diff --git a/src/util/command.c b/src/util/command.c
index dcac112345..47b3d9606f 100644
--- a/src/util/command.c
+++ b/src/util/command.c
@@ -1738,7 +1738,7 @@ virCommandProcessIO(virCommandPtr cmd, int *inpipe)
             break;
 
         if (poll(fds, nfds, -1) < 0) {
-            if ((errno == EAGAIN) || (errno == EINTR))
+            if (errno == EAGAIN || errno == EINTR)
                 continue;
             virReportSystemError(errno, "%s",
                                  _("unable to poll on child"));
@@ -1797,8 +1797,13 @@ virCommandProcessIO(virCommandPtr cmd, int *inpipe)
                 done = write(infd, cmd->inbuf + inoff,
                              inlen - inoff);
                 if (done < 0) {
-                    if (errno != EINTR &&
-                        errno != EAGAIN) {
+                    if (errno == EPIPE) {
+                        VIR_DEBUG("child closed stdin early, ignoring EPIPE "
+                                  "on fd %d", infd);
+                        if (VIR_CLOSE(*inpipe) < 0)
+                            VIR_DEBUG("ignoring failed close on fd %d", infd);
+                        infd = -1;
+                    } else if (errno != EINTR &&  errno != EAGAIN) {
                         virReportSystemError(errno, "%s",
                                              _("unable to write to child input"));
                         goto cleanup;
@@ -1885,6 +1890,7 @@ virCommandRun(virCommandPtr cmd, int *exitstatus)
     bool string_io;
     bool async_io = false;
     char *str;
+    int tmpfd;
 
     if (!cmd ||cmd->has_error == ENOMEM) {
         virReportOOMError();
@@ -1965,7 +1971,7 @@ virCommandRun(virCommandPtr cmd, int *exitstatus)
     cmd->flags |= VIR_EXEC_RUN_SYNC;
     if (virCommandRunAsync(cmd, NULL) < 0) {
         if (cmd->inbuf) {
-            int tmpfd = infd[0];
+            tmpfd = infd[0];
             if (VIR_CLOSE(infd[0]) < 0)
                 VIR_DEBUG("ignoring failed close on fd %d", tmpfd);
             tmpfd = infd[1];
@@ -1976,6 +1982,9 @@ virCommandRun(virCommandPtr cmd, int *exitstatus)
         return -1;
     }
 
+    tmpfd = infd[0];
+    if (VIR_CLOSE(infd[0]) < 0)
+        VIR_DEBUG("ignoring failed close on fd %d", tmpfd);
     if (string_io)
         ret = virCommandProcessIO(cmd, &infd[1]);
 
@@ -1994,15 +2003,11 @@ virCommandRun(virCommandPtr cmd, int *exitstatus)
     /* Reset any capturing, in case caller runs
      * this identical command again */
     if (cmd->inbuf) {
-        int tmpfd = infd[0];
-        if (VIR_CLOSE(infd[0]) < 0)
-            VIR_DEBUG("ignoring failed close on fd %d", tmpfd);
         tmpfd = infd[1];
         if (VIR_CLOSE(infd[1]) < 0)
             VIR_DEBUG("ignoring failed close on fd %d", tmpfd);
     }
     if (cmd->outbuf == &outbuf) {
-        int tmpfd ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED;
         tmpfd = cmd->outfd;
         if (VIR_CLOSE(cmd->outfd) < 0)
             VIR_DEBUG("ignoring failed close on fd %d", tmpfd);
@@ -2011,7 +2016,6 @@ virCommandRun(virCommandPtr cmd, int *exitstatus)
         VIR_FREE(outbuf);
     }
     if (cmd->errbuf == &errbuf) {
-        int tmpfd ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED;
         tmpfd = cmd->errfd;
         if (VIR_CLOSE(cmd->errfd) < 0)
             VIR_DEBUG("ignoring failed close on fd %d", tmpfd);
diff --git a/tests/commanddata/test20.log b/tests/commanddata/test20.log
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7d48121f30
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/commanddata/test20.log
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+ARG:--close-stdin
+ENV:DISPLAY=:0.0
+ENV:HOME=/home/test
+ENV:HOSTNAME=test
+ENV:LANG=C
+ENV:LOGNAME=testTMPDIR=/tmp
+ENV:PATH=/usr/bin:/bin
+ENV:USER=test
+FD:0
+FD:1
+FD:2
+DAEMON:no
+CWD:/tmp
diff --git a/tests/commandhelper.c b/tests/commandhelper.c
index a80d191ca7..ec0c4583ed 100644
--- a/tests/commandhelper.c
+++ b/tests/commandhelper.c
@@ -113,6 +113,12 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
 
     VIR_FORCE_FCLOSE(log);
 
+    if (argc > 1 && STREQ(argv[1], "--close-stdin")) {
+        if (freopen("/dev/null", "r", stdin) != stdin)
+            goto error;
+        usleep(100*1000);
+    }
+
     char buf[1024];
     ssize_t got;
 
diff --git a/tests/commandtest.c b/tests/commandtest.c
index 30e7efb605..fa445d31c8 100644
--- a/tests/commandtest.c
+++ b/tests/commandtest.c
@@ -36,6 +36,9 @@
 #include "command.h"
 #include "virfile.h"
 #include "virpidfile.h"
+#include "virterror_internal.h"
+
+#define VIR_FROM_THIS VIR_FROM_NONE
 
 #ifdef WIN32
 
@@ -784,6 +787,44 @@ cleanup:
     return ret;
 }
 
+/*
+ * Run program, no args, inherit all ENV, keep CWD.
+ * Ignore huge stdin data, to provoke SIGPIPE or EPIPE in parent.
+ */
+static int test20(const void *unused ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED)
+{
+    virCommandPtr cmd = virCommandNewArgList(abs_builddir "/commandhelper",
+                                             "--close-stdin", NULL);
+    char *buf;
+    int ret = -1;
+
+    struct sigaction sig_action;
+
+    sig_action.sa_handler = SIG_IGN;
+    sig_action.sa_flags = 0;
+    sigemptyset(&sig_action.sa_mask);
+
+    sigaction(SIGPIPE, &sig_action, NULL);
+
+    if (virAsprintf(&buf, "1\n%100000d\n", 2) < 0) {
+        virReportOOMError();
+        goto cleanup;
+    }
+    virCommandSetInputBuffer(cmd, buf);
+
+    if (virCommandRun(cmd, NULL) < 0) {
+        virErrorPtr err = virGetLastError();
+        printf("Cannot run child %s\n", err->message);
+        goto cleanup;
+    }
+
+    ret = checkoutput("test20");
+cleanup:
+    virCommandFree(cmd);
+    VIR_FREE(buf);
+    return ret;
+}
+
 static const char *const newenv[] = {
     "PATH=/usr/bin:/bin",
     "HOSTNAME=test",
@@ -868,6 +909,7 @@ mymain(void)
     DO_TEST(test17);
     DO_TEST(test18);
     DO_TEST(test19);
+    DO_TEST(test20);
 
     return ret==0 ? EXIT_SUCCESS : EXIT_FAILURE;
 }