diff --git a/src/unix/stream.c b/src/unix/stream.c
index fda2f02f..824de9f4 100644
--- a/src/unix/stream.c
+++ b/src/unix/stream.c
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ static void uv__stream_connect(uv_stream_t*);
 static void uv__write(uv_stream_t* stream);
 static void uv__read(uv_stream_t* stream);
 static void uv__stream_io(uv_loop_t* loop, uv__io_t* w, unsigned int events);
+static size_t uv__write_req_size(uv_write_t* req);
 
 
 /* Used by the accept() EMFILE party trick. */
@@ -399,6 +400,7 @@ void uv__stream_destroy(uv_stream_t* stream) {
 
     if (req->bufs != req->bufsml)
       free(req->bufs);
+    req->bufs = NULL;
 
     if (req->cb) {
       uv__set_artificial_error(req->handle->loop, UV_ECANCELED);
@@ -413,6 +415,13 @@ void uv__stream_destroy(uv_stream_t* stream) {
     req = ngx_queue_data(q, uv_write_t, queue);
     uv__req_unregister(stream->loop, req);
 
+    if (req->bufs != NULL) {
+      stream->write_queue_size -= uv__write_req_size(req);
+      if (req->bufs != req->bufsml)
+        free(req->bufs);
+      req->bufs = NULL;
+    }
+
     if (req->cb) {
       uv__set_sys_error(stream->loop, req->error);
       req->cb(req, req->error ? -1 : 0);
@@ -652,6 +661,7 @@ static void uv__drain(uv_stream_t* stream) {
 static size_t uv__write_req_size(uv_write_t* req) {
   size_t size;
 
+  assert(req->bufs != NULL);
   size = uv__buf_count(req->bufs + req->write_index,
                        req->bufcnt - req->write_index);
   assert(req->handle->write_queue_size >= size);
@@ -665,10 +675,18 @@ static void uv__write_req_finish(uv_write_t* req) {
 
   /* Pop the req off tcp->write_queue. */
   ngx_queue_remove(&req->queue);
-  if (req->bufs != req->bufsml) {
-    free(req->bufs);
+
+  /* Only free when there was no error. On error, we touch up write_queue_size
+   * right before making the callback. The reason we don't do that right away
+   * is that a write_queue_size > 0 is our only way to signal to the user that
+   * he should stop writing - which he should if we got an error. Something to
+   * revisit in future revisions of the libuv API.
+   */
+  if (req->error == 0) {
+    if (req->bufs != req->bufsml)
+      free(req->bufs);
+    req->bufs = NULL;
   }
-  req->bufs = NULL;
 
   /* Add it to the write_completed_queue where it will have its
    * callback called in the near future.
@@ -778,7 +796,6 @@ start:
     if (errno != EAGAIN && errno != EWOULDBLOCK) {
       /* Error */
       req->error = errno;
-      stream->write_queue_size -= uv__write_req_size(req);
       uv__write_req_finish(req);
       return;
     } else if (stream->flags & UV_STREAM_BLOCKING) {
@@ -855,6 +872,13 @@ static void uv__write_callbacks(uv_stream_t* stream) {
     ngx_queue_remove(q);
     uv__req_unregister(stream->loop, req);
 
+    if (req->bufs != NULL) {
+      stream->write_queue_size -= uv__write_req_size(req);
+      if (req->bufs != req->bufsml)
+        free(req->bufs);
+      req->bufs = NULL;
+    }
+
     /* NOTE: call callback AFTER freeing the request data. */
     if (req->cb) {
       uv__set_sys_error(stream->loop, req->error);