diff --git a/subprocess.h b/subprocess.h
index b6f9534..c28a408 100644
--- a/subprocess.h
+++ b/subprocess.h
@@ -682,6 +682,49 @@ int subprocess_create_named_pipe_helper(void **rd, void **wr) {
 #endif
 
 #if !defined(_WIN32)
+/* Move a pipe end off 0, 1 or 2. Duplicating a descriptor onto itself is a
+   no-op, so a pipe end already sitting on a standard descriptor would keep its
+   FD_CLOEXEC and be closed by exec, leaving the child without that stream. */
+static int subprocess_fds_above_std(int fds[2]) {
+  int fd_flags;
+  int index;
+  int moved;
+  int saved_errno;
+
+  for (index = 0; index < 2; index++) {
+    if (fds[index] > STDERR_FILENO) {
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    moved = fcntl(fds[index], F_DUPFD, STDERR_FILENO + 1);
+    if (-1 != moved) {
+      fd_flags = fcntl(moved, F_GETFD, 0);
+      if ((-1 == fd_flags) ||
+          (-1 == fcntl(moved, F_SETFD, fd_flags | FD_CLOEXEC))) {
+        saved_errno = errno;
+        close(moved);
+        errno = saved_errno;
+        moved = -1;
+      }
+    }
+
+    if (-1 == moved) {
+      saved_errno = errno;
+      close(fds[0]);
+      close(fds[1]);
+      fds[0] = -1;
+      fds[1] = -1;
+      errno = saved_errno;
+      return -1;
+    }
+
+    close(fds[index]);
+    fds[index] = moved;
+  }
+
+  return 0;
+}
+
 /* Create pipes with close-on-exec set so later subprocesses do not inherit
    descriptors belonging to subprocesses which are already running. */
 static int subprocess_pipe_cloexec(int fds[2]) {
@@ -693,7 +736,7 @@ static int subprocess_pipe_cloexec(int fds[2]) {
     defined(__OpenBSD__) || defined(__DragonFly__) ||                         \
     (defined(__sun) && defined(__SVR4))
   if (0 == pipe2(fds, O_CLOEXEC)) {
-    return 0;
+    return subprocess_fds_above_std(fds);
   }
 
   /* Older kernels can lack pipe2 even when the C library declares it. */
@@ -720,7 +763,7 @@ static int subprocess_pipe_cloexec(int fds[2]) {
     }
   }
 
-  return 0;
+  return subprocess_fds_above_std(fds);
 }
 #endif
 
diff --git a/test/test.c b/test/test.c
index 82910d3..1b2f0f3 100644
--- a/test/test.c
+++ b/test/test.c
@@ -70,3 +70,55 @@ UTEST(c, create_does_not_inherit_unlisted_windows_handle) {
                 "subprocess inherited a handle outside its standard streams");
 }
 #endif
+
+UTEST(c, create_keeps_pipe_ends_off_the_standard_descriptors) {
+#if defined(_WIN32)
+  UTEST_SKIP("POSIX file-descriptor test");
+#else
+  const char *const command_line[] = {"./process_return_zero", 0};
+  struct subprocess_s process;
+  int saved[3];
+  int index;
+  int created;
+  int stdin_fd = -1;
+  int stdout_fd = -1;
+  int restored = 1;
+
+  /* With 0, 1 and 2 all free the pipes land on them, and a later dup2 onto the
+     same descriptor is a no-op that leaves FD_CLOEXEC set. */
+  for (index = 0; index < 3; index++) {
+    saved[index] = dup(index);
+    ASSERT_TRUE(0 <= saved[index]);
+  }
+  for (index = 0; index < 3; index++) {
+    close(index);
+  }
+
+  /* Nothing may assert or print until the standard descriptors are back. */
+  created = subprocess_create(command_line, 0, &process);
+  if (0 == created) {
+    if (subprocess_stdin(&process)) {
+      stdin_fd = fileno(subprocess_stdin(&process));
+    }
+    if (subprocess_stdout(&process)) {
+      stdout_fd = fileno(subprocess_stdout(&process));
+    }
+    subprocess_join(&process, 0);
+    subprocess_destroy(&process);
+  }
+
+  for (index = 0; index < 3; index++) {
+    if (-1 == dup2(saved[index], index)) {
+      restored = 0;
+    }
+    close(saved[index]);
+  }
+
+  ASSERT_TRUE(restored);
+  ASSERT_EQ(0, created);
+  EXPECT_GT_MSG(stdin_fd, STDERR_FILENO,
+                "a pipe end sits on a standard descriptor");
+  EXPECT_GT_MSG(stdout_fd, STDERR_FILENO,
+                "a pipe end sits on a standard descriptor");
+#endif
+}