diff --git a/lightningd/lightningd.h b/lightningd/lightningd.h
index bfacc17e7..dbcfc0423 100644
--- a/lightningd/lightningd.h
+++ b/lightningd/lightningd.h
@@ -70,6 +70,12 @@ struct config {
 
 	/* EXPERIMENTAL: offers support */
 	bool exp_offers;
+
+	/* Allow dust reserves (including 0) when being called via
+	 * `fundchannel` or in the `openchannel` hook. This is a
+	 * slight spec incompatibility, but implementations do this
+	 * already. */
+	bool allowdustreserve;
 };
 
 typedef STRMAP(const char *) alt_subdaemon_map;
diff --git a/lightningd/opening_control.c b/lightningd/opening_control.c
index bd0887947..a64764c85 100644
--- a/lightningd/opening_control.c
+++ b/lightningd/opening_control.c
@@ -946,18 +946,19 @@ bool peer_start_openingd(struct peer *peer, struct peer_fd *peer_fd)
 
 
 	msg = towire_openingd_init(NULL,
-				  chainparams,
-				  peer->ld->our_features,
-				  peer->their_features,
-				  &uc->our_config,
-				  max_to_self_delay,
-				  min_effective_htlc_capacity,
-				  &uc->local_basepoints,
-				  &uc->local_funding_pubkey,
-				  uc->minimum_depth,
-				  feerate_min(peer->ld, NULL),
-				  feerate_max(peer->ld, NULL),
-				  IFDEV(peer->ld->dev_force_tmp_channel_id, NULL));
+				   chainparams,
+				   peer->ld->our_features,
+				   peer->their_features,
+				   &uc->our_config,
+				   max_to_self_delay,
+				   min_effective_htlc_capacity,
+				   &uc->local_basepoints,
+				   &uc->local_funding_pubkey,
+				   uc->minimum_depth,
+				   feerate_min(peer->ld, NULL),
+				   feerate_max(peer->ld, NULL),
+				   IFDEV(peer->ld->dev_force_tmp_channel_id, NULL),
+				   peer->ld->config.allowdustreserve);
 	subd_send_msg(uc->open_daemon, take(msg));
 	return true;
 }
diff --git a/lightningd/options.c b/lightningd/options.c
index ef8f7b008..c40f371d7 100644
--- a/lightningd/options.c
+++ b/lightningd/options.c
@@ -811,6 +811,8 @@ static const struct config testnet_config = {
 	.connection_timeout_secs = 60,
 
 	.exp_offers = IFEXPERIMENTAL(true, false),
+
+	.allowdustreserve = false,
 };
 
 /* aka. "Dude, where's my coins?" */
@@ -875,6 +877,8 @@ static const struct config mainnet_config = {
 	.connection_timeout_secs = 60,
 
 	.exp_offers = IFEXPERIMENTAL(true, false),
+
+	.allowdustreserve = false,
 };
 
 static void check_config(struct lightningd *ld)
@@ -1168,6 +1172,10 @@ static void register_opts(struct lightningd *ld)
 			 &ld->autolisten,
 			 "If true, listen on default port and announce if it seems to be a public interface");
 
+	opt_register_arg("--dev-allowdustreserve", opt_set_bool_arg, opt_show_bool,
+			 &ld->config.allowdustreserve,
+			 "If true, we allow the `fundchannel` RPC command and the `openchannel` plugin hook to set a reserve that is below the dust limit.");
+
 	opt_register_arg("--proxy", opt_add_proxy_addr, NULL,
 			ld,"Set a socks v5 proxy IP address and port");
 	opt_register_arg("--tor-service-password", opt_set_talstr, NULL,
diff --git a/openingd/openingd.c b/openingd/openingd.c
index fa1af8678..40a16a49a 100644
--- a/openingd/openingd.c
+++ b/openingd/openingd.c
@@ -101,6 +101,8 @@ struct state {
 	struct feature_set *our_features;
 
 	struct amount_sat *reserve;
+
+	bool allowdustreserve;
 };
 
 /*~ If we can't agree on parameters, we fail to open the channel.
@@ -960,7 +962,6 @@ static u8 *fundee_channel(struct state *state, const u8 *open_channel_msg)
 	/* This reserves 1% of the channel (rounded up) */
 	set_reserve(state, state->remoteconf.dust_limit);
 
-#ifndef ZERORESERVE
 	/* Pending proposal to remove these limits. */
 	/* BOLT #2:
 	 *
@@ -982,18 +983,6 @@ static u8 *fundee_channel(struct state *state, const u8 *open_channel_msg)
 						  &state->remoteconf.dust_limit));
 		return NULL;
 	}
-	if (amount_sat_greater(state->localconf.dust_limit,
-			       state->remoteconf.channel_reserve)) {
-		negotiation_failed(state,
-				   "Our dust limit %s"
-				   " would be above their reserve %s",
-				   type_to_string(tmpctx, struct amount_sat,
-						  &state->localconf.dust_limit),
-				   type_to_string(tmpctx, struct amount_sat,
-						  &state->remoteconf.channel_reserve));
-		return NULL;
-	}
-#endif
 
 	/* These checks are the same whether we're opener or accepter... */
 	if (!check_config_bounds(tmpctx, state->funding_sats,
@@ -1434,17 +1423,18 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 	/*~ The very first thing we read from lightningd is our init msg */
 	msg = wire_sync_read(tmpctx, REQ_FD);
 	if (!fromwire_openingd_init(state, msg,
-				   &chainparams,
-				   &state->our_features,
-				   &state->their_features,
-				   &state->localconf,
-				   &state->max_to_self_delay,
-				   &state->min_effective_htlc_capacity,
-				   &state->our_points,
-				   &state->our_funding_pubkey,
-				   &state->minimum_depth,
-				   &state->min_feerate, &state->max_feerate,
-				   &force_tmp_channel_id))
+				    &chainparams,
+				    &state->our_features,
+				    &state->their_features,
+				    &state->localconf,
+				    &state->max_to_self_delay,
+				    &state->min_effective_htlc_capacity,
+				    &state->our_points,
+				    &state->our_funding_pubkey,
+				    &state->minimum_depth,
+				    &state->min_feerate, &state->max_feerate,
+				    &force_tmp_channel_id,
+				    &state->allowdustreserve))
 		master_badmsg(WIRE_OPENINGD_INIT, msg);
 
 #if DEVELOPER
diff --git a/openingd/openingd_wire.csv b/openingd/openingd_wire.csv
index 4f77446f2..4ab658773 100644
--- a/openingd/openingd_wire.csv
+++ b/openingd/openingd_wire.csv
@@ -24,6 +24,10 @@ msgdata,openingd_init,minimum_depth,u32,
 msgdata,openingd_init,min_feerate,u32,
 msgdata,openingd_init,max_feerate,u32,
 msgdata,openingd_init,dev_temporary_channel_id,?byte,32
+# Do we allow `fundchannel` or the `openchannel` hook to set sub-dust
+# reserves? This is explicitly required by the spec for safety
+# reasons, but some implementations and users keep asking for it.
+msgdata,openingd_init,allowdustreserve,bool,
 
 # Openingd->master: they offered channel, should we continue?
 msgtype,openingd_got_offer,6005