diff --git a/configuration/scripts/cice.batch.csh b/configuration/scripts/cice.batch.csh
index 60073abfd..902abb56b 100755
--- a/configuration/scripts/cice.batch.csh
+++ b/configuration/scripts/cice.batch.csh
@@ -105,11 +105,20 @@ cat >> ${jobfile} << EOFB
 EOFB
 
 else if (${ICE_MACHINE} =~ onyx*) then
+# special for onyx with 44 cores per node and constraint on mpiprocs
+set tpn1 = ${taskpernode}
+if (${taskpernode} < 44) set tpn1 = 22
+if (${taskpernode} < 22) set tpn1 = 11
+if (${taskpernode} < 11) set tpn1 =  4
+if (${taskpernode} <  4) set tpn1 =  2
+if (${taskpernode} <  2) set tpn1 =  1
+@ nn1 = ${ntasks} / ${tpn1}
+if (${nn1} * ${tpn1} < ${ntasks}) @ nn1 = $nn1 + 1
 cat >> ${jobfile} << EOFB
 #PBS -N ${ICE_CASENAME}
 #PBS -q ${queue}
 #PBS -A ${acct}
-#PBS -l select=${nnodes}:ncpus=${maxtpn}:mpiprocs=${taskpernode}
+#PBS -l select=${nn1}:ncpus=${maxtpn}:mpiprocs=${tpn1}
 #PBS -l walltime=${batchtime}
 #PBS -j oe
 ###PBS -M username@domain.com