diff --git a/src/login/logind-dbus.c b/src/login/logind-dbus.c
index c342522e3f..678e077d90 100644
--- a/src/login/logind-dbus.c
+++ b/src/login/logind-dbus.c
@@ -4230,6 +4230,7 @@ int manager_start_scope(
                 Manager *manager,
                 const char *scope,
                 const PidRef *pidref,
+                bool allow_pidfd,
                 const char *slice,
                 const char *description,
                 const char * const *requires,
@@ -4299,7 +4300,10 @@ int manager_start_scope(
         if (r < 0)
                 return r;
 
-        r = bus_append_scope_pidref(m, pidref);
+        if (allow_pidfd)
+                r = bus_append_scope_pidref(m, pidref);
+        else
+                r = sd_bus_message_append(m, "(sv)", "PIDs", "au", 1, (uint32_t) pidref->pid);
         if (r < 0)
                 return r;
 
@@ -4330,8 +4334,27 @@ int manager_start_scope(
                 return r;
 
         r = sd_bus_call(manager->bus, m, 0, error, &reply);
-        if (r < 0)
+        if (r < 0) {
+                /* If this failed with a property we couldn't write, this is quite likely because the server
+                 * doesn't support PIDFDs yet, let's try without. */
+                if (allow_pidfd &&
+                    sd_bus_error_has_names(error, SD_BUS_ERROR_UNKNOWN_PROPERTY, SD_BUS_ERROR_PROPERTY_READ_ONLY))
+                        return manager_start_scope(
+                                        manager,
+                                        scope,
+                                        pidref,
+                                        /* allow_pidfd = */ false,
+                                        slice,
+                                        description,
+                                        requires,
+                                        extra_after,
+                                        requires_mounts_for,
+                                        more_properties,
+                                        error,
+                                        ret_job);
+
                 return r;
+        }
 
         return strdup_job(reply, ret_job);
 }
diff --git a/src/login/logind-dbus.h b/src/login/logind-dbus.h
index 5c864a9bc0..8459d048b8 100644
--- a/src/login/logind-dbus.h
+++ b/src/login/logind-dbus.h
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ int manager_start_scope(
                 Manager *manager,
                 const char *scope,
                 const PidRef *pidref,
+                bool allow_pidfd,
                 const char *slice,
                 const char *description,
                 const char * const *requires,
diff --git a/src/login/logind-session.c b/src/login/logind-session.c
index 2713215e10..4713aa05b5 100644
--- a/src/login/logind-session.c
+++ b/src/login/logind-session.c
@@ -742,6 +742,7 @@ static int session_start_scope(Session *s, sd_bus_message *properties, sd_bus_er
                         s->manager,
                         scope,
                         &s->leader,
+                        /* allow_pidfd = */ true,
                         s->user->slice,
                         description,
                         /* These should have been pulled in explicitly in user_start(). Just to be sure. */