diff --git a/lib/hcl-x.h b/lib/hcl-x.h
index d3c241e..7e2464e 100644
--- a/lib/hcl-x.h
+++ b/lib/hcl-x.h
@@ -487,13 +487,24 @@ HCL_EXPORT int hcl_sys_send_iov (
 );
 
 HCL_EXPORT int hcl_sys_open_pipes (
-	int          pfd[2]
+	int          pfd[2],
+	int          nonblock
 );
 
 HCL_EXPORT void hcl_sys_close_pipes (
 	int          pfd[2]
 );
 
+HCL_EXPORT int hcl_sys_set_nonblock (
+	int          fd,
+	int          v
+);
+
+HCL_EXPORT int hcl_sys_set_cloexec (
+	int          fd,
+	int          v
+);
+
 #if defined(__cplusplus)
 }
 #endif
diff --git a/lib/x-client.c b/lib/x-client.c
index 25c9556..d78aa19 100644
--- a/lib/x-client.c
+++ b/lib/x-client.c
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ hcl_client_t* hcl_client_open (hcl_mmgr_t* mmgr, hcl_oow_t xtnsize, hcl_client_p
 		return HCL_NULL;
 	}
 
-	if (hcl_sys_open_pipes(pfd) <= -1)
+	if (hcl_sys_open_pipes(pfd, 1) <= -1)
 	{
 		if (errnum) *errnum = hcl->vmprim.syserrstrb(hcl, 0, errno, HCL_NULL, 0);
 		goto oops;
@@ -440,6 +440,8 @@ static int client_connect (hcl_client_t* client, const char* ipaddr, int reuse_a
 		goto oops;
 	}
 
+	hcl_sys_set_cloexec(sck, 1);
+
 	if (reuse_addr)
 	{
 		if (sckfam == AF_INET)
@@ -481,6 +483,7 @@ static int client_connect (hcl_client_t* client, const char* ipaddr, int reuse_a
 		goto oops;
 	}
 
+	hcl_sys_set_nonblock(sck, 1); /* make it nonblocking after connection has been established */
 
 	memset (&proto, 0, HCL_SIZEOF(proto_cb));
 	proto_cb.on_packet = client->prim.on_packet;
@@ -639,9 +642,11 @@ static int on_control_event (hcl_client_t* client, struct pollfd* pfd)
 }
 
 
+
 static int on_server_event (hcl_client_t* client, struct pollfd* pfd, int shut_wr_after_req)
 {
 
+#if 0
 	if (pfd->revents & POLLERR)
 	{
 		hcl_client_seterrbfmt (client, HCL_ESYSERR, "error condition detected on %d", client->sck);
@@ -737,6 +742,7 @@ carry_on:
 	}
 
 	if (hcl_xproto_geteof(client->proto)) break;
+#endif
 }
 
 static int on_script_event (hcl_client_t* client, struct pollfd* pfd)
@@ -744,7 +750,7 @@ static int on_script_event (hcl_client_t* client, struct pollfd* pfd)
 	ssize_t n;
 	hcl_uint8_t buf[128];
 
-	n = read(pfd.fd, buf, HCL_SIZEOF(buf));
+	n = read(pfd->fd, buf, HCL_SIZEOF(buf));
 	if (n <= -1)
 	{
 	}
@@ -759,15 +765,20 @@ static int on_script_event (hcl_client_t* client, struct pollfd* pfd)
 int hcl_client_start (hcl_client_t* client, const char* ipaddr, const char* script, int reuse_addr, int shut_wr_after_req)
 {
 	const char* scptr, * sccur;
-	int script_fd = STDIN_FILENO;
+	int cin = STDIN_FILENO;
+	int cout = STDOUT_FILENO;
+	int cerr = STDERR_FILENO;
 
-	if (client_connect(client, ipaddr, reuse_addr) <= -1) return -1;
+	/*  TODO: cin, cout, cerr could be actual files or something other than the console.
+	          the actual loop won't begin until all these file descriptors are ready */
+
+	if (client_connect(client, ipaddr, reuse_addr) <= -1) return -1; /* TODO: support time out or abort while connecting... */
 
 	scptr = sccur = script;
 	while (1)
 	{
 		ssize_t n, i;
-		struct pollfd pfd[3];
+		struct pollfd pfd[5];
 
 		n = 0;
 
@@ -780,9 +791,9 @@ int hcl_client_start (hcl_client_t* client, const char* ipaddr, const char* scri
 		if (*sccur != '\0') pfd[n].events |= POLLOUT;
 		pfd[n++].revents = 0;
 
-		if (script_fd >= 0)
+		if (cin >= 0)
 		{
-			pfd[n].fd = script_fd;
+			pfd[n].fd = cin;
 			pfd[n].events = POLLIN;
 			pfd[n++].revents = 0;
 		}
@@ -812,7 +823,7 @@ int hcl_client_start (hcl_client_t* client, const char* ipaddr, const char* scri
 				/* event from the server */
 				on_server_event (client, &pfd[i], shut_wr_after_req);
 			}
-			else if (pfd[i].fd == script_fd)
+			else if (pfd[i].fd == cin)
 			{
 				on_script_event (client, &pfd[i]);
 			}
diff --git a/lib/x-server.c b/lib/x-server.c
index 0b522c4..cbb2eab 100644
--- a/lib/x-server.c
+++ b/lib/x-server.c
@@ -1086,7 +1086,7 @@ hcl_server_t* hcl_server_open (hcl_mmgr_t* mmgr, hcl_oow_t xtnsize, hcl_server_p
 		goto oops;
 	}
 
-	if (hcl_sys_open_pipes(pfd) <= -1)
+	if (hcl_sys_open_pipes(pfd, 1) <= -1)
 	{
 		if (errnum) *errnum = hcl->vmprim.syserrstrb(hcl, 0, errno, HCL_NULL, 0);
 		goto oops;
@@ -1782,21 +1782,8 @@ static int setup_listeners (hcl_server_t* server, const hcl_bch_t* addrs)
 
 		optval = 1;
 		setsockopt (srv_fd, SOL_SOCKET, SO_REUSEADDR, &optval, HCL_SIZEOF(int));
-
-	#if defined(O_NONBLOCK) || defined(O_CLOEXEC)
-		fcv = fcntl(srv_fd, F_GETFD, 0);
-		if (fcv >= 0)
-		{
-		#if defined(O_NONBLOCK)
-			fcv |= O_NONBLOCK;
-		#endif
-		#if defined(O_CLOEXEC)
-			fcv |= O_CLOEXEC;
-		#endif
-
-			fcntl(srv_fd, F_SETFL, fcv);
-		}
-	#endif
+		hcl_sys_set_nonblock (srv_fd, 1);
+		hcl_sys_set_cloexec (srv_fd, 1);
 
 		if (bind(srv_fd, (struct sockaddr*)&srv_addr, srv_len) == -1)
 		{
@@ -1936,19 +1923,8 @@ int hcl_server_start (hcl_server_t* server, const hcl_bch_t* addrs)
 					break;
 				}
 
-			#if defined(O_NONBLOCK) || defined(O_CLOEXEC)
-				fcv = fcntl(cli_fd, F_GETFD, 0);
-				if (fcv >= 0)
-				{
-				#if defined(O_NONBLOCK)
-					fcv &= ~O_NONBLOCK; // force the accepted socket to be blocking
-				#endif
-				#if defined(O_CLOEXEC)
-					fcv |= O_CLOEXEC;
-				#endif
-					fcntl(cli_fd, F_SETFD, fcv);
-				}
-			#endif
+				hcl_sys_set_nonblock (cli_fd, 0); /* force the accepted socket to be blocking */
+				hcl_sys_set_cloexec (cli_fd, 1);
 
 				if (server->cfg.worker_max_count > 0)
 				{
@@ -2242,37 +2218,16 @@ int hcl_sys_send_iov (int sck, hcl_iovec_t* iov, int count)
 	return 0;
 }
 
-int hcl_sys_open_pipes (int pfd[2])
+int hcl_sys_open_pipes (int pfd[2], int nonblock)
 {
-	int fcv;
+	/* TODO: mimic open_pipes() in std.c */
 
 	if (pipe(pfd) <= -1) return -1;
 
-#if defined(O_NONBLOCK) || defined(O_CLOEXEC)
-	fcv = fcntl(pfd[0], F_GETFD, 0);
-	if (fcv >= 0)
-	{
-	#if defined(O_NONBLOCK)
-		fcv |= O_NONBLOCK;
-	#endif
-	#if defined(O_CLOEXEC)
-		fcv |= O_CLOEXEC;
-	#endif
-		fcntl(pfd[0], F_SETFD, fcv);
-	}
-
-	fcv = fcntl(pfd[1], F_GETFD, 0);
-	if (fcv >= 0)
-	{
-	#if defined(O_NONBLOCK)
-		fcv |= O_NONBLOCK;
-	#endif
-	#if defined(O_CLOEXEC)
-		fcv |= O_CLOEXEC;
-	#endif
-		fcntl(pfd[1], F_SETFD, fcv);
-	}
-#endif
+	hcl_sys_set_nonblock(pfd[0], nonblock);
+	hcl_sys_set_nonblock(pfd[1], nonblock);
+	hcl_sys_set_cloexec(pfd[0], 1);
+	hcl_sys_set_cloexec(pfd[1], 1);
 
 	return 0;
 }
@@ -2290,3 +2245,41 @@ void hcl_sys_close_pipes (int pfd[2])
 		pfd[1] = -1;
 	}
 }
+
+int hcl_sys_set_nonblock (int fd, int v)
+{
+#if defined(F_GETFL) && defined(F_SETFL) && defined(O_NONBLOCK)
+	int flags;
+
+	if ((flags = fcntl(fd, F_GETFL, 0)) <= -1) return -1;
+
+	if (v) flags |= O_NONBLOCK;
+	else flags &= ~O_NONBLOCK;
+
+	if (fcntl(fd, F_SETFL, flags) <= -1) return -1;
+
+	return 0;
+#else
+	errno = ENOSYS;
+	return -1;
+#endif
+}
+
+int hcl_sys_set_cloexec (int fd, int v)
+{
+#if defined(F_GETFL) && defined(F_SETFL) && defined(FD_CLOEXEC)
+	int flags;
+
+	if ((flags = fcntl(fd, F_GETFD, 0)) <= -1) return -1;
+
+	if (v) flags |= FD_CLOEXEC;
+	else flags &= ~FD_CLOEXEC;
+
+	if (fcntl(fd, F_SETFD, flags) <= -1) return -1;
+
+	return 0;
+#else
+	errno = ENOSYS;
+	return -1;
+#endif
+}