diff --git a/daemon/daemon_unix.go b/daemon/daemon_unix.go
index 4ed0594c6a312c7371b46c3edecb305b254a4570..3402f77790dfb47f63c1bec978b3e3333f06eac7 100644
--- a/daemon/daemon_unix.go
+++ b/daemon/daemon_unix.go
@@ -1148,6 +1148,11 @@ func setupOOMScoreAdj(score int) error {
 		return err
 	}
 	_, err = f.WriteString(strconv.Itoa(score))
+	if os.IsPermission(err) {
+		// Setting oom_score_adj does not work in an
+		// unprivileged container. Ignore the error.
+		return nil
+	}
 	f.Close()
 	return err
 }
diff --git a/libcontainerd/remote_linux.go b/libcontainerd/remote_linux.go
index e7fcb257b6224b1b4e21e5d12f0226828d1637ef..1689f90cc05456f38051fc217e6574943b7104a4 100644
--- a/libcontainerd/remote_linux.go
+++ b/libcontainerd/remote_linux.go
@@ -435,6 +435,11 @@ func setOOMScore(pid, score int) error {
 	}
 	_, err = f.WriteString(strconv.Itoa(score))
 	f.Close()
+	if os.IsPermission(err) {
+		// Setting oom_score_adj does not work in an
+		// unprivileged container. Ignore the error.
+		return nil
+	}
 	return err
 }