diff --git a/components/cli/cli/command/container/attach.go b/components/cli/cli/command/container/attach.go
index dca84d5ddb..6e4628d95d 100644
--- a/components/cli/cli/command/container/attach.go
+++ b/components/cli/cli/command/container/attach.go
@@ -1,14 +1,12 @@
 package container
 
 import (
-	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"net/http/httputil"
 
 	"github.com/docker/cli/cli"
 	"github.com/docker/cli/cli/command"
 	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types"
-	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/container"
 	"github.com/docker/docker/client"
 	"github.com/docker/docker/pkg/signal"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
@@ -68,9 +66,6 @@ func runAttach(dockerCli command.Cli, opts *attachOptions) error {
 	ctx := context.Background()
 	client := dockerCli.Client()
 
-	// request channel to wait for client
-	resultC, errC := client.ContainerWait(ctx, opts.container, "")
-
 	c, err := inspectContainerAndCheckState(ctx, client, opts.container)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -145,24 +140,7 @@ func runAttach(dockerCli command.Cli, opts *attachOptions) error {
 	if errAttach != nil {
 		return errAttach
 	}
-
-	return getExitStatus(errC, resultC)
-}
-
-func getExitStatus(errC <-chan error, resultC <-chan container.ContainerWaitOKBody) error {
-	select {
-	case result := <-resultC:
-		if result.Error != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf(result.Error.Message)
-		}
-		if result.StatusCode != 0 {
-			return cli.StatusError{StatusCode: int(result.StatusCode)}
-		}
-	case err := <-errC:
-		return err
-	}
-
-	return nil
+	return getExitStatus(ctx, dockerCli.Client(), opts.container)
 }
 
 func resizeTTY(ctx context.Context, dockerCli command.Cli, containerID string) {
@@ -179,3 +157,19 @@ func resizeTTY(ctx context.Context, dockerCli command.Cli, containerID string) {
 		logrus.Debugf("Error monitoring TTY size: %s", err)
 	}
 }
+
+func getExitStatus(ctx context.Context, apiclient client.ContainerAPIClient, containerID string) error {
+	container, err := apiclient.ContainerInspect(ctx, containerID)
+	if err != nil {
+		// If we can't connect, then the daemon probably died.
+		if !client.IsErrConnectionFailed(err) {
+			return err
+		}
+		return cli.StatusError{StatusCode: -1}
+	}
+	status := container.State.ExitCode
+	if status != 0 {
+		return cli.StatusError{StatusCode: status}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/components/cli/cli/command/container/attach_test.go b/components/cli/cli/command/container/attach_test.go
index 1c305aa7a1..1ca775c6d5 100644
--- a/components/cli/cli/command/container/attach_test.go
+++ b/components/cli/cli/command/container/attach_test.go
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 package container
 
 import (
-	"fmt"
 	"io/ioutil"
 	"testing"
 
@@ -9,9 +8,9 @@ import (
 	"github.com/docker/cli/internal/test"
 	"github.com/docker/cli/internal/test/testutil"
 	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types"
-	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/container"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"golang.org/x/net/context"
 )
 
 func TestNewAttachCommandErrors(t *testing.T) {
@@ -79,50 +78,40 @@ func TestNewAttachCommandErrors(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestGetExitStatus(t *testing.T) {
-	var (
-		expectedErr = fmt.Errorf("unexpected error")
-		errC        = make(chan error, 1)
-		resultC     = make(chan container.ContainerWaitOKBody, 1)
-	)
+	containerID := "the exec id"
+	expecatedErr := errors.New("unexpected error")
 
 	testcases := []struct {
-		result        *container.ContainerWaitOKBody
-		err           error
+		inspectError  error
+		exitCode      int
 		expectedError error
 	}{
 		{
-			result: &container.ContainerWaitOKBody{
-				StatusCode: 0,
-			},
+			inspectError: nil,
+			exitCode:     0,
 		},
 		{
-			err:           expectedErr,
-			expectedError: expectedErr,
+			inspectError:  expecatedErr,
+			expectedError: expecatedErr,
 		},
 		{
-			result: &container.ContainerWaitOKBody{
-				Error: &container.ContainerWaitOKBodyError{
-					expectedErr.Error(),
-				},
-			},
-			expectedError: expectedErr,
-		},
-		{
-			result: &container.ContainerWaitOKBody{
-				StatusCode: 15,
-			},
+			exitCode:      15,
 			expectedError: cli.StatusError{StatusCode: 15},
 		},
 	}
 
 	for _, testcase := range testcases {
-		if testcase.err != nil {
-			errC <- testcase.err
+		client := &fakeClient{
+			inspectFunc: func(id string) (types.ContainerJSON, error) {
+				assert.Equal(t, containerID, id)
+				return types.ContainerJSON{
+					ContainerJSONBase: &types.ContainerJSONBase{
+						State: &types.ContainerState{ExitCode: testcase.exitCode},
+					},
+				}, testcase.inspectError
+			},
 		}
-		if testcase.result != nil {
-			resultC <- *testcase.result
-		}
-		err := getExitStatus(errC, resultC)
+		err := getExitStatus(context.Background(), client, containerID)
 		assert.Equal(t, testcase.expectedError, err)
 	}
 }
diff --git a/components/cli/e2e/container/attach_test.go b/components/cli/e2e/container/attach_test.go
deleted file mode 100644
index 3e7d0ed244..0000000000
--- a/components/cli/e2e/container/attach_test.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,30 +0,0 @@
-package container
-
-import (
-	"strings"
-	"testing"
-
-	"github.com/docker/cli/e2e/internal/fixtures"
-	"github.com/gotestyourself/gotestyourself/icmd"
-)
-
-func TestAttachExitCode(t *testing.T) {
-	containerID := runBackgroundContainsWithExitCode(t, 21)
-
-	result := icmd.RunCmd(
-		icmd.Command("docker", "attach", containerID),
-		withStdinNewline)
-
-	result.Assert(t, icmd.Expected{ExitCode: 21})
-}
-
-func runBackgroundContainsWithExitCode(t *testing.T, exitcode int) string {
-	result := icmd.RunCmd(shell(t,
-		"docker run -d -i --rm %s sh -c 'read; exit %d'", fixtures.AlpineImage, exitcode))
-	result.Assert(t, icmd.Success)
-	return strings.TrimSpace(result.Stdout())
-}
-
-func withStdinNewline(cmd *icmd.Cmd) {
-	cmd.Stdin = strings.NewReader("\n")
-}