diff --git a/util/io/redirect.go b/util/io/redirect.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ce9ff853
--- /dev/null
+++ b/util/io/redirect.go
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+package io
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"sync"
+)
+
+var osStderrMu sync.Mutex
+
+var OrigStderr = func() *os.File {
+	fd, err := dupFD(os.Stderr.Fd())
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+
+	return os.NewFile(fd, os.Stderr.Name())
+}()
diff --git a/util/io/redirect_test.go b/util/io/redirect_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..16b0c284
--- /dev/null
+++ b/util/io/redirect_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+package io
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"os"
+	"regexp"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+var ErrorPattern = regexp.MustCompile(`"error"`)
+
+func TestRedirect(t *testing.T) {
+	r, w, err := os.Pipe()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	ch := make(chan string)
+
+	go func() {
+		buf := bytes.NewBuffer(nil)
+		_, _ = io.Copy(buf, r)
+		ch <- buf.String()
+	}()
+
+	if err = RedirectStderr(w); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	os.Stderr.Write([]byte(`test redirect`))
+	time.Sleep(1 * time.Millisecond)
+	r.Close()
+	str := <-ch
+	if ErrorPattern.MatchString(str) {
+		t.Fatal(fmt.Errorf(str))
+	}
+}
diff --git a/util/io/redirect_unix.go b/util/io/redirect_unix.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b9af2a88
--- /dev/null
+++ b/util/io/redirect_unix.go
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+//go:build !windows
+// +build !windows
+
+package io
+
+import (
+	"os"
+
+	"golang.org/x/sys/unix"
+)
+
+// dupFD is used to initialize OrigStderr (see stderr_redirect.go).
+func dupFD(fd uintptr) (uintptr, error) {
+	// Warning: failing to set FD_CLOEXEC causes the duplicated file descriptor
+	// to leak into subprocesses created by exec.Command. If the file descriptor
+	// is a pipe, these subprocesses will hold the pipe open (i.e., prevent
+	// EOF), potentially beyond the lifetime of this process.
+	//
+	// This can break go test's timeouts. go test usually spawns a test process
+	// with its stdin and stderr streams hooked up to pipes; if the test process
+	// times out, it sends a SIGKILL and attempts to read stdin and stderr to
+	// completion. If the test process has itself spawned long-lived
+	// subprocesses that hold references to the stdin or stderr pipes, go test
+	// will hang until the subprocesses exit, rather defeating the purpose of
+	// a timeout.
+	nfd, err := unix.FcntlInt(fd, unix.F_DUPFD_CLOEXEC, 0)
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, err
+	}
+	return uintptr(nfd), nil
+}
+
+// RedirectStderr is used to redirect internal writes to fd 2 to the
+// specified file. This is needed to ensure that harcoded writes to fd
+// 2 by e.g. the Go runtime are redirected to a log file of our
+// choosing.
+//
+// We also override os.Stderr for those other parts of Go which use
+// that and not fd 2 directly.
+func RedirectStderr(f *os.File) error {
+	osStderrMu.Lock()
+	defer osStderrMu.Unlock()
+	if err := unix.Dup2(int(f.Fd()), unix.Stderr); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	os.Stderr = f
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/util/io/redirect_windows.go b/util/io/redirect_windows.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8d896570
--- /dev/null
+++ b/util/io/redirect_windows.go
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+package io
+
+import (
+	"os"
+
+	"golang.org/x/sys/windows"
+)
+
+// dupFD is used to initialize OrigStderr (see stderr_redirect.go).
+func dupFD(fd uintptr) (uintptr, error) {
+	// Adapted from https://github.com/golang/go/blob/go1.8/src/syscall/exec_windows.go#L303.
+	p := windows.CurrentProcess()
+	var h windows.Handle
+	return uintptr(h), windows.DuplicateHandle(p, windows.Handle(fd), p, &h, 0, true, windows.DUPLICATE_SAME_ACCESS)
+}
+
+// RedirectStderr is used to redirect internal writes to the error
+// handle to the specified file. This is needed to ensure that
+// harcoded writes to the error handle by e.g. the Go runtime are
+// redirected to a log file of our choosing.
+//
+// We also override os.Stderr for those other parts of Go which use
+// that and not fd 2 directly.
+func RedirectStderr(f *os.File) error {
+	osStderrMu.Lock()
+	defer osStderrMu.Unlock()
+	if err := windows.SetStdHandle(windows.STD_ERROR_HANDLE, windows.Handle(f.Fd())); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	os.Stderr = f
+	return nil
+}