diff --git a/qemu-char.c b/qemu-char.c
index 398baf1e04..767da93862 100644
--- a/qemu-char.c
+++ b/qemu-char.c
@@ -2148,10 +2148,12 @@ static int tcp_chr_write(CharDriverState *chr, const uint8_t *buf, int len)
     TCPCharDriver *s = chr->opaque;
     if (s->connected) {
         return send_all(s->fd, buf, len);
-    } else {
+    } else if (s->listen_fd == -1) {
         /* (Re-)connect for unconnected writing */
         tcp_chr_connect(chr);
         return 0;
+    } else {
+        return len;
     }
 }