diff --git a/src/backend/commands/copy.c b/src/backend/commands/copy.c
index b58a74f4e3db9d8e8f30d35e08ca84814742faa3..c4c6c875ec8102df2756d8ea1ba79791d63fed25 100644
*** a/src/backend/commands/copy.c
--- b/src/backend/commands/copy.c
*************** ClosePipeToProgram(CopyState cstate)
*** 1727,1737 ****
--- 1727,1746 ----
  				(errcode_for_file_access(),
  				 errmsg("could not close pipe to external command: %m")));
  	else if (pclose_rc != 0)
+ 	{
+ 		/*
+ 		 * If the called program terminated on SIGPIPE, assume it's OK; we
+ 		 * must have chosen to stop reading its output early.
+ 		 */
+ 		if (WIFSIGNALED(pclose_rc) && WTERMSIG(pclose_rc) == SIGPIPE)
+ 			return;
+ 
  		ereport(ERROR,
  				(errcode(ERRCODE_EXTERNAL_ROUTINE_EXCEPTION),
  				 errmsg("program \"%s\" failed",
  						cstate->filename),
  				 errdetail_internal("%s", wait_result_to_str(pclose_rc))));
+ 	}
  }
  
  /*
diff --git a/src/backend/storage/file/fd.c b/src/backend/storage/file/fd.c
index 8dd51f176749c5d1b2adc9993b5a9a3571ee566c..6cec85e2c1dc7dea23c8b941e5080714ea65e57a 100644
*** a/src/backend/storage/file/fd.c
--- b/src/backend/storage/file/fd.c
*************** OpenTransientFilePerm(const char *fileNa
*** 2430,2440 ****
--- 2430,2445 ----
   * Routines that want to initiate a pipe stream should use OpenPipeStream
   * rather than plain popen().  This lets fd.c deal with freeing FDs if
   * necessary.  When done, call ClosePipeStream rather than pclose.
+  *
+  * This function also ensures that the popen'd program is run with default
+  * SIGPIPE processing, rather than the SIG_IGN setting the backend normally
+  * uses.  This ensures desirable response to, eg, closing a read pipe early.
   */
  FILE *
  OpenPipeStream(const char *command, const char *mode)
  {
  	FILE	   *file;
+ 	int			save_errno;
  
  	DO_DB(elog(LOG, "OpenPipeStream: Allocated %d (%s)",
  			   numAllocatedDescs, command));
*************** OpenPipeStream(const char *command, cons
*** 2452,2459 ****
  TryAgain:
  	fflush(stdout);
  	fflush(stderr);
  	errno = 0;
! 	if ((file = popen(command, mode)) != NULL)
  	{
  		AllocateDesc *desc = &allocatedDescs[numAllocatedDescs];
  
--- 2457,2469 ----
  TryAgain:
  	fflush(stdout);
  	fflush(stderr);
+ 	pqsignal(SIGPIPE, SIG_DFL);
  	errno = 0;
! 	file = popen(command, mode);
! 	save_errno = errno;
! 	pqsignal(SIGPIPE, SIG_IGN);
! 	errno = save_errno;
! 	if (file != NULL)
  	{
  		AllocateDesc *desc = &allocatedDescs[numAllocatedDescs];
  
*************** TryAgain:
*** 2466,2473 ****
  
  	if (errno == EMFILE || errno == ENFILE)
  	{
- 		int			save_errno = errno;
- 
  		ereport(LOG,
  				(errcode(ERRCODE_INSUFFICIENT_RESOURCES),
  				 errmsg("out of file descriptors: %m; release and retry")));
--- 2476,2481 ----