diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_migration.c b/src/qemu/qemu_migration.c
index 43e56b764239652cee7ab19b824c4b8b2def2552..3a420be3d44fbec9ee5266c493482c0265f8ee0b 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_migration.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_migration.c
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 #include <gnutls/gnutls.h>
 #include <gnutls/x509.h>
 #include <fcntl.h>
+#include <poll.h>
 
 #include "qemu_migration.h"
 #include "qemu_monitor.h"
@@ -1585,49 +1586,113 @@ struct _qemuMigrationIOThread {
     virStreamPtr st;
     int sock;
     virError err;
+    int wakeupRecvFD;
+    int wakeupSendFD;
 };
 
 static void qemuMigrationIOFunc(void *arg)
 {
     qemuMigrationIOThreadPtr data = arg;
-    char *buffer;
-    int nbytes = TUNNEL_SEND_BUF_SIZE;
+    char *buffer = NULL;
+    struct pollfd fds[2];
+    int timeout = -1;
+    virErrorPtr err = NULL;
+
+    VIR_DEBUG("Running migration tunnel; stream=%p, sock=%d",
+              data->st, data->sock);
 
     if (VIR_ALLOC_N(buffer, TUNNEL_SEND_BUF_SIZE) < 0) {
         virReportOOMError();
-        virStreamAbort(data->st);
-        goto error;
+        goto abrt;
     }
 
+    fds[0].fd = data->sock;
+    fds[1].fd = data->wakeupRecvFD;
+
     for (;;) {
-        nbytes = saferead(data->sock, buffer, TUNNEL_SEND_BUF_SIZE);
-        if (nbytes < 0) {
+        int ret;
+
+        fds[0].events = fds[1].events = POLLIN;
+        fds[0].revents = fds[1].revents = 0;
+
+        ret = poll(fds, ARRAY_CARDINALITY(fds), timeout);
+
+        if (ret < 0) {
+            if (errno == EAGAIN || errno == EINTR)
+                continue;
             virReportSystemError(errno, "%s",
-                                 _("tunnelled migration failed to read from qemu"));
-            virStreamAbort(data->st);
-            VIR_FREE(buffer);
-            goto error;
+                                 _("poll failed in migration tunnel"));
+            goto abrt;
         }
-        else if (nbytes == 0)
-            /* EOF; get out of here */
+
+        if (ret == 0) {
+            /* We were asked to gracefully stop but reading would block. This
+             * can only happen if qemu told us migration finished but didn't
+             * close the migration fd. We handle this in the same way as EOF.
+             */
+            VIR_DEBUG("QEMU forgot to close migration fd");
             break;
+        }
 
-        if (virStreamSend(data->st, buffer, nbytes) < 0) {
-            VIR_FREE(buffer);
-            goto error;
+        if (fds[1].revents & (POLLIN | POLLERR | POLLHUP)) {
+            char stop = 0;
+
+            if (saferead(data->wakeupRecvFD, &stop, 1) != 1) {
+                virReportSystemError(errno, "%s",
+                                     _("failed to read from wakeup fd"));
+                goto abrt;
+            }
+
+            VIR_DEBUG("Migration tunnel was asked to %s",
+                      stop ? "abort" : "finish");
+            if (stop) {
+                goto abrt;
+            } else {
+                timeout = 0;
+            }
         }
-    }
 
-    VIR_FREE(buffer);
+        if (fds[0].revents & (POLLIN | POLLERR | POLLHUP)) {
+            int nbytes;
+
+            nbytes = saferead(data->sock, buffer, TUNNEL_SEND_BUF_SIZE);
+            if (nbytes > 0) {
+                if (virStreamSend(data->st, buffer, nbytes) < 0)
+                    goto error;
+            } else if (nbytes < 0) {
+                virReportSystemError(errno, "%s",
+                        _("tunnelled migration failed to read from qemu"));
+                goto abrt;
+            } else {
+                /* EOF; get out of here */
+                break;
+            }
+        }
+    }
 
     if (virStreamFinish(data->st) < 0)
         goto error;
 
+    VIR_FREE(buffer);
+
     return;
 
+abrt:
+    err = virSaveLastError();
+    if (err && err->code == VIR_ERR_OK) {
+        virFreeError(err);
+        err = NULL;
+    }
+    virStreamAbort(data->st);
+    if (err) {
+        virSetError(err);
+        virFreeError(err);
+    }
+
 error:
     virCopyLastError(&data->err);
     virResetLastError();
+    VIR_FREE(buffer);
 }
 
 
@@ -1635,37 +1700,63 @@ static qemuMigrationIOThreadPtr
 qemuMigrationStartTunnel(virStreamPtr st,
                          int sock)
 {
-    qemuMigrationIOThreadPtr io;
+    qemuMigrationIOThreadPtr io = NULL;
+    int wakeupFD[2] = { -1, -1 };
 
-    if (VIR_ALLOC(io) < 0) {
-        virReportOOMError();
-        return NULL;
+    if (pipe2(wakeupFD, O_CLOEXEC) < 0) {
+        virReportSystemError(errno, "%s",
+                             _("Unable to make pipe"));
+        goto error;
     }
 
+    if (VIR_ALLOC(io) < 0)
+        goto no_memory;
+
     io->st = st;
     io->sock = sock;
+    io->wakeupRecvFD = wakeupFD[0];
+    io->wakeupSendFD = wakeupFD[1];
 
     if (virThreadCreate(&io->thread, true,
                         qemuMigrationIOFunc,
                         io) < 0) {
         virReportSystemError(errno, "%s",
                              _("Unable to create migration thread"));
-        VIR_FREE(io);
-        return NULL;
+        goto error;
     }
 
     return io;
+
+no_memory:
+    virReportOOMError();
+error:
+    VIR_FORCE_CLOSE(wakeupFD[0]);
+    VIR_FORCE_CLOSE(wakeupFD[1]);
+    VIR_FREE(io);
+    return NULL;
 }
 
 static int
-qemuMigrationStopTunnel(qemuMigrationIOThreadPtr io)
+qemuMigrationStopTunnel(qemuMigrationIOThreadPtr io, bool error)
 {
     int rv = -1;
+    char stop = error ? 1 : 0;
+
+    /* make sure the thread finishes its job and is joinable */
+    if (safewrite(io->wakeupSendFD, &stop, 1) != 1) {
+        virReportSystemError(errno, "%s",
+                             _("failed to wakeup migration tunnel"));
+        goto cleanup;
+    }
+
     virThreadJoin(&io->thread);
 
     /* Forward error from the IO thread, to this thread */
     if (io->err.code != VIR_ERR_OK) {
-        virSetError(&io->err);
+        if (error)
+            rv = 0;
+        else
+            virSetError(&io->err);
         virResetError(&io->err);
         goto cleanup;
     }
@@ -1673,6 +1764,8 @@ qemuMigrationStopTunnel(qemuMigrationIOThreadPtr io)
     rv = 0;
 
 cleanup:
+    VIR_FORCE_CLOSE(io->wakeupSendFD);
+    VIR_FORCE_CLOSE(io->wakeupRecvFD);
     VIR_FREE(io);
     return rv;
 }
@@ -1880,10 +1973,9 @@ cleanup:
         orig_err = virSaveLastError();
 
     if (spec->fwdType != MIGRATION_FWD_DIRECT) {
-        /* Close now to ensure the IO thread quits & is joinable */
-        VIR_FORCE_CLOSE(fd);
-        if (iothread && qemuMigrationStopTunnel(iothread) < 0)
+        if (iothread && qemuMigrationStopTunnel(iothread, ret < 0) < 0)
             ret = -1;
+        VIR_FORCE_CLOSE(fd);
     }
 
     if (ret == 0 &&