diff --git a/sys/include/9p.h b/sys/include/9p.h
index 1a51ffeab..bfbe0d7ec 100644
--- a/sys/include/9p.h
+++ b/sys/include/9p.h
@@ -214,7 +214,6 @@ struct Srv {
 
 	int		infd;
 	int		outfd;
-	int		srvfd;
 	char*	keyspec;
 
 /* below is implementation-specific; don't use */
@@ -243,13 +242,13 @@ void		srvforker(void (*)(void*), void*, int);
 void		threadsrvforker(void (*)(void*), void*, int);
 
 void		srv(Srv*);
-void		postsrv(Srv*, char*);
+int		postsrv(Srv*, char*);
 void		postmountsrv(Srv*, char*, char*, int);
 void		postsharesrv(Srv*, char*, char*, char*);
 void		listensrv(Srv*, char*);
 
 void		threadsrv(Srv*);
-void		threadpostsrv(Srv*, char*);
+int		threadpostsrv(Srv*, char*);
 void		threadpostmountsrv(Srv*, char*, char*, int);
 void		threadpostsharesrv(Srv*, char*, char*, char*);
 void		threadlistensrv(Srv *s, char *addr);
diff --git a/sys/man/2/9p b/sys/man/2/9p
index d68fbaa2c..4fb831d09 100644
--- a/sys/man/2/9p
+++ b/sys/man/2/9p
@@ -63,7 +63,6 @@ typedef struct Srv {
 
 	int		infd;
 	int		outfd;
-	int		srvfd;
 
 	void		(*forker)(void (*fn)(void*), void *arg, int flags);
 } Srv;
@@ -73,12 +72,12 @@ typedef struct Srv {
 .ft L
 .ta \w'\fLvoid* 'u
 void	srv(Srv *s)
-void	postsrv(Srv *s, char *name);
+int	postsrv(Srv *s, char *name);
 void	postmountsrv(Srv *s, char *name, char *mtpt, int flag)
 void	postsharesrv(Srv *s, char *name, char *mtpt, char *desc)
 void	listensrv(Srv *s, char *addr)
 void	threadsrv(Srv *s)
-void	threadpostsrv(Srv *s, char *name);
+int	threadpostsrv(Srv *s, char *name);
 void	threadpostmountsrv(Srv *s, char *name, char *mtpt, int flag)
 void	threadpostsharesrv(Srv *s, char *name, char *mtpt, char *desc)
 void	threadlistensrv(Srv *s, char *addr)
@@ -193,14 +192,26 @@ or
 (see
 .IR thread (2)).
 .PP
-.I Postmountsrv
+
+.I Postsrv
 and
-.I threadpostmountsrv
+.I threadpostsrv
 are wrappers that create a separate process in which to run
 .IR srv .
 They do the following:
 .IP
 Initialize
+.IB s -> infd
+and
+.IB s -> outfd
+to be one end of a freshly allocated pipe.
+.IP
+If
+.B name
+is non-nil, post the other end file descriptor under the name
+.BI /srv/ name .
+.IP
+Initialize
 .IB s -> forker
 to eigther
 .I srvforker
@@ -208,24 +219,6 @@ or
 .I threadsrvforker
 unless already initialized to a non-nil value.
 .IP
-Initialize
-.IB s -> infd
-and
-.IB s -> outfd
-to be one end of a freshly allocated pipe,
-with
-.IB s -> srvfd
-initialized as the other end.
-.IP
-If
-.B name
-is non-nil, post the file descriptor
-.IB s -> srvfd
-under the name
-.BI /srv/ name
-using a call to
-.IR postsrv .
-.IP
 Fork a child process via
 .IB s -> forker
 using the
@@ -248,27 +241,37 @@ flag. This way, the service loop will share the original
 file descriptor table with previously created child
 processes of the caller.
 .IP
-The child process then calls
-.IB close( s -> srvfd )
-and then
-.IB srv( s ) \fR;
-it will exit once
-.I srv
-returns.
+The child process then closes the other end file descriptor
+and calls
+.IR srv .
 .IP
-If
+The parent process returns from the function with the
+mountable file descriptor
+.IR sfd .
+On error,
+.I postsrv
+and
+.I threadpostsrv
+return a file descriptor of
+.BR -1
+with error string set.
+.PP
+.I Postmountsrv
+and
+.I threadpostmntsrv
+call
+.I postsrv
+with
+.I name
+and then if
 .I mtpt
 is non-nil,
 call
-.BI amount( s -> srvfd,
+.BI amount( sfd ,
 .IB mtpt ,
 .IB flag ,
 \fB"")\fR;
-otherwise, close
-.IB s -> srvfd \fR.
-.IP
-The parent returns to the caller.
-.LP
+otherwise, close the file descriptor.
 If any error occurs during
 this process, the entire process is terminated by calling
 .I sysfatal
diff --git a/sys/src/cmd/aux/wacom.c b/sys/src/cmd/aux/wacom.c
index 5b076873c..876d4ab15 100644
--- a/sys/src/cmd/aux/wacom.c
+++ b/sys/src/cmd/aux/wacom.c
@@ -329,7 +329,6 @@ main()
 	
 	pipe(fd);
 	tabletsrv.infd = tabletsrv.outfd = fd[0];
-	tabletsrv.srvfd = fd[1];
 	tabletsrv.tree = alloctree(getuser(), getuser(), 0555, 0);
 	tfile = createfile(tabletsrv.tree->root, "tablet", getuser(), 0400, 0);
 	if(rfork(RFPROC | RFMEM | RFNOWAIT | RFNOTEG) > 0) exits(nil);
@@ -349,4 +348,4 @@ main()
 		sendout(m);
 		msgdecref(m);
 	}
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/sys/src/lib9p/listen.c b/sys/src/lib9p/listen.c
index c7e8dd02c..b093bc287 100644
--- a/sys/src/lib9p/listen.c
+++ b/sys/src/lib9p/listen.c
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ listensrv(Srv *os, char *addr)
 	*s = *os;
 
 	s->addr = estrdup9p(addr);
-	s->infd = s->outfd = s->srvfd = -1;
+	s->infd = s->outfd = -1;
 	s->fpool = nil;
 	s->rpool = nil;
 	s->msize = 0;
diff --git a/sys/src/lib9p/mount.c b/sys/src/lib9p/mount.c
index 1adc90bed..1ab41825c 100644
--- a/sys/src/lib9p/mount.c
+++ b/sys/src/lib9p/mount.c
@@ -8,12 +8,15 @@
 void
 postmountsrv(Srv *s, char *name, char *mtpt, int flag)
 {
-	postsrv(s, name);
+	int sfd;
 
+	sfd = postsrv(s, name);
+	if(sfd < 0)
+		sysfatal("postsrv: %r");
 	if(mtpt != nil){
-		if(amount(s->srvfd, mtpt, flag, "") == -1)
+		if(amount(sfd, mtpt, flag, "") == -1)
 			sysfatal("mount %s: %r", mtpt);
-		/* mount closed s->srvfd */
+		/* mount closed sfd */
 	} else
-		close(s->srvfd);
+		close(sfd);
 }
diff --git a/sys/src/lib9p/post.c b/sys/src/lib9p/post.c
index 18ded63ba..b2134968c 100644
--- a/sys/src/lib9p/post.c
+++ b/sys/src/lib9p/post.c
@@ -8,43 +8,41 @@ static void
 postproc(void *v)
 {
 	Srv *s = v;
-	rendezvous(0, 0);
-	close(s->srvfd);
+	close((int)(uintptr)rendezvous(s, 0));
 	srv(s);
 }
 
-void
+int
 postsrv(Srv *s, char *name)
 {
-	char buf[80];
-	int fd[2];
-	int cfd;
+	int fd[2], cfd;
 
 	if(pipe(fd) < 0)
-		sysfatal("pipe: %r");
-	s->infd = s->outfd = fd[1];
-	s->srvfd = fd[0];
-
+		return -1;
 	if(name != nil){
+		char buf[80];
+
 		snprint(buf, sizeof buf, "/srv/%s", name);
-		if((cfd = create(buf, OWRITE|ORCLOSE|OCEXEC, 0600)) < 0)
-			sysfatal("create %s: %r", buf);
-		if(fprint(cfd, "%d", s->srvfd) < 0)
-			sysfatal("write %s: %r", buf);
+		if((cfd = create(buf, OWRITE|ORCLOSE|OCEXEC, 0600)) < 0
+		|| fprint(cfd, "%d", fd[0]) < 0){
+			close(fd[0]);
+			fd[0] = -1;
+			goto Out;
+		}
 	} else
 		cfd = -1;
 
+	/* now we are commited */
+	s->infd = s->outfd = fd[1];
 	if(s->forker == nil)
 		s->forker = srvforker;
 	(*s->forker)(postproc, s, RFNAMEG|RFNOTEG);
 
 	rfork(RFFDG);
-	rendezvous(0, 0);
-
-	close(s->infd);
-	if(s->infd != s->outfd)
-		close(s->outfd);
-
+	rendezvous(s, (void*)(uintptr)fd[0]);
+Out:
 	if(cfd >= 0)
 		close(cfd);
+	close(fd[1]);
+	return fd[0];
 }
diff --git a/sys/src/lib9p/share.c b/sys/src/lib9p/share.c
index ff73e9c3e..afa01c2f2 100644
--- a/sys/src/lib9p/share.c
+++ b/sys/src/lib9p/share.c
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ void
 postsharesrv(Srv *s, char *name, char *mtpt, char *desc)
 {
 	char buf[80];
-	int cfd;
+	int cfd, sfd;
 
 	if(mtpt != nil && desc != nil){
 		snprint(buf, sizeof buf, "#σc/%s", mtpt);
@@ -21,12 +21,13 @@ postsharesrv(Srv *s, char *name, char *mtpt, char *desc)
 	} else
 		cfd = -1;
 
-	postsrv(s, name);
-
+	sfd = postsrv(s, name);
+	if(sfd < 0)
+		sysfatal("postsrv: %r");
 	if(cfd >= 0){
-		if(fprint(cfd, "%d\n", s->srvfd) < 0)
+		if(fprint(cfd, "%d\n", sfd) < 0)
 			sysfatal("write %s: %r", buf);
 		close(cfd);
 	}
-	close(s->srvfd);
+	close(sfd);
 }
diff --git a/sys/src/lib9p/threadpostsrv.c b/sys/src/lib9p/threadpostsrv.c
index abdb882e8..b627a8653 100644
--- a/sys/src/lib9p/threadpostsrv.c
+++ b/sys/src/lib9p/threadpostsrv.c
@@ -4,10 +4,10 @@
 #include <thread.h>
 #include <9p.h>
 
-void
+int
 threadpostsrv(Srv *s, char *name)
 {
 	if(s->forker == nil)
 		s->forker = threadsrvforker;
-	postsrv(s, name);
+	return postsrv(s, name);
 }