diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 3a873e9..acf2b21 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -82,6 +82,8 @@ tests/Integrity_-_Basic.test \
 tests/Integrity_-_Binary_data.test \
 tests/Integrity_-_From_bursty_source.test \
 tests/Integrity_-_Large_file_support.test \
+tests/Integrity_-_On_closed_output_pipe_at_EOF.test \
+tests/Integrity_-_On_failed_input_pipe_at_EOF.test \
 tests/Integrity_-_On_output_pipe_close.test \
 tests/Integrity_-_When_adjusted_remotely.test \
 tests/Memory_safety_-_Basic.test \
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 7819931..b031a4d 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -45,6 +45,8 @@ AC_CHECK_HEADERS([sys/ioctl.h])
 AC_CHECK_HEADERS([libintl.h locale.h])
 AC_CHECK_HEADERS([sys/sysmacros.h])
 AC_CHECK_HEADERS([ftw.h])
+AC_CHECK_HEADERS([poll.h sys/poll.h])
+AC_CHECK_FUNCS([poll])
 AC_CHECK_MEMBERS([struct stat.st_blksize])
 AC_CHECK_DECLS([SA_SIGINFO], [], [], [[#include <signal.h>]])
 
diff --git a/src/pv/loop.c b/src/pv/loop.c
index cdc7bb4..b0132a5 100644
--- a/src/pv/loop.c
+++ b/src/pv/loop.c
@@ -25,6 +25,12 @@
 #include <sys/ioctl.h>
 #include <sys/stat.h>
 
+#if HAVE_POLL_H
+#include <poll.h>
+#elif HAVE_SYS_POLL_H
+#include <sys/poll.h>
+#endif
+
 #if HAVE_MATH_H
 #include <math.h>
 #endif
@@ -84,6 +90,48 @@ static bool pv__resize_display_on_signal(pvstate_t state)
 }
 
 
+/*
+ * Return true if the write end of a pipe reports that its readers have gone
+ * away.  This is only used after PV has reached EOF and is waiting for the
+ * output pipe buffer to drain; live readers still get the existing behaviour.
+ */
+static bool pv__output_pipe_has_no_reader(int output_fd)
+{
+#if HAVE_POLL && (HAVE_POLL_H || HAVE_SYS_POLL_H)
+	struct pollfd pfd;
+	int result;
+
+	memset(&pfd, 0, sizeof(pfd));
+	pfd.fd = output_fd;
+	pfd.events = POLLOUT;
+
+	result = poll(&pfd, 1, 0);
+	if (result < 0) {
+		if (EINTR != errno) {
+			debug("%s(%d): %s", "poll", output_fd, strerror(errno));
+		}
+		return false;
+	}
+	if (0 == result)
+		return false;
+
+#if defined(POLLERR)
+	if (0 != (pfd.revents & POLLERR))
+		return true;
+#endif
+#if defined(POLLHUP)
+	if (0 != (pfd.revents & POLLHUP))
+		return true;
+#endif
+
+	return false;
+#else
+	(void) output_fd;
+	return false;
+#endif
+}
+
+
 /*
  * Calculate and display the transfer statistics at the end of the transfer,
  * if stats are enabled and any measurements were taken.
@@ -673,8 +721,15 @@ int pv_main_loop(pvstate_t state)
 		 * buffer to empty (#164).
 		 */
 		if (eof_in && eof_out && state->transfer.written_but_not_consumed > 0) {
-			debug("%s", "EOF but bytes remain in output pipe - sleeping");
-			pv_nanosleep(50000000);
+			if (pv__output_pipe_has_no_reader(output_fd)) {
+				debug("%s",
+				      "EOF but output pipe readers are gone - clearing written_but_not_consumed");
+				state->flags.pipe_closed = 1;
+				state->transfer.written_but_not_consumed = 0;
+			} else {
+				debug("%s", "EOF but bytes remain in output pipe - sleeping");
+				pv_nanosleep(50000000);
+			}
 		}
 
 		/*
diff --git a/tests/Integrity_-_On_closed_output_pipe_at_EOF.test b/tests/Integrity_-_On_closed_output_pipe_at_EOF.test
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..2874970
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/Integrity_-_On_closed_output_pipe_at_EOF.test
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+#
+# Check that EOF does not wait forever when the output pipe reader exits
+# without consuming bytes already written into the pipe.
+
+# Allow all tests to be skipped, e.g. during a release build
+test "${SKIP_ALL_TESTS}" = "1" && exit 77
+
+true "${testSubject:?not set - call this from 'make check'}"
+
+TIMEOUT=""
+if command -v timeout >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+	TIMEOUT="timeout"
+elif command -v gtimeout >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+	TIMEOUT="gtimeout"
+else
+	echo "timeout command not available"
+	exit 77
+fi
+
+# The reader keeps the pipe open briefly but reads nothing.  When it exits,
+# PV has no further input, so it must notice the closed reader without
+# relying on a later write returning EPIPE.
+if ! "${TIMEOUT}" 4 sh <<EOF
+printf "x" | "${testSubject}" -q -B 1 | sleep 1
+EOF
+then
+	echo "PV did not finish after the output pipe reader exited"
+	exit 1
+fi
+
+exit 0
diff --git a/tests/Integrity_-_On_failed_input_pipe_at_EOF.test b/tests/Integrity_-_On_failed_input_pipe_at_EOF.test
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..2e4b1af
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/Integrity_-_On_failed_input_pipe_at_EOF.test
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+#
+# Check that EOF does not wait forever when the upstream producer exits with
+# failure and the output pipe reader exits without consuming buffered bytes.
+
+# Allow all tests to be skipped, e.g. during a release build
+test "${SKIP_ALL_TESTS}" = "1" && exit 77
+
+true "${testSubject:?not set - call this from 'make check'}"
+
+TIMEOUT=""
+if command -v timeout >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+	TIMEOUT="timeout"
+elif command -v gtimeout >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+	TIMEOUT="gtimeout"
+else
+	echo "timeout command not available"
+	exit 77
+fi
+
+if ! command -v gzip >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+	echo "gzip command not available"
+	exit 77
+fi
+
+# The producer fails immediately and writes no data.  gzip still emits a small
+# valid empty stream, so PV writes bytes to its output pipe before reaching EOF.
+# The reader keeps the pipe open briefly but consumes nothing.
+if ! "${TIMEOUT}" 4 sh <<EOF
+false | gzip -1 -c -n | "${testSubject}" -q -B 1 | sleep 1
+EOF
+then
+	echo "PV did not finish after the input producer failed and the output reader exited"
+	exit 1
+fi
+
+exit 0