diff --git a/agent.go b/agent.go
index 769f593bd3..6e6eff908a 100644
--- a/agent.go
+++ b/agent.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 package main
 
 import (
+	"errors"
 	"flag"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
@@ -17,7 +18,6 @@ import (
 	"os/signal"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"runtime"
-	"runtime/debug"
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
 	"syscall"
@@ -97,6 +97,9 @@ var agentLog = logrus.WithFields(agentFields)
 // version is the agent version. This variable is populated at build time.
 var version = "unknown"
 
+// if true, coredump when an internal error occurs or a fatal signal is received
+var crashOnError = false
+
 // This is the list of file descriptors we can properly close after the process
 // has been started. When the new process is exec(), those file descriptors are
 // duplicated and it is our responsibility to close them since we have opened
@@ -363,15 +366,26 @@ func (s *sandbox) signalHandlerLoop(sigCh chan os.Signal) {
 	for sig := range sigCh {
 		logger := agentLog.WithField("signal", sig)
 
-		switch sig {
-		case unix.SIGCHLD:
+		if sig == unix.SIGCHLD {
 			if err := s.subreaper.reap(); err != nil {
 				logger.WithError(err).Error("failed to reap")
-				return
+				continue
 			}
-		default:
-			logger.Info("ignoring unexpected signal")
 		}
+
+		nativeSignal, ok := sig.(syscall.Signal)
+		if !ok {
+			err := errors.New("unknown signal")
+			logger.WithError(err).Error("failed to handle signal")
+			continue
+		}
+
+		if fatalSignal(nativeSignal) {
+			logger.Error("received fatal signal")
+			die()
+		}
+
+		logger.Info("ignoring unexpected signal")
 	}
 }
 
@@ -385,6 +399,10 @@ func (s *sandbox) setupSignalHandler() error {
 	sigCh := make(chan os.Signal, 512)
 	signal.Notify(sigCh, unix.SIGCHLD)
 
+	for _, sig := range handledSignals() {
+		signal.Notify(sigCh, sig)
+	}
+
 	go s.signalHandlerLoop(sigCh)
 
 	return nil
@@ -648,9 +666,6 @@ func initAgentAsInit() error {
 }
 
 func init() {
-	// Force full stacktrace on internal error
-	debug.SetTraceback("system")
-
 	if len(os.Args) > 1 && os.Args[1] == "init" {
 		runtime.GOMAXPROCS(1)
 		runtime.LockOSThread()
@@ -662,7 +677,7 @@ func init() {
 	}
 }
 
-func main() {
+func realMain() {
 	var err error
 	var showVersion bool
 
@@ -730,3 +745,8 @@ func main() {
 
 	s.wg.Wait()
 }
+
+func main() {
+	defer handlePanic()
+	realMain()
+}
diff --git a/config.go b/config.go
index 226efc2f43..765582b1d0 100644
--- a/config.go
+++ b/config.go
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import (
 const (
 	optionPrefix      = "agent."
 	logLevelFlag      = optionPrefix + "log"
+	devModeFlag       = optionPrefix + "devmode"
 	kernelCmdlineFile = "/proc/cmdline"
 )
 
@@ -83,6 +84,8 @@ func (c *agentConfig) parseCmdlineOption(option string) error {
 			return err
 		}
 		c.logLevel = level
+	case devModeFlag:
+		crashOnError = true
 	default:
 		if strings.HasPrefix(split[optionPosition], optionPrefix) {
 			return grpcStatus.Errorf(codes.NotFound, "Unknown option %s", split[optionPosition])
diff --git a/signals.go b/signals.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..46bfc11653
--- /dev/null
+++ b/signals.go
@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+// Copyright 2018 Intel Corporation.
+//
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+//
+
+package main
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"os/signal"
+	"runtime/pprof"
+	"strings"
+	"syscall"
+)
+
+// List of handled signals.
+//
+// The value is true if receiving the signal should be fatal.
+var handledSignalsMap = map[syscall.Signal]bool{
+	syscall.SIGABRT:   true,
+	syscall.SIGBUS:    true,
+	syscall.SIGILL:    true,
+	syscall.SIGQUIT:   true,
+	syscall.SIGSEGV:   true,
+	syscall.SIGSTKFLT: true,
+	syscall.SIGSYS:    true,
+	syscall.SIGTRAP:   true,
+}
+
+func handlePanic() {
+	r := recover()
+
+	if r != nil {
+		msg := fmt.Sprintf("%s", r)
+		agentLog.WithField("panic", msg).Error("fatal error")
+
+		die()
+	}
+}
+
+func backtrace() {
+	profiles := pprof.Profiles()
+
+	buf := &bytes.Buffer{}
+
+	for _, p := range profiles {
+		// The magic number requests a full stacktrace. See
+		// https://golang.org/pkg/runtime/pprof/#Profile.WriteTo.
+		pprof.Lookup(p.Name()).WriteTo(buf, 2)
+	}
+
+	for _, line := range strings.Split(buf.String(), "\n") {
+		agentLog.Error(line)
+	}
+}
+
+func fatalSignal(sig syscall.Signal) bool {
+	s, exists := handledSignalsMap[sig]
+	if !exists {
+		return false
+	}
+
+	return s
+}
+
+func handledSignals() []syscall.Signal {
+	var signals []syscall.Signal
+
+	for sig := range handledSignalsMap {
+		signals = append(signals, sig)
+	}
+
+	return signals
+}
+
+func die() {
+	backtrace()
+
+	if crashOnError {
+		signal.Reset(syscall.SIGABRT)
+		syscall.Kill(0, syscall.SIGABRT)
+	}
+
+	os.Exit(1)
+}
diff --git a/signals_test.go b/signals_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e4a9aaabac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/signals_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,99 @@
+// Copyright (c) 2018 Intel Corporation
+//
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+//
+
+package main
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"reflect"
+	goruntime "runtime"
+	"sort"
+	"strings"
+	"syscall"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+)
+
+func TestSignalHandledSignalsMap(t *testing.T) {
+	assert := assert.New(t)
+
+	for sig, fatal := range handledSignalsMap {
+		result := fatalSignal(sig)
+		if fatal {
+			assert.True(result)
+		} else {
+			assert.False(result)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSignalHandledSignals(t *testing.T) {
+	assert := assert.New(t)
+
+	var expected []syscall.Signal
+
+	for sig := range handledSignalsMap {
+		expected = append(expected, sig)
+	}
+
+	got := handledSignals()
+
+	sort.Slice(expected, func(i, j int) bool {
+		return int(expected[i]) < int(expected[j])
+	})
+
+	sort.Slice(got, func(i, j int) bool {
+		return int(got[i]) < int(got[j])
+	})
+
+	assert.True(reflect.DeepEqual(expected, got))
+}
+
+func TestSignalFatalSignalInvalidSignal(t *testing.T) {
+	assert := assert.New(t)
+
+	sig := syscall.SIGXCPU
+
+	result := fatalSignal(sig)
+	assert.False(result)
+}
+
+func TestSignalBacktrace(t *testing.T) {
+	assert := assert.New(t)
+
+	// create buffer to save logger output
+	buf := &bytes.Buffer{}
+
+	savedLog := agentLog
+	defer func() {
+		agentLog = savedLog
+	}()
+
+	agentLog = logrus.WithField("test-agent-logger", true)
+
+	agentLog.Logger.Formatter = &logrus.TextFormatter{
+		DisableColors: true,
+	}
+
+	// capture output to buffer
+	agentLog.Logger.Out = buf
+
+	// determine name of *this* function
+	pc := make([]uintptr, 1)
+	goruntime.Callers(1, pc)
+	fn := goruntime.FuncForPC(pc[0])
+	name := fn.Name()
+
+	backtrace()
+
+	b := buf.String()
+
+	// very basic tests to check if a backtrace was produced
+	assert.True(strings.Contains(b, "contention:"))
+	assert.True(strings.Contains(b, `level=error`))
+	assert.True(strings.Contains(b, name))
+}