diff --git a/before-notebook.d/41_setup-hq-computer.sh b/before-notebook.d/41_setup-hq-computer.sh
index 1e3bf510f..3d6c27ad1 100755
--- a/before-notebook.d/41_setup-hq-computer.sh
+++ b/before-notebook.d/41_setup-hq-computer.sh
@@ -8,6 +8,23 @@ verdi daemon stop || echo "stop fail"
 # Setup hyperqueue computer if needed
 HQ_COMPUTER="local-hq"
 
+# XXX: duplicate as 42_??.sh, set in one place as script and reuse?
+# Compute number of cpus allocated to the container
+CPU_LIMIT=$(awk '{print $1}' /sys/fs/cgroup/cpu.max)
+CPU_PERIOD=$(awk '{print $2}' /sys/fs/cgroup/cpu.max)
+
+if [ "$CPU_PERIOD" -ne 0 ]; then
+  CPU_NUMBER=$(echo "scale=2; $CPU_LIMIT / $CPU_PERIOD" | bc)
+  echo "Number of CPUs allocated: $CPU_NUMBER"
+
+  # for HQ setting round to integer number of CPUs, the left are for system tasks
+  HQ_CPU_NUMBER=$(echo "scale=0; $CPU_LIMIT / $CPU_PERIOD" | bc)
+else
+  # if no limit (with local OCI without setting cpu limit, use all CPUs)
+  HQ_CPU_NUMBER=$(nproc)
+  echo "No CPU limit set"
+fi
+
 computer_list=$(verdi computer list)
 if echo ${computer_list} | grep -q ${HQ_COMPUTER}; then
   echo "${HQ_COMPUTER} already setup"
@@ -23,7 +40,7 @@ else
       --scheduler hyperqueue                                          \
       --work-dir /home/${NB_USER}/aiida_run/                          \
       --mpirun-command "mpirun -np {tot_num_mpiprocs}"                        \
-      --mpiprocs-per-machine ${LOCAL_MPI_PROCS}
+      --mpiprocs-per-machine ${HQ_CPU_NUMBER}
 
     verdi computer configure core.local "${HQ_COMPUTER}"              \
       --non-interactive                                               \