diff --git a/orte/mca/iof/hnp/iof_hnp_read.c b/orte/mca/iof/hnp/iof_hnp_read.c
index f99d578dbd..df07deb8b0 100644
--- a/orte/mca/iof/hnp/iof_hnp_read.c
+++ b/orte/mca/iof/hnp/iof_hnp_read.c
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@
 static void restart_stdin(int fd, short event, void *cbdata)
 {
     if (NULL != mca_iof_hnp_component.stdinev) {
+        mca_iof_hnp_component.stdinev->active = true;
         opal_event_add(&(mca_iof_hnp_component.stdinev->ev), 0);
     }
 }
@@ -179,7 +180,15 @@ void orte_iof_hnp_read_local_handler(int fd, short event, void *cbdata)
             /* this will also close our stdin file descriptor */
             OBJ_RELEASE(mca_iof_hnp_component.stdinev);
         } else {
-            ORTE_TIMER_EVENT(0, 10000, restart_stdin);
+            /* if we are looking at a tty, then we just go ahead and restart the
+             * read event assuming we are not backgrounded
+             */
+            if (orte_iof_hnp_stdin_check(fd)) {
+                restart_stdin(fd, 0, NULL);
+            } else {
+                /* delay for awhile and then restart */
+                ORTE_TIMER_EVENT(0, 10000, restart_stdin);
+            }
         }
         /* nothing more to do */
         OPAL_THREAD_UNLOCK(&mca_iof_hnp_component.lock);
diff --git a/orte/mca/iof/orted/iof_orted.c b/orte/mca/iof/orted/iof_orted.c
index 8aa82d139a..33d2ea6aac 100644
--- a/orte/mca/iof/orted/iof_orted.c
+++ b/orte/mca/iof/orted/iof_orted.c
@@ -249,6 +249,7 @@ static void stdin_write_handler(int fd, short event, void *cbdata)
     
     /* lock us up to protect global operations */
     OPAL_THREAD_LOCK(&mca_iof_orted_component.lock);
+    wev->pending = false;
     
     while (NULL != (item = opal_list_remove_first(&wev->outputs))) {
         output = (orte_iof_write_output_t*)item;