diff --git a/src/unix/process.c b/src/unix/process.c
index b7f6ac75..42990ce5 100644
--- a/src/unix/process.c
+++ b/src/unix/process.c
@@ -188,8 +188,8 @@ skip:
 
 
 /*
- * Used for initializing stdio streams like options->stdin_stream. Returns
- * zero on success.
+ * Used for initializing stdio streams like options.stdin_stream. Returns
+ * zero on success. See also the cleanup section in uv_spawn().
  */
 static int uv__process_init_stdio(uv_stdio_container_t* container, int fds[2]) {
   int mask;
@@ -472,11 +472,18 @@ int uv_spawn(uv_loop_t* loop,
   return 0;
 
 error:
-  for (i = 0; i < stdio_count; i++) {
-    uv__close(pipes[i][0]);
-    uv__close(pipes[i][1]);
+  if (pipes != NULL) {
+    for (i = 0; i < stdio_count; i++) {
+      if (i < options->stdio_count)
+        if (options->stdio[i].flags & (UV_INHERIT_FD | UV_INHERIT_STREAM))
+          continue;
+      if (pipes[i][0] != -1)
+        close(pipes[i][0]);
+      if (pipes[i][1] != -1)
+        close(pipes[i][1]);
+    }
+    free(pipes);
   }
-  free(pipes);
 
   return err;
 }
diff --git a/src/unix/signal.c b/src/unix/signal.c
index d2cf54a9..8c0d62f3 100644
--- a/src/unix/signal.c
+++ b/src/unix/signal.c
@@ -141,7 +141,10 @@ static void uv__signal_handler(int signum) {
   saved_errno = errno;
   memset(&msg, 0, sizeof msg);
 
-  uv__signal_lock();
+  if (uv__signal_lock()) {
+    errno = saved_errno;
+    return;
+  }
 
   for (handle = uv__signal_first_handle(signum);
        handle != NULL && handle->signum == signum;