diff --git a/cmd/ipfs/ulimit.go b/cmd/ipfs/ulimit.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..fa517f1ea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/ipfs/ulimit.go
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"strconv"
+)
+
+var ipfsFileDescNum = uint64(1024)
+
+func init() {
+	if val := os.Getenv("IPFS_FD_MAX"); val != "" {
+		n, err := strconv.Atoi(val)
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Errorf("bad value for IPFS_FD_MAX: %s", err)
+		} else {
+			ipfsFileDescNum = uint64(n)
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/cmd/ipfs/ulimit_freebsd.go b/cmd/ipfs/ulimit_freebsd.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d80114772
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/ipfs/ulimit_freebsd.go
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+// +build freebsd
+
+package main
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"syscall"
+)
+
+func init() {
+	fileDescriptorCheck = checkAndSetUlimit
+}
+
+func checkAndSetUlimit() error {
+	var rLimit syscall.Rlimit
+	err := syscall.Getrlimit(syscall.RLIMIT_NOFILE, &rLimit)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("error getting rlimit: %s", err)
+	}
+
+	ipfsFileDescNum := int64(ipfsFileDescNum)
+
+	var setting bool
+	if rLimit.Cur < ipfsFileDescNum {
+		if rLimit.Max < ipfsFileDescNum {
+			log.Error("adjusting max")
+			rLimit.Max = ipfsFileDescNum
+		}
+		fmt.Printf("Adjusting current ulimit to %d...\n", ipfsFileDescNum)
+		rLimit.Cur = ipfsFileDescNum
+		setting = true
+	}
+
+	err = syscall.Setrlimit(syscall.RLIMIT_NOFILE, &rLimit)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("error setting ulimit: %s", err)
+	}
+
+	if setting {
+		fmt.Printf("Successfully raised file descriptor limit to %d.\n", ipfsFileDescNum)
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/cmd/ipfs/ulimit_unix.go b/cmd/ipfs/ulimit_unix.go
index 63d0b0136..be4c5e265 100644
--- a/cmd/ipfs/ulimit_unix.go
+++ b/cmd/ipfs/ulimit_unix.go
@@ -1,25 +1,13 @@
-// +build darwin freebsd linux netbsd openbsd
+// +build darwin linux netbsd openbsd
 
 package main
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
-	"os"
-	"strconv"
 	"syscall"
 )
 
-var ipfsFileDescNum = uint64(1024)
-
 func init() {
-	if val := os.Getenv("IPFS_FD_MAX"); val != "" {
-		n, err := strconv.Atoi(val)
-		if err != nil {
-			log.Errorf("bad value for IPFS_FD_MAX: %s", err)
-		} else {
-			ipfsFileDescNum = uint64(n)
-		}
-	}
 	fileDescriptorCheck = checkAndSetUlimit
 }