diff --git a/builtin-fetch-pack.c b/builtin-fetch-pack.c
index bb1742f1a2..807fa93b53 100644
--- a/builtin-fetch-pack.c
+++ b/builtin-fetch-pack.c
@@ -462,34 +462,12 @@ static int sideband_demux(int fd, void *data)
 {
 	int *xd = data;
 
-	close(xd[1]);
 	return recv_sideband("fetch-pack", xd[0], fd, 2);
 }
 
-static void setup_sideband(int fd[2], int xd[2], struct async *demux)
-{
-	if (!use_sideband) {
-		fd[0] = xd[0];
-		fd[1] = xd[1];
-		return;
-	}
-	/* xd[] is talking with upload-pack; subprocess reads from
-	 * xd[0], spits out band#2 to stderr, and feeds us band#1
-	 * through demux->out.
-	 */
-	demux->proc = sideband_demux;
-	demux->data = xd;
-	if (start_async(demux))
-		die("fetch-pack: unable to fork off sideband demultiplexer");
-	close(xd[0]);
-	fd[0] = demux->out;
-	fd[1] = xd[1];
-}
-
 static int get_pack(int xd[2], char **pack_lockfile)
 {
 	struct async demux;
-	int fd[2];
 	const char *argv[20];
 	char keep_arg[256];
 	char hdr_arg[256];
@@ -497,7 +475,20 @@ static int get_pack(int xd[2], char **pack_lockfile)
 	int do_keep = args.keep_pack;
 	struct child_process cmd;
 
-	setup_sideband(fd, xd, &demux);
+	memset(&demux, 0, sizeof(demux));
+	if (use_sideband) {
+		/* xd[] is talking with upload-pack; subprocess reads from
+		 * xd[0], spits out band#2 to stderr, and feeds us band#1
+		 * through demux->out.
+		 */
+		demux.proc = sideband_demux;
+		demux.data = xd;
+		if (start_async(&demux))
+			die("fetch-pack: unable to fork off sideband"
+			    " demultiplexer");
+	}
+	else
+		demux.out = xd[0];
 
 	memset(&cmd, 0, sizeof(cmd));
 	cmd.argv = argv;
@@ -506,7 +497,7 @@ static int get_pack(int xd[2], char **pack_lockfile)
 	if (!args.keep_pack && unpack_limit) {
 		struct pack_header header;
 
-		if (read_pack_header(fd[0], &header))
+		if (read_pack_header(demux.out, &header))
 			die("protocol error: bad pack header");
 		snprintf(hdr_arg, sizeof(hdr_arg), "--pack_header=%u,%u",
 			 ntohl(header.hdr_version), ntohl(header.hdr_entries));
@@ -542,11 +533,10 @@ static int get_pack(int xd[2], char **pack_lockfile)
 		*av++ = hdr_arg;
 	*av++ = NULL;
 
-	cmd.in = fd[0];
+	cmd.in = demux.out;
 	cmd.git_cmd = 1;
 	if (start_command(&cmd))
 		die("fetch-pack: unable to fork off %s", argv[0]);
-	close(fd[1]);
 	if (do_keep && pack_lockfile)
 		*pack_lockfile = index_pack_lockfile(cmd.out);