diff --git a/tools/include/nolibc/nolibc.h b/tools/include/nolibc/nolibc.h
index 2551e9b71167..bab456bb970a 100644
--- a/tools/include/nolibc/nolibc.h
+++ b/tools/include/nolibc/nolibc.h
@@ -422,14 +422,20 @@ struct stat {
 })
 
 /* startup code */
+/*
+ * x86-64 System V ABI mandates:
+ * 1) %rsp must be 16-byte aligned right before the function call.
+ * 2) The deepest stack frame should be zero (the %rbp).
+ *
+ */
 asm(".section .text\n"
     ".global _start\n"
     "_start:\n"
     "pop %rdi\n"                // argc   (first arg, %rdi)
     "mov %rsp, %rsi\n"          // argv[] (second arg, %rsi)
     "lea 8(%rsi,%rdi,8),%rdx\n" // then a NULL then envp (third arg, %rdx)
-    "and $-16, %rsp\n"          // x86 ABI : esp must be 16-byte aligned when
-    "sub $8, %rsp\n"            // entering the callee
+    "xor %ebp, %ebp\n"          // zero the stack frame
+    "and $-16, %rsp\n"          // x86 ABI : esp must be 16-byte aligned before call
     "call main\n"               // main() returns the status code, we'll exit with it.
     "movzb %al, %rdi\n"         // retrieve exit code from 8 lower bits
     "mov $60, %rax\n"           // NR_exit == 60