diff --git a/system/nxinit/action.c b/system/nxinit/action.c
index 81716e571e7..0975682b7e3 100644
--- a/system/nxinit/action.c
+++ b/system/nxinit/action.c
@@ -29,10 +29,10 @@
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
-#include <time.h>
 #include <sys/types.h>
 #include <sys/param.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
+#include <nuttx/clock.h>
 
 #include "action.h"
 #include "builtin.h"
diff --git a/system/nxinit/action.h b/system/nxinit/action.h
index 672621d1351..908b907b44d 100644
--- a/system/nxinit/action.h
+++ b/system/nxinit/action.h
@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@
 
 #include <nuttx/list.h>
 
+#include <time.h>
+
 #include "parser.h"
 
 /****************************************************************************
diff --git a/system/nxinit/builtin.c b/system/nxinit/builtin.c
index d300457f72b..ba7a41bcf68 100644
--- a/system/nxinit/builtin.c
+++ b/system/nxinit/builtin.c
@@ -183,6 +183,10 @@ static int cmd_exec(FAR struct action_manager_s *am,
 int init_builtin_run(FAR struct action_manager_s *am,
                      int argc, FAR char **argv)
 {
+  char cmd[CONFIG_SYSTEM_NXINIT_RC_LINE_MAX];
+  posix_spawnattr_t attr;
+  FAR char *args[4];
+  sigset_t mask;
   pid_t pid;
   size_t i;
   int ret;
@@ -203,35 +207,65 @@ int init_builtin_run(FAR struct action_manager_s *am,
         }
     }
 
-  ret = posix_spawnp(&pid, argv[0], NULL, NULL, argv, NULL);
+  ret = posix_spawnattr_init(&attr);
   if (ret != 0)
     {
-#ifdef CONFIG_SYSTEM_SYSTEM
-      char cmd[CONFIG_SYSTEM_NXINIT_RC_LINE_MAX];
+      init_err("posix_spawnattr_init %d", ret);
+      return -ret;
+    }
 
-      for (i = 0, cmd[i] = '\0'; i < argc; i++)
+  ret = posix_spawnattr_setflags(&attr, POSIX_SPAWN_SETSIGMASK);
+  if (ret != 0)
+    {
+      init_err("posix_spawnattr_setflags %d", ret);
+      posix_spawnattr_destroy(&attr);
+      return -ret;
+    }
+
+  sigemptyset(&mask);
+  ret = posix_spawnattr_setsigmask(&attr, &mask);
+  if (ret != 0)
+    {
+      init_err("posix_spawnattr_setsigmask %d", ret);
+      posix_spawnattr_destroy(&attr);
+      return -ret;
+    }
+
+  for (i = 0, cmd[i] = '\0'; i < argc; i++)
+    {
+      strlcat(cmd, argv[i], sizeof(cmd));
+      if (i < argc - 1)
         {
-          strlcat(cmd, argv[i], sizeof(cmd));
-          if (i < argc - 1)
-            {
-              strcat(cmd, " ");
-            }
+          strcat(cmd, " ");
+        }
+    }
+
+  for (; ; )
+    {
+      ret = posix_spawnp(&pid, argv[0], NULL, &attr, argv, NULL);
+      if (ret == 0)
+        {
+          init_debug("executed command '%s' pid %d", cmd, pid);
+          break;
         }
 
-      init_debug("Executing nsh command '%s'", cmd);
-      ret = system(cmd);
-      if (WIFEXITED(ret))
+      if (!strcmp("sh", argv[0]))
         {
-          init_debug("NSH command '%s' exited %d", cmd, WEXITSTATUS(ret));
-          return -WEXITSTATUS(ret);
+          init_err("executing command '%s': %d", cmd, ret);
+          init_dump_args(argc, argv);
+          pid = -ret;
+          break;
         }
-#endif
 
-      init_err("Executing command '%s': %d", argv[0], ret);
-      init_dump_args(argc, argv);
-      return -ret;
+      init_debug("command '%s': %d", argv[0], ret);
+      args[0] = "sh";
+      args[1] = "-c";
+      args[2] = cmd;
+      args[3] = NULL;
+      argc = nitems(args) - 1;
+      argv = args;
     }
 
-  init_debug("Executed command '%s' pid %d", argv[0], pid);
+  posix_spawnattr_destroy(&attr);
   return pid;
 }
diff --git a/system/nxinit/import.c b/system/nxinit/import.c
index ca389d396b1..2b656c05937 100644
--- a/system/nxinit/import.c
+++ b/system/nxinit/import.c
@@ -42,7 +42,13 @@ int init_import_parse(FAR const struct parser_s *parser,
 
   if (create)
     {
-      init_parse_arguments(buf, false, nitems(argv), argv);
+      ret = init_parse_arguments(buf, false, nitems(argv), argv);
+      if (ret < 2)
+        {
+          init_err("parse import: %s", buf);
+          return -EINVAL;
+        }
+
       ret = init_parse_config_file(parser, argv[1]);
       if (ret < 0)
         {
diff --git a/system/nxinit/init.c b/system/nxinit/init.c
index 1a542f79612..6c7291e5e60 100644
--- a/system/nxinit/init.c
+++ b/system/nxinit/init.c
@@ -78,6 +78,11 @@ static void reap_process(FAR struct service_manager_s *sm,
   int ret;
   int pid;
 
+  /* prevent unused warning */
+
+  UNUSED(name);
+  UNUSED(status);
+
   for (; ; )
     {
       pid = waitpid(-1, &wstatus, WNOHANG);
@@ -90,7 +95,7 @@ static void reap_process(FAR struct service_manager_s *sm,
           status = "status";
           ret = WEXITSTATUS(wstatus);
         }
-      else if (WIFSIGNALED(wtatus))
+      else if (WIFSIGNALED(wstatus))
         {
           status = "signal";
           ret = WTERMSIG(wstatus);
@@ -154,9 +159,19 @@ int main(int argc, FAR char *argv[])
     };
 
   struct pollfd pfds[nitems(ev)];
+  sigset_t mask;
   size_t i;
   int r;
 
+  sigfillset(&mask);
+  r = sigprocmask(SIG_BLOCK, &mask, NULL);
+  sigemptyset(&mask);
+  if (r < 0)
+    {
+      init_err("sigprocmask failed %d", errno);
+      return r;
+    }
+
 #ifdef CONFIG_USBDEV_TRACE
   usbtrace_enable(TRACE_BITSET);
 #endif
@@ -215,7 +230,7 @@ int main(int argc, FAR char *argv[])
           break;
         }
 
-      r = ppoll(pfds, nitems(pfds), MS2TIMESPEC(&timeout, t), NULL);
+      r = ppoll(pfds, nitems(pfds), MS2TIMESPEC(&timeout, t), &mask);
       if (r < 0 && errno != EINTR)
         {
           init_err("Wait event");
diff --git a/system/nxinit/parser.c b/system/nxinit/parser.c
index 3ffe4a5a6f2..60b189afd4a 100644
--- a/system/nxinit/parser.c
+++ b/system/nxinit/parser.c
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ int init_parse_arguments(FAR char *buf, bool dup, int argc, FAR char **argv)
   bool new = true;
   int i = 0;
 
-  while (*buf != '\0')
+  for (; ; )
     {
       while (isblank(*buf))
         {
@@ -82,6 +82,7 @@ int init_parse_arguments(FAR char *buf, bool dup, int argc, FAR char **argv)
           if (quote)
             {
               quote = false;
+              buf++;
             }
           else
             {
@@ -91,6 +92,11 @@ int init_parse_arguments(FAR char *buf, bool dup, int argc, FAR char **argv)
             }
         }
 
+      if (*buf == '\0')
+        {
+          break;
+        }
+
       if (new)
         {
           argv[i++] = buf;
@@ -178,6 +184,10 @@ int init_parse_config_file(FAR const struct parser_s *parser,
           *(nl++) = '\0';
           n -= nl - buf;
           init_debug("Line %3d: '%s'", ++line, buf);
+          if (*buf == '\0')
+            {
+              continue;
+            }
 
           for (ret = 0; parser[ret].key; ret++)
             {
diff --git a/system/nxinit/service.c b/system/nxinit/service.c
index 7f582e6e4fb..7e840e7e722 100644
--- a/system/nxinit/service.c
+++ b/system/nxinit/service.c
@@ -427,6 +427,8 @@ void init_service_reap(FAR struct service_s *service, int status)
 
 int init_service_start(FAR struct service_s *service)
 {
+  posix_spawnattr_t attr;
+  sigset_t mask;
   int ret;
   int pid;
 
@@ -439,8 +441,33 @@ int init_service_start(FAR struct service_s *service)
       return service->pid;
     }
 
-  ret = posix_spawnp(&pid, service->argv[2], NULL, NULL, &service->argv[2],
+  ret = posix_spawnattr_init(&attr);
+  if (ret != 0)
+    {
+      init_err("posix_spawnattr_init %d", ret);
+      return -ret;
+    }
+
+  ret = posix_spawnattr_setflags(&attr, POSIX_SPAWN_SETSIGMASK);
+  if (ret != 0)
+    {
+      init_err("posix_spawnattr_setflags %d", ret);
+      posix_spawnattr_destroy(&attr);
+      return -ret;
+    }
+
+  sigemptyset(&mask);
+  ret = posix_spawnattr_setsigmask(&attr, &mask);
+  if (ret != 0)
+    {
+      init_err("posix_spawnattr_setsigmask %d", ret);
+      posix_spawnattr_destroy(&attr);
+      return -ret;
+    }
+
+  ret = posix_spawnp(&pid, service->argv[2], NULL, &attr, &service->argv[2],
                      environ);
+  posix_spawnattr_destroy(&attr);
   if (ret != 0)
     {
       init_err("Starting service '%s': %d", service->argv[1], ret);