diff --git a/contrib/testing/README.md b/contrib/testing/README.md
index f1340e1..26d6a89 100644
--- a/contrib/testing/README.md
+++ b/contrib/testing/README.md
@@ -41,6 +41,9 @@ one-off files in `/tmp`:
 - `manager-lifecycle-check.sh` exercises systemd reload/restart/stop/start,
   one agent crash, and an unclean manager death which leaves a stale PID file.
   It requires explicit live-test opt-in and restores an active service on exit.
+- `agent-privilege-check.sh` verifies the live manager/agent process tree,
+  real/effective/saved UID and GID tuples, supplementary groups, and inherited,
+  permitted, effective, and ambient capabilities.
 
 The complete mapping from the original one-off `/tmp` names to maintained
 scripts is recorded in `tmp-script-map.md`.
diff --git a/contrib/testing/agent-privilege-check.sh b/contrib/testing/agent-privilege-check.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..ae5c676
--- /dev/null
+++ b/contrib/testing/agent-privilege-check.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,137 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+set -eu
+
+SERVICE=${BONGO_TEST_SERVICE:-bongo.service}
+EXPECTED=${BONGO_TEST_AGENTS:-"bongostore bongoqueue bongoantispam bongoavirus bongorules bongosieve bongocollector bongoworker bongosmtp bongosmtpc bongoimap bongopop3 bongo-web"}
+
+if [ "${BONGO_ALLOW_LIVE_PRIVILEGE_TEST:-}" != 1 ]; then
+    echo "set BONGO_ALLOW_LIVE_PRIVILEGE_TEST=1 for the disposable host" >&2
+    exit 2
+fi
+
+manager=$(sudo -n /usr/bin/systemctl show "$SERVICE" -p MainPID --value)
+bongo_uid=$(/usr/bin/id -u bongo)
+bongo_gid=$(/usr/bin/id -g bongo)
+
+if [ -z "$manager" ] || [ "$manager" -le 1 ] ||
+        ! sudo -n /usr/bin/systemctl is-active "$SERVICE" >/dev/null; then
+    echo "$SERVICE is not active" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+status_field()
+{
+    field=$1
+    pid=$2
+    sed -n "s/^${field}:[[:space:]]*//p" "/proc/$pid/status"
+}
+
+assert_zero_caps()
+{
+    pid=$1
+    name=$2
+    for field in CapInh CapPrm CapEff CapAmb; do
+        value=$(status_field "$field" "$pid")
+        if [ "$value" != 0000000000000000 ]; then
+            echo "$name ($pid) retained $field=$value" >&2
+            exit 1
+        fi
+    done
+}
+
+assert_no_groups()
+{
+    pid=$1
+    name=$2
+    groups=$(status_field Groups "$pid")
+    if [ -n "$groups" ]; then
+        echo "$name ($pid) retained supplementary groups: $groups" >&2
+        exit 1
+    fi
+}
+
+assert_permanent_drop()
+{
+    pid=$1
+    name=$2
+    set -- $(status_field Uid "$pid")
+    if [ "$#" -ne 4 ] || [ "$1" != "$bongo_uid" ] ||
+            [ "$2" != "$bongo_uid" ] || [ "$3" != "$bongo_uid" ] ||
+            [ "$4" != "$bongo_uid" ]; then
+        echo "$name ($pid) did not permanently drop UID: $*" >&2
+        exit 1
+    fi
+    set -- $(status_field Gid "$pid")
+    if [ "$#" -ne 4 ] || [ "$1" != "$bongo_gid" ] ||
+            [ "$2" != "$bongo_gid" ] || [ "$3" != "$bongo_gid" ] ||
+            [ "$4" != "$bongo_gid" ]; then
+        echo "$name ($pid) did not permanently drop GID: $*" >&2
+        exit 1
+    fi
+    assert_no_groups "$pid" "$name"
+    assert_zero_caps "$pid" "$name"
+}
+
+find_child()
+{
+    wanted=$1
+    for pid in $(/usr/bin/pgrep -P "$manager" 2>/dev/null || true); do
+        name=$(status_field Name "$pid")
+        if [ "$name" = "$wanted" ]; then
+            printf '%s\n' "$pid"
+            return 0
+        fi
+    done
+    return 1
+}
+
+# The supervisor must regain root only while forking a replacement which has
+# to bind a privileged listener. It must otherwise run as bongo with no active
+# or ambient capability and no supplementary group.
+set -- $(status_field Uid "$manager")
+if [ "$#" -ne 4 ] || [ "$1" != 0 ] || [ "$2" != "$bongo_uid" ] ||
+        [ "$4" != "$bongo_uid" ]; then
+    echo "manager has unexpected UID tuple: $*" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+assert_no_groups "$manager" bongo-manager
+for field in CapInh CapEff CapAmb; do
+    value=$(status_field "$field" "$manager")
+    if [ "$value" != 0000000000000000 ]; then
+        echo "manager retained active $field=$value" >&2
+        exit 1
+    fi
+done
+
+for name in $EXPECTED; do
+    pid=$(find_child "$name") || {
+        echo "configured agent $name is not a child of manager $manager" >&2
+        exit 1
+    }
+    if [ "$name" = bongoworker ]; then
+        # ACME certificate deployment is the one scheduled operation which
+        # currently needs a short, explicit seteuid(0) window. The idle worker
+        # must still have bongo as effective/filesystem UID and no active or
+        # ambient capability. This exception is removed when deployment is
+        # split into a dedicated privileged helper.
+        set -- $(status_field Uid "$pid")
+        if [ "$#" -ne 4 ] || [ "$1" != 0 ] ||
+                [ "$2" != "$bongo_uid" ] || [ "$4" != "$bongo_uid" ]; then
+            echo "$name ($pid) has unexpected UID tuple: $*" >&2
+            exit 1
+        fi
+        assert_no_groups "$pid" "$name"
+        for field in CapInh CapEff CapAmb; do
+            value=$(status_field "$field" "$pid")
+            if [ "$value" != 0000000000000000 ]; then
+                echo "$name ($pid) retained active $field=$value" >&2
+                exit 1
+            fi
+        done
+    else
+        assert_permanent_drop "$pid" "$name"
+    fi
+    echo "PASS $name PID $pid privilege state"
+done
+
+echo "PASS all configured agents are manager children with bounded privilege"
diff --git a/init/bongo.service.in b/init/bongo.service.in
index 9292a8b..fa443b5 100644
--- a/init/bongo.service.in
+++ b/init/bongo.service.in
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ TimeoutStartSec=60s
 TimeoutStopSec=45s
 KillMode=control-group
 KillSignal=SIGTERM
+CapabilityBoundingSet=CAP_CHOWN CAP_DAC_OVERRIDE CAP_FOWNER CAP_SETGID CAP_SETUID CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE
 UMask=0077
 LimitNOFILE=65536
 TasksMax=4096
diff --git a/src/agents/antispam/antispam.c b/src/agents/antispam/antispam.c
index 49db73b..28d7b95 100644
--- a/src/agents/antispam/antispam.c
+++ b/src/agents/antispam/antispam.c
@@ -241,7 +241,7 @@ XplServiceMain()
     int ccode;
     int startupOpts;
 
-    if (XplSetEffectiveUser(MsgGetUnprivilegedUser()) < 0) {
+    if (XplSetRealUser(MsgGetUnprivilegedUser()) < 0) {
         Log(LOG_ERROR, "Could not drop to unprivileged user '%s'", MsgGetUnprivilegedUser());
         return(1);
     }
diff --git a/src/agents/avirus/avirus.c b/src/agents/avirus/avirus.c
index dfba255..52dba98 100755
--- a/src/agents/avirus/avirus.c
+++ b/src/agents/avirus/avirus.c
@@ -493,7 +493,7 @@ XplServiceMain(int argc, char *argv[])
     int ccode;
     int startupOpts;
 
-    if (XplSetEffectiveUser(MsgGetUnprivilegedUser()) < 0) {
+    if (XplSetRealUser(MsgGetUnprivilegedUser()) < 0) {
         Log(LOG_ERROR, "Could not drop to unprivileged user '%s'", MsgGetUnprivilegedUser());
         return(1);
     }