diff --git a/cmd/Makemodule.am b/cmd/Makemodule.am
index f2c7d5f..78692d1 100644
--- a/cmd/Makemodule.am
+++ b/cmd/Makemodule.am
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ runsvc_SOURCES = cmd/runsvc/runsvc.c cmd/runsvc/env.c cmd/runsvc/runsvc.h
 runsvc_CPPFLAGS = $(AM_CPPFLAGS)
 runsvc_CFLAGS = $(AM_CFLAGS)
 runsvc_LDFLAGS = $(AM_LDFLAGS)
-runsvc_LDADD = libinit.a libutil.a libcfg.a
+runsvc_LDADD = libinit.a libcfg.a libutil.a
 
 killall5_SOURCES = cmd/killall5.c
 killall5_CPPFLAGS = $(AM_CPPFLAGS)
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ service_SOURCES += $(SRVHEADERS)
 service_CPPFLAGS = $(AM_CPPFLAGS)
 service_CFLAGS = $(AM_CFLAGS)
 service_LDFLAGS = $(AM_LDFLAGS)
-service_LDADD = libinit.a libutil.a libcfg.a
+service_LDADD = libinit.a libcfg.a libutil.a
 
 if GCROND
 service_SOURCES += cmd/service/schedule.c
diff --git a/cmd/runsvc/env.c b/cmd/runsvc/env.c
index 1e73ee4..e58d803 100644
--- a/cmd/runsvc/env.c
+++ b/cmd/runsvc/env.c
@@ -86,17 +86,12 @@ static struct entry *list_from_file(void)
 {
 	struct entry *list;
 	rdline_t rd;
-	int fd;
 
-	fd = open(ENVFILE, O_RDONLY);
-	if (fd < 0) {
-		perror(ENVFILE);
+	if (rdline_init(&rd, AT_FDCWD, ENVFILE, 0, NULL))
 		return NULL;
-	}
 
-	rdline_init(&rd, fd, ENVFILE, 0, NULL);
 	list = parse_list(&rd);
-	close(fd);
+	rdline_cleanup(&rd);
 	return list;
 }
 
diff --git a/crond/Makemodule.am b/crond/Makemodule.am
index 6beeff1..fb52b9a 100644
--- a/crond/Makemodule.am
+++ b/crond/Makemodule.am
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ gcrond_SOURCES = crond/main.c crond/gcrond.h crond/runjob.c
 gcrond_CPPFLAGS = $(AM_CPPFLAGS)
 gcrond_CFLAGS = $(AM_CFLAGS)
 gcrond_LDFLAGS = $(AM_LDFLAGS)
-gcrond_LDADD = libcron.a libutil.a libcfg.a
+gcrond_LDADD = libcron.a libcfg.a libutil.a
 
 sbin_PROGRAMS += gcrond
 endif
diff --git a/initd/Makemodule.am b/initd/Makemodule.am
index e6260f5..8552e45 100644
--- a/initd/Makemodule.am
+++ b/initd/Makemodule.am
@@ -3,6 +3,6 @@ init_SOURCES += initd/status.c initd/supervisor.c
 init_CPPFLAGS = $(AM_CPPFLAGS)
 init_CFLAGS = $(AM_CFLAGS)
 init_LDFLAGS = $(AM_LDFLAGS)
-init_LDADD = libinit.a libutil.a libcfg.a
+init_LDADD = libinit.a libcfg.a libutil.a
 
 sbin_PROGRAMS += init
diff --git a/lib/cron/rdcron.c b/lib/cron/rdcron.c
index 520f969..8781a6f 100644
--- a/lib/cron/rdcron.c
+++ b/lib/cron/rdcron.c
@@ -473,21 +473,17 @@ static const cfg_param_t cron_params[] = {
 
 crontab_t *rdcron(int dirfd, const char *filename)
 {
-	crontab_t *cron;
+	crontab_t *cron = NULL;
 	rdline_t rd;
-	int fd, ret;
+	int ret;
 
-	fd = openat(dirfd, filename, O_RDONLY);
-	if (fd < 0) {
-		perror(filename);
+	if (rdline_init(&rd, dirfd, filename, 0, NULL))
 		return NULL;
-	}
 
 	cron = calloc(1, sizeof(*cron));
 	if (cron == NULL) {
 		fputs("out of memory\n", stderr);
-		close(fd);
-		return NULL;
+		goto out;
 	}
 
 	cron->minute = 0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUL;
@@ -496,12 +492,12 @@ crontab_t *rdcron(int dirfd, const char *filename)
 	cron->month = 0xFFFF;
 	cron->dayofweek = 0xFF;
 
-	rdline_init(&rd, fd, filename, 0, NULL);
 	ret = rdcfg(cron, &rd, cron_params, ARRAY_SIZE(cron_params), 0);
 	if (ret) {
 		delcron(cron);
 		cron = NULL;
 	}
+out:
 	rdline_cleanup(&rd);
 	return cron;
 }
diff --git a/lib/include/libcfg.h b/lib/include/libcfg.h
index 95f91a8..3e631d1 100644
--- a/lib/include/libcfg.h
+++ b/lib/include/libcfg.h
@@ -49,12 +49,14 @@ typedef struct {
 /*
 	Initialize the config line scanner.
 
-	The scanner reads from the provided fd. The filename is used for
-	error reporting. An argument count and vector can be set for argument
-	substitution in rdline.
+	The scanner opens the filename relative to the passed dirfd. An
+	argument count and vector can be set for argument substitution
+	in rdline.
+
+	Returns 0 on success.
 */
-void rdline_init(rdline_t *t, int fd, const char *filename,
-		 int argc, const char *const *argv);
+int rdline_init(rdline_t *t, int dirfd, const char *filename,
+		int argc, const char *const *argv);
 
 void rdline_cleanup(rdline_t *t);
 
diff --git a/lib/init/rdsvc.c b/lib/init/rdsvc.c
index ca60731..e8cb530 100644
--- a/lib/init/rdsvc.c
+++ b/lib/init/rdsvc.c
@@ -250,13 +250,6 @@ service_t *rdsvc(int dirfd, const char *filename, int flags)
 	service_t *svc = NULL;
 	size_t argc, nlen;
 	rdline_t rd;
-	int fd;
-
-	fd = openat(dirfd, filename, O_RDONLY);
-	if (fd < 0) {
-		perror(filename);
-		return NULL;
-	}
 
 	arg = strchr(filename, '@');
 	if (arg != NULL) {
@@ -266,6 +259,9 @@ service_t *rdsvc(int dirfd, const char *filename, int flags)
 		argc = 0;
 	}
 
+	if (rdline_init(&rd, dirfd, filename, argc, args))
+		return NULL;
+
 	nlen = (arg != NULL) ? (size_t)(arg - filename) : strlen(filename);
 
 	svc = calloc(1, sizeof(*svc) + nlen + 1);
@@ -280,18 +276,16 @@ service_t *rdsvc(int dirfd, const char *filename, int flags)
 
 	memcpy(svc->name, filename, nlen);
 
-	rdline_init(&rd, fd, filename, argc, args);
-
-	if (rdcfg(svc, &rd, svc_params, ARRAY_SIZE(svc_params), flags)) {
-		delsvc(svc);
-		svc = NULL;
-	}
+	if (rdcfg(svc, &rd, svc_params, ARRAY_SIZE(svc_params), flags))
+		goto fail;
 
+out:
 	rdline_cleanup(&rd);
 	return svc;
 fail_oom:
 	fputs("out of memory\n", stderr);
+fail:
 	delsvc(svc);
-	close(fd);
-	return NULL;
+	svc = NULL;
+	goto out;
 }
diff --git a/lib/libcfg/rdline.c b/lib/libcfg/rdline.c
index dbb3069..b0cd789 100644
--- a/lib/libcfg/rdline.c
+++ b/lib/libcfg/rdline.c
@@ -23,15 +23,23 @@
 #include <stdio.h>
 
 #include "libcfg.h"
+#include "util.h"
 
-void rdline_init(rdline_t *t, int fd, const char *filename,
-		 int argc, const char *const *argv)
+int rdline_init(rdline_t *t, int dirfd, const char *filename,
+		int argc, const char *const *argv)
 {
 	memset(t, 0, sizeof(*t));
-	t->fp = fdopen(fd, "r");
+
+	t->fp = fopenat(dirfd, filename, "r");
+	if (t->fp == NULL) {
+		perror(filename);
+		return -1;
+	}
+
 	t->filename = filename;
 	t->argc = argc;
 	t->argv = argv;
+	return 0;
 }
 
 void rdline_cleanup(rdline_t *t)