diff --git a/src/bin/psql/command.c b/src/bin/psql/command.c
index 695d6ba9f1..4bf4726981 100644
--- a/src/bin/psql/command.c
+++ b/src/bin/psql/command.c
@@ -2937,16 +2937,16 @@ do_connect(enum trivalue reuse_previous_specification,
 		if (host && strcmp(host, PQhost(o_conn)) == 0)
 		{
 			/*
-			 * if we are targeting the same host, reuse its hostaddr for
-			 * consistency
+			 * if we are targeting the same host, we should reuse its hostaddr for
+			 * consistency if hostaddr was explicitely set. However, the library
+			 * does not allow to know that at the libPQ level.
 			 */
-			hostaddr = PQhostaddr(o_conn);
+			;
 		}
 		if (!host)
 		{
 			host = PQhost(o_conn);
-			/* also set hostaddr for consistency */
-			hostaddr = PQhostaddr(o_conn);
+			/* we should also set hostaddr for consistency, if hostaddr was set */
 		}
 		if (!port)
 			port = PQport(o_conn);
@@ -3129,7 +3129,10 @@ do_connect(enum trivalue reuse_previous_specification,
 			char	   *host = PQhost(pset.db);
 			char	   *hostaddr = PQhostaddr(pset.db);
 
-			/* If the host is an absolute path, the connection is via socket */
+			/*
+			 * If the host is an absolute path, the connection is via socket
+			 * unless overriden by hostaddr
+			 */
 			if (is_absolute_path(host))
 			{
 				if (hostaddr && *hostaddr)
diff --git a/src/interfaces/libpq/fe-connect.c b/src/interfaces/libpq/fe-connect.c
index e58fa6742a..5d88c15cc5 100644
--- a/src/interfaces/libpq/fe-connect.c
+++ b/src/interfaces/libpq/fe-connect.c
@@ -1536,9 +1536,7 @@ getHostaddr(PGconn *conn, char *host_addr, int host_addr_len)
 {
 	struct sockaddr_storage *addr = &conn->raddr.addr;
 
-	if (conn->connhost[conn->whichhost].type == CHT_HOST_ADDRESS)
-		strlcpy(host_addr, conn->connhost[conn->whichhost].hostaddr, host_addr_len);
-	else if (addr->ss_family == AF_INET)
+	if (addr->ss_family == AF_INET)
 	{
 		if (inet_net_ntop(AF_INET,
 						  &((struct sockaddr_in *) addr)->sin_addr.s_addr,
@@ -6463,6 +6461,11 @@ PQhost(const PGconn *conn)
 
 	if (conn->connhost != NULL)
 	{
+		/*
+		 * note this return the host=... value provided by the user,
+		 * even if it is an IP, this it can include spaces and so,
+		 * whereas the next function uses the regenerated IP.
+		 */
 		if (conn->connhost[conn->whichhost].host != NULL &&
 			conn->connhost[conn->whichhost].host[0] != '\0')
 			return conn->connhost[conn->whichhost].host;
@@ -6480,15 +6483,8 @@ PQhostaddr(const PGconn *conn)
 	if (!conn)
 		return NULL;
 
-	if (conn->connhost != NULL)
-	{
-		if (conn->connhost[conn->whichhost].hostaddr != NULL &&
-			conn->connhost[conn->whichhost].hostaddr[0] != '\0')
-			return conn->connhost[conn->whichhost].hostaddr;
-
-		if (conn->connip != NULL)
-			return conn->connip;
-	}
+	if (conn->connhost != NULL && conn->connip != NULL)
+		return conn->connip;
 
 	return "";
 }