diff --git a/src/lib-sieve/util/program-client-remote.c b/src/lib-sieve/util/program-client-remote.c
index f548baf0a10d279f2ac854627a8d3dedea704a4b..3636f41a246d4aa016ce67f33373c200dd506fa7 100644
--- a/src/lib-sieve/util/program-client-remote.c
+++ b/src/lib-sieve/util/program-client-remote.c
@@ -239,7 +239,7 @@ static int program_client_remote_connect(struct program_client *pclient)
 		!pclient->output_seekable ? -1 : fd );
 	pclient->fd_out = fd;
 	pclient->io = io_add(fd, IO_WRITE, program_client_remote_connected, pclient);
-	return 1;
+	return 0;
 }
 
 static int program_client_remote_close_output(struct program_client *pclient)
diff --git a/src/lib-sieve/util/program-client.c b/src/lib-sieve/util/program-client.c
index 87d083c5ba775842b638c7d4a793373374a49213..7fe0f93e5a6a69b92906e4af2e48673df80986c3 100644
--- a/src/lib-sieve/util/program-client.c
+++ b/src/lib-sieve/util/program-client.c
@@ -490,13 +490,11 @@ int program_client_run(struct program_client *pclient)
 	pclient->exit_code = 0;
 	pclient->error = PROGRAM_CLIENT_ERROR_NONE;
 
-
 	pclient->ioloop = io_loop_create();
 
 	if ( program_client_connect(pclient) >= 0 ) {
 		/* run output */
-		ret = 1;		
-		if ( pclient->program_output != NULL &&
+		if ( ret > 0 && pclient->program_output != NULL &&
 			(ret=o_stream_flush(pclient->program_output)) == 0 ) {
 			o_stream_set_flush_callback
 				(pclient->program_output, program_client_program_output, pclient);
@@ -505,7 +503,8 @@ int program_client_run(struct program_client *pclient)
 		/* run i/o event loop */
 		if ( ret < 0 ) {
 			pclient->error = PROGRAM_CLIENT_ERROR_IO;
-		} else if ( ret == 0 || program_client_input_pending(pclient) ) {
+		} else if ( !pclient->disconnected &&
+			(ret == 0 || program_client_input_pending(pclient)) ) {
 			io_loop_run(pclient->ioloop);
 		}