diff --git a/init/service.cpp b/init/service.cpp
index 6f27a4bb6..86b910ae6 100644
--- a/init/service.cpp
+++ b/init/service.cpp
@@ -135,17 +135,21 @@ static void SetUpPidNamespace(const std::string& service_name) {
     }
 }
 
-static void ExpandArgs(const std::vector<std::string>& args, std::vector<char*>* strs) {
+static bool ExpandArgsAndExecv(const std::vector<std::string>& args) {
     std::vector<std::string> expanded_args;
+    std::vector<char*> c_strings;
+
     expanded_args.resize(args.size());
-    strs->push_back(const_cast<char*>(args[0].c_str()));
+    c_strings.push_back(const_cast<char*>(args[0].data()));
     for (std::size_t i = 1; i < args.size(); ++i) {
         if (!expand_props(args[i], &expanded_args[i])) {
             LOG(FATAL) << args[0] << ": cannot expand '" << args[i] << "'";
         }
-        strs->push_back(const_cast<char*>(expanded_args[i].c_str()));
+        c_strings.push_back(expanded_args[i].data());
     }
-    strs->push_back(nullptr);
+    c_strings.push_back(nullptr);
+
+    return execv(c_strings[0], c_strings.data()) == 0;
 }
 
 unsigned long Service::next_start_order_ = 1;
@@ -785,10 +789,8 @@ Result<Success> Service::Start() {
         // priority. Aborts on failure.
         SetProcessAttributes();
 
-        std::vector<char*> strs;
-        ExpandArgs(args_, &strs);
-        if (execv(strs[0], (char**)&strs[0]) < 0) {
-            PLOG(ERROR) << "cannot execve('" << strs[0] << "')";
+        if (!ExpandArgsAndExecv(args_)) {
+            PLOG(ERROR) << "cannot execve('" << args_[0] << "')";
         }
 
         _exit(127);