diff --git a/cio/io.go b/cio/io.go
index 003c6632e..8ee13edda 100644
--- a/cio/io.go
+++ b/cio/io.go
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ type FIFOSet struct {
 
 // Close the FIFOSet
 func (f *FIFOSet) Close() error {
-	if f.close != nil {
+	if f != nil && f.close != nil {
 		return f.close()
 	}
 	return nil
diff --git a/cio/io_unix.go b/cio/io_unix.go
index a92d92978..8b600673f 100644
--- a/cio/io_unix.go
+++ b/cio/io_unix.go
@@ -103,38 +103,36 @@ func copyIO(fifos *FIFOSet, ioset *Streams) (*cio, error) {
 	}, nil
 }
 
-func openFifos(ctx context.Context, fifos *FIFOSet) (pipes, error) {
-	var err error
+func openFifos(ctx context.Context, fifos *FIFOSet) (f pipes, retErr error) {
 	defer func() {
-		if err != nil {
+		if retErr != nil {
 			fifos.Close()
 		}
 	}()
 
-	var f pipes
 	if fifos.Stdin != "" {
-		if f.Stdin, err = fifo.OpenFifo(ctx, fifos.Stdin, syscall.O_WRONLY|syscall.O_CREAT|syscall.O_NONBLOCK, 0700); err != nil {
-			return f, errors.Wrapf(err, "failed to open stdin fifo")
+		if f.Stdin, retErr = fifo.OpenFifo(ctx, fifos.Stdin, syscall.O_WRONLY|syscall.O_CREAT|syscall.O_NONBLOCK, 0700); retErr != nil {
+			return f, errors.Wrapf(retErr, "failed to open stdin fifo")
 		}
 		defer func() {
-			if err != nil && f.Stdin != nil {
+			if retErr != nil && f.Stdin != nil {
 				f.Stdin.Close()
 			}
 		}()
 	}
 	if fifos.Stdout != "" {
-		if f.Stdout, err = fifo.OpenFifo(ctx, fifos.Stdout, syscall.O_RDONLY|syscall.O_CREAT|syscall.O_NONBLOCK, 0700); err != nil {
-			return f, errors.Wrapf(err, "failed to open stdout fifo")
+		if f.Stdout, retErr = fifo.OpenFifo(ctx, fifos.Stdout, syscall.O_RDONLY|syscall.O_CREAT|syscall.O_NONBLOCK, 0700); retErr != nil {
+			return f, errors.Wrapf(retErr, "failed to open stdout fifo")
 		}
 		defer func() {
-			if err != nil && f.Stdout != nil {
+			if retErr != nil && f.Stdout != nil {
 				f.Stdout.Close()
 			}
 		}()
 	}
 	if !fifos.Terminal && fifos.Stderr != "" {
-		if f.Stderr, err = fifo.OpenFifo(ctx, fifos.Stderr, syscall.O_RDONLY|syscall.O_CREAT|syscall.O_NONBLOCK, 0700); err != nil {
-			return f, errors.Wrapf(err, "failed to open stderr fifo")
+		if f.Stderr, retErr = fifo.OpenFifo(ctx, fifos.Stderr, syscall.O_RDONLY|syscall.O_CREAT|syscall.O_NONBLOCK, 0700); retErr != nil {
+			return f, errors.Wrapf(retErr, "failed to open stderr fifo")
 		}
 	}
 	return f, nil
diff --git a/cio/io_windows.go b/cio/io_windows.go
index ca6cd54a4..ded475788 100644
--- a/cio/io_windows.go
+++ b/cio/io_windows.go
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
-	"net"
 
 	winio "github.com/Microsoft/go-winio"
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/log"
@@ -43,22 +42,21 @@ func NewFIFOSetInDir(_, id string, terminal bool) (*FIFOSet, error) {
 	}, nil), nil
 }
 
-func copyIO(fifos *FIFOSet, ioset *Streams) (*cio, error) {
-	var (
-		set []io.Closer
-	)
+func copyIO(fifos *FIFOSet, ioset *Streams) (_ *cio, retErr error) {
+	cios := &cio{config: fifos.Config}
+
+	defer func() {
+		if retErr != nil {
+			_ = cios.Close()
+		}
+	}()
 
 	if fifos.Stdin != "" {
 		l, err := winio.ListenPipe(fifos.Stdin, nil)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, errors.Wrapf(err, "failed to create stdin pipe %s", fifos.Stdin)
 		}
-		defer func(l net.Listener) {
-			if err != nil {
-				l.Close()
-			}
-		}(l)
-		set = append(set, l)
+		cios.closers = append(cios.closers, l)
 
 		go func() {
 			c, err := l.Accept()
@@ -81,12 +79,7 @@ func copyIO(fifos *FIFOSet, ioset *Streams) (*cio, error) {
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, errors.Wrapf(err, "failed to create stdout pipe %s", fifos.Stdout)
 		}
-		defer func(l net.Listener) {
-			if err != nil {
-				l.Close()
-			}
-		}(l)
-		set = append(set, l)
+		cios.closers = append(cios.closers, l)
 
 		go func() {
 			c, err := l.Accept()
@@ -109,12 +102,7 @@ func copyIO(fifos *FIFOSet, ioset *Streams) (*cio, error) {
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, errors.Wrapf(err, "failed to create stderr pipe %s", fifos.Stderr)
 		}
-		defer func(l net.Listener) {
-			if err != nil {
-				l.Close()
-			}
-		}(l)
-		set = append(set, l)
+		cios.closers = append(cios.closers, l)
 
 		go func() {
 			c, err := l.Accept()
@@ -132,7 +120,7 @@ func copyIO(fifos *FIFOSet, ioset *Streams) (*cio, error) {
 		}()
 	}
 
-	return &cio{config: fifos.Config, closers: set}, nil
+	return cios, nil
 }
 
 // NewDirectIO returns an IO implementation that exposes the IO streams as io.ReadCloser