diff --git a/cio/io.go b/cio/io.go
index 10ad36ba8..a9c6d2b15 100644
--- a/cio/io.go
+++ b/cio/io.go
@@ -141,6 +141,15 @@ func NewCreator(opts ...Opt) Creator {
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
+		if streams.Stdin == nil {
+			fifos.Stdin = ""
+		}
+		if streams.Stdout == nil {
+			fifos.Stdout = ""
+		}
+		if streams.Stderr == nil {
+			fifos.Stderr = ""
+		}
 		return copyIO(fifos, streams)
 	}
 }
diff --git a/container_linux_test.go b/container_linux_test.go
index e7cd5fc8b..2026b1928 100644
--- a/container_linux_test.go
+++ b/container_linux_test.go
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
+	"io/ioutil"
 	"os/exec"
 	"runtime"
 	"strings"
@@ -1481,3 +1482,52 @@ func TestBindLowPortNonOpt(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestContainerNoSTDIN(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	client, err := newClient(t, address)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer client.Close()
+
+	var (
+		image       Image
+		ctx, cancel = testContext()
+		id          = t.Name()
+	)
+	defer cancel()
+
+	image, err = client.GetImage(ctx, testImage)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	container, err := client.NewContainer(ctx, id, WithNewSpec(oci.WithImageConfig(image), withExitStatus(0)), WithNewSnapshot(id, image))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer container.Delete(ctx, WithSnapshotCleanup)
+
+	task, err := container.NewTask(ctx, cio.NewCreator(cio.WithStreams(nil, ioutil.Discard, ioutil.Discard)))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer task.Delete(ctx)
+
+	statusC, err := task.Wait(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if err := task.Start(ctx); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	status := <-statusC
+	code, _, err := status.Result()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if code != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("expected status 0 from wait but received %d", code)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/runtime/v1/linux/proc/exec.go b/runtime/v1/linux/proc/exec.go
index 9e5261adb..96c425dd9 100644
--- a/runtime/v1/linux/proc/exec.go
+++ b/runtime/v1/linux/proc/exec.go
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ func (e *execProcess) start(ctx context.Context) (err error) {
 			return errors.Wrap(err, "creating new NULL IO")
 		}
 	} else {
-		if e.io, err = runc.NewPipeIO(e.parent.IoUID, e.parent.IoGID); err != nil {
+		if e.io, err = runc.NewPipeIO(e.parent.IoUID, e.parent.IoGID, withConditionalIO(e.stdio)); err != nil {
 			return errors.Wrap(err, "failed to create runc io pipes")
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/runtime/v1/linux/proc/init.go b/runtime/v1/linux/proc/init.go
index c08ec98be..5bf5f8344 100644
--- a/runtime/v1/linux/proc/init.go
+++ b/runtime/v1/linux/proc/init.go
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ func (p *Init) Create(ctx context.Context, r *CreateConfig) error {
 			return errors.Wrap(err, "creating new NULL IO")
 		}
 	} else {
-		if p.io, err = runc.NewPipeIO(p.IoUID, p.IoGID); err != nil {
+		if p.io, err = runc.NewPipeIO(p.IoUID, p.IoGID, withConditionalIO(p.stdio)); err != nil {
 			return errors.Wrap(err, "failed to create OCI runtime io pipes")
 		}
 	}
@@ -399,3 +399,11 @@ func (p *Init) runtimeError(rErr error, msg string) error {
 		return errors.Errorf("%s: %s", msg, rMsg)
 	}
 }
+
+func withConditionalIO(c proc.Stdio) runc.IOOpt {
+	return func(o *runc.IOOption) {
+		o.OpenStdin = c.Stdin != ""
+		o.OpenStdout = c.Stdout != ""
+		o.OpenStderr = c.Stderr != ""
+	}
+}
diff --git a/runtime/v1/linux/proc/io.go b/runtime/v1/linux/proc/io.go
index c9b7145c8..71f6ee1bb 100644
--- a/runtime/v1/linux/proc/io.go
+++ b/runtime/v1/linux/proc/io.go
@@ -109,7 +109,6 @@ func copyPipes(ctx context.Context, rio runc.IO, stdin, stdout, stderr string, w
 		i.dest(fw, fr)
 	}
 	if stdin == "" {
-		rio.Stdin().Close()
 		return nil
 	}
 	f, err := fifo.OpenFifo(ctx, stdin, syscall.O_RDONLY|syscall.O_NONBLOCK, 0)
diff --git a/vendor.conf b/vendor.conf
index 24fbb458c..216122309 100644
--- a/vendor.conf
+++ b/vendor.conf
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-github.com/containerd/go-runc acb7c88cac264acca9b5eae187a117f4d77a1292
+github.com/containerd/go-runc 5a6d9f37cfa36b15efba46dc7ea349fa9b7143c3
 github.com/containerd/console c12b1e7919c14469339a5d38f2f8ed9b64a9de23
 github.com/containerd/cgroups 5e610833b72089b37d0e615de9a92dfc043757c2
 github.com/containerd/typeurl a93fcdb778cd272c6e9b3028b2f42d813e785d40
diff --git a/vendor/github.com/containerd/go-runc/io.go b/vendor/github.com/containerd/go-runc/io.go
index 24a419d18..6cf0410c9 100644
--- a/vendor/github.com/containerd/go-runc/io.go
+++ b/vendor/github.com/containerd/go-runc/io.go
@@ -34,6 +34,24 @@ type StartCloser interface {
 	CloseAfterStart() error
 }
 
+// IOOpt sets I/O creation options
+type IOOpt func(*IOOption)
+
+// IOOption holds I/O creation options
+type IOOption struct {
+	OpenStdin  bool
+	OpenStdout bool
+	OpenStderr bool
+}
+
+func defaultIOOption() *IOOption {
+	return &IOOption{
+		OpenStdin:  true,
+		OpenStdout: true,
+		OpenStderr: true,
+	}
+}
+
 func newPipe() (*pipe, error) {
 	r, w, err := os.Pipe()
 	if err != nil {
@@ -65,14 +83,23 @@ type pipeIO struct {
 }
 
 func (i *pipeIO) Stdin() io.WriteCloser {
+	if i.in == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
 	return i.in.w
 }
 
 func (i *pipeIO) Stdout() io.ReadCloser {
+	if i.out == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
 	return i.out.r
 }
 
 func (i *pipeIO) Stderr() io.ReadCloser {
+	if i.err == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
 	return i.err.r
 }
 
@@ -83,28 +110,38 @@ func (i *pipeIO) Close() error {
 		i.out,
 		i.err,
 	} {
-		if cerr := v.Close(); err == nil {
-			err = cerr
+		if v != nil {
+			if cerr := v.Close(); err == nil {
+				err = cerr
+			}
 		}
 	}
 	return err
 }
 
 func (i *pipeIO) CloseAfterStart() error {
-	for _, f := range []*os.File{
-		i.out.w,
-		i.err.w,
+	for _, f := range []*pipe{
+		i.out,
+		i.err,
 	} {
-		f.Close()
+		if f != nil {
+			f.w.Close()
+		}
 	}
 	return nil
 }
 
 // Set sets the io to the exec.Cmd
 func (i *pipeIO) Set(cmd *exec.Cmd) {
-	cmd.Stdin = i.in.r
-	cmd.Stdout = i.out.w
-	cmd.Stderr = i.err.w
+	if i.in != nil {
+		cmd.Stdin = i.in.r
+	}
+	if i.out != nil {
+		cmd.Stdout = i.out.w
+	}
+	if i.err != nil {
+		cmd.Stderr = i.err.w
+	}
 }
 
 func NewSTDIO() (IO, error) {
diff --git a/vendor/github.com/containerd/go-runc/io_unix.go b/vendor/github.com/containerd/go-runc/io_unix.go
index e0420ead6..567cd072e 100644
--- a/vendor/github.com/containerd/go-runc/io_unix.go
+++ b/vendor/github.com/containerd/go-runc/io_unix.go
@@ -24,8 +24,15 @@ import (
 )
 
 // NewPipeIO creates pipe pairs to be used with runc
-func NewPipeIO(uid, gid int) (i IO, err error) {
-	var pipes []*pipe
+func NewPipeIO(uid, gid int, opts ...IOOpt) (i IO, err error) {
+	option := defaultIOOption()
+	for _, o := range opts {
+		o(option)
+	}
+	var (
+		pipes                 []*pipe
+		stdin, stdout, stderr *pipe
+	)
 	// cleanup in case of an error
 	defer func() {
 		if err != nil {
@@ -34,33 +41,33 @@ func NewPipeIO(uid, gid int) (i IO, err error) {
 			}
 		}
 	}()
-	stdin, err := newPipe()
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+	if option.OpenStdin {
+		if stdin, err = newPipe(); err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		pipes = append(pipes, stdin)
+		if err = unix.Fchown(int(stdin.r.Fd()), uid, gid); err != nil {
+			return nil, errors.Wrap(err, "failed to chown stdin")
+		}
 	}
-	pipes = append(pipes, stdin)
-	if err = unix.Fchown(int(stdin.r.Fd()), uid, gid); err != nil {
-		return nil, errors.Wrap(err, "failed to chown stdin")
+	if option.OpenStdout {
+		if stdout, err = newPipe(); err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		pipes = append(pipes, stdout)
+		if err = unix.Fchown(int(stdout.w.Fd()), uid, gid); err != nil {
+			return nil, errors.Wrap(err, "failed to chown stdout")
+		}
 	}
-
-	stdout, err := newPipe()
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+	if option.OpenStderr {
+		if stderr, err = newPipe(); err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		pipes = append(pipes, stderr)
+		if err = unix.Fchown(int(stderr.w.Fd()), uid, gid); err != nil {
+			return nil, errors.Wrap(err, "failed to chown stderr")
+		}
 	}
-	pipes = append(pipes, stdout)
-	if err = unix.Fchown(int(stdout.w.Fd()), uid, gid); err != nil {
-		return nil, errors.Wrap(err, "failed to chown stdout")
-	}
-
-	stderr, err := newPipe()
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-	pipes = append(pipes, stderr)
-	if err = unix.Fchown(int(stderr.w.Fd()), uid, gid); err != nil {
-		return nil, errors.Wrap(err, "failed to chown stderr")
-	}
-
 	return &pipeIO{
 		in:  stdin,
 		out: stdout,
diff --git a/vendor/github.com/containerd/go-runc/io_windows.go b/vendor/github.com/containerd/go-runc/io_windows.go
index 4ac557ef8..fc56ac4f3 100644
--- a/vendor/github.com/containerd/go-runc/io_windows.go
+++ b/vendor/github.com/containerd/go-runc/io_windows.go
@@ -19,8 +19,15 @@
 package runc
 
 // NewPipeIO creates pipe pairs to be used with runc
-func NewPipeIO() (i IO, err error) {
-	var pipes []*pipe
+func NewPipeIO(opts ...IOOpt) (i IO, err error) {
+	option := defaultIOOption()
+	for _, o := range opts {
+		o(option)
+	}
+	var (
+		pipes                 []*pipe
+		stdin, stdout, stderr *pipe
+	)
 	// cleanup in case of an error
 	defer func() {
 		if err != nil {
@@ -29,24 +36,24 @@ func NewPipeIO() (i IO, err error) {
 			}
 		}
 	}()
-	stdin, err := newPipe()
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+	if option.OpenStdin {
+		if stdin, err = newPipe(); err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		pipes = append(pipes, stdin)
 	}
-	pipes = append(pipes, stdin)
-
-	stdout, err := newPipe()
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+	if option.OpenStdout {
+		if stdout, err = newPipe(); err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		pipes = append(pipes, stdout)
 	}
-	pipes = append(pipes, stdout)
-
-	stderr, err := newPipe()
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+	if option.OpenStderr {
+		if stderr, err = newPipe(); err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		pipes = append(pipes, stderr)
 	}
-	pipes = append(pipes, stderr)
-
 	return &pipeIO{
 		in:  stdin,
 		out: stdout,
diff --git a/vendor/github.com/containerd/go-runc/runc.go b/vendor/github.com/containerd/go-runc/runc.go
index ac9c89d80..96262afab 100644
--- a/vendor/github.com/containerd/go-runc/runc.go
+++ b/vendor/github.com/containerd/go-runc/runc.go
@@ -608,9 +608,8 @@ func parseVersion(data []byte) (Version, error) {
 	var v Version
 	parts := strings.Split(strings.TrimSpace(string(data)), "\n")
 	if len(parts) != 3 {
-		return v, ErrParseRuncVersion
+		return v, nil
 	}
-
 	for i, p := range []struct {
 		dest  *string
 		split string