diff --git a/src/l.l b/src/l.l
index 2093943..94edd9e 100644
--- a/src/l.l
+++ b/src/l.l
@@ -190,6 +190,7 @@ timeout           { return TIMEOUT; }
 checksum          { return CHECKSUM; }
 mailserver        { return MAILSERVER; }
 every             { return EVERY; }
+settle            { return SETTLE; }
 host              { return HOST; }
 hostheader        { return HOSTHEADER; }
 system            { return SYSTEM; }
diff --git a/src/monit.h b/src/monit.h
index 71883a8..4c30a15 100644
--- a/src/monit.h
+++ b/src/monit.h
@@ -718,6 +718,9 @@ typedef struct myservice {
   int  every;                        /**< Check this program at given cycles */
   int  nevery;          /**< Counter for every.  When nevery == every, check */
   int  def_every;              /**< TRUE if every is defined for the service */
+  int  settle;                        /**< Check this program at given cycles */
+  int  nsettle;          /**< Counter for every.  When nevery == every, check */
+  int  def_settle;              /**< TRUE if every is defined for the service */
   int  visited;      /**< Service visited flag, set if dependencies are used */
   int  depend_visited;/**< Depend visited flag, set if dependencies are used */
   Command_T start;                    /**< The start command for the service */
diff --git a/src/p.y b/src/p.y
index d718c7e..68c9e5f 100644
--- a/src/p.y
+++ b/src/p.y
@@ -246,6 +246,7 @@
   static void  reset_rateset();
   static void  check_name(char *);
   static void  check_every(int);
+  static void  check_settle(int);
   static int   check_perm(int);
   static void  check_hostname (char *);
   static void  check_exec(char *);
@@ -272,7 +273,7 @@
 %token PIDFILE START STOP PATHTOK
 %token HOST HOSTNAME PORT TYPE UDP TCP TCPSSL PROTOCOL CONNECTION
 %token ALERT NOALERT MAILFORMAT UNIXSOCKET SIGNATURE
-%token TIMEOUT RESTART CHECKSUM EVERY 
+%token TIMEOUT RESTART CHECKSUM EVERY SETTLE
 %token DEFAULT HTTP APACHESTATUS FTP SMTP POP IMAP CLAMAV NNTP NTP3 MYSQL DNS
 %token SSH DWP LDAP2 LDAP3 RDATE RSYNC TNS PGSQL POSTFIXPOLICY SIP LMTP GPS RADIUS MEMCACHE
 %token <string> STRING PATH MAILADDR MAILFROM MAILREPLYTO MAILSUBJECT
@@ -349,6 +350,7 @@ optproc         : start
                 | actionrate
                 | alert
                 | every
+                | settle
                 | mode
                 | group
                 | depend
@@ -365,6 +367,7 @@ optfile         : start
                 | timestamp
                 | actionrate
                 | every
+                | settle
                 | alert
                 | permission
                 | uid
@@ -386,6 +389,7 @@ optfilesys      : start
                 | exist
                 | actionrate
                 | every
+                | settle
                 | alert
                 | permission
                 | uid
@@ -408,6 +412,7 @@ optdir          : start
                 | timestamp
                 | actionrate
                 | every
+                | settle
                 | alert
                 | permission
                 | uid
@@ -429,6 +434,7 @@ opthost         : start
                 | actionrate
                 | alert
                 | every
+                | settle
                 | mode
                 | group
                 | depend
@@ -443,6 +449,7 @@ optsystem       : start
                 | actionrate
                 | alert
                 | every
+                | settle
                 | group
                 | depend
                 | resourcesystem
@@ -458,6 +465,7 @@ optfifo         : start
                 | timestamp
                 | actionrate
                 | every
+                | settle
                 | alert
                 | permission
                 | uid
@@ -475,6 +483,7 @@ optstatus       : actionrate
                 | exist
                 | alert
                 | every
+                | settle
                 | group
                 | depend
                 ; 
@@ -1292,6 +1301,14 @@ every           : EVERY NUMBER CYCLE {
                    current->every = $2;
                  }
                 ;
+                
+settle           : SETTLE NUMBER CYCLE {
+                   check_settle($2);
+                   current->def_settle = TRUE;
+                   current->settle = $2;
+                 }
+                ;
+
 
 mode            : MODE ACTIVE  {
                     current->mode = MODE_ACTIVE;
@@ -3354,6 +3371,13 @@ static void check_every(int every) {
     yyerror2("an EVERY statement must have a value greater than 1");
 }
 
+/*
+ * Settle statement semantic check
+ */
+static void check_settle(int settle) {
+  if (settle <= 1)
+    yyerror2("a SETTLE statement must have a value greater than 1");
+}
 
 /*
  * Check hostname 
diff --git a/src/util.c b/src/util.c
index 023f5a9..8c86f6f 100644
--- a/src/util.c
+++ b/src/util.c
@@ -1012,6 +1012,9 @@ void Util_printService(Service_T s) {
   if(s->def_every)
     printf(" %-20s = Check service every %d cycles\n", "Every", s->every);
   
+  if(s->def_settle)
+      printf(" %-20s = After start of service allow for %d cycles of settle period\n", "Settle", s->settle);
+
   for (ar = s->actionratelist; ar; ar = ar->next)
     printf(" %-20s = If restarted %d times within %d cycle(s) then %s\n", "Timeout", ar->count, ar->cycle, Util_describeAction(ar->action->failed, buf, sizeof(buf)));
 
diff --git a/src/validate.c b/src/validate.c
index 7cda675..a187674 100644
--- a/src/validate.c
+++ b/src/validate.c
@@ -161,12 +161,12 @@ int validate() {
     if (! do_scheduled_action(s) && s->monitor && ! check_skip(s)) {
       check_timeout(s); // Can disable monitoring => need to check s->monitor again
       if (s->monitor) {
+    	/* The monitoring may be disabled by some matching rule in s->check in the last cycle
+    	* so we have to check again before setting to MONITOR_YES */
+    	if (s->monitor != MONITOR_NOT)
+    	  s->monitor = MONITOR_YES;
         if (! s->check(s))
           errors++;
-        /* The monitoring may be disabled by some matching rule in s->check
-         * so we have to check again before setting to MONITOR_YES */
-        if (s->monitor != MONITOR_NOT)
-          s->monitor = MONITOR_YES;
       }
     }
     gettimeofday(&s->collected, NULL);
@@ -1295,13 +1295,20 @@ static int check_skip(Service_T s) {
     return TRUE;
   }
 
-  if (!s->def_every)
+  if (!s->def_every && !s->def_settle)
     return FALSE;
   
-  if (++s->nevery < s->every)
+  if (s->def_every && ++s->nevery < s->every)
     return TRUE;
 
+  if (!s->def_settle)
+      return FALSE;
+
+  if ((s->monitor == MONITOR_INIT) && (++s->nsettle < s->settle))
+      return TRUE;
+
   s->nevery = 0;
+  s->nsettle = 0;
 
   return FALSE;