diff --git a/src/crystal/system/unix/file_descriptor.cr b/src/crystal/system/unix/file_descriptor.cr
index 56a9eee80dd5..4119ebd7a9f6 100644
--- a/src/crystal/system/unix/file_descriptor.cr
+++ b/src/crystal/system/unix/file_descriptor.cr
@@ -196,6 +196,14 @@ module Crystal::System::FileDescriptor
   end
 
   def self.pipe(read_blocking, write_blocking)
+    pipe_fds = system_pipe
+    r = IO::FileDescriptor.new(pipe_fds[0], read_blocking)
+    w = IO::FileDescriptor.new(pipe_fds[1], write_blocking)
+    w.sync = true
+    {r, w}
+  end
+
+  def self.system_pipe : StaticArray(LibC::Int, 2)
     pipe_fds = uninitialized StaticArray(LibC::Int, 2)
 
     {% if LibC.has_method?(:pipe2) %}
@@ -212,11 +220,7 @@ module Crystal::System::FileDescriptor
       end
     {% end %}
 
-    r = IO::FileDescriptor.new(pipe_fds[0], read_blocking)
-    w = IO::FileDescriptor.new(pipe_fds[1], write_blocking)
-    w.sync = true
-
-    {r, w}
+    pipe_fds
   end
 
   def self.pread(file, buffer, offset)
@@ -248,6 +252,20 @@ module Crystal::System::FileDescriptor
     io
   end
 
+  # Helper to write *size* values at *pointer* to a given *fd*.
+  def self.write_fully(fd : LibC::Int, pointer : Pointer, size : Int32 = 1) : Nil
+    write_fully(fd, Slice.new(pointer, size).unsafe_slice_of(UInt8))
+  end
+
+  # Helper to fully write a slice to a given *fd*.
+  def self.write_fully(fd : LibC::Int, slice : Slice(UInt8)) : Nil
+    until slice.size == 0
+      size = LibC.write(fd, slice, slice.size)
+      break if size == -1
+      slice += size
+    end
+  end
+
   private def system_echo(enable : Bool, mode = nil)
     new_mode = mode || FileDescriptor.tcgetattr(fd)
     flags = LibC::ECHO | LibC::ECHOE | LibC::ECHOK | LibC::ECHONL
diff --git a/src/crystal/system/unix/process.cr b/src/crystal/system/unix/process.cr
index 4a540fa53a3d..06b18aea7b1d 100644
--- a/src/crystal/system/unix/process.cr
+++ b/src/crystal/system/unix/process.cr
@@ -231,44 +231,47 @@ struct Crystal::System::Process
   end
 
   def self.spawn(command_args, env, clear_env, input, output, error, chdir)
-    reader_pipe, writer_pipe = IO.pipe
+    r, w = FileDescriptor.system_pipe
 
     pid = self.fork(will_exec: true)
     if !pid
+      LibC.close(r)
       begin
-        reader_pipe.close
-        writer_pipe.close_on_exec = true
         self.try_replace(command_args, env, clear_env, input, output, error, chdir)
-        writer_pipe.write_byte(1)
-        writer_pipe.write_bytes(Errno.value.to_i)
+        byte = 1_u8
+        errno = Errno.value.to_i32
+        FileDescriptor.write_fully(w, pointerof(byte))
+        FileDescriptor.write_fully(w, pointerof(errno))
       rescue ex
-        writer_pipe.write_byte(0)
+        byte = 0_u8
         message = ex.inspect_with_backtrace
-        writer_pipe.write_bytes(message.bytesize)
-        writer_pipe << message
-        writer_pipe.close
+        FileDescriptor.write_fully(w, pointerof(byte))
+        FileDescriptor.write_fully(w, message.to_slice)
       ensure
+        LibC.close(w)
         LibC._exit 127
       end
     end
 
-    writer_pipe.close
+    LibC.close(w)
+    reader_pipe = IO::FileDescriptor.new(r, blocking: false)
+
     begin
       case reader_pipe.read_byte
       when nil
         # Pipe was closed, no error
       when 0
         # Error message coming
-        message_size = reader_pipe.read_bytes(Int32)
-        if message_size > 0
-          message = String.build(message_size) { |io| IO.copy(reader_pipe, io, message_size) }
-        end
-        reader_pipe.close
+        message = reader_pipe.gets_to_end
         raise RuntimeError.new("Error executing process: '#{command_args[0]}': #{message}")
       when 1
         # Errno coming
-        errno = Errno.new(reader_pipe.read_bytes(Int32))
-        self.raise_exception_from_errno(command_args[0], errno)
+        # can't use IO#read_bytes(Int32) because we skipped system/network
+        # endianness check when writing the integer while read_bytes would;
+        # we thus read it in the same as order as written
+        buf = uninitialized StaticArray(UInt8, 4)
+        reader_pipe.read_fully(buf.to_slice)
+        raise_exception_from_errno(command_args[0], Errno.new(buf.unsafe_as(Int32)))
       else
         raise RuntimeError.new("BUG: Invalid error response received from subprocess")
       end
@@ -339,15 +342,17 @@ struct Crystal::System::Process
 
   private def self.reopen_io(src_io : IO::FileDescriptor, dst_io : IO::FileDescriptor)
     if src_io.closed?
-      dst_io.close
-      return
-    end
+      dst_io.file_descriptor_close
+    else
+      src_io = to_real_fd(src_io)
 
-    src_io = to_real_fd(src_io)
+      # dst_io.reopen(src_io)
+      ret = LibC.dup2(src_io.fd, dst_io.fd)
+      raise IO::Error.from_errno("dup2") if ret == -1
 
-    dst_io.reopen(src_io)
-    dst_io.blocking = true
-    dst_io.close_on_exec = false
+      dst_io.blocking = true
+      dst_io.close_on_exec = false
+    end
   end
 
   private def self.to_real_fd(fd : IO::FileDescriptor)