diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 18a484c701..87fcc5f6ff 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -177,7 +177,6 @@
 /test-dump-cache-tree
 /test-scrap-cache-tree
 /test-genrandom
-/test-git-daemon
 /test-index-version
 /test-line-buffer
 /test-match-trees
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 7317daa3aa..be1957a5e9 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -477,7 +477,6 @@ TEST_PROGRAMS_NEED_X += test-delta
 TEST_PROGRAMS_NEED_X += test-dump-cache-tree
 TEST_PROGRAMS_NEED_X += test-scrap-cache-tree
 TEST_PROGRAMS_NEED_X += test-genrandom
-TEST_PROGRAMS_NEED_X += test-git-daemon
 TEST_PROGRAMS_NEED_X += test-index-version
 TEST_PROGRAMS_NEED_X += test-line-buffer
 TEST_PROGRAMS_NEED_X += test-match-trees
diff --git a/t/lib-git-daemon.sh b/t/lib-git-daemon.sh
index 9fefae1ced..ef2d01f369 100644
--- a/t/lib-git-daemon.sh
+++ b/t/lib-git-daemon.sh
@@ -23,13 +23,27 @@ start_git_daemon() {
 	trap 'code=$?; stop_git_daemon; (exit $code); die' EXIT
 
 	say >&3 "Starting git daemon ..."
-	test-git-daemon --listen=127.0.0.1 --port="$LIB_GIT_DAEMON_PORT" \
+	mkfifo git_daemon_output
+	git daemon --listen=127.0.0.1 --port="$LIB_GIT_DAEMON_PORT" \
 		--reuseaddr --verbose \
 		--base-path="$GIT_DAEMON_DOCUMENT_ROOT_PATH" \
 		"$@" "$GIT_DAEMON_DOCUMENT_ROOT_PATH" \
-		>&3 2>&4 ||
-		error "git daemon failed to start"
-	GIT_DAEMON_PID=$(cat git-daemon.pid)
+		>&3 2>git_daemon_output &
+	GIT_DAEMON_PID=$!
+	{
+		read line
+		echo >&4 "$line"
+		cat >&4 &
+
+		# Check expected output
+		if test x"$(expr "$line" : "\[[0-9]*\] \(.*\)")" != x"Ready to rumble"
+		then
+			kill "$GIT_DAEMON_PID"
+			wait "$GIT_DAEMON_PID"
+			trap 'die' EXIT
+			error "git daemon failed to start"
+		fi
+	} <git_daemon_output
 }
 
 stop_git_daemon() {
@@ -43,5 +57,13 @@ stop_git_daemon() {
 	# kill git-daemon child of git
 	say >&3 "Stopping git daemon ..."
 	kill "$GIT_DAEMON_PID"
+	wait "$GIT_DAEMON_PID" >&3 2>&4
+	ret=$?
+	# expect exit with status 143 = 128+15 for signal TERM=15
+	if test $ret -ne 143
+	then
+		error "git daemon exited with status: $ret"
+	fi
 	GIT_DAEMON_PID=
+	rm -f git_daemon_output
 }
diff --git a/test-git-daemon.c b/test-git-daemon.c
deleted file mode 100644
index de87c5e8d5..0000000000
--- a/test-git-daemon.c
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,62 +0,0 @@
-#include "git-compat-util.h"
-#include "run-command.h"
-#include "exec_cmd.h"
-#include "strbuf.h"
-#include <string.h>
-#include <errno.h>
-
-static int parse_daemon_output(char *s)
-{
-	if (*s++ != '[')
-		return 1;
-	s = strchr(s, ']');
-	if (!s)
-		return 1;
-	if (strcmp(s, "] Ready to rumble\n"))
-		return 1;
-
-	return 0;
-}
-
-int main(int argc, char **argv)
-{
-	struct strbuf line = STRBUF_INIT;
-	FILE *fp;
-	struct child_process proc, cat;
-	char *cat_argv[] = { "cat", NULL };
-
-	setup_path();
-
-	memset(&proc, 0, sizeof(proc));
-	argv[0] = "git-daemon";
-	proc.argv = (const char **)argv;
-	proc.no_stdin = 1;
-	proc.err = -1;
-
-	if (start_command(&proc) < 0)
-		return 1;
-
-	strbuf_getwholeline_fd(&line, proc.err, '\n');
-	fputs(line.buf, stderr);
-
-	memset(&cat, 0, sizeof(cat));
-	cat.argv = (const char **)cat_argv;
-	cat.in = proc.err;
-	cat.out = 2;
-
-	if (start_command(&cat) < 0)
-		return 1;
-
-	if (parse_daemon_output(line.buf)) {
-		kill(proc.pid, SIGTERM);
-		finish_command(&proc);
-		finish_command(&cat);
-		return 1;
-	}
-
-	fp = fopen("git-daemon.pid", "w");
-	fprintf(fp, "%"PRIuMAX"\n", (uintmax_t)proc.pid);
-	fclose(fp);
-
-	return 0;
-}