diff --git a/src/ipfsd-daemon.js b/src/ipfsd-daemon.js
index 997d6045..cd2873cd 100644
--- a/src/ipfsd-daemon.js
+++ b/src/ipfsd-daemon.js
@@ -174,6 +174,15 @@ class Daemon {
       args.push('--pass')
       args.push('"' + initOptions.pass + '"')
     }
+    if (initOptions.profile) {
+      // TODO: remove when JS IPFS supports profiles
+      if (this.opts.type === 'go') {
+        args.push('-p')
+        args.push(initOptions.profile)
+      } else {
+        log(`ignoring "profile" option, not supported for ${this.opts.type} node`)
+      }
+    }
     run(this, args, { env: this.env }, (err, result) => {
       if (err) {
         return callback(err)
diff --git a/test/add-retrieve.spec.js b/test/add-retrieve.spec.js
index c40057de..1b6d4db9 100644
--- a/test/add-retrieve.spec.js
+++ b/test/add-retrieve.spec.js
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ describe('data can be put and fetched', () => {
 
       const f = IPFSFactory.create(dfOpts)
 
-      f.spawn({ initOptions: { bits: dfOpts.bits } }, (err, _ipfsd) => {
+      f.spawn({ initOptions: { bits: dfOpts.bits, profile: 'test' } }, (err, _ipfsd) => {
         expect(err).to.not.exist()
         expect(_ipfsd).to.exist()
         expect(_ipfsd.api).to.exist()
diff --git a/test/api.spec.js b/test/api.spec.js
index ef96159e..593c388a 100644
--- a/test/api.spec.js
+++ b/test/api.spec.js
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ describe('ipfsd.api for Daemons', () => {
           df.spawn({
             start: false,
             config: config,
-            initOptions: { bits: 1024 }
+            initOptions: { bits: 1024, profile: 'test' }
           }, (err, _ipfsd) => {
             expect(err).to.not.exist()
             ipfsd = _ipfsd
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ describe('ipfsd.api for Daemons', () => {
 
       df.spawn({
         config: config,
-        initOptions: { bits: 1024 }
+        initOptions: { bits: 1024, profile: 'test' }
       }, (err, _ipfsd) => {
         expect(err).to.not.exist()
         const ipfsd = _ipfsd
diff --git a/test/custom-api.spec.js b/test/custom-api.spec.js
index ec19eee3..43694433 100644
--- a/test/custom-api.spec.js
+++ b/test/custom-api.spec.js
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ describe('custom API', function () {
       IpfsClient: () => mockApi
     })
 
-    f.spawn((err, ipfsd) => {
+    f.spawn({ initOptions: { profile: 'test' } }, (err, ipfsd) => {
       if (err) return done(err)
       expect(ipfsd.api).to.equal(mockApi)
       // Restore a real API so that the node can be stopped properly
diff --git a/test/spawn-options.spec.js b/test/spawn-options.spec.js
index 011d693c..0e94fa68 100644
--- a/test/spawn-options.spec.js
+++ b/test/spawn-options.spec.js
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ describe('Spawn options', function () {
             init: false,
             start: false,
             disposable: false,
-            initOptions: { bits: fOpts.bits }
+            initOptions: { bits: fOpts.bits, profile: 'test' }
           }
 
           f.spawn(options, (err, _ipfsd) => {
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ describe('Spawn options', function () {
       it('create init and start node', function (done) {
         this.timeout(20 * 1000)
 
-        f.spawn({ initOptions: { bits: fOpts.bits } },
+        f.spawn({ initOptions: { bits: fOpts.bits, profile: 'test' } },
           (err, _ipfsd) => {
             expect(err).to.not.exist()
             expect(_ipfsd).to.exist()
@@ -213,7 +213,8 @@ describe('Spawn options', function () {
         f.spawn({
           defaultAddrs: true,
           initOptions: {
-            bits: fOpts.bits
+            bits: fOpts.bits,
+            profile: 'test'
           }
         }, (err, ipfsd) => {
           expect(err).to.not.exist()
@@ -246,7 +247,7 @@ describe('Spawn options', function () {
           Bootstrap: ['/dns4/wss0.bootstrap.libp2p.io/tcp/443/wss/ipfs/QmZMxNdpMkewiVZLMRxaNxUeZpDUb34pWjZ1kZvsd16Zic']
         }
 
-        const options = { config: config, initOptions: { bits: fOpts.bits } }
+        const options = { config: config, initOptions: { bits: fOpts.bits, profile: 'test' } }
 
         waterfall([
           (cb) => f.spawn(options, cb),
@@ -317,7 +318,7 @@ describe('Spawn options', function () {
           start: false,
           repoPath: repoPath,
           config: config,
-          initOptions: { bits: fOpts.bits }
+          initOptions: { bits: fOpts.bits, profile: 'test' }
         }
 
         series([
@@ -357,7 +358,7 @@ describe('Spawn options', function () {
 
         const options = {
           args: ['--enable-pubsub-experiment'],
-          initOptions: { bits: fOpts.bits }
+          initOptions: { bits: fOpts.bits, profile: 'test' }
         }
 
         f.spawn(options, (err, _ipfsd) => {
@@ -396,7 +397,7 @@ describe('Spawn options', function () {
 
       before(function (done) {
         this.timeout(20 * 1000)
-        f.spawn({ initOptions: { bits: fOpts.bits } },
+        f.spawn({ initOptions: { bits: fOpts.bits, profile: 'test' } },
           (err, _ipfsd) => {
             expect(err).to.not.exist()
             ipfsd = _ipfsd
diff --git a/test/start-stop.node.js b/test/start-stop.node.js
index c06a4900..2a5e12e1 100644
--- a/test/start-stop.node.js
+++ b/test/start-stop.node.js
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ tests.forEach((fOpts) => {
           init: true,
           start: false,
           disposable: true,
-          initOptions: { bits: fOpts.bits }
+          initOptions: { bits: fOpts.bits, profile: 'test' }
         }, (err, _ipfsd) => {
           expect(err).to.not.exist()
           expect(_ipfsd).to.exist()
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ tests.forEach((fOpts) => {
 
         df.spawn({
           start: false,
-          initOptions: { bits: fOpts.bits }
+          initOptions: { bits: fOpts.bits, profile: 'test' }
         }, (err, ipfsd) => {
           expect(err).to.not.exist()
           ipfsd.start(['--should-not-exist'], (err) => {
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ tests.forEach((fOpts) => {
           init: true,
           start: false,
           disposable: true,
-          initOptions: { bits: fOpts.bits }
+          initOptions: { bits: fOpts.bits, profile: 'test' }
         }, (err, _ipfsd) => {
           expect(err).to.not.exist()
           expect(_ipfsd).to.exist()
@@ -247,7 +247,7 @@ tests.forEach((fOpts) => {
 
         df.spawn({
           start: false,
-          initOptions: { bits: fOpts.bits }
+          initOptions: { bits: fOpts.bits, profile: 'test' }
         }, (err, ipfsd) => {
           expect(err).to.not.exist()
           ipfsd.start(['--should-not-exist'], (err) => {
@@ -270,7 +270,7 @@ tests.forEach((fOpts) => {
 
         df.spawn({
           exec,
-          initOptions: { bits: fOpts.bits }
+          initOptions: { bits: fOpts.bits, profile: 'test' }
         }, (err, daemon) => {
           expect(err).to.not.exist()
           expect(daemon).to.exist()
@@ -302,7 +302,7 @@ tests.forEach((fOpts) => {
         process.env = Object.assign({}, process.env, fOpts.type === 'go'
           ? { IPFS_GO_EXEC: exec } : { IPFS_JS_EXEC: exec })
         df.spawn({
-          initOptions: { bits: fOpts.bits }
+          initOptions: { bits: fOpts.bits, profile: 'test' }
         }, (err, daemon) => {
           expect(err).to.not.exist()
           expect(daemon).to.exist()
@@ -335,7 +335,7 @@ tests.forEach((fOpts) => {
 
         df.spawn({
           exec,
-          initOptions: { bits: fOpts.bits }
+          initOptions: { bits: fOpts.bits, profile: 'test' }
         }, (err, daemon) => {
           expect(err).to.not.exist()
           expect(daemon).to.exist()
@@ -356,7 +356,7 @@ tests.forEach((fOpts) => {
 
         const df = IPFSFactory.create(dfConfig)
         df.spawn({
-          initOptions: { bits: fOpts.bits },
+          initOptions: { bits: fOpts.bits, profile: 'test' },
           repoPath: ipfsd.repoPath,
           disposable: false
         }, (err, daemon) => {
@@ -383,7 +383,7 @@ tests.forEach((fOpts) => {
           init: false,
           start: false,
           exec: exec,
-          initOptions: { bits: fOpts.bits }
+          initOptions: { bits: fOpts.bits, profile: 'test' }
         }, (err, daemon) => {
           expect(err).to.not.exist()
           expect(daemon).to.exist()
@@ -418,7 +418,7 @@ tests.forEach((fOpts) => {
             start: false,
             disposable: false,
             repoPath: tempDir(fOpts.type),
-            initOptions: { bits: fOpts.bits },
+            initOptions: { bits: fOpts.bits, profile: 'test' },
             config: {
               Addresses: {
                 Swarm: [`/ip4/127.0.0.1/tcp/0`],