Host protection against a variety of pathogens and tumours requires the efficient induction of CD8⁺ T-cell responses. Yet, it has proven difficult to develop vaccines that effectively stimulate this type of cellular immunity. One well-defined obstacle is antigen accessibility to the MHC class I processing pathway. However, cytokines that are produced by cells of the innate immune system also have a key role in CD8⁺ T-cell responses, by enhancing ‘cross-presentation' and/or inducing CD8⁺ T-cell priming and differentiation. Here, we discuss how innate cytokine responses regulate CD8⁺ T-cell immunity, and argue that a greater understanding of these processes will be essential for effective tailoring of vaccine-induced cellular immune responses.