diff --git a/pkg/gui/pty.go b/pkg/gui/pty.go
index dbf968048..e10ea8ec7 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/pty.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/pty.go
@@ -100,6 +100,7 @@ func (gui *Gui) newPtyTask(view *gocui.View, cmd *exec.Cmd, prefix string) error
 		cols, rows := gui.desiredPtySize(view)
 
 		var p oscommands.Pty
+		var fallbackPipe io.ReadCloser
 		start := func() (tasks.Cmd, io.Reader) {
 			// The pty (and pager) wrap to this width; apply it here, on the
 			// task's goroutine once the previous task has stopped, so it doesn't
@@ -109,7 +110,11 @@ func (gui *Gui) newPtyTask(view *gocui.View, cmd *exec.Cmd, prefix string) error
 			sp, err := oscommands.StartPty(cmd, cols, rows)
 			if err != nil {
 				gui.c.Log.Error(err)
-				return tasks.ExecCmd{Cmd: cmd}, nil
+				// Fall back to running the command without a pty: the pager is
+				// lost, but the command's output still renders.
+				execCmd, pipe := startCmdWithPipe(cmd, gui.c.Log)
+				fallbackPipe = pipe
+				return execCmd, pipe
 			}
 			p = sp.Pty
 
@@ -125,6 +130,10 @@ func (gui *Gui) newPtyTask(view *gocui.View, cmd *exec.Cmd, prefix string) error
 			if p != nil {
 				p.Close()
 			}
+			if fallbackPipe != nil {
+				fallbackPipe.Close()
+				fallbackPipe = nil
+			}
 			delete(gui.viewPtmxMap, view.Name())
 			gui.Mutexes.PtyMutex.Unlock()
 		}
diff --git a/pkg/gui/tasks_adapter.go b/pkg/gui/tasks_adapter.go
index 3eb446a90..3dce93874 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/tasks_adapter.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/tasks_adapter.go
@@ -52,12 +52,15 @@ func (gui *Gui) newCmdTask(view *gocui.View, cmd *exec.Cmd, prefix string) error
 
 // startCmdWithPipe starts cmd with its stdout and stderr going to a single
 // pipe, and returns the command along with the pipe's read end, in the shape
-// that NewCmdTask expects from its start func.
+// that NewCmdTask expects from its start func. It never returns a nil reader,
+// because NewCmdTask's scanner panics on one: when the pipe can't be created
+// the command isn't started at all, and an empty reader is returned so that
+// the task shuts down cleanly with the error in the log.
 func startCmdWithPipe(cmd *exec.Cmd, log *logrus.Entry) (tasks.Cmd, io.ReadCloser) {
 	r, err := cmd.StdoutPipe()
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Error(err)
-		r = nil
+		return tasks.ExecCmd{Cmd: cmd}, io.NopCloser(strings.NewReader(""))
 	}
 	cmd.Stderr = cmd.Stdout
 
diff --git a/pkg/gui/tasks_adapter_test.go b/pkg/gui/tasks_adapter_test.go
index 7821f835a..48c1bb45f 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/tasks_adapter_test.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/tasks_adapter_test.go
@@ -20,8 +20,5 @@ func TestStartCmdWithPipeWhenPipeCannotBeCreated(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// NewCmdTask's scanner panics on a nil reader, so startCmdWithPipe must
 	// not return one even when it can't create the pipe.
-	/* EXPECTED:
 	assert.NotNil(t, r)
-	ACTUAL: */
-	assert.Nil(t, r)
 }