diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index 03dcd86a58..6bec7409a9 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -268,3 +268,188 @@ impl<'a, NP: ?Sized + NixPath>  NixPath for Option<&'a NP> {
         }
     }
 }
+
+/*
+ *
+ * ===== Null terminated slices for exec =====
+ *
+ */
+
+use std::ops::{Deref, DerefMut};
+use std::mem::transmute;
+use std::iter;
+
+/// A conversion trait that may borrow or allocate memory depending on the input.
+/// Used to convert between terminated slices and `Vec`s.
+pub trait IntoRef<'a, T: ?Sized> {
+    type Target: 'a + AsRef<T> + Deref<Target=T>;
+
+    fn into_ref(self) -> Self::Target;
+}
+
+/// A slice of references terminated by `None`. Used by API calls that accept
+/// null-terminated arrays such as the `exec` family of functions.
+pub struct TerminatedSlice<T> {
+    inner: [Option<T>],
+}
+
+impl<T> TerminatedSlice<T> {
+    /// Instantiate a `TerminatedSlice` from a slice ending in `None`. Returns
+    /// `None` if the provided slice is not properly terminated.
+    pub fn from_slice(slice: &[Option<T>]) -> Option<&Self> {
+        if slice.last().map(Option::is_none).unwrap_or(false) {
+            Some(unsafe { Self::from_slice_unchecked(slice) })
+        } else {
+            None
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Instantiate a `TerminatedSlice` from a mutable slice ending in `None`.
+    /// Returns `None` if the provided slice is not properly terminated.
+    pub fn from_slice_mut(slice: &mut [Option<T>]) -> Option<&mut Self> {
+        if slice.last().map(Option::is_none).unwrap_or(false) {
+            Some(unsafe { Self::from_slice_mut_unchecked(slice) })
+        } else {
+            None
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Instantiate a `TerminatedSlice` from a slice ending in `None`.
+    ///
+    /// ## Unsafety
+    ///
+    /// This assumes that the slice is properly terminated, and can cause
+    /// undefined behaviour if that invariant is not upheld.
+    pub unsafe fn from_slice_unchecked(slice: &[Option<T>]) -> &Self {
+        transmute(slice)
+    }
+
+    /// Instantiate a `TerminatedSlice` from a mutable slice ending in `None`.
+    ///
+    /// ## Unsafety
+    ///
+    /// This assumes that the slice is properly terminated, and can cause
+    /// undefined behaviour if that invariant is not upheld.
+    pub unsafe fn from_slice_mut_unchecked(slice: &mut [Option<T>]) -> &mut Self {
+        transmute(slice)
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'a, U: Sized> TerminatedSlice<&'a U> {
+    pub fn as_ptr(&self) -> *const *const U {
+        self.inner.as_ptr() as *const _
+    }
+}
+
+impl<T> Deref for TerminatedSlice<T> {
+    type Target = [Option<T>];
+
+    fn deref(&self) -> &Self::Target {
+        &self.inner[..self.inner.len() - 1]
+    }
+}
+
+impl<T> DerefMut for TerminatedSlice<T> {
+    fn deref_mut(&mut self) -> &mut Self::Target {
+        let len = self.inner.len();
+        &mut self.inner[..len - 1]
+    }
+}
+
+impl<T> AsRef<TerminatedSlice<T>> for TerminatedSlice<T> {
+    fn as_ref(&self) -> &Self {
+        self
+    }
+}
+
+/// Owned variant of `TerminatedSlice`.
+pub struct TerminatedVec<T> {
+    inner: Vec<Option<T>>,
+}
+
+impl<T> TerminatedVec<T> {
+    /// Instantiates a `TerminatedVec` from a `None` terminated `Vec`. Returns
+    /// `None` if the provided `Vec` is not properly terminated.
+    pub fn from_vec(vec: Vec<Option<T>>) -> Option<Self> {
+        if vec.last().map(Option::is_none).unwrap_or(false) {
+            Some(unsafe { Self::from_vec_unchecked(vec) })
+        } else {
+            None
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Instantiates a `TerminatedVec` from a `None` terminated `Vec`.
+    ///
+    /// ## Unsafety
+    ///
+    /// This assumes that the `Vec` is properly terminated, and can cause
+    /// undefined behaviour if that invariant is not upheld.
+    pub unsafe fn from_vec_unchecked(vec: Vec<Option<T>>) -> Self {
+        TerminatedVec {
+            inner: vec,
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Consume `self` to return the inner wrapped `Vec`.
+    pub fn into_inner(self) -> Vec<Option<T>> {
+        self.inner
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'a> TerminatedVec<&'a c_char> {
+    fn terminate<T: AsRef<CStr> + 'a, I: IntoIterator<Item=T>>(iter: I) -> Self {
+        fn cstr_char<'a, S: AsRef<CStr> + 'a>(s: S) -> &'a c_char {
+            unsafe {
+                &*s.as_ref().as_ptr()
+            }
+        }
+
+        let terminated = iter.into_iter()
+            .map(cstr_char)
+            .map(Some).chain(iter::once(None)).collect();
+
+        unsafe {
+            TerminatedVec::from_vec_unchecked(terminated)
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl<T> Deref for TerminatedVec<T> {
+    type Target = TerminatedSlice<T>;
+
+    fn deref(&self) -> &Self::Target {
+        unsafe {
+            TerminatedSlice::from_slice_unchecked(&self.inner)
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl<T> DerefMut for TerminatedVec<T> {
+    fn deref_mut(&mut self) -> &mut Self::Target {
+        unsafe {
+            TerminatedSlice::from_slice_mut_unchecked(&mut self.inner)
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl<T> AsRef<TerminatedSlice<T>> for TerminatedVec<T> {
+    fn as_ref(&self) -> &TerminatedSlice<T> {
+        self
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'a, T: 'a> IntoRef<'a, TerminatedSlice<&'a T>> for &'a TerminatedSlice<&'a T> {
+    type Target = &'a TerminatedSlice<&'a T>;
+
+    fn into_ref(self) -> Self::Target {
+        self
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'a, T: AsRef<CStr> + 'a, I: IntoIterator<Item=T>> IntoRef<'a, TerminatedSlice<&'a c_char>> for I {
+    type Target = TerminatedVec<&'a c_char>;
+
+    fn into_ref(self) -> Self::Target {
+        TerminatedVec::terminate(self)
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/unistd.rs b/src/unistd.rs
index c3c78414ae..6881988c2d 100644
--- a/src/unistd.rs
+++ b/src/unistd.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 //! Safe wrappers around functions found in libc "unistd.h" header
 
 use errno::{self, Errno};
-use {Error, Result, NixPath};
+use {Error, Result, NixPath, IntoRef, TerminatedSlice};
 use fcntl::{fcntl, FdFlag, OFlag};
 use fcntl::FcntlArg::F_SETFD;
 use libc::{self, c_char, c_void, c_int, c_long, c_uint, size_t, pid_t, off_t,
@@ -552,12 +552,6 @@ pub fn chown<P: ?Sized + NixPath>(path: &P, owner: Option<Uid>, group: Option<Gi
     Errno::result(res).map(drop)
 }
 
-fn to_exec_array(args: &[CString]) -> Vec<*const c_char> {
-    let mut args_p: Vec<*const c_char> = args.iter().map(|s| s.as_ptr()).collect();
-    args_p.push(ptr::null());
-    args_p
-}
-
 /// Replace the current process image with a new one (see
 /// [exec(3)](http://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/functions/exec.html)).
 ///
@@ -565,12 +559,12 @@ fn to_exec_array(args: &[CString]) -> Vec<*const c_char> {
 /// performs the same action but does not allow for customization of the
 /// environment for the new process.
 #[inline]
-pub fn execv(path: &CString, argv: &[CString]) -> Result<Void> {
-    let args_p = to_exec_array(argv);
+pub fn execv<'a, P: ?Sized + NixPath, A: IntoRef<'a, TerminatedSlice<&'a c_char>>>(path: &P, argv: A) -> Result<Void> {
+    let args_p = argv.into_ref();
 
-    unsafe {
-        libc::execv(path.as_ptr(), args_p.as_ptr())
-    };
+    try!(path.with_nix_path(|cstr| {
+        unsafe { libc::execv(cstr.as_ptr(), args_p.as_ptr()) }
+    }));
 
     Err(Error::Sys(Errno::last()))
 }
@@ -589,13 +583,13 @@ pub fn execv(path: &CString, argv: &[CString]) -> Result<Void> {
 /// in the `args` list is an argument to the new process. Each element in the
 /// `env` list should be a string in the form "key=value".
 #[inline]
-pub fn execve(path: &CString, args: &[CString], env: &[CString]) -> Result<Void> {
-    let args_p = to_exec_array(args);
-    let env_p = to_exec_array(env);
+pub fn execve<'a, 'e, P: ?Sized + NixPath, A: IntoRef<'a, TerminatedSlice<&'a c_char>>, E: IntoRef<'e, TerminatedSlice<&'e c_char>>>(path: &P, args: A, env: E) -> Result<Void> {
+    let args_p = args.into_ref();
+    let env_p = env.into_ref();
 
-    unsafe {
-        libc::execve(path.as_ptr(), args_p.as_ptr(), env_p.as_ptr())
-    };
+    try!(path.with_nix_path(|cstr| {
+        unsafe { libc::execve(cstr.as_ptr(), args_p.as_ptr(), env_p.as_ptr()) }
+    }));
 
     Err(Error::Sys(Errno::last()))
 }
@@ -610,12 +604,14 @@ pub fn execve(path: &CString, args: &[CString], env: &[CString]) -> Result<Void>
 /// would not work if "bash" was specified for the path argument, but `execvp`
 /// would assuming that a bash executable was on the system `PATH`.
 #[inline]
-pub fn execvp(filename: &CString, args: &[CString]) -> Result<Void> {
-    let args_p = to_exec_array(args);
+pub fn execvp<'a, P: ?Sized + NixPath, A: IntoRef<'a, TerminatedSlice<&'a c_char>>>(filename: &P, args: A) -> Result<Void> {
+    let args_p = args.into_ref();
 
-    unsafe {
-        libc::execvp(filename.as_ptr(), args_p.as_ptr())
-    };
+    try!(filename.with_nix_path(|cstr| {
+        unsafe {
+            libc::execvp(cstr.as_ptr(), args_p.as_ptr())
+        }
+    }));
 
     Err(Error::Sys(Errno::last()))
 }
@@ -633,9 +629,9 @@ pub fn execvp(filename: &CString, args: &[CString]) -> Result<Void> {
 #[cfg(any(target_os = "android", target_os = "dragonfly", target_os = "freebsd",
           target_os = "netbsd", target_os = "openbsd", target_os = "linux"))]
 #[inline]
-pub fn fexecve(fd: RawFd, args: &[CString], env: &[CString]) -> Result<Void> {
-    let args_p = to_exec_array(args);
-    let env_p = to_exec_array(env);
+pub fn fexecve<'a, 'e, A: IntoRef<'a, TerminatedSlice<&'a c_char>>, E: IntoRef<'e, TerminatedSlice<&'e c_char>>>(fd: RawFd, args: A, env: E) -> Result<Void> {
+    let args_p = args.into_ref();
+    let env_p = env.into_ref();
 
     unsafe {
         libc::fexecve(fd, args_p.as_ptr(), env_p.as_ptr())
@@ -656,10 +652,10 @@ pub fn fexecve(fd: RawFd, args: &[CString], env: &[CString]) -> Result<Void> {
 /// is referenced as a file descriptor to the base directory plus a path.
 #[cfg(any(target_os = "android", target_os = "linux"))]
 #[inline]
-pub fn execveat(dirfd: RawFd, pathname: &CString, args: &[CString],
-                env: &[CString], flags: super::fcntl::AtFlags) -> Result<Void> {
-    let args_p = to_exec_array(args);
-    let env_p = to_exec_array(env);
+pub fn execveat<'a, 'e, A: IntoRef<'a, TerminatedSlice<&'a c_char>>, E: IntoRef<'e, TerminatedSlice<&'e c_char>>>(dirfd: RawFd, pathname: &CString, args: A,
+                env: E, flags: super::fcntl::AtFlags) -> Result<Void> {
+    let args_p = args.into_ref();
+    let env_p = env.into_ref();
 
     unsafe {
         libc::syscall(libc::SYS_execveat, dirfd, pathname.as_ptr(),