diff --git a/components/engine/libcontainerd/client_linux.go b/components/engine/libcontainerd/client_linux.go
index 6c3460a8c9..95d597a2a5 100644
--- a/components/engine/libcontainerd/client_linux.go
+++ b/components/engine/libcontainerd/client_linux.go
@@ -117,6 +117,13 @@ func (clnt *client) AddProcess(ctx context.Context, containerID, processFriendly
 		return -1, err
 	}
 
+	// clean up fifos if failed to add process
+	defer func() {
+		if err != nil {
+			p.cleanFifos(processFriendlyName)
+		}
+	}()
+
 	resp, err := clnt.remote.apiClient.AddProcess(ctx, r)
 	if err != nil {
 		p.closeFifos(iopipe)
diff --git a/components/engine/libcontainerd/container_unix.go b/components/engine/libcontainerd/container_unix.go
index 9a7dbf01cd..63cb2aa5ee 100644
--- a/components/engine/libcontainerd/container_unix.go
+++ b/components/engine/libcontainerd/container_unix.go
@@ -69,11 +69,7 @@ func (ctr *container) clean() error {
 // Caller needs to lock container ID before calling this method.
 func (ctr *container) cleanProcess(id string) {
 	if p, ok := ctr.processes[id]; ok {
-		for _, i := range []int{unix.Stdin, unix.Stdout, unix.Stderr} {
-			if err := os.Remove(p.fifo(i)); err != nil && !os.IsNotExist(err) {
-				logrus.Warnf("libcontainerd: failed to remove %v for process %v: %v", p.fifo(i), id, err)
-			}
-		}
+		p.cleanFifos(id)
 	}
 	delete(ctr.processes, id)
 }
diff --git a/components/engine/libcontainerd/process_unix.go b/components/engine/libcontainerd/process_unix.go
index 3b54e325b5..301c2b3468 100644
--- a/components/engine/libcontainerd/process_unix.go
+++ b/components/engine/libcontainerd/process_unix.go
@@ -9,8 +9,10 @@ import (
 	"path/filepath"
 	goruntime "runtime"
 	"strings"
+	"syscall"
 
 	containerd "github.com/containerd/containerd/api/grpc/types"
+	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	"github.com/tonistiigi/fifo"
 	"golang.org/x/net/context"
 	"golang.org/x/sys/unix"
@@ -105,3 +107,12 @@ func (r emptyReader) Read(b []byte) (int, error) {
 func (p *process) fifo(index int) string {
 	return filepath.Join(p.dir, p.friendlyName+"-"+fdNames[index])
 }
+
+func (p *process) cleanFifos(id string) {
+	for _, i := range []int{syscall.Stdin, syscall.Stdout, syscall.Stderr} {
+		if err := os.Remove(p.fifo(i)); err != nil && !os.IsNotExist(err) {
+			logrus.Warnf("failed to remove %v for process %v: %v", p.fifo(i), id, err)
+		}
+	}
+
+}