diff --git a/chmod.1 b/chmod.1
index 4805ce0..fa4131d 100644
--- a/chmod.1
+++ b/chmod.1
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ If
 .Ar mode
 is
 .Em symbolic
-"[ugoa]*[+-=][rwxst]*"
+"[ugoa]*[+-=][rwxXst]*"
 .Bl -tag -width Ds
 .It u|g|o|a
 owner | group | other (non-group) | everyone
@@ -55,6 +55,8 @@ owner | group | other (non-group) | everyone
 add | remove | set
 .It r|w|x|s|t
 read | write | execute | setuid and setgid | sticky
+.It X
+execute, if directory or at least one execute bit is already set
 .El
 .Sh OPTIONS
 .Bl -tag -width Ds
diff --git a/chmod.c b/chmod.c
index 2a0085d..512a7ea 100644
--- a/chmod.c
+++ b/chmod.c
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ chmodr(const char *path, struct stat *st, void *data, struct recursor *r)
 {
 	mode_t m;
 
-	m = parsemode(modestr, st->st_mode & ~S_IFMT, mask);
+	m = parsemode(modestr, st->st_mode, mask);
 	if (chmod(path, m) < 0) {
 		weprintf("chmod %s:", path);
 		ret = 1;
@@ -50,8 +50,8 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[])
 			case 'P':
 				r.follow = (*argv)[i];
 				break;
-			case 'r': case 'w': case 'x': case 's': case 't':
-				/* -[rwxst] are valid modes, so we're done */
+			case 'r': case 'w': case 'x': case 'X': case 's': case 't':
+				/* -[rwxXst] are valid modes, so we're done */
 				if (i == 1)
 					goto done;
 				/* fallthrough */
diff --git a/libutil/mode.c b/libutil/mode.c
index 5ba8eb1..b3632ad 100644
--- a/libutil/mode.c
+++ b/libutil/mode.c
@@ -113,6 +113,10 @@ next:
 				case 'x':
 					perm |= S_IXUSR|S_IXGRP|S_IXOTH;
 					break;
+				case 'X':
+					if (S_ISDIR(mode) || mode & (S_IXUSR|S_IXGRP|S_IXOTH))
+						perm |= S_IXUSR|S_IXGRP|S_IXOTH;
+					break;
 				case 's':
 					perm |= S_ISUID|S_ISGID;
 					break;
@@ -144,5 +148,5 @@ apply:
 			goto next;
 		}
 	}
-	return mode;
+	return mode & ~S_IFMT;
 }