diff --git a/include/qemu/osdep.h b/include/qemu/osdep.h
index a746a5e531..4f8559e550 100644
--- a/include/qemu/osdep.h
+++ b/include/qemu/osdep.h
@@ -448,7 +448,8 @@ bool qemu_has_ofd_lock(void);
 #define FMT_pid "%d"
 #endif
 
-int qemu_create_pidfile(const char *filename);
+bool qemu_write_pidfile(const char *pidfile, Error **errp);
+
 int qemu_get_thread_id(void);
 
 #ifndef CONFIG_IOVEC
diff --git a/os-posix.c b/os-posix.c
index 8f39447dd4..4bd80e44e6 100644
--- a/os-posix.c
+++ b/os-posix.c
@@ -344,30 +344,6 @@ void os_set_line_buffering(void)
     setvbuf(stdout, NULL, _IOLBF, 0);
 }
 
-int qemu_create_pidfile(const char *filename)
-{
-    char buffer[128];
-    int len;
-    int fd;
-
-    fd = qemu_open(filename, O_RDWR | O_CREAT, 0600);
-    if (fd == -1) {
-        return -1;
-    }
-    if (lockf(fd, F_TLOCK, 0) == -1) {
-        close(fd);
-        return -1;
-    }
-    len = snprintf(buffer, sizeof(buffer), FMT_pid "\n", getpid());
-    if (write(fd, buffer, len) != len) {
-        close(fd);
-        return -1;
-    }
-
-    /* keep pidfile open & locked forever */
-    return 0;
-}
-
 bool is_daemonized(void)
 {
     return daemonize;
diff --git a/os-win32.c b/os-win32.c
index 0674f94b57..0e0d7f50f3 100644
--- a/os-win32.c
+++ b/os-win32.c
@@ -97,28 +97,3 @@ int os_parse_cmd_args(int index, const char *optarg)
 {
     return -1;
 }
-
-int qemu_create_pidfile(const char *filename)
-{
-    char buffer[128];
-    int len;
-    HANDLE file;
-    OVERLAPPED overlap;
-    BOOL ret;
-    memset(&overlap, 0, sizeof(overlap));
-
-    file = CreateFile(filename, GENERIC_WRITE, FILE_SHARE_READ, NULL,
-                      OPEN_ALWAYS, FILE_ATTRIBUTE_NORMAL, NULL);
-
-    if (file == INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE) {
-        return -1;
-    }
-    len = snprintf(buffer, sizeof(buffer), "%d\n", getpid());
-    ret = WriteFile(file, (LPCVOID)buffer, (DWORD)len,
-                    NULL, &overlap);
-    CloseHandle(file);
-    if (ret == 0) {
-        return -1;
-    }
-    return 0;
-}
diff --git a/qga/main.c b/qga/main.c
index 6d70242d05..c399320d3c 100644
--- a/qga/main.c
+++ b/qga/main.c
@@ -340,46 +340,6 @@ static FILE *ga_open_logfile(const char *logfile)
     return f;
 }
 
-#ifndef _WIN32
-static bool ga_open_pidfile(const char *pidfile)
-{
-    int pidfd;
-    char pidstr[32];
-
-    pidfd = qemu_open(pidfile, O_CREAT|O_WRONLY, S_IRUSR|S_IWUSR);
-    if (pidfd == -1 || lockf(pidfd, F_TLOCK, 0)) {
-        g_critical("Cannot lock pid file, %s", strerror(errno));
-        if (pidfd != -1) {
-            close(pidfd);
-        }
-        return false;
-    }
-
-    if (ftruncate(pidfd, 0)) {
-        g_critical("Failed to truncate pid file");
-        goto fail;
-    }
-    snprintf(pidstr, sizeof(pidstr), "%d\n", getpid());
-    if (write(pidfd, pidstr, strlen(pidstr)) != strlen(pidstr)) {
-        g_critical("Failed to write pid file");
-        goto fail;
-    }
-
-    /* keep pidfile open & locked forever */
-    return true;
-
-fail:
-    unlink(pidfile);
-    close(pidfd);
-    return false;
-}
-#else /* _WIN32 */
-static bool ga_open_pidfile(const char *pidfile)
-{
-    return true;
-}
-#endif
-
 static gint ga_strcmp(gconstpointer str1, gconstpointer str2)
 {
     return strcmp(str1, str2);
@@ -479,8 +439,11 @@ void ga_unset_frozen(GAState *s)
     ga_enable_logging(s);
     g_warning("logging re-enabled due to filesystem unfreeze");
     if (s->deferred_options.pid_filepath) {
-        if (!ga_open_pidfile(s->deferred_options.pid_filepath)) {
-            g_warning("failed to create/open pid file");
+        Error *err = NULL;
+
+        if (!qemu_write_pidfile(s->deferred_options.pid_filepath, &err)) {
+            g_warning("%s", error_get_pretty(err));
+            error_free(err);
         }
         s->deferred_options.pid_filepath = NULL;
     }
@@ -515,8 +478,11 @@ static void become_daemon(const char *pidfile)
     }
 
     if (pidfile) {
-        if (!ga_open_pidfile(pidfile)) {
-            g_critical("failed to create pidfile");
+        Error *err = NULL;
+
+        if (!qemu_write_pidfile(pidfile, &err)) {
+            g_critical("%s", error_get_pretty(err));
+            error_free(err);
             exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
         }
     }
diff --git a/scsi/qemu-pr-helper.c b/scsi/qemu-pr-helper.c
index ed037aabee..ce40008bfc 100644
--- a/scsi/qemu-pr-helper.c
+++ b/scsi/qemu-pr-helper.c
@@ -117,39 +117,6 @@ QEMU_COPYRIGHT "\n"
     , name);
 }
 
-static void write_pidfile(void)
-{
-    int pidfd;
-    char pidstr[32];
-
-    pidfd = qemu_open(pidfile, O_CREAT|O_WRONLY, S_IRUSR|S_IWUSR);
-    if (pidfd == -1) {
-        error_report("Cannot open pid file, %s", strerror(errno));
-        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
-    }
-
-    if (lockf(pidfd, F_TLOCK, 0)) {
-        error_report("Cannot lock pid file, %s", strerror(errno));
-        goto fail;
-    }
-    if (ftruncate(pidfd, 0)) {
-        error_report("Failed to truncate pid file");
-        goto fail;
-    }
-
-    snprintf(pidstr, sizeof(pidstr), "%d\n", getpid());
-    if (write(pidfd, pidstr, strlen(pidstr)) != strlen(pidstr)) {
-        error_report("Failed to write pid file");
-        goto fail;
-    }
-    return;
-
-fail:
-    unlink(pidfile);
-    close(pidfd);
-    exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
-}
-
 /* SG_IO support */
 
 typedef struct PRHelperSGIOData {
@@ -1080,8 +1047,11 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
         }
     }
 
-    if (daemonize || pidfile_specified)
-        write_pidfile();
+    if ((daemonize || pidfile_specified) &&
+        !qemu_write_pidfile(pidfile, &local_err)) {
+        error_report_err(local_err);
+        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+    }
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_LIBCAP
     if (drop_privileges() < 0) {
diff --git a/util/oslib-posix.c b/util/oslib-posix.c
index 13b6f8d776..0e3ab9d959 100644
--- a/util/oslib-posix.c
+++ b/util/oslib-posix.c
@@ -88,6 +88,74 @@ int qemu_daemon(int nochdir, int noclose)
     return daemon(nochdir, noclose);
 }
 
+bool qemu_write_pidfile(const char *path, Error **errp)
+{
+    int fd;
+    char pidstr[32];
+
+    while (1) {
+        struct stat a, b;
+
+        fd = qemu_open(path, O_CREAT | O_WRONLY, S_IRUSR | S_IWUSR);
+        if (fd == -1) {
+            error_setg_errno(errp, errno, "Cannot open pid file");
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        if (fstat(fd, &b) < 0) {
+            error_setg_errno(errp, errno, "Cannot stat file");
+            goto fail_close;
+        }
+
+        if (lockf(fd, F_TLOCK, 0) < 0) {
+            error_setg_errno(errp, errno, "Cannot lock pid file");
+            goto fail_close;
+        }
+
+        /*
+         * Now make sure the path we locked is the same one that now
+         * exists on the filesystem.
+         */
+        if (stat(path, &a) < 0) {
+            /*
+             * PID file disappeared, someone else must be racing with
+             * us, so try again.
+             */
+            close(fd);
+            continue;
+        }
+
+        if (a.st_ino == b.st_ino) {
+            break;
+        }
+
+        /*
+         * PID file was recreated, someone else must be racing with
+         * us, so try again.
+         */
+        close(fd);
+    }
+
+    if (ftruncate(fd, 0) < 0) {
+        error_setg_errno(errp, errno, "Failed to truncate pid file");
+        goto fail_unlink;
+    }
+
+    snprintf(pidstr, sizeof(pidstr), FMT_pid "\n", getpid());
+    if (write(fd, pidstr, strlen(pidstr)) != strlen(pidstr)) {
+        error_setg(errp, "Failed to write pid file");
+        goto fail_unlink;
+    }
+
+    return true;
+
+fail_unlink:
+    unlink(path);
+fail_close:
+    close(fd);
+    return false;
+}
+
 void *qemu_oom_check(void *ptr)
 {
     if (ptr == NULL) {
diff --git a/util/oslib-win32.c b/util/oslib-win32.c
index 25dd1595ad..b4c17f5dfa 100644
--- a/util/oslib-win32.c
+++ b/util/oslib-win32.c
@@ -776,3 +776,30 @@ ssize_t qemu_recvfrom_wrap(int sockfd, void *buf, size_t len, int flags,
     }
     return ret;
 }
+
+bool qemu_write_pidfile(const char *filename, Error **errp)
+{
+    char buffer[128];
+    int len;
+    HANDLE file;
+    OVERLAPPED overlap;
+    BOOL ret;
+    memset(&overlap, 0, sizeof(overlap));
+
+    file = CreateFile(filename, GENERIC_WRITE, FILE_SHARE_READ, NULL,
+                      OPEN_ALWAYS, FILE_ATTRIBUTE_NORMAL, NULL);
+
+    if (file == INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE) {
+        error_setg(errp, "Failed to create PID file");
+        return false;
+    }
+    len = snprintf(buffer, sizeof(buffer), FMT_pid "\n", (pid_t)getpid());
+    ret = WriteFile(file, (LPCVOID)buffer, (DWORD)len,
+                    NULL, &overlap);
+    CloseHandle(file);
+    if (ret == 0) {
+        error_setg(errp, "Failed to write PID file");
+        return false;
+    }
+    return true;
+}
diff --git a/vl.c b/vl.c
index cc55fe04a2..fa6db178a6 100644
--- a/vl.c
+++ b/vl.c
@@ -3906,8 +3906,8 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
     os_daemonize();
     rcu_disable_atfork();
 
-    if (pid_file && qemu_create_pidfile(pid_file) != 0) {
-        error_report("could not acquire pid file: %s", strerror(errno));
+    if (pid_file && !qemu_write_pidfile(pid_file, &err)) {
+        error_reportf_err(err, "cannot create PID file: ");
         exit(1);
     }