diff --git a/python/qemu/machine/machine.py b/python/qemu/machine/machine.py
index e26109e6f0..4156b8cf7d 100644
--- a/python/qemu/machine/machine.py
+++ b/python/qemu/machine/machine.py
@@ -159,6 +159,8 @@ class QEMUMachine:
 
         self._name = name or f"{id(self):x}"
         self._sock_pair: Optional[Tuple[socket.socket, socket.socket]] = None
+        self._cons_sock_pair: Optional[
+            Tuple[socket.socket, socket.socket]] = None
         self._temp_dir: Optional[str] = None
         self._base_temp_dir = base_temp_dir
         self._sock_dir = sock_dir
@@ -316,8 +318,9 @@ class QEMUMachine:
         for _ in range(self._console_index):
             args.extend(['-serial', 'null'])
         if self._console_set:
-            chardev = ('socket,id=console,path=%s,server=on,wait=off' %
-                       self._console_address)
+            assert self._cons_sock_pair is not None
+            fd = self._cons_sock_pair[0].fileno()
+            chardev = f"socket,id=console,fd={fd}"
             args.extend(['-chardev', chardev])
             if self._console_device_type is None:
                 args.extend(['-serial', 'chardev:console'])
@@ -352,6 +355,10 @@ class QEMUMachine:
                 nickname=self._name
             )
 
+        if self._console_set:
+            self._cons_sock_pair = socket.socketpair()
+            os.set_inheritable(self._cons_sock_pair[0].fileno(), True)
+
         # NOTE: Make sure any opened resources are *definitely* freed in
         # _post_shutdown()!
         # pylint: disable=consider-using-with
@@ -369,6 +376,9 @@ class QEMUMachine:
     def _post_launch(self) -> None:
         if self._sock_pair:
             self._sock_pair[0].close()
+        if self._cons_sock_pair:
+            self._cons_sock_pair[0].close()
+
         if self._qmp_connection:
             if self._sock_pair:
                 self._qmp.connect()
@@ -524,6 +534,11 @@ class QEMUMachine:
             self._console_socket.close()
             self._console_socket = None
 
+        if self._cons_sock_pair:
+            self._cons_sock_pair[0].close()
+            self._cons_sock_pair[1].close()
+            self._cons_sock_pair = None
+
     def _hard_shutdown(self) -> None:
         """
         Perform early cleanup, kill the VM, and wait for it to terminate.
@@ -885,10 +900,19 @@ class QEMUMachine:
         """
         if self._console_socket is None:
             LOG.debug("Opening console socket")
+            if not self._console_set:
+                raise QEMUMachineError(
+                    "Attempt to access console socket with no connection")
+            assert self._cons_sock_pair is not None
+            # os.dup() is used here for sock_fd because otherwise we'd
+            # have two rich python socket objects that would each try to
+            # close the same underlying fd when either one gets garbage
+            # collected.
             self._console_socket = console_socket.ConsoleSocket(
-                self._console_address,
+                sock_fd=os.dup(self._cons_sock_pair[1].fileno()),
                 file=self._console_log_path,
                 drain=self._drain_console)
+            self._cons_sock_pair[1].close()
         return self._console_socket
 
     @property