diff --git a/builtin-receive-pack.c b/builtin-receive-pack.c
index 33d345dc3993d01d3cd5ae1cc0aa5ae8eda83edb..6ec1d056e6fa24bf6008d9114df5d5cdacd837af 100644
--- a/builtin-receive-pack.c
+++ b/builtin-receive-pack.c
@@ -123,27 +123,27 @@ static struct command *commands;
 static const char pre_receive_hook[] = "hooks/pre-receive";
 static const char post_receive_hook[] = "hooks/post-receive";
 
-static int hook_status(int code, const char *hook_name)
+static int run_status(int code, const char *cmd_name)
 {
 	switch (code) {
 	case 0:
 		return 0;
 	case -ERR_RUN_COMMAND_FORK:
-		return error("hook fork failed");
+		return error("fork of %s failed", cmd_name);
 	case -ERR_RUN_COMMAND_EXEC:
-		return error("hook execute failed");
+		return error("execute of %s failed", cmd_name);
 	case -ERR_RUN_COMMAND_PIPE:
-		return error("hook pipe failed");
+		return error("pipe failed");
 	case -ERR_RUN_COMMAND_WAITPID:
 		return error("waitpid failed");
 	case -ERR_RUN_COMMAND_WAITPID_WRONG_PID:
 		return error("waitpid is confused");
 	case -ERR_RUN_COMMAND_WAITPID_SIGNAL:
-		return error("%s died of signal", hook_name);
+		return error("%s died of signal", cmd_name);
 	case -ERR_RUN_COMMAND_WAITPID_NOEXIT:
-		return error("%s died strangely", hook_name);
+		return error("%s died strangely", cmd_name);
 	default:
-		error("%s exited with error code %d", hook_name, -code);
+		error("%s exited with error code %d", cmd_name, -code);
 		return -code;
 	}
 }
@@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ static int run_receive_hook(const char *hook_name)
 
 	code = start_command(&proc);
 	if (code)
-		return hook_status(code, hook_name);
+		return run_status(code, hook_name);
 	for (cmd = commands; cmd; cmd = cmd->next) {
 		if (!cmd->error_string) {
 			size_t n = snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "%s %s %s\n",
@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ static int run_receive_hook(const char *hook_name)
 		}
 	}
 	close(proc.in);
-	return hook_status(finish_command(&proc), hook_name);
+	return run_status(finish_command(&proc), hook_name);
 }
 
 static int run_update_hook(struct command *cmd)
@@ -203,7 +203,7 @@ static int run_update_hook(struct command *cmd)
 	argv[3] = sha1_to_hex(cmd->new_sha1);
 	argv[4] = NULL;
 
-	return hook_status(run_command_v_opt(argv, RUN_COMMAND_NO_STDIN |
+	return run_status(run_command_v_opt(argv, RUN_COMMAND_NO_STDIN |
 					RUN_COMMAND_STDOUT_TO_STDERR),
 			update_hook);
 }
@@ -394,7 +394,7 @@ static char update_post_hook[] = "hooks/post-update";
 static void run_update_post_hook(struct command *cmd)
 {
 	struct command *cmd_p;
-	int argc;
+	int argc, status;
 	const char **argv;
 
 	for (argc = 0, cmd_p = cmd; cmd_p; cmd_p = cmd_p->next) {
@@ -417,8 +417,9 @@ static void run_update_post_hook(struct command *cmd)
 		argc++;
 	}
 	argv[argc] = NULL;
-	run_command_v_opt(argv, RUN_COMMAND_NO_STDIN
-		| RUN_COMMAND_STDOUT_TO_STDERR);
+	status = run_command_v_opt(argv, RUN_COMMAND_NO_STDIN
+			| RUN_COMMAND_STDOUT_TO_STDERR);
+	run_status(status, update_post_hook);
 }
 
 static void execute_commands(const char *unpacker_error)
@@ -534,24 +535,10 @@ static const char *unpack(void)
 		unpacker[i++] = hdr_arg;
 		unpacker[i++] = NULL;
 		code = run_command_v_opt(unpacker, RUN_GIT_CMD);
-		switch (code) {
-		case 0:
+		if (!code)
 			return NULL;
-		case -ERR_RUN_COMMAND_FORK:
-			return "unpack fork failed";
-		case -ERR_RUN_COMMAND_EXEC:
-			return "unpack execute failed";
-		case -ERR_RUN_COMMAND_WAITPID:
-			return "waitpid failed";
-		case -ERR_RUN_COMMAND_WAITPID_WRONG_PID:
-			return "waitpid is confused";
-		case -ERR_RUN_COMMAND_WAITPID_SIGNAL:
-			return "unpacker died of signal";
-		case -ERR_RUN_COMMAND_WAITPID_NOEXIT:
-			return "unpacker died strangely";
-		default:
-			return "unpacker exited with error code";
-		}
+		run_status(code, unpacker[0]);
+		return "unpack-objects abnormal exit";
 	} else {
 		const char *keeper[7];
 		int s, status, i = 0;
@@ -574,8 +561,11 @@ static const char *unpack(void)
 		ip.argv = keeper;
 		ip.out = -1;
 		ip.git_cmd = 1;
-		if (start_command(&ip))
+		status = start_command(&ip);
+		if (status) {
+			run_status(status, keeper[0]);
 			return "index-pack fork failed";
+		}
 		pack_lockfile = index_pack_lockfile(ip.out);
 		close(ip.out);
 		status = finish_command(&ip);
@@ -583,6 +573,7 @@ static const char *unpack(void)
 			reprepare_packed_git();
 			return NULL;
 		}
+		run_status(status, keeper[0]);
 		return "index-pack abnormal exit";
 	}
 }
diff --git a/daemon.c b/daemon.c
index 366db37b39f7dcfb29dbb4e79ad5bcc985b75bc6..76a400557d0e8c615d6cceae511e3c7684131f04 100644
--- a/daemon.c
+++ b/daemon.c
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 #include "cache.h"
 #include "pkt-line.h"
 #include "exec_cmd.h"
+#include "run-command.h"
+#include "strbuf.h"
 
 #include <syslog.h>
 
@@ -343,28 +345,66 @@ static int run_service(char *dir, struct daemon_service *service)
 	return service->fn();
 }
 
+static void copy_to_log(int fd)
+{
+	struct strbuf line = STRBUF_INIT;
+	FILE *fp;
+
+	fp = fdopen(fd, "r");
+	if (fp == NULL) {
+		logerror("fdopen of error channel failed");
+		close(fd);
+		return;
+	}
+
+	while (strbuf_getline(&line, fp, '\n') != EOF) {
+		logerror("%s", line.buf);
+		strbuf_setlen(&line, 0);
+	}
+
+	strbuf_release(&line);
+	fclose(fp);
+}
+
+static int run_service_command(const char **argv)
+{
+	struct child_process cld;
+
+	memset(&cld, 0, sizeof(cld));
+	cld.argv = argv;
+	cld.git_cmd = 1;
+	cld.err = -1;
+	if (start_command(&cld))
+		return -1;
+
+	close(0);
+	close(1);
+
+	copy_to_log(cld.err);
+
+	return finish_command(&cld);
+}
+
 static int upload_pack(void)
 {
 	/* Timeout as string */
 	char timeout_buf[64];
+	const char *argv[] = { "upload-pack", "--strict", timeout_buf, ".", NULL };
 
 	snprintf(timeout_buf, sizeof timeout_buf, "--timeout=%u", timeout);
-
-	/* git-upload-pack only ever reads stuff, so this is safe */
-	execl_git_cmd("upload-pack", "--strict", timeout_buf, ".", NULL);
-	return -1;
+	return run_service_command(argv);
 }
 
 static int upload_archive(void)
 {
-	execl_git_cmd("upload-archive", ".", NULL);
-	return -1;
+	static const char *argv[] = { "upload-archive", ".", NULL };
+	return run_service_command(argv);
 }
 
 static int receive_pack(void)
 {
-	execl_git_cmd("receive-pack", ".", NULL);
-	return -1;
+	static const char *argv[] = { "receive-pack", ".", NULL };
+	return run_service_command(argv);
 }
 
 static struct daemon_service daemon_service[] = {
diff --git a/upload-pack.c b/upload-pack.c
index edc78612289c5bd774e18fe5f8e1b9ea80378a5f..841ebb534ac3393f5ee80692f1402c82a1b4a5f6 100644
--- a/upload-pack.c
+++ b/upload-pack.c
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ static unsigned long oldest_have;
 
 static int multi_ack, nr_our_refs;
 static int use_thin_pack, use_ofs_delta, use_include_tag;
-static int no_progress;
+static int no_progress, daemon_mode;
 static struct object_array have_obj;
 static struct object_array want_obj;
 static unsigned int timeout;
@@ -521,6 +521,10 @@ static void receive_needs(void)
 	}
 	if (debug_fd)
 		write_in_full(debug_fd, "#E\n", 3);
+
+	if (!use_sideband && daemon_mode)
+		no_progress = 1;
+
 	if (depth == 0 && shallows.nr == 0)
 		return;
 	if (depth > 0) {
@@ -630,6 +634,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 		}
 		if (!prefixcmp(arg, "--timeout=")) {
 			timeout = atoi(arg+10);
+			daemon_mode = 1;
 			continue;
 		}
 		if (!strcmp(arg, "--")) {