diff --git a/devlib/connection.py b/devlib/connection.py
index ecc30714c..4772bd48b 100644
--- a/devlib/connection.py
+++ b/devlib/connection.py
@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@
 import threading
 import time
 import logging
+import select
+import fcntl
 
 from devlib.utils.misc import InitCheckpoint
 
@@ -36,6 +38,24 @@
 def _kill_pgid_cmd(pgid, sig, busybox):
     return '{} kill -{} -{}'.format(busybox, sig.value, pgid)
 
+def _popen_communicate(bg, popen, input, timeout):
+    try:
+        stdout, stderr = popen.communicate(input=input, timeout=timeout)
+    except subprocess.TimeoutExpired:
+        bg.cancel()
+        raise
+
+    ret = popen.returncode
+    if ret:
+        raise subprocess.CalledProcessError(
+            ret,
+            popen.args,
+            stdout,
+            stderr,
+        )
+    else:
+        return (stdout, stderr)
+
 
 class ConnectionBase(InitCheckpoint):
     """
@@ -126,6 +146,21 @@ def wait(self):
         Block until the background command completes, and return its exit code.
         """
 
+    def communicate(self, input=b'', timeout=None):
+        """
+        Block until the background command completes while reading stdout and stderr.
+        Return ``tuple(stdout, stderr)``. If the return code is non-zero,
+        raises a :exc:`subprocess.CalledProcessError` exception.
+        """
+        try:
+            return self._communicate(input=input, timeout=timeout)
+        finally:
+            self.close()
+
+    @abstractmethod
+    def _communicate(self, input, timeout):
+        pass
+
     @abstractmethod
     def poll(self):
         """
@@ -214,6 +249,9 @@ def pid(self):
     def wait(self):
         return self.popen.wait()
 
+    def _communicate(self, input, timeout):
+        return _popen_communicate(self, self.popen, input, timeout)
+
     def poll(self):
         return self.popen.poll()
 
@@ -241,7 +279,7 @@ class ParamikoBackgroundCommand(BackgroundCommand):
     """
     :mod:`paramiko`-based background command.
     """
-    def __init__(self, conn, chan, pid, as_root, stdin, stdout, stderr, redirect_thread):
+    def __init__(self, conn, chan, pid, as_root, cmd, stdin, stdout, stderr, redirect_thread):
         self.chan = chan
         self.as_root = as_root
         self.conn = conn
@@ -250,6 +288,7 @@ def __init__(self, conn, chan, pid, as_root, stdin, stdout, stderr, redirect_thr
         self._stdout = stdout
         self._stderr = stderr
         self.redirect_thread = redirect_thread
+        self.cmd = cmd
 
     def send_signal(self, sig):
         # If the command has already completed, we don't want to send a signal
@@ -272,6 +311,85 @@ def wait(self):
         self.redirect_thread.join()
         return status
 
+    def _communicate(self, input, timeout):
+        stdout = self._stdout
+        stderr = self._stderr
+        stdin = self._stdin
+        chan = self.chan
+
+        # For some reason, file descriptors in the read-list of select() can
+        # still end up blocking in .read(), so make the non-blocking to avoid a
+        # deadlock. Since _communicate() will consume all input and all output
+        # until the command dies, we can do whatever we want with the pipe
+        # without affecting external users.
+        for s in (stdout, stderr):
+            fcntl.fcntl(s.fileno(), fcntl.F_SETFL, os.O_NONBLOCK)
+
+        out = {stdout: [], stderr: []}
+        ret = None
+        can_send = True
+
+        select_timeout = 1
+        if timeout is not None:
+            select_timeout = min(select_timeout, 1)
+
+        def create_out():
+            return (
+                b''.join(out[stdout]),
+                b''.join(out[stderr])
+            )
+
+        start = monotonic()
+
+        while ret is None:
+            # Even if ret is not None anymore, we need to drain the streams
+            ret = self.poll()
+
+            if timeout is not None and ret is None and monotonic() - start >= timeout:
+                self.cancel()
+                _stdout, _stderr = create_out()
+                raise subprocess.TimeoutExpired(self.cmd, timeout, _stdout, _stderr)
+
+            can_send &= (not chan.closed) & bool(input)
+            wlist = [chan] if can_send else []
+
+            if can_send and chan.send_ready():
+                try:
+                    n = chan.send(input)
+                # stdin might have been closed already
+                except OSError:
+                    can_send = False
+                    chan.shutdown_write()
+                else:
+                    input = input[n:]
+                    if not input:
+                        # Send EOF on stdin
+                        chan.shutdown_write()
+
+            rs, ws, _ = select.select(
+                [x for x in (stdout, stderr) if not x.closed],
+                wlist,
+                [],
+                select_timeout,
+            )
+
+            for r in rs:
+                chunk = r.read()
+                if chunk:
+                    out[r].append(chunk)
+
+        _stdout, _stderr = create_out()
+
+        if ret:
+            raise subprocess.CalledProcessError(
+                ret,
+                self.cmd,
+                _stdout,
+                _stderr,
+            )
+        else:
+            return (_stdout, _stderr)
+
     def poll(self):
         # Wait for the redirection thread to finish, otherwise we would
         # indicate the caller that the command is finished and that the streams
@@ -355,6 +473,10 @@ def pid(self):
     def wait(self):
         return self.adb_popen.wait()
 
+    def _communicate(self, input, timeout):
+        return _popen_communicate(self, self.adb_popen, input, timeout)
+
+
     def poll(self):
         return self.adb_popen.poll()
 
diff --git a/devlib/utils/ssh.py b/devlib/utils/ssh.py
index 6d6bfc562..3cff55ccd 100644
--- a/devlib/utils/ssh.py
+++ b/devlib/utils/ssh.py
@@ -591,6 +591,7 @@ def background(self, command, stdout=subprocess.PIPE, stderr=subprocess.PIPE, as
         return bg_cmd
 
     def _background(self, command, stdout, stderr, as_root):
+        orig_command = command
         stdout, stderr, command = redirect_streams(stdout, stderr, command)
 
         command = "printf '%s\n' $$; exec sh -c {}".format(quote(command))
@@ -708,6 +709,7 @@ def callback(out_streams, name, chunk):
             stdout=out_streams['stdout'][0],
             stderr=out_streams['stderr'][0],
             redirect_thread=redirect_thread,
+            cmd=orig_command,
         )
 
     def _close(self):