diff --git a/cmd/oci-runtime-tool/generate.go b/cmd/oci-runtime-tool/generate.go
index ea934fcb8..57261c52d 100644
--- a/cmd/oci-runtime-tool/generate.go
+++ b/cmd/oci-runtime-tool/generate.go
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ package main
 import (
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
-	"runtime"
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 
@@ -15,7 +14,7 @@ import (
 
 var generateFlags = []cli.Flag{
 	cli.StringFlag{Name: "apparmor", Usage: "specifies the the apparmor profile for the container"},
-	cli.StringFlag{Name: "arch", Value: runtime.GOARCH, Usage: "architecture the container is created for"},
+	cli.StringFlag{Name: "arch", Usage: "architecture the container is created for"},
 	cli.StringSliceFlag{Name: "args", Usage: "command to run in the container"},
 	cli.StringSliceFlag{Name: "bind", Usage: "bind mount directories src:dest[:options...]"},
 	cli.StringSliceFlag{Name: "cap-add", Usage: "add Linux capabilities"},
@@ -52,7 +51,7 @@ var generateFlags = []cli.Flag{
 	cli.StringFlag{Name: "network", Usage: "network namespace"},
 	cli.BoolFlag{Name: "no-new-privileges", Usage: "set no new privileges bit for the container process"},
 	cli.IntFlag{Name: "oom-score-adj", Usage: "oom_score_adj for the container"},
-	cli.StringFlag{Name: "os", Value: runtime.GOOS, Usage: "operating system the container is created for"},
+	cli.StringFlag{Name: "os", Usage: "operating system the container is created for"},
 	cli.StringFlag{Name: "output", Usage: "output file (defaults to stdout)"},
 	cli.StringFlag{Name: "pid", Usage: "pid namespace"},
 	cli.StringSliceFlag{Name: "poststart", Usage: "set command to run in poststart hooks"},
@@ -92,21 +91,28 @@ var generateCommand = cli.Command{
 	Before: before,
 	Action: func(context *cli.Context) error {
 		// Start from the default template.
-		specgen := generate.New()
+		var osPointer *string
+		if context.IsSet("os") {
+			goos := context.String("os")
+			osPointer = &goos
+		}
+		specgen, err := generate.New(osPointer)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
 
 		var template string
 		if context.IsSet("template") {
 			template = context.String("template")
 		}
 		if template != "" {
-			var err error
 			specgen, err = generate.NewFromFile(template)
 			if err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
 		}
 
-		err := setupSpec(&specgen, context)
+		err = setupSpec(&specgen, context)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
@@ -141,8 +147,19 @@ func setupSpec(g *generate.Generator, context *cli.Context) error {
 		g.SetHostname(context.String("hostname"))
 	}
 
-	g.SetPlatformOS(context.String("os"))
-	g.SetPlatformArch(context.String("arch"))
+	if context.IsSet("os") {
+		err := g.SetPlatformOS(context.String("os"))
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+
+	if context.IsSet("arch") {
+		err := g.SetPlatformArch(context.String("arch"))
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
 
 	if context.IsSet("label") {
 		annotations := context.StringSlice("label")
diff --git a/generate/generate.go b/generate/generate.go
index 20bc601bb..ba09c2755 100644
--- a/generate/generate.go
+++ b/generate/generate.go
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import (
 
 	rspec "github.com/opencontainers/runtime-spec/specs-go"
 	"github.com/opencontainers/runtime-tools/generate/seccomp"
+	"github.com/Sirupsen/logrus"
 	"github.com/syndtr/gocapability/capability"
 )
 
@@ -30,8 +31,14 @@ type ExportOptions struct {
 	Seccomp bool // seccomp toggles if only seccomp should be exported
 }
 
-// New creates a spec Generator with the default spec.
-func New() Generator {
+// New creates a spec Generator with the default spec for the target
+// OS (which defaults to runtime.GOOS).
+func New(os *string) (generator Generator, err error) {
+	var goos string
+	goos = runtime.GOOS
+	if os == nil {
+		os = &goos
+	}
 	spec := rspec.Spec{
 		Version: rspec.Version,
 		Platform: rspec.Platform{
@@ -44,41 +51,45 @@ func New() Generator {
 		},
 		Process: rspec.Process{
 			Terminal: false,
-			User:     rspec.User{},
 			Args: []string{
 				"sh",
 			},
-			Env: []string{
-				"PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin",
-				"TERM=xterm",
-			},
-			Cwd: "/",
-			Capabilities: []string{
-				"CAP_CHOWN",
-				"CAP_DAC_OVERRIDE",
-				"CAP_FSETID",
-				"CAP_FOWNER",
-				"CAP_MKNOD",
-				"CAP_NET_RAW",
-				"CAP_SETGID",
-				"CAP_SETUID",
-				"CAP_SETFCAP",
-				"CAP_SETPCAP",
-				"CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE",
-				"CAP_SYS_CHROOT",
-				"CAP_KILL",
-				"CAP_AUDIT_WRITE",
-			},
-			Rlimits: []rspec.Rlimit{
-				{
-					Type: "RLIMIT_NOFILE",
-					Hard: uint64(1024),
-					Soft: uint64(1024),
-				},
-			},
 		},
 		Hostname: "mrsdalloway",
-		Mounts: []rspec.Mount{
+	}
+
+	if *os == "linux" {
+		spec.Process.User = rspec.User{}
+		spec.Process.Env = []string{
+			"PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin",
+			"TERM=xterm",
+		}
+		spec.Process.Cwd = "/"
+		spec.Process.Capabilities = []string{
+			"CAP_CHOWN",
+			"CAP_DAC_OVERRIDE",
+			"CAP_FSETID",
+			"CAP_FOWNER",
+			"CAP_MKNOD",
+			"CAP_NET_RAW",
+			"CAP_SETGID",
+			"CAP_SETUID",
+			"CAP_SETFCAP",
+			"CAP_SETPCAP",
+			"CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE",
+			"CAP_SYS_CHROOT",
+			"CAP_KILL",
+			"CAP_AUDIT_WRITE",
+		}
+		spec.Process.Rlimits = []rspec.Rlimit{
+			{
+				Type: "RLIMIT_NOFILE",
+				Hard: uint64(1024),
+				Soft: uint64(1024),
+			},
+		}
+
+		spec.Mounts = []rspec.Mount{
 			{
 				Destination: "/proc",
 				Type:        "proc",
@@ -115,8 +126,9 @@ func New() Generator {
 				Source:      "sysfs",
 				Options:     []string{"nosuid", "noexec", "nodev", "ro"},
 			},
-		},
-		Linux: &rspec.Linux{
+		}
+
+		spec.Linux = &rspec.Linux{
 			Resources: &rspec.Resources{
 				Devices: []rspec.DeviceCgroup{
 					{
@@ -143,12 +155,15 @@ func New() Generator {
 				},
 			},
 			Devices: []rspec.Device{},
-		},
+		}
+	} else {
+		return generator, fmt.Errorf("no defaults configured for %s", *os)
 	}
 	spec.Linux.Seccomp = seccomp.DefaultProfile(&spec)
-	return Generator{
+	generator = Generator{
 		spec: &spec,
 	}
+	return generator, nil
 }
 
 // NewFromSpec creates a spec Generator from a given spec.
@@ -270,15 +285,23 @@ func (g *Generator) RemoveAnnotation(key string) {
 }
 
 // SetPlatformOS sets g.spec.Process.OS.
-func (g *Generator) SetPlatformOS(os string) {
+func (g *Generator) SetPlatformOS(os string) error {
+	if g.HostSpecific && os != runtime.GOOS {
+		return fmt.Errorf("cannot set platform.os to %s on a %s host", os, runtime.GOOS)
+	}
 	g.initSpec()
 	g.spec.Platform.OS = os
+	return nil
 }
 
 // SetPlatformArch sets g.spec.Platform.Arch.
-func (g *Generator) SetPlatformArch(arch string) {
+func (g *Generator) SetPlatformArch(arch string) error {
+	if g.HostSpecific && arch != runtime.GOARCH {
+		logrus.Warnf("setting platform.arch to %s on a %s host", arch, runtime.GOARCH)
+	}
 	g.initSpec()
 	g.spec.Platform.Arch = arch
+	return nil
 }
 
 // SetProcessUID sets g.spec.Process.User.UID.
diff --git a/man/oci-runtime-tool-generate.1.md b/man/oci-runtime-tool-generate.1.md
index aba61aa4c..2102dc008 100644
--- a/man/oci-runtime-tool-generate.1.md
+++ b/man/oci-runtime-tool-generate.1.md
@@ -173,7 +173,13 @@ read the configuration from `config.json`.
   Specifies oom_score_adj for the container.
 
 **--os**=OS
-  Operating system used within the container
+  Operating system used within the container.  When no template is
+  set, the default is to use the `GOOS` ocitools was built with and to
+  default other settings based on this setting.  For example, if
+  `GOOS` is `linux`, `ocitools generate` will generate a default Linux
+  config, `ocitools generate --os=windows` will generate a default
+  Windows config, and `ocitools --host-specific generate --os=windows`
+  will exit with an error.
 
 **--output**=PATH
   Instead of writing the configuration JSON to stdout, write it to a
diff --git a/validate/validate.go b/validate/validate.go
index bce44d974..274feaa56 100644
--- a/validate/validate.go
+++ b/validate/validate.go
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"reflect"
+	"runtime"
 	"strings"
 	"unicode"
 	"unicode/utf8"
@@ -164,6 +165,16 @@ func (v *Validator) CheckPlatform() (msgs []string) {
 	}
 	msgs = append(msgs, fmt.Sprintf("Operation system %q of the bundle is not supported yet.", platform.OS))
 
+	if hostCheck {
+		if platform.OS != runtime.GOOS {
+			msgs = append(msgs, fmt.Sprintf("platform.os is %s, not %s", platform.OS, runtime.GOOS))
+		}
+		if platform.Arch != runtime.GOARCH {
+			// warning, not an error, since kernels can support multiple architectures
+			msgs = append(msgs, fmt.Sprintf("platform.arch is %s, not %s", platform.Arch, runtime.GOARCH))
+		}
+	}
+
 	return
 }