diff --git a/doc/tang.8.adoc b/doc/tang.8.adoc
index 3031a13..d349262 100644
--- a/doc/tang.8.adoc
+++ b/doc/tang.8.adoc
@@ -135,6 +135,67 @@ of the database directory to all your servers. Make sure you don't forget the
 unadvertised keys! Then set up DNS round-robin so that clients will be load
 balanced across your servers.
 
+== AUTHORIZATION CONTROL
+
+By default, tang will respond to any recovery requests.  This can be
+controlled on a per client key by adding a second argument to the *tang*
+command line.  This argument needs to be a path to an existing directory.
+This directory should be empty on first setup; this directory is called
+the 'authorization directory'.
+
+The concept is that an empty file named by the fingerprint of the client
+key needs to be present in the authorization directory to allow a
+decryption operation to happen.  If this file is missing, the request
+will be denied.
+
+An example:
+
+1. Configure tangd to use */var/db/tang/auth* as the authorization
+   directory.
+
+ifdef::freebsd[]
+   Edit the *tangd.rc* file in the */etc/rc.d* directory to add the authorization
+   directory to the *required_dirs* variable:
+
+       required_dirs="${tangd_jwkdir} ${tangd_jwkdir}/auth"
+
+   Then add this directory to the command line to be used for startup:
+
+       command_args="${_tangd_listen_args} SYSTEM:\"${tangd_executable} ${tangd_jwkdir} ${tangd_jwkdir}/auth 2>> ${tangd_logfile} \" &"
+endif::[]
+ifndef::freebsd[]
+   In the */etc/tangd/tangd.conf* configuration file, set the TANG_AUTHDIR to the
+   directory of the authorization files:
+
+       TANG_AUTHDIR=/var/db/tang/auth
+endif::[]
+
+2.  Encrypt some data:
+
+    $ echo "One of my secrets" | clevis encrypt tang '{"url":"http://localhost"}' > enc.jwe
+
+3.  Decrypting this will now fail:
+
+    $ clevis decrypt < enc.jwe
+    Error communicating with the server http://127.0.0.1
+
+4.  Extract the client fingerprint (*kid*) value from *enc.jwe*:
+
+    $ cut -d. -f1 t2.jwe | jose b64 dec -i - | jose fmt -j- -Og kid -Su-
+    EyIEfKd-_3UFMI5PSAp64UAAKeQ
+
+5.  Authorize this client fingerprint to be used; on the tang server run this:
+
+    # touch /var/db/tang/authorized/EyIEfKd-_3UFMI5PSAp64UAAKeQ
+
+6.  Decrypting this will now work:
+
+    $ clevis decrypt < enc.jwe
+    One of my secrets
+
+If the client fingerprint file in the authorization directory is removed on the
+server, decryption is not possible.
+
 == COMMANDS
 
 The Tang server provides no public commands.
diff --git a/src/tangd.c b/src/tangd.c
index 7da54e8..499def8 100644
--- a/src/tangd.c
+++ b/src/tangd.c
@@ -24,12 +24,18 @@
 #include <limits.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
+#include <stdbool.h>
 #include <string.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
 
 #include <jose/jose.h>
 #include "keys.h"
 
+struct tang_config {
+    char *jwkdir;
+    char *authorization_dir;
+};
+
 static void
 str_cleanup(char **str)
 {
@@ -45,9 +51,9 @@ adv(enum http_method method, const char *path, const char *body,
     __attribute__((cleanup(str_cleanup))) char *thp = NULL;
     __attribute__((cleanup(cleanup_tang_keys_info))) struct tang_keys_info *tki = NULL;
     json_auto_t *jws = NULL;
-    const char *jwkdir = misc;
+    struct tang_config *tangcfg = misc;
 
-    tki = read_keys(jwkdir);
+    tki = read_keys(tangcfg->jwkdir);
     if (!tki || tki->m_keys_count == 0) {
         return http_reply(HTTP_STATUS_INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR, NULL);
     }
@@ -74,6 +80,20 @@ adv(enum http_method method, const char *path, const char *body,
                       "\r\n%s", strlen(adv), adv);
 }
 
+
+static bool check_rec_authorization(const char *authdir, const char *thp)
+{
+    char auth_file[PATH_MAX+1];
+    snprintf(auth_file, PATH_MAX, "%s/%s", authdir, thp);
+
+    if (access(auth_file, F_OK | R_OK) != 0) {
+        fprintf(stderr, " ** WARNING ** Authorization check failed for %s\n", thp);
+        return false;
+    }
+    return true;
+}
+
+
 static int
 rec(enum http_method method, const char *path, const char *body,
     regmatch_t matches[], void *misc)
@@ -82,7 +102,7 @@ rec(enum http_method method, const char *path, const char *body,
     __attribute__((cleanup(str_cleanup))) char *thp = NULL;
     __attribute__((cleanup(cleanup_tang_keys_info))) struct tang_keys_info *tki = NULL;
     size_t size = matches[1].rm_eo - matches[1].rm_so;
-    const char *jwkdir = misc;
+    struct tang_config *tangcfg = misc;
     json_auto_t *jwk = NULL;
     json_auto_t *req = NULL;
     json_auto_t *rep = NULL;
@@ -113,7 +133,7 @@ rec(enum http_method method, const char *path, const char *body,
     /*
      * Parse and validate the server-side JWK
      */
-    tki = read_keys(jwkdir);
+    tki = read_keys(tangcfg->jwkdir);
     if (!tki || tki->m_keys_count == 0) {
         return http_reply(HTTP_STATUS_INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR, NULL);
     }
@@ -126,6 +146,13 @@ rec(enum http_method method, const char *path, const char *body,
     if (!jwk)
         return http_reply(HTTP_STATUS_NOT_FOUND, NULL);
 
+    /* If a authorization directory is given, check if the client thp is authorized */
+    if (tangcfg->authorization_dir
+        && !check_rec_authorization(tangcfg->authorization_dir, thp))
+    {
+        return http_reply(HTTP_STATUS_FORBIDDEN, NULL);
+    }
+
     if (!jose_jwk_prm(NULL, jwk, true, "deriveKey"))
         return http_reply(HTTP_STATUS_FORBIDDEN, NULL);
 
@@ -165,33 +192,51 @@ static struct http_dispatch dispatch[] = {
     {}
 };
 
-int
-main(int argc, char *argv[])
+static bool check_directory(const char *path)
 {
-    struct http_state state = { .dispatch = dispatch, .misc = argv[1] };
-    struct http_parser parser = { .data = &state };
     struct stat st = {};
-    char req[4096] = {};
-    size_t rcvd = 0;
-    int r = 0;
 
-    http_parser_init(&parser, HTTP_REQUEST);
+    if (stat(path, &st) != 0) {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Error calling stat() on path: %s: %m\n", path);
+        return false;
+    }
 
-    if (argc != 2) {
-        fprintf(stderr, "Usage: %s <jwkdir>\n", argv[0]);
-        return EXIT_FAILURE;
+    if (!S_ISDIR(st.st_mode)) {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Path is not a directory: %s\n", path);
+        return false;
     }
+    return true;
+}
 
-    if (stat(argv[1], &st) != 0) {
-        fprintf(stderr, "Error calling stat() on path: %s: %m\n", argv[1]);
+
+int
+main(int argc, char *argv[])
+{
+    if (argc <= 1 || argc >= 4) {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Usage: %s <jwkdir> [<authorization_dir>]\n", argv[0]);
         return EXIT_FAILURE;
     }
 
-    if (!S_ISDIR(st.st_mode)) {
-        fprintf(stderr, "Path is not a directory: %s\n", argv[1]);
+    if (!check_directory(argv[1])) {
         return EXIT_FAILURE;
     }
 
+    struct tang_config tangcfg = { .jwkdir = argv[1], .authorization_dir = NULL };
+     if (argc == 3) {
+        if (!check_directory(argv[2])) {
+            return EXIT_FAILURE;
+        }
+        tangcfg.authorization_dir = argv[2];
+    }
+
+    struct http_state state = { .dispatch = dispatch, .misc = &tangcfg };
+    struct http_parser parser = { .data = &state };
+    char req[4096] = {};
+    size_t rcvd = 0;
+    int r = 0;
+
+    http_parser_init(&parser, HTTP_REQUEST);
+
     for (;;) {
         r = read(STDIN_FILENO, &req[rcvd], sizeof(req) - rcvd - 1);
         if (r == 0)
diff --git a/units/meson.build b/units/meson.build
index eb40dfd..59dc8ae 100644
--- a/units/meson.build
+++ b/units/meson.build
@@ -3,6 +3,13 @@ tangd_service = configure_file(
   output: 'tangd@.service',
   configuration: data
 )
+tangd_conf = configure_file(
+  input: 'tangd.conf.in',
+  output: 'tangd.conf',
+  configuration: data,
+  install_dir: join_paths(sysconfdir, 'tangd'),
+)
+
 if host_machine.system() == 'freebsd'
   tangd_rc = configure_file(
     input: 'tangd.rc.in',
@@ -14,6 +21,7 @@ if host_machine.system() == 'freebsd'
 else
   units += join_paths(meson.current_source_dir(), 'tangd.socket')
   units += tangd_service
+  units += tangd_conf
 endif
 
 # vim:set ts=2 sw=2 et:
diff --git a/units/tangd.conf.in b/units/tangd.conf.in
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..92a1d22
--- /dev/null
+++ b/units/tangd.conf.in
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+#
+# tangd configuration file
+#
+#
+# This file is read by the tangd@.service systemd unit file at startup
+#
+
+# Base directory for the JSON Web Key storage
+#
+TANG_JWKDIR=@jwkdir@
+
+# Directory for Tang authorization files
+# By enabling adding this directory, clients must have their fingerprints
+# registered in this directory to be able to decrypt their secrets.
+# See the tang(8) man page for details.
+#
+# TANG_AUTHDIR=@jwkdir@/auth
diff --git a/units/tangd@.service.in b/units/tangd@.service.in
index aeb2dc1..6bd47b2 100644
--- a/units/tangd@.service.in
+++ b/units/tangd@.service.in
@@ -5,5 +5,6 @@ Description=Tang Server
 StandardInput=socket
 StandardOutput=socket
 StandardError=journal
-ExecStart=@libexecdir@/tangd @jwkdir@
+EnvironmentFile=@sysconfdir@/tangd/tangd.conf
+ExecStart=@libexecdir@/tangd $TANG_JWKDIR $TANG_AUTHDIR
 User=@user@