diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index f7956689..02b59c83 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -28,7 +28,8 @@ config_data = configuration_data({
   'SBINDIR': get_option('prefix') / get_option('sbindir'),
   'SYSCONFDIR': '/' / get_option('sysconfdir'),
   'sysconfdir': '/' / get_option('sysconfdir'),
-  'top_srcdir': meson.source_root()
+  'top_srcdir': meson.source_root(),
+  'CORE_SELINUX_POLICY': get_option('core_selinux_policy'),
 })
 
 run_target('update-egg', command: 'scripts/01-upgrade-egg.sh')
@@ -49,4 +50,9 @@ if get_option('auto_registration').enabled()
 else 
   configuration += '\tauto_registration\t: ' + 'disabled' + '\n'
 endif
+if get_option('core_selinux_policy') != ''
+  configuration += '\tSELinux policy for insights-core\t: ' + get_option('core_selinux_policy') + '\n'
+else
+  configuration += '\tSELinux policy for insights-core\t: ' + 'disabled' + '\n'
+endif
 message(configuration)
diff --git a/meson_options.txt b/meson_options.txt
index 8b4a3a00..3bd68a20 100644
--- a/meson_options.txt
+++ b/meson_options.txt
@@ -2,3 +2,4 @@ option('python', type: 'string', value: 'python3', description: 'python interpre
 option('auto_registration', type: 'feature', value: 'disabled', description: 'enable automatic registration')
 option('checkin', type: 'feature', value: 'disabled', description: 'enable hourly check-in')
 option('redhat_access_insights', type: 'boolean', value: false, description: 'enable deprecated redhat-access-insights executable')
+option('core_selinux_policy', type: 'string', value: '', description: 'SELinux policy for insights-core (empty: none used)')
diff --git a/src/insights_client/__init__.py b/src/insights_client/__init__.py
index 400d1d9f..a6290744 100644
--- a/src/insights_client/__init__.py
+++ b/src/insights_client/__init__.py
@@ -17,12 +17,25 @@
 
 try:
     from .constants import InsightsConstants
+    from .constants import CORE_SELINUX_POLICY
+
+    # if there is a policy for insights-core, unconditionally try to interface
+    # with SELinux: insights-client was built with a policy for insights-core,
+    # so not being able to apply that is an hard failure
+    if CORE_SELINUX_POLICY != "":
+        import selinux
+
+        SWITCH_CORE_SELINUX_POLICY = selinux.is_selinux_enabled()
+    else:
+        SWITCH_CORE_SELINUX_POLICY = False
 except ImportError:
     # The source file is build from 'constants.py.in' and is not
     # available during development
     class InsightsConstants(object):
         version = "development"
 
+    CORE_SELINUX_POLICY = ""
+    SWITCH_CORE_SELINUX_POLICY = False
 
 LOG_FORMAT = "%(asctime)s %(levelname)8s %(name)s:%(lineno)s %(message)s"
 NO_COLOR = os.environ.get("NO_COLOR") is not None
@@ -306,8 +319,25 @@ def run_phase(phase, client, validated_eggs):
         env = os.environ
         env.update(insights_env)
 
+        if SWITCH_CORE_SELINUX_POLICY:
+            # in case we can switch to a different SELinux policy for
+            # insights-core, get the current context and switch the type
+            context = selinux.context_new(selinux.getcon()[1])
+            # additional check: in case the current type is a certain one
+            # (e.g. unconfined_t when insights-client is run from a shell),
+            # then the switch will not work
+            if selinux.context_type_get(context) not in ["unconfined_t", "sysadm_t"]:
+                selinux.context_type_set(context, CORE_SELINUX_POLICY)
+                new_core_context = selinux.context_str(context)
+                selinux.setexeccon(new_core_context)
+            selinux.context_free(context)
         process = subprocess.Popen(insights_command, env=env)
         process.communicate()
+        if SWITCH_CORE_SELINUX_POLICY:
+            # setexeccon() in theory ought to reset the context for the next
+            # execv*() after that execution; it does not seem to happen though,
+            # so for now manually reset it
+            selinux.setexeccon(None)
         if process.returncode == 0:
             # phase successful, don't try another egg
             logger.debug("phase '%s' successful", phase["name"])
diff --git a/src/insights_client/constants.py.in b/src/insights_client/constants.py.in
index e93fa4ed..5b63acbe 100644
--- a/src/insights_client/constants.py.in
+++ b/src/insights_client/constants.py.in
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ DATADIR = "@DATADIR@"
 SYSCONFDIR = "@SYSCONFDIR@"
 LOCALSTATEDIR = "@LOCALSTATEDIR@"
 DOCDIR = "@DOCDIR@"
+CORE_SELINUX_POLICY = "@CORE_SELINUX_POLICY@"
 
 
 class InsightsConstants(object):