diff --git a/src/jvm.ts b/src/jvm.ts
index 64ef3a7..532b492 100644
--- a/src/jvm.ts
+++ b/src/jvm.ts
@@ -58,6 +58,8 @@ export interface JvmOptions {
   loadNativeLibrary?: (path: string) => Promise<void>;
   // told when Java closes a file it wrote
   fileClosed?: (path: string) => void;
+  // told when Java closes descriptor 1 or 2, its standard output or error
+  closeOutput?: (fd: number) => void;
   // runs before the first OutOfMemoryError the VM throws is created
   onOutOfMemory?: (message: string | null) => void;
   // log VM internals to the host console
diff --git a/src/natives/io.ts b/src/natives/io.ts
index fa6fa1a..2bb3ae2 100644
--- a/src/natives/io.ts
+++ b/src/natives/io.ts
@@ -493,7 +493,7 @@ export function closeFd(t: JThread, fd: number) {
     if (f.writable && f.path) t.vm.opts.fileClosed?.(f.path);
     // the descriptor is closed either way, as with close(2)
     if (!ok) throw writeFailed(t, f.path);
-  }
+  } else if (fd === 1 || fd === 2) t.vm.opts.closeOutput?.(fd);
 }
 
 // Open files follow their inode: a rename moves their path, an unlink drops it.
@@ -687,7 +687,7 @@ export const natives: Natives = {
     const fd = t.vm.getField(fdObj, "java/io/FileDescriptor", "fd");
     // closed even when close reports a failed write
     t.vm.setField(fdObj, "java/io/FileDescriptor", "fd", -1);
-    if (fd > 2) closeFd(t, fd);
+    if (fd > 0) closeFd(t, fd);
   },
 
   [`${FOS}.open0(Ljava/lang/String;Z)V`]: (t, [self, path, append]) =>
diff --git a/src/node.ts b/src/node.ts
index 36d3744..6a17023 100644
--- a/src/node.ts
+++ b/src/node.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { isAssertionFlag, parseAssertions } from "./assertions.ts";
 import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process";
 import * as fs from "node:fs";
 import * as os from "node:os";
+import { isMainThread } from "node:worker_threads";
 import * as path from "node:path";
 import { deserialize, serialize, setFlagsFromString } from "node:v8";
 import { runInNewContext } from "node:vm";
@@ -400,6 +401,7 @@ const broken = new Set<NodeJS.WriteStream>();
 function hostOut(s: NodeJS.WriteStream) {
   if (!s.listeners("error").includes(onOutError)) s.on("error", onOutError);
   return (b: Uint8Array) => {
+    if (closed.has(s)) throw new PendingThrow("java/io/IOException", "Bad file descriptor");
     if (broken.has(s)) throw new PendingThrow("java/io/IOException", "Broken pipe");
     s.write(b);
   };
@@ -407,6 +409,34 @@ function hostOut(s: NodeJS.WriteStream) {
 function onOutError(this: NodeJS.WriteStream) {
   broken.add(this);
 }
+// Java closing descriptor 1 or 2 closes the host's, as in HotSpot, so a reader sees end of file.
+// The null device takes the number, so no file opened later gets the stream's writes.
+const closed = new Set<NodeJS.WriteStream>();
+function closeHostOut(s: NodeJS.WriteStream, fd: number) {
+  // a Worker's stdout and stderr are not descriptors 1 and 2, which belong to the whole process
+  if (!isMainThread || closed.has(s)) return;
+  closed.add(s);
+  let done = false;
+  const close = () => {
+    if (done) return;
+    done = true;
+    try {
+      fs.closeSync(fd);
+      // open takes the lowest free number: fill any free one below fd, then let those go
+      const below: number[] = [];
+      for (let nul = fs.openSync(os.devNull, "w"); nul !== fd; nul = fs.openSync(os.devNull, "w")) {
+        below.push(nul);
+        if (nul > fd) break;
+      }
+      for (const nul of below) fs.closeSync(nul);
+    } catch { /* already closed */ }
+  };
+  if (s.destroyed || s.writableEnded) return close();
+  // runs once the writes before it are done
+  s.write("", close);
+  s.once("error", close);
+  s.once("close", close);
+}
 
 // What HotSpot does on the first OutOfMemoryError: it prints the commands and
 // runs each through /bin/sh, with %p the process id, before throwing.
@@ -600,6 +630,10 @@ export function nodeVm(o: LauncherOptions): JVM {
     },
     stdout: o.stdout ?? hostOut(process.stdout),
     stderr: o.stderr ?? hostOut(process.stderr),
+    closeOutput: (fd) => {
+      if (fd === 1 && !o.stdout) closeHostOut(process.stdout, 1);
+      else if (fd === 2 && !o.stderr) closeHostOut(process.stderr, 2);
+    },
     stdin: o.input ? fixedInput(o.input) : () => new Promise((resolve) => {
       const onData = (d: Buffer) => { cleanup(); resolve(new Uint8Array(d)); };
       const onEnd = () => { cleanup(); resolve(null); };
diff --git a/src/process-node.ts b/src/process-node.ts
index e8203ca..07cd75f 100644
--- a/src/process-node.ts
+++ b/src/process-node.ts
@@ -77,10 +77,8 @@ function execFailure(error: NodeJS.ErrnoException): string {
   return `Exec failed, error: ${-error.errno!} (${text}) `;
 }
 
-// A child's output waits in memory up to this many bytes before the child is held back. More than a
-// pipe holds, since a java-web child cannot close its host stdout: a parent that reads stdout to its
-// end before stderr would otherwise wait on a child held back on stderr.
-const HELD = 1 << 24;
+// A child's output waits in memory up to this many bytes, what a Linux pipe holds, before the child is held back
+const HELD = 1 << 16;
 
 class Pipe implements ProcessPipe {
   private chunks: Uint8Array[] = [];
diff --git a/test/java/CloseStdout.java b/test/java/CloseStdout.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d8af9ca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/java/CloseStdout.java
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+import java.io.File;
+import java.io.FileDescriptor;
+import java.io.FileOutputStream;
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.io.InputStream;
+import java.io.PrintStream;
+import java.util.Arrays;
+
+// A child that closes System.out (or System.err) ends that stream at once: the parent reads it to
+// the end first, while the child writes more to the other stream than a pipe holds.
+public class CloseStdout {
+    public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
+        if (args.length > 0) {
+            boolean out = args[0].equals("out");
+            PrintStream closing = out ? System.out : System.err, other = out ? System.err : System.out;
+            closing.print("before close");
+            closing.close();
+            byte[] line = new byte[1023];
+            Arrays.fill(line, (byte) 'e');
+            for (int i = 0; i < 1024; i++) {
+                other.write(line);
+                other.write('\n');
+            }
+            other.flush();
+            try {
+                new FileOutputStream(out ? FileDescriptor.out : FileDescriptor.err).write('x');
+                other.println("write after close worked");
+            } catch (IOException e) {
+                other.println("write after close: " + e.getMessage());
+            }
+            return;
+        }
+        String java = System.getProperty("java.home") + File.separator + "bin" + File.separator + "java";
+        for (String which : new String[] {"out", "err"}) {
+            Process p = new ProcessBuilder(java, "-cp", System.getProperty("java.class.path"), "CloseStdout", which).start();
+            InputStream closed = which.equals("out") ? p.getInputStream() : p.getErrorStream();
+            InputStream other = which.equals("out") ? p.getErrorStream() : p.getInputStream();
+            String first = new String(closed.readAllBytes());
+            byte[] rest = other.readAllBytes();
+            System.out.println(which + " closed: " + first);
+            System.out.println("other bytes: " + rest.length);
+            String text = new String(rest);
+            System.out.println(text.substring(text.lastIndexOf('\n', text.length() - 2) + 1).trim());
+            System.out.println("exit: " + p.waitFor());
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/test/jtreg/passing.txt b/test/jtreg/passing.txt
index a836c85..5f24b7b 100644
--- a/test/jtreg/passing.txt
+++ b/test/jtreg/passing.txt
@@ -188,6 +188,7 @@ java/lang/RuntimeTests/exec/ConcurrentRead.java
 java/lang/RuntimeTests/exec/Duped.java
 java/lang/RuntimeTests/exec/ExitValue.java
 java/lang/RuntimeTests/exec/LotsOfDestroys.java
+java/lang/RuntimeTests/exec/LotsOfOutput.java
 java/lang/RuntimeTests/loadLibrary/LoadLibraryTest.java
 java/lang/RuntimeTests/shutdown/ShutdownHooks.java
 java/lang/RuntimeTests/shutdown/ShutdownInterruptedMain.java