diff --git a/cmd/spiffe-helper/config/config.go b/cmd/spiffe-helper/config/config.go
index f3f1b5c..2c190b4 100644
--- a/cmd/spiffe-helper/config/config.go
+++ b/cmd/spiffe-helper/config/config.go
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ type Config struct {
 	AgentAddressDeprecated             string `hcl:"agentAddress"`
 	Cmd                                string `hcl:"cmd"`
 	CmdArgs                            string `hcl:"cmd_args"`
+	PIDFileName                        string `hcl:"pid_file_name"`
 	CmdArgsDeprecated                  string `hcl:"cmdArgs"`
 	CertDir                            string `hcl:"cert_dir"`
 	CertDirDeprecated                  string `hcl:"certDir"`
@@ -162,6 +163,10 @@ func (c *Config) ValidateConfig(log logrus.FieldLogger) error {
 		}
 	}
 
+	if (c.Cmd != "" || c.PIDFileName != "") && c.RenewSignal == "" {
+		return errors.New("Must specify renew_signal when using cmd or pid_file_name")
+	}
+
 	x509Enabled, err := validateX509Config(c)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -203,11 +208,12 @@ func NewSidecarConfig(config *Config, log logrus.FieldLogger) *sidecar.Config {
 		AgentAddress:             config.AgentAddress,
 		Cmd:                      config.Cmd,
 		CmdArgs:                  config.CmdArgs,
+		PIDFileName:              config.PIDFileName,
 		CertDir:                  config.CertDir,
-		CertFileMode:             fs.FileMode(config.CertFileMode),      //nolint:gosec,G115
-		KeyFileMode:              fs.FileMode(config.KeyFileMode),       //nolint:gosec,G115
-		JWTBundleFileMode:        fs.FileMode(config.JWTBundleFileMode), //nolint:gosec,G115
-		JWTSVIDFileMode:          fs.FileMode(config.JWTSVIDFileMode),   //nolint:gosec,G115
+		CertFileMode:             fs.FileMode(config.CertFileMode),      //nolint:gosec
+		KeyFileMode:              fs.FileMode(config.KeyFileMode),       //nolint:gosec
+		JWTBundleFileMode:        fs.FileMode(config.JWTBundleFileMode), //nolint:gosec
+		JWTSVIDFileMode:          fs.FileMode(config.JWTSVIDFileMode),   //nolint:gosec
 		IncludeFederatedDomains:  config.IncludeFederatedDomains,
 		JWTBundleFilename:        config.JWTBundleFilename,
 		Log:                      log,
diff --git a/pkg/sidecar/config.go b/pkg/sidecar/config.go
index 6de560c..9b95e32 100644
--- a/pkg/sidecar/config.go
+++ b/pkg/sidecar/config.go
@@ -20,6 +20,9 @@ type Config struct {
 	// The arguments of the process to launch.
 	CmdArgs string
 
+	// Signal external process via PID file
+	PIDFileName string
+
 	// The directory name to store the x509s and/or JWTs.
 	CertDir string
 
diff --git a/pkg/sidecar/sidecar.go b/pkg/sidecar/sidecar.go
index b56ef57..47995c2 100644
--- a/pkg/sidecar/sidecar.go
+++ b/pkg/sidecar/sidecar.go
@@ -1,11 +1,13 @@
 package sidecar
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"context"
 	"encoding/csv"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"os/exec"
+	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
 	"sync/atomic"
@@ -141,6 +143,7 @@ func (s *Sidecar) CertReadyChan() <-chan struct{} {
 	return s.certReadyChan
 }
 
+// setupClients create the necessary workloadapi clients
 func (s *Sidecar) setupClients(ctx context.Context) error {
 	if s.x509Enabled() || s.jwtBundleEnabled() {
 		client, err := workloadapi.New(ctx, s.getWorkloadAPIAddress())
@@ -176,48 +179,70 @@ func (s *Sidecar) updateCertificates(svidResponse *workloadapi.X509Context) {
 		}
 	}
 
+	if s.config.PIDFileName != "" {
+		if err := s.signalPID(); err != nil {
+			s.config.Log.WithError(err).Error("Unable to signal PID file")
+		}
+	}
+
+	// TODO: is ReloadExternalProcess still used?
+	if s.config.ReloadExternalProcess != nil {
+		if err := s.config.ReloadExternalProcess(); err != nil {
+			s.config.Log.WithError(err).Error("Unable to reload external process")
+		}
+	}
+
 	select {
 	case s.certReadyChan <- struct{}{}:
 	default:
 	}
 }
 
-// signalProcess sends the configured Renew signal to the process running the proxy
-// to reload itself so that the proxy uses the new SVID
-func (s *Sidecar) signalProcess() (err error) {
-	// TODO: is ReloadExternalProcess still used?
-	switch s.config.ReloadExternalProcess {
-	case nil:
-		if atomic.LoadInt32(&s.processRunning) == 0 {
-			cmdArgs, err := getCmdArgs(s.config.CmdArgs)
-			if err != nil {
-				return fmt.Errorf("error parsing cmd arguments: %w", err)
-			}
-
-			cmd := exec.Command(s.config.Cmd, cmdArgs...) // #nosec
-			cmd.Stdout = os.Stdout
-			cmd.Stderr = os.Stderr
-			err = cmd.Start()
-			if err != nil {
-				return fmt.Errorf("error executing process: %v\n%w", s.config.Cmd, err)
-			}
-			s.process = cmd.Process
-			go s.checkProcessExit()
-		} else {
-			if err := s.SignalProcess(); err != nil {
-				return err
-			}
+// signalProcessCMD sends the renew signal to the process or starts it if its first time
+func (s *Sidecar) signalProcess() error {
+	if atomic.LoadInt32(&s.processRunning) == 0 {
+		cmdArgs, err := getCmdArgs(s.config.CmdArgs)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("error parsing cmd arguments: %w", err)
 		}
 
-	default:
-		if err = s.config.ReloadExternalProcess(); err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("error reloading external process: %w", err)
+		cmd := exec.Command(s.config.Cmd, cmdArgs...) // #nosec
+		cmd.Stdout = os.Stdout
+		cmd.Stderr = os.Stderr
+		if err := cmd.Start(); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("error executing process \"%v\": %w", s.config.Cmd, err)
+		}
+		s.process = cmd.Process
+		go s.checkProcessExit()
+	} else {
+		if err := SignalProcess(s.process, s.config.RenewSignal); err != nil {
+			return err
 		}
 	}
 
 	return nil
 }
 
+// signalPID sends the renew signal to the PID file
+func (s *Sidecar) signalPID() error {
+	fileBytes, err := os.ReadFile(s.config.PIDFileName)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to read pid file \"%s\": %w", s.config.PIDFileName, err)
+	}
+
+	pid, err := strconv.Atoi(string(bytes.TrimSpace(fileBytes)))
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to parse pid file \"%s\": %w", s.config.PIDFileName, err)
+	}
+
+	pidProcess, err := os.FindProcess(pid)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to find process id %d: %w", pid, err)
+	}
+
+	return SignalProcess(pidProcess, s.config.RenewSignal)
+}
+
 func (s *Sidecar) checkProcessExit() {
 	atomic.StoreInt32(&s.processRunning, 1)
 	_, err := s.process.Wait()
diff --git a/pkg/sidecar/util_posix.go b/pkg/sidecar/util_posix.go
index 5e754dc..6d9e44d 100644
--- a/pkg/sidecar/util_posix.go
+++ b/pkg/sidecar/util_posix.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ package sidecar
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
+	"os"
 
 	"github.com/spiffe/go-spiffe/v2/workloadapi"
 	"golang.org/x/sys/unix"
@@ -14,20 +15,14 @@ func (s *Sidecar) getWorkloadAPIAddress() workloadapi.ClientOption {
 	return workloadapi.WithAddr("unix://" + s.config.AgentAddress)
 }
 
-func (s *Sidecar) SignalProcess() error {
-	// Signal to reload certs
-	if s.config.RenewSignal == "" {
-		// no signal provided
-		return nil
-	}
-	sig := unix.SignalNum(s.config.RenewSignal)
+func SignalProcess(process *os.Process, renewSignal string) error {
+	sig := unix.SignalNum(renewSignal)
 	if sig == 0 {
-		return fmt.Errorf("error getting signal: %v", s.config.RenewSignal)
+		return fmt.Errorf("error getting signal: %v", renewSignal)
 	}
 
-	err := s.process.Signal(sig)
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("error signaling process with signal: %v\n%w", sig, err)
+	if err := process.Signal(sig); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("error signaling process with signal num %v: %w", sig, err)
 	}
 
 	return nil
diff --git a/pkg/sidecar/util_windows.go b/pkg/sidecar/util_windows.go
index 15bf6ba..878db7f 100644
--- a/pkg/sidecar/util_windows.go
+++ b/pkg/sidecar/util_windows.go
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ func (s *Sidecar) getWorkloadAPIAddress() workloadapi.ClientOption {
 	return workloadapi.WithNamedPipeName(s.config.AgentAddress)
 }
 
-func (s *Sidecar) SignalProcess() error {
+func SignalProcess(_ *os.Process, _ string) error {
 	// Signal to reload certs
 	// TODO: it is not possible to get signal by name on windows,
 	// we must provide int here