diff --git a/kitty/child.c b/kitty/child.c
index 46fc20455..23d1f4f85 100644
--- a/kitty/child.c
+++ b/kitty/child.c
@@ -183,18 +183,17 @@ spawn(PyObject *self UNUSED, PyObject *args) {
 
 static PyObject*
 establish_controlling_tty(PyObject *self UNUSED, PyObject *args) {
-    int tty_fd=-1, stdin_fd = -1, stdout_fd = -1, stderr_fd = -1;
+    int stdin_fd = -1, stdout_fd = -1, stderr_fd = -1;
     const char *tty_name;
-    if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "s|iiii", &tty_name, &tty_fd, &stdin_fd, &stdout_fd, &stderr_fd)) return NULL;
+    if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "s|iii", &tty_name, &stdin_fd, &stdout_fd, &stderr_fd)) return NULL;
     int tfd = safe_open(tty_name, O_RDWR, 0);
-#define cleanup() if (tfd >= 0) safe_close(tfd, __FILE__, __LINE__); if (tty_fd >= 0) safe_close(tty_fd, __FILE__, __LINE__);
+#define cleanup() if (tfd >= 0) safe_close(tfd, __FILE__, __LINE__);
 #define fail() { cleanup(); return PyErr_SetFromErrno(PyExc_OSError); }
     if (tfd < 0) { cleanup(); return PyErr_SetFromErrnoWithFilename(PyExc_OSError, tty_name); }
-    if (tty_fd < 0) { tty_fd = tfd; tfd = -1; }
-    if (ioctl(tty_fd, TIOCSCTTY, 0) == -1) fail();
-    if (stdin_fd > -1 && safe_dup2(tty_fd, stdin_fd) == -1) fail();
-    if (stdout_fd > -1 && safe_dup2(tty_fd, stdout_fd) == -1) fail();
-    if (stderr_fd > -1 && safe_dup2(tty_fd, stderr_fd) == -1) fail();
+    if (ioctl(tfd, TIOCSCTTY, 0) == -1) fail();
+    if (stdin_fd > -1 && safe_dup2(tfd, stdin_fd) == -1) fail();
+    if (stdout_fd > -1 && safe_dup2(tfd, stdout_fd) == -1) fail();
+    if (stderr_fd > -1 && safe_dup2(tfd, stderr_fd) == -1) fail();
     cleanup();
 #undef cleanup
 #undef fail
diff --git a/kitty/fast_data_types.pyi b/kitty/fast_data_types.pyi
index 71e94f15a..b0570b433 100644
--- a/kitty/fast_data_types.pyi
+++ b/kitty/fast_data_types.pyi
@@ -1395,7 +1395,7 @@ def sigqueue(pid: int, signal: int, value: int) -> None:
     pass
 
 
-def establish_controlling_tty(tty_name: str, tty_fd: int = -1, stdin: int = -1, stdout: int = -1, stderr: int = -1) -> None:
+def establish_controlling_tty(tty_name: str, stdin: int = -1, stdout: int = -1, stderr: int = -1) -> None:
     pass
 
 
diff --git a/kitty/prewarm.py b/kitty/prewarm.py
index 93e457faa..b37232090 100644
--- a/kitty/prewarm.py
+++ b/kitty/prewarm.py
@@ -351,7 +351,7 @@ def fork(shm_address: str, free_non_child_resources: Callable[[], None]) -> Tupl
     if tty_name:
         sys.__stdout__.flush()
         sys.__stderr__.flush()
-        establish_controlling_tty(tty_name, -1, sys.__stdin__.fileno(), sys.__stdout__.fileno(), sys.__stderr__.fileno())
+        establish_controlling_tty(tty_name, sys.__stdin__.fileno(), sys.__stdout__.fileno(), sys.__stderr__.fileno())
     os.close(w)
     if shm.unlink_on_exit:
         child_main(cmd, ready_fd_read)
@@ -389,10 +389,10 @@ class SocketChild:
         self.input_buf = self.output_buf = b''
         self.fds: List[int] = []
         self.child_id = -1
-        self.cwd = ''
+        self.cwd = self.tty_name = ''
         self.env: Dict[str, str] = {}
         self.argv: List[str] = []
-        self.stdin = self.stdout = self.stderr = self.tty_fd = -1
+        self.stdin = self.stdout = self.stderr = -1
         self.pid = -1
         self.closed = False
 
@@ -431,7 +431,6 @@ class SocketChild:
                 for x in self.fds:
                     os.set_inheritable(x, x is not self.fds[0])
                     os.set_blocking(x, True)
-                self.tty_fd = self.fds[0]
                 if self.stdin > -1:
                     self.stdin = self.fds[self.stdin]
                 if self.stdout > -1:
@@ -453,6 +452,8 @@ class SocketChild:
                 self.stdout = int(payload)
             elif cmd == 'stderr':
                 self.stderr = int(payload)
+            elif cmd == 'tty_name':
+                self.tty_name = payload
 
         return False
 
@@ -463,9 +464,6 @@ class SocketChild:
         if self.pid > 0:
             # master process
             os.close(w)
-            if self.tty_fd > -1:
-                os.close(self.tty_fd)
-                self.tty_fd = -1
             if self.stdin > -1:
                 os.close(self.stdin)
                 self.stdin = -1
@@ -486,15 +484,14 @@ class SocketChild:
         os.close(r)
         os.setsid()
         restore_python_signal_handlers()
-        if self.tty_fd > -1:
+        if self.tty_name:
             sys.__stdout__.flush()
             sys.__stderr__.flush()
             establish_controlling_tty(
-                os.ttyname(self.tty_fd), self.tty_fd,
+                self.tty_name,
                 sys.__stdin__.fileno() if self.stdin < 0 else -1,
                 sys.__stdout__.fileno() if self.stdout < 0 else -1,
                 sys.__stderr__.fileno() if self.stderr < 0 else -1)
-            self.tty_fd = -1
             # the std streams fds are closed in free_non_child_resources(), see
             # SocketChild.close()
             if self.stdin > -1:
@@ -542,9 +539,6 @@ class SocketChild:
         for x in self.fds:
             os.close(x)
         del self.fds[:]
-        if self.tty_fd > -1:
-            os.close(self.tty_fd)
-            self.tty_fd = -1
         if self.stdin > -1:
             os.close(self.stdin)
             self.stdin = -1
diff --git a/prewarm-launcher.c b/prewarm-launcher.c
index d122efceb..e515bc1f4 100644
--- a/prewarm-launcher.c
+++ b/prewarm-launcher.c
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ typedef struct transfer_buf {
 } transfer_buf;
 static transfer_buf from_child_tty = {0};
 static transfer_buf to_child_tty = {0};
+static char child_tty_name[256];
 
 #define err_prefix "prewarm wrapper process error: "
 static inline void
@@ -218,7 +219,7 @@ get_termios_state(void) {
 
 static bool
 open_pty(void) {
-    while (openpty(&child_master_fd, &child_slave_fd, NULL, &self_termios, &self_winsize) == -1) {
+    while (openpty(&child_master_fd, &child_slave_fd, child_tty_name, &self_termios, &self_winsize) == -1) {
         if (errno != EINTR) return false;
     }
     return true;
@@ -256,7 +257,7 @@ setup_signal_handler(void) {
 
 static void
 setup_stdio_handles(void) {
-    int pos = 1;
+    int pos = 0;
     if (!isatty(STDIN_FILENO)) stdin_pos = pos++;
     if (!isatty(STDOUT_FILENO)) stdout_pos = pos++;
     if (!isatty(STDERR_FILENO)) stderr_pos = pos++;
@@ -291,12 +292,12 @@ static bool
 create_launch_msg(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 #define w(prefix, data) { if (!write_item_to_launch_msg(prefix, data)) return false; }
     static char buf[4*PATH_MAX];
+    w("tty_name", child_tty_name);
     if (getcwd(buf, sizeof(buf))) { w("cwd", buf); }
     for (int i = 0; i < argc; i++) w("argv", argv[i]);
     char **s = environ;
     for (; *s; s++) w("env", *s);
     int num_fds = 0, fds[4];
-    fds[num_fds++] = child_slave_fd;
 #define sio(which, x) if (which##_pos > -1) { snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "%d", which##_pos); w(#which, buf); fds[num_fds++] = x;  }
     sio(stdin, STDIN_FILENO); sio(stdout, STDOUT_FILENO); sio(stderr, STDERR_FILENO);
 #undef sio
@@ -352,7 +353,6 @@ read_child_data(void) {
 
 static void
 close_sent_fds(void) {
-    if (child_slave_fd > -1) { safe_close(child_slave_fd); child_slave_fd = -1; }
 #define redirect(which, mode) { int fd = safe_open("/dev/null", mode | O_CLOEXEC, 0); if (fd > -1) { safe_dup2(fd, which); safe_close(fd); } }
     if (stdin_pos > -1) redirect(STDIN_FILENO, O_RDONLY);
     if (stdout_pos > -1) redirect(STDOUT_FILENO, O_WRONLY);