diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 01affff..b330a52 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -12,6 +12,12 @@ vNEXT:
 	`msg_probe_error` to `msg_probe_info`: beware if you
 	happen to use them...
 
+	Close unused file descriptors upon forking a worker
+	for a connection (in sslh-ev and sslh-select). In
+	particular, this prevents forked processes to
+	inherit the listen sockets and block a new main
+	process from starting.
+
 v2.3.0:
 	Added `max_connections` setting to `listen` and
 	`protocol` configuration; see the
diff --git a/collection.c b/collection.c
index 8680915..d62c627 100644
--- a/collection.c
+++ b/collection.c
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
 /* Info to keep track of all connections */
 struct cnx_collection {
     gap_array* fd2cnx;  /* Array indexed by file descriptor to things in cnx[] */
+    int max_fd;
 };
 
 /* Allocates and initialises a new collection of connections with at least
@@ -42,6 +43,7 @@ cnx_collection* collection_init(int len)
     memset(collection, 0, sizeof(*collection));
 
     collection->fd2cnx = gap_init(len);
+    collection->max_fd = 0;
 
     return collection;
 }
@@ -54,10 +56,17 @@ void collection_destroy(cnx_collection* collection)
     free(collection);
 }
 
+int collection_max_fd(cnx_collection* collection)
+{
+    return collection->max_fd;
+}
+
 /* Points the file descriptor to the specified connection index */
 int collection_add_fd(cnx_collection* collection, struct connection* cnx, int fd)
 {
     gap_set(collection->fd2cnx, fd, cnx);
+    if (fd > collection->max_fd)
+        collection->max_fd = fd;
     return 0;
 }
 
@@ -74,8 +83,7 @@ struct connection* collection_alloc_cnx_from_fd(struct cnx_collection* collectio
     cnx->state = ST_PROBING;
     cnx->probe_timeout = time(NULL) + cfg.timeout;
 
-    gap_set(collection->fd2cnx, fd, cnx);
-
+    collection_add_fd(collection, cnx, fd);
     return cnx;
 }
 
diff --git a/collection.h b/collection.h
index 8d6ebb2..5ca6a4f 100644
--- a/collection.h
+++ b/collection.h
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ void collection_destroy(cnx_collection* collection);
 
 struct connection* collection_alloc_cnx_from_fd(cnx_collection* collection, int fd);
 int collection_add_fd(cnx_collection* collection, struct connection* cnx, int fd);
+int collection_max_fd(cnx_collection* collection);
 
 /* Remove a connection from the collection */
 int collection_remove_cnx(cnx_collection* collection, struct connection *cnx);
diff --git a/processes.c b/processes.c
index 27a10d6..ae77226 100644
--- a/processes.c
+++ b/processes.c
@@ -196,7 +196,7 @@ static int next_power_of_two(int n)
     return n + 1;
 }
 
-void loop_init(struct loop_info* loop, int num_addr_listen)
+void loop_init(struct loop_info* loop, struct listen_endpoint* listen_sockets, int num_addr_listen)
 {
     memset(loop, 0, sizeof(*loop));
     loop->collection = collection_init(0);
@@ -206,6 +206,7 @@ void loop_init(struct loop_info* loop, int num_addr_listen)
     udp_init(loop);
     tcp_init();
 
+    loop->listen_sockets = listen_sockets;
     loop->num_addr_listen = num_addr_listen;
 
     int max_forks = next_power_of_two(max_forking_connections());
diff --git a/processes.h b/processes.h
index 20566cc..8d20ca4 100644
--- a/processes.h
+++ b/processes.h
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@ struct loop_info {
     hash* pid2proto; /* to follow which forked PID is processing what protocol for connection count */
 
     watchers* watchers;
+
+    struct listen_endpoint* listen_sockets;
     int num_addr_listen;  /* How many listen endpoints do we have here */
 
     cnx_collection* collection; /* Collection of connections linked to this loop */
@@ -32,7 +34,7 @@ void cnx_read_process(struct loop_info* fd_info, int fd);
 struct connection* cnx_accept_process(struct loop_info* fd_info, struct listen_endpoint* listen_socket);
 
 int tidy_connection(struct connection *cnx, struct loop_info* fd_info);
-void loop_init(struct loop_info* loop, int num_addr_listen);
+void loop_init(struct loop_info* loop, struct listen_endpoint* listen_sockets, int num_addr_listen);
 
 void remember_child_data(struct loop_info* fd_info, 
                          struct connection* cnx, pid_t pid);
@@ -47,4 +49,6 @@ void watchers_del_write(watchers* w, int fd);
 
 void watcher_sigchld(struct loop_info* fd_info, struct connection* cnx, pid_t pid);
 
+void close_listen_endpoints(struct loop_info* loop);
+
 #endif
diff --git a/sslh-ev.c b/sslh-ev.c
index f9b82ed..3e7de94 100644
--- a/sslh-ev.c
+++ b/sslh-ev.c
@@ -207,13 +207,12 @@ void watcher_sigchld(struct loop_info* fd_info, struct connection* cnx, pid_t pi
     ev_child_start(EV_DEFAULT_ cw);
 }
 
-
 void main_loop(struct listen_endpoint listen_sockets[], int num_addr_listen)
 {
     struct loop_info ev_info;
     loop = EV_DEFAULT;
 
-    loop_init(&ev_info, num_addr_listen);
+    loop_init(&ev_info, listen_sockets, num_addr_listen);
 
     watchers_init(&ev_info.watchers, listen_sockets, num_addr_listen);
     ev_set_userdata(EV_A_ &ev_info);
diff --git a/sslh-select.c b/sslh-select.c
index 376ff6a..5dc81f0 100644
--- a/sslh-select.c
+++ b/sslh-select.c
@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ void main_loop(struct listen_endpoint listen_sockets[], int num_addr_listen)
     int i, res;
 
     setup_sigalrm();
-    loop_init(&fd_info, num_addr_listen);
+    loop_init(&fd_info, listen_sockets, num_addr_listen);
 
     watchers_init(&fd_info.watchers, listen_sockets, num_addr_listen);
 
diff --git a/tcp-listener.c b/tcp-listener.c
index 4840a58..14858c2 100644
--- a/tcp-listener.c
+++ b/tcp-listener.c
@@ -296,6 +296,37 @@ static void connect_proxy(struct connection *cnx)
 }
 
 
+/* This ensures the kernel will close the listening socket when the
+ * parent process closes; otherwise, the listening socket is kept
+ * around by the inactive file descriptor in the child */
+void close_listen_endpoints(struct loop_info* loop)
+{
+    struct listen_endpoint* listen_sockets = loop->listen_sockets;
+    watchers* w = loop->watchers;
+
+    for (int i = 0; i < loop->num_addr_listen; i++) {
+        int fd = listen_sockets[i].socketfd;
+        watchers_del_read(w, fd);
+        watchers_del_write(w, fd);
+        close(fd);
+    }
+}
+
+
+/* Close all connections except specified.
+ * This saves file descriptors and allocated memory when forking */
+void tidy_other_connections(struct loop_info* fd_info, struct connection* keep_cnx)
+{
+    struct connection* cnx;
+    cnx_collection* cnx_coll = fd_info->collection;
+
+    for (int i = 0; i < collection_max_fd(cnx_coll); i++) {
+        cnx = collection_get_cnx_from_fd(cnx_coll, i);
+        if (cnx && (cnx != keep_cnx))
+            tidy_connection(cnx, fd_info);
+    }
+}
+
 /* Forks a shoveler process for one protocol */
 void fork_shoveling_process(struct loop_info* fd_info, struct connection* cnx) {
     pid_t pid;
@@ -307,8 +338,8 @@ void fork_shoveling_process(struct loop_info* fd_info, struct connection* cnx) {
 
     switch (pid = fork()) {
     case 0:  /* child */
-        /* TODO: close all file descriptors except 2 */
-        /* free(cnx); */
+        close_listen_endpoints(fd_info);
+        tidy_other_connections(fd_info, cnx);
         connect_proxy(cnx);
         exit(0);
     case -1: print_message(msg_system_error, "fork failed: err %d: %s\n", errno, strerror(errno));