diff --git a/src/basic/util.h b/src/basic/util.h
index 0d40db059ab..412563fa8e7 100644
--- a/src/basic/util.h
+++ b/src/basic/util.h
@@ -46,6 +46,11 @@ static inline const char* enable_disable(bool b) {
 extern int saved_argc;
 extern char **saved_argv;
 
+static inline void save_argc_argv(int argc, char **argv) {
+        saved_argc = argc;
+        saved_argv = argv;
+}
+
 bool kexec_loaded(void);
 
 int prot_from_flags(int flags) _const_;
diff --git a/src/core/main.c b/src/core/main.c
index 981513bbc3b..6f6f4e5c5e5 100644
--- a/src/core/main.c
+++ b/src/core/main.c
@@ -2380,8 +2380,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
         (void) prctl(PR_SET_NAME, systemd);
 
         /* Save the original command line */
-        saved_argv = argv;
-        saved_argc = argc;
+        save_argc_argv(argc, argv);
 
         /* Make sure that if the user says "syslog" we actually log to the journal. */
         log_set_upgrade_syslog_to_journal(true);
diff --git a/src/nspawn/nspawn.c b/src/nspawn/nspawn.c
index f3842f70c65..dfc4f68ede4 100644
--- a/src/nspawn/nspawn.c
+++ b/src/nspawn/nspawn.c
@@ -4667,10 +4667,6 @@ static int run(int argc, char *argv[]) {
         log_parse_environment();
         log_open();
 
-        /* Make sure rename_process() in the stub init process can work */
-        saved_argv = argv;
-        saved_argc = argc;
-
         r = parse_argv(argc, argv);
         if (r <= 0)
                 goto finish;
diff --git a/src/shared/main-func.h b/src/shared/main-func.h
index 3c182e802b9..1b77316d82e 100644
--- a/src/shared/main-func.h
+++ b/src/shared/main-func.h
@@ -8,17 +8,19 @@
 #include "spawn-ask-password-agent.h"
 #include "spawn-polkit-agent.h"
 #include "static-destruct.h"
+#include "util.h"
 
 #define _DEFINE_MAIN_FUNCTION(intro, impl, ret)                         \
         int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {                              \
                 int r;                                                  \
+                save_argc_argv(argc, argv);                             \
                 intro;                                                  \
                 r = impl;                                               \
-                static_destruct();                                      \
                 ask_password_agent_close();                             \
                 polkit_agent_close();                                   \
-                mac_selinux_finish();                                   \
                 pager_close();                                          \
+                mac_selinux_finish();                                   \
+                static_destruct();                                      \
                 return ret;                                             \
         }
 
diff --git a/src/systemctl/systemctl.c b/src/systemctl/systemctl.c
index afe6f84f774..9d2115b7121 100644
--- a/src/systemctl/systemctl.c
+++ b/src/systemctl/systemctl.c
@@ -141,7 +141,6 @@ static const char *arg_kill_who = NULL;
 static int arg_signal = SIGTERM;
 static char *arg_root = NULL;
 static usec_t arg_when = 0;
-static char *argv_cmdline = NULL;
 static enum action {
         ACTION_SYSTEMCTL,
         ACTION_HALT,
@@ -6177,10 +6176,11 @@ static int switch_root(int argc, char *argv[], void *userdata) {
                         init = NULL;
         }
 
-        /* Instruct PID1 to exclude us from its killing spree applied during
-         * the transition. Otherwise we would exit with a failure status even
-         * though the switch to the new root has succeed. */
-        argv_cmdline[0] = '@';
+        /* Instruct PID1 to exclude us from its killing spree applied during the transition. Otherwise we
+         * would exit with a failure status even though the switch to the new root has succeed. */
+        assert(saved_argv);
+        assert(saved_argv[0]);
+        saved_argv[0][0] = '@';
 
         r = acquire_bus(BUS_MANAGER, &bus);
         if (r < 0)
@@ -6350,13 +6350,13 @@ static int enable_sysv_units(const char *verb, char **args) {
 
                 const char *argv[] = {
                         ROOTLIBEXECDIR "/systemd-sysv-install",
-                        NULL,
-                        NULL,
-                        NULL,
+                        NULL, /* --root= */
+                        NULL, /* verb */
+                        NULL, /* service */
                         NULL,
                 };
 
-                _cleanup_free_ char *p = NULL, *q = NULL, *l = NULL;
+                _cleanup_free_ char *p = NULL, *q = NULL, *l = NULL, *v = NULL;
                 bool found_native = false, found_sysv;
                 const char *name;
                 unsigned c = 1;
@@ -6397,10 +6397,21 @@ static int enable_sysv_units(const char *verb, char **args) {
                                 log_info("%s is not a native service, redirecting to systemd-sysv-install.", name);
                 }
 
-                if (!isempty(arg_root))
-                        argv[c++] = q = strappend("--root=", arg_root);
+                if (!isempty(arg_root)) {
+                        q = strappend("--root=", arg_root);
+                        if (!q)
+                                return log_oom();
 
-                argv[c++] = verb;
+                        argv[c++] = q;
+                }
+
+                /* Let's copy the verb, since it's still pointing directly into the original argv[] array we
+                 * got passed, but safe_fork() is likely going to rewrite that for the new child */
+                v = strdup(verb);
+                if (!v)
+                        return log_oom();
+
+                argv[c++] = v;
                 argv[c++] = basename(p);
                 argv[c] = NULL;
 
@@ -6444,7 +6455,7 @@ static int enable_sysv_units(const char *verb, char **args) {
                 assert(f > 0);
                 f--;
                 assert(args[f] == name);
-                strv_remove(args, name);
+                strv_remove(args + f, name);
         }
 
 #endif
@@ -9161,8 +9172,6 @@ static int logind_cancel_shutdown(void) {
 static int run(int argc, char *argv[]) {
         int r;
 
-        argv_cmdline = argv[0];
-
         setlocale(LC_ALL, "");
         log_parse_environment();
         log_open();
diff --git a/src/test/test-process-util.c b/src/test/test-process-util.c
index b5ba651d893..89f6618e2e8 100644
--- a/src/test/test-process-util.c
+++ b/src/test/test-process-util.c
@@ -603,8 +603,7 @@ static void test_ioprio_class_from_to_string(void) {
 int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
         test_setup_logging(LOG_DEBUG);
 
-        saved_argc = argc;
-        saved_argv = argv;
+        save_argc_argv(argc, argv);
 
         if (argc > 1) {
                 pid_t pid = 0;