diff --git a/lib/orchpy/orchpy/worker.py b/lib/orchpy/orchpy/worker.py
index 0bcf85abc..37e24effd 100644
--- a/lib/orchpy/orchpy/worker.py
+++ b/lib/orchpy/orchpy/worker.py
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 from types import ModuleType
 import typing
+import funcsigs
 import numpy as np
 import pynumbuf
 
@@ -105,16 +106,19 @@ def distributed(arg_types, return_types, worker=global_worker):
       check_return_values(func_call, result) # throws an exception if result is invalid
       print "Finished executing function {}".format(func.__name__)
       return result
-    def func_call(*args):
+    def func_call(*args, **kwargs):
       """This is what gets run immediately when a worker calls a distributed function."""
-      check_arguments(func_call, list(args)) # throws an exception if args are invalid
-      objrefs = worker.submit_task(func_call.func_name, list(args))
+      args = list(args)
+      args.extend([kwargs[keyword] if kwargs.has_key(keyword) else default for keyword, default in func_call.keyword_defaults[len(args):]]) # fill in the remaining arguments
+      check_arguments(func_call, args) # throws an exception if args are invalid
+      objrefs = worker.submit_task(func_call.func_name, args)
       return objrefs[0] if len(objrefs) == 1 else objrefs
     func_call.func_name = "{}.{}".format(func.__module__, func.__name__)
     func_call.executor = func_executor
     func_call.arg_types = arg_types
     func_call.return_types = return_types
     func_call.is_distributed = True
+    func_call.keyword_defaults = [(k, v.default) for k, v in funcsigs.signature(func).parameters.iteritems()]
     return func_call
   return distributed_decorator
 
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index e3736ee5c..85f1652e5 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 six >= 1.10
 typing
+funcsigs
 subprocess32
 grpcio
diff --git a/test/runtest.py b/test/runtest.py
index 86908e59a..f6440327f 100644
--- a/test/runtest.py
+++ b/test/runtest.py
@@ -181,6 +181,43 @@ class APITest(unittest.TestCase):
 
     services.cleanup()
 
+  def testKeywordArgs(self):
+    test_dir = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__))
+    test_path = os.path.join(test_dir, "testrecv.py")
+    services.start_singlenode_cluster(return_drivers=False, num_workers_per_objstore=3, worker_path=test_path)
+    x = test_functions.keyword_fct1(1)
+    self.assertEqual(orchpy.pull(x), "1 hello")
+    x = test_functions.keyword_fct1(1, "hi")
+    self.assertEqual(orchpy.pull(x), "1 hi")
+    x = test_functions.keyword_fct1(1, b="world")
+    self.assertEqual(orchpy.pull(x), "1 world")
+
+    x = test_functions.keyword_fct2(a="w", b="hi")
+    self.assertEqual(orchpy.pull(x), "w hi")
+    x = test_functions.keyword_fct2(b="hi", a="w")
+    self.assertEqual(orchpy.pull(x), "w hi")
+    x = test_functions.keyword_fct2(a="w")
+    self.assertEqual(orchpy.pull(x), "w world")
+    x = test_functions.keyword_fct2(b="hi")
+    self.assertEqual(orchpy.pull(x), "hello hi")
+    x = test_functions.keyword_fct2("w")
+    self.assertEqual(orchpy.pull(x), "w world")
+    x = test_functions.keyword_fct2("w", "hi")
+    self.assertEqual(orchpy.pull(x), "w hi")
+
+    x = test_functions.keyword_fct3(0, 1, c="w", d="hi")
+    self.assertEqual(orchpy.pull(x), "0 1 w hi")
+    x = test_functions.keyword_fct3(0, 1, d="hi", c="w")
+    self.assertEqual(orchpy.pull(x), "0 1 w hi")
+    x = test_functions.keyword_fct3(0, 1, c="w")
+    self.assertEqual(orchpy.pull(x), "0 1 w world")
+    x = test_functions.keyword_fct3(0, 1, d="hi")
+    self.assertEqual(orchpy.pull(x), "0 1 hello hi")
+    x = test_functions.keyword_fct3(0, 1)
+    self.assertEqual(orchpy.pull(x), "0 1 hello world")
+
+    services.cleanup()
+
 class ReferenceCountingTest(unittest.TestCase):
 
   def testDeallocation(self):
diff --git a/test/test_functions.py b/test/test_functions.py
index 935fef283..6af075475 100644
--- a/test/test_functions.py
+++ b/test/test_functions.py
@@ -38,3 +38,17 @@ def empty_function():
 @orchpy.distributed([], [int])
 def trivial_function():
   return 1
+
+# Test keyword arguments
+
+@orchpy.distributed([int, str], [str])
+def keyword_fct1(a, b="hello"):
+  return "{} {}".format(a, b)
+
+@orchpy.distributed([str, str], [str])
+def keyword_fct2(a="hello", b="world"):
+  return "{} {}".format(a, b)
+
+@orchpy.distributed([int, int, str, str], [str])
+def keyword_fct3(a, b, c="hello", d="world"):
+  return "{} {} {} {}".format(a, b, c, d)