diff --git a/support/aphlict/server/aphlict_launcher.php b/support/aphlict/server/aphlict_launcher.php
index c9cb6281d..944cc4cf5 100755
--- a/support/aphlict/server/aphlict_launcher.php
+++ b/support/aphlict/server/aphlict_launcher.php
@@ -1,157 +1,164 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env php
 <?php
 
 // This is a launcher for the 'aphlict' Node.js notification server that
 // provides real-time notifications for Phabricator. It handles reading
 // configuration from the Phabricator config, daemonizing the server,
 // restarting the server if it crashes, and some basic sanity checks.
 
 
 $root = dirname(dirname(dirname(dirname(__FILE__))));
 require_once $root.'/scripts/__init_script__.php';
 
 
 // >>> Options and Arguments ---------------------------------------------------
 
 $args = new PhutilArgumentParser($argv);
 $args->setTagline('manage Aphlict notification server');
 $args->setSynopsis(<<<EOHELP
 **aphlict** [__options__]
   Start (or restart) the Aphlict server.
 EOHELP
 );
 $args->parseStandardArguments();
 $args->parse(array(
   array(
     'name' => 'foreground',
     'help' => 'Run in the foreground instead of daemonizing.',
   ),
 ));
 
 if (posix_getuid() != 0) {
   throw new Exception(
     "You must run this script as root; the Aphlict server needs to bind to ".
     "privileged ports.");
 }
 
 list($err) = exec_manual('node -v');
 if ($err) {
   throw new Exception(
     '`node` is not in $PATH. You must install Node.js to run the Aphlict '.
     'server.');
 }
 
 $server_uri = PhabricatorEnv::getEnvConfig('notification.server-uri');
 $server_uri = new PhutilURI($server_uri);
 
 $client_uri = PhabricatorEnv::getEnvConfig('notification.client-uri');
 $client_uri = new PhutilURI($client_uri);
 
 $user = PhabricatorEnv::getEnvConfig('notification.user');
 $log  = PhabricatorEnv::getEnvConfig('notification.log');
 
 $g_pidfile = PhabricatorEnv::getEnvConfig('notification.pidfile');
 $g_future  = null;
 
 $foreground = $args->getArg('foreground');
 
 // Build the argument list for the server itself.
 $server_argv = array();
 $server_argv[] = csprintf('--port=%s', $client_uri->getPort());
 $server_argv[] = csprintf('--admin=%s', $server_uri->getPort());
 $server_argv[] = csprintf('--host=%s', $server_uri->getDomain());
 
 if ($user) {
   $server_argv[] = csprintf('--user=%s', $user);
 }
 
 if ($log) {
   $server_argv[] = csprintf('--log=%s', $log);
 }
 
 
 // >>> Foreground / Background -------------------------------------------------
 
 // If we start in the foreground, we use phutil_passthru() below to show any
 // output from the server to the console, but this means *this* process won't
 // receive signals until the child exits. If we write our pid to the pidfile
 // and then another process starts, it will try to SIGTERM us but we won't
 // receive the signal. Since the effect is the same and this is simpler, just
 // ignore the pidfile if launched in `--foreground` mode; this is a debugging
 // mode anyway.
 if ($foreground) {
   echo "Starting server in foreground, ignoring pidfile...\n";
   $g_pidfile = null;
 } else {
   $pid = pcntl_fork();
   if ($pid < 0) {
     throw new Exception("Failed to fork()!");
   } else if ($pid) {
     exit(0);
   }
+  // When we fork, the child process will inherit its parent's set of open
+  // file descriptors. If the parent process of bin/aphlict is waiting for
+  // bin/aphlict's file descriptors to close, it will be stuck waiting on
+  // the daemonized process. (This happens if e.g. bin/aphlict is started
+  // in another script using passthru().)
+  fclose(STDOUT);
+  fclose(STDERR);
 }
 
 
 // >>> Signals / Cleanup -------------------------------------------------------
 
 function cleanup($sig = '?') {
   global $g_pidfile;
   if ($g_pidfile) {
     Filesystem::remove($g_pidfile);
     $g_pidfile = null;
   }
 
   global $g_future;
   if ($g_future) {
     $g_future->resolveKill();
     $g_future = null;
   }
 
   exit(1);
 }
 
 if (!$foreground) {
   declare(ticks = 1);
   pcntl_signal(SIGTERM, 'cleanup');
 }
 
 register_shutdown_function('cleanup');
 
 
 // >>> pidfile -----------------------------------------------------------------
 
 if ($g_pidfile) {
   if (Filesystem::pathExists($g_pidfile)) {
     $old_pid = (int)Filesystem::readFile($g_pidfile);
     posix_kill($old_pid, SIGTERM);
     sleep(1);
     Filesystem::remove($g_pidfile);
   }
   Filesystem::writeFile($g_pidfile, getmypid());
 }
 
 
 // >>> run ---------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 $command = csprintf(
   'node %s %C',
   dirname(__FILE__).'/aphlict_server.js',
   implode(' ', $server_argv));
 
 if ($foreground) {
   echo "Launching server:\n\n";
   echo "    $ ".$command."\n\n";
 
   $err = phutil_passthru('%C', $command);
   echo ">>> Server exited!\n";
   exit($err);
 } else {
   while (true) {
     $g_future = new ExecFuture('exec %C', $command);
     $g_future->resolve();
 
     // If the server exited, wait a couple of seconds and restart it.
     unset($g_future);
     sleep(2);
   }
 }