diff --git a/Documentation/technical/api-run-command.txt b/Documentation/technical/api-run-command.txt
index b26c28133c..a1280dd837 100644
--- a/Documentation/technical/api-run-command.txt
+++ b/Documentation/technical/api-run-command.txt
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ stderr as follows:
 
 	.in: The FD must be readable; it becomes child's stdin.
 	.out: The FD must be writable; it becomes child's stdout.
-	.err > 0 is not supported.
+	.err: The FD must be writable; it becomes child's stderr.
 
   The specified FD is closed by start_command(), even if it fails to
   run the sub-process!
diff --git a/run-command.c b/run-command.c
index cf2d8f7fae..bfd231243d 100644
--- a/run-command.c
+++ b/run-command.c
@@ -94,6 +94,9 @@ fail_pipe:
 		else if (need_err) {
 			dup2(fderr[1], 2);
 			close_pair(fderr);
+		} else if (cmd->err > 1) {
+			dup2(cmd->err, 2);
+			close(cmd->err);
 		}
 
 		if (cmd->no_stdout)
@@ -156,6 +159,9 @@ fail_pipe:
 	} else if (need_err) {
 		s2 = dup(2);
 		dup2(fderr[1], 2);
+	} else if (cmd->err > 2) {
+		s2 = dup(2);
+		dup2(cmd->err, 2);
 	}
 
 	if (cmd->no_stdout) {
@@ -228,6 +234,8 @@ fail_pipe:
 
 	if (need_err)
 		close(fderr[1]);
+	else if (cmd->err)
+		close(cmd->err);
 
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/run-command.h b/run-command.h
index fb342090e3..a29171adae 100644
--- a/run-command.h
+++ b/run-command.h
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ struct child_process {
 	 * - Specify > 0 to set a channel to a particular FD as follows:
 	 *     .in: a readable FD, becomes child's stdin
 	 *     .out: a writable FD, becomes child's stdout/stderr
-	 *     .err > 0 not supported
+	 *     .err: a writable FD, becomes child's stderr
 	 *   The specified FD is closed by start_command(), even in case
 	 *   of errors!
 	 */