diff --git a/tools/spi-hdlc-adapter/spi-hdlc-adapter.c b/tools/spi-hdlc-adapter/spi-hdlc-adapter.c
index 2a0b58e06..7fcd841b6 100644
--- a/tools/spi-hdlc-adapter/spi-hdlc-adapter.c
+++ b/tools/spi-hdlc-adapter/spi-hdlc-adapter.c
@@ -1540,6 +1540,12 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
         goto bail;
     }
 
+    if ((sHdlcInputFd < 0) || (sHdlcOutputFd < 0))
+    {
+        sRet = EXIT_FAILURE;
+        goto bail;
+    }
+
     // Set up sHdlcInputFd for non-blocking I/O
     if (-1 == (i = fcntl(sHdlcInputFd, F_GETFL, 0)))
     {