diff --git a/Lib/ruby/argcargv.i b/Lib/ruby/argcargv.i
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..eb662a794
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Lib/ruby/argcargv.i
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+/* ------------------------------------------------------------
+ * --- Argc & Argv ---
+ * ------------------------------------------------------------ */
+ 
+/* ------------------------------------------------------------
+
+   Use it as follow:
+
+     %apply (int ARGC, char **ARGV) { (size_t argc, const char **argv) }
+
+     %inline %{
+
+     int mainApp(size_t argc, const char **argv) 
+     {
+       return argc;
+     }
+
+   then in the ruby side:
+
+     args = ["asdf", "asdf2"]
+     mainApp(args);
+
+ * ------------------------------------------------------------ */
+
+%typemap(in) (int ARGC, char **ARGV) {
+  if (rb_obj_is_kind_of($input,rb_cArray)) {
+    int i;
+    int size = RARRAY($input)->len;
+    $1 = ($1_ltype) size;
+    $2 = (char **) malloc((size+1)*sizeof(char *));
+    VALUE *ptr = RARRAY($input)->ptr;
+    for (i=0; i < size; i++, ptr++) {
+      $2[i]= STR2CSTR(*ptr);
+    }    
+    $2[i]=NULL;
+  } else {
+    $1 = 0; $2 = 0;
+    %argument_fail(SWIG_TypeError, "int ARGC, char **ARGV", $symname, $argnum);
+  }
+}
+
+%typemap(typecheck, precedence=SWIG_TYPECHECK_STRING_ARRAY) (int ARGC, char **ARGV) {
+  $1 = rb_obj_is_kind_of($input,rb_cArray);
+}
+
+%typemap(freearg) (int ARGC, char **ARGV) {
+  free((char *) $2);
+}