diff --git a/lisp/epg.el b/lisp/epg.el
index 1b75b50df0e..601504882e6 100644
--- a/lisp/epg.el
+++ b/lisp/epg.el
@@ -40,7 +40,6 @@
 (defvar epg-debug-buffer nil)
 (defvar epg-agent-file nil)
 (defvar epg-agent-mtime nil)
-(defvar epg-error-output nil)
 
 ;; from gnupg/include/cipher.h
 (defconst epg-cipher-algorithm-alist
@@ -213,7 +212,8 @@
   result
   operation
   pinentry-mode
-  (error-output ""))
+  (error-output "")
+  error-buffer)
 
 ;; This is not an alias, just so we can mark it as autoloaded.
 ;;;###autoload
@@ -581,11 +581,9 @@ callback data (if any)."
 				 (symbol-name (epg-context-pinentry-mode
 					       context))))
 		       args))
-	 (coding-system-for-write 'binary)
-	 (coding-system-for-read 'binary)
-	 process-connection-type
 	 (process-environment process-environment)
 	 (buffer (generate-new-buffer " *epg*"))
+	 error-process
 	 process
 	 terminal-name
 	 agent-file
@@ -642,13 +640,24 @@ callback data (if any)."
       (make-local-variable 'epg-agent-file)
       (setq epg-agent-file agent-file)
       (make-local-variable 'epg-agent-mtime)
-      (setq epg-agent-mtime agent-mtime)
-      (make-local-variable 'epg-error-output)
-      (setq epg-error-output nil))
+      (setq epg-agent-mtime agent-mtime))
+    (setq error-process
+	  (make-pipe-process :name "epg-error"
+			     :buffer (generate-new-buffer " *epg-error*")
+			     ;; Suppress "XXX finished" line.
+			     :sentinel #'ignore
+			     :noquery t))
+    (setf (epg-context-error-buffer context) (process-buffer error-process))
     (with-file-modes 448
-      (setq process (apply #'start-process "epg" buffer
-			   (epg-context-program context) args)))
-    (set-process-filter process #'epg--process-filter)
+      (setq process (make-process :name "epg"
+				  :buffer buffer
+				  :command (cons (epg-context-program context)
+						 args)
+				  :connection-type 'pipe
+				  :coding '(binary . binary)
+				  :filter #'epg--process-filter
+				  :stderr error-process
+				  :noquery t)))
     (setf (epg-context-process context) process)))
 
 (defun epg--process-filter (process input)
@@ -690,14 +699,7 @@ callback data (if any)."
 			(if (and symbol
 				 (fboundp symbol))
 			    (funcall symbol epg-context string)))
-                      (setq epg-last-status (cons status string)))
-		  ;; Record other lines sent to stderr.  This assumes
-		  ;; that the process-filter receives output only from
-		  ;; stderr and the FD specified with --status-fd.
-		  (setq epg-error-output
-			(cons (buffer-substring (point)
-						(line-end-position))
-			      epg-error-output)))
+                      (setq epg-last-status (cons status string))))
                 (forward-line)
                 (setq epg-read-point (point)))))))))
 
@@ -740,15 +742,17 @@ callback data (if any)."
   (epg-context-set-result-for
    context 'error
    (nreverse (epg-context-result-for context 'error)))
-  (with-current-buffer (process-buffer (epg-context-process context))
-    (setf (epg-context-error-output context)
-	(mapconcat #'identity (nreverse epg-error-output) "\n"))))
+  (setf (epg-context-error-output context)
+	(with-current-buffer (epg-context-error-buffer context)
+	  (buffer-string))))
 
 (defun epg-reset (context)
   "Reset the CONTEXT."
   (if (and (epg-context-process context)
 	   (buffer-live-p (process-buffer (epg-context-process context))))
       (kill-buffer (process-buffer (epg-context-process context))))
+  (if (buffer-live-p (epg-context-error-buffer context))
+      (kill-buffer (epg-context-error-buffer context)))
   (setf (epg-context-process context) nil)
   (setf (epg-context-edit-callback context) nil))