diff --git a/libguile/finalizers.c b/libguile/finalizers.c
index 0ae165fd1..5ddc7dbef 100644
--- a/libguile/finalizers.c
+++ b/libguile/finalizers.c
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 # include <config.h>
 #endif
 
+#include <assert.h>
 #include <errno.h>
 #include <fcntl.h>
 #include <full-write.h>
@@ -170,7 +171,7 @@ queue_finalizer_async (void)
 
 #if SCM_USE_PTHREAD_THREADS
 
-static int finalization_pipe[2];
+static int finalization_pipe[2] = { -1, -1 };
 static scm_i_pthread_mutex_t finalization_thread_lock =
   SCM_I_PTHREAD_MUTEX_INITIALIZER;
 static pthread_t finalization_thread;
@@ -254,6 +255,13 @@ start_finalization_thread (void)
   scm_i_pthread_mutex_lock (&finalization_thread_lock);
   if (!finalization_thread_is_running)
     {
+      assert (finalization_pipe[0] == -1);
+
+      if (pipe2 (finalization_pipe, O_CLOEXEC) != 0)
+        scm_syserror (NULL);
+
+      GC_set_finalizer_notifier (notify_finalizers_to_run);
+
       /* Use the raw pthread API and scm_with_guile, because we don't want
 	 to block on any lock that scm_spawn_thread might want to take,
 	 and we don't want to inherit the dynamic state (fluids) of the
@@ -276,6 +284,12 @@ stop_finalization_thread (void)
       notify_about_to_fork ();
       if (pthread_join (finalization_thread, NULL))
         perror ("joining finalization thread");
+
+      close (finalization_pipe[0]);
+      close (finalization_pipe[1]);
+      finalization_pipe[0] = -1;
+      finalization_pipe[1] = -1;
+
       finalization_thread_is_running = 0;
     }
   scm_i_pthread_mutex_unlock (&finalization_thread_lock);
@@ -284,7 +298,6 @@ stop_finalization_thread (void)
 static void
 spawn_finalizer_thread (void)
 {
-  GC_set_finalizer_notifier (notify_finalizers_to_run);
   start_finalization_thread ();
 }
 
@@ -368,8 +381,6 @@ scm_set_automatic_finalization_enabled (int enabled_p)
   if (enabled_p)
     {
 #if SCM_USE_PTHREAD_THREADS
-      if (pipe2 (finalization_pipe, O_CLOEXEC) != 0)
-        scm_syserror (NULL);
       GC_set_finalizer_notifier (spawn_finalizer_thread);
 #else
       GC_set_finalizer_notifier (queue_finalizer_async);
@@ -381,10 +392,6 @@ scm_set_automatic_finalization_enabled (int enabled_p)
 
 #if SCM_USE_PTHREAD_THREADS
       stop_finalization_thread ();
-      close (finalization_pipe[0]);
-      close (finalization_pipe[1]);
-      finalization_pipe[0] = -1;
-      finalization_pipe[1] = -1;
 #endif
     }
 
@@ -423,10 +430,6 @@ scm_init_finalizer_thread (void)
 {
 #if SCM_USE_PTHREAD_THREADS
   if (automatic_finalization_p)
-    {
-      if (pipe2 (finalization_pipe, O_CLOEXEC) != 0)
-        scm_syserror (NULL);
     GC_set_finalizer_notifier (spawn_finalizer_thread);
-    }
 #endif
 }