         .wait();
 }
+
+#[test]
+fn autostart_service() {
+    Image::build("test.Dockerfile")
+        .run_with_mounts(
+            "autostart_service.py",
+            &[("fixtures/autostart", "/etc/beam-init/svc/autostart")],
+        )
+        .wait();
+}
diff --git a/tests/src/docker.rs b/tests/src/docker.rs
index 60664af..5e72eec 100644
--- a/tests/src/docker.rs
+++ b/tests/src/docker.rs
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ impl Image {
         image
     }
 
-    pub fn run(&self, script: &str) -> Container {
+    pub fn run_with_mounts(&self, script: &str, mounts: &[(&str, &str)]) -> Container {
         let script_path = PathBuf::from(MANIFEST_DIR).join("tests").join(script);
         let script_path = script_path.to_str().unwrap();
 
@@ -58,6 +58,10 @@ impl Image {
         cmd.arg("run").arg("-i").arg("--rm");
         cmd.arg("-v")
             .arg(format!("{script_path}:/mnt/script.py:ro"));
+        for (src, dst) in mounts {
+            let src = PathBuf::from(MANIFEST_DIR).join(src);
+            cmd.arg("-v").arg(format!("{}:{dst}:ro", src.display()));
+        }
         cmd.arg(&self.tag).arg("python3").arg("/mnt/script.py");
         cmd.stdout(Stdio::piped()).stderr(Stdio::piped());
 
@@ -65,6 +69,10 @@ impl Image {
             child: cmd.spawn().unwrap(),
         }
     }
+
+    pub fn run(&self, script: &str) -> Container {
+        self.run_with_mounts(script, &[])
+    }
 }
 
 pub struct Container {
diff --git a/tests/tests/autostart_service.py b/tests/tests/autostart_service.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..768a0a4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/tests/autostart_service.py
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+import re
+import subprocess
+
+output = subprocess.check_output(["beamctl", "show", "autostart"])
+assert re.fullmatch(rb"autostart \(running PID=\d+\): /etc/beam-init/svc/autostart/run\n", output), output
+