diff --git a/src/nvim/msgpack_rpc/channel.c b/src/nvim/msgpack_rpc/channel.c
index 0ff749649b..e8ee0ede75 100644
--- a/src/nvim/msgpack_rpc/channel.c
+++ b/src/nvim/msgpack_rpc/channel.c
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 #include "nvim/api/vim.h"
 #include "nvim/api/ui.h"
 #include "nvim/msgpack_rpc/channel.h"
+#include "nvim/msgpack_rpc/server.h"
 #include "nvim/event/loop.h"
 #include "nvim/event/libuv_process.h"
 #include "nvim/event/rstream.h"
@@ -28,6 +29,7 @@
 #include "nvim/map.h"
 #include "nvim/log.h"
 #include "nvim/misc1.h"
+#include "nvim/path.h"
 #include "nvim/lib/kvec.h"
 #include "nvim/os/input.h"
 
@@ -41,7 +43,8 @@
 typedef enum {
   kChannelTypeSocket,
   kChannelTypeProc,
-  kChannelTypeStdio
+  kChannelTypeStdio,
+  kChannelTypeInternal
 } ChannelType;
 
 typedef struct {
@@ -125,7 +128,7 @@ uint64_t channel_from_process(Process *proc, uint64_t id)
 
   wstream_init(proc->in, 0);
   rstream_init(proc->out, 0);
-  rstream_start(proc->out, parse_msgpack, channel);
+  rstream_start(proc->out, receive_msgpack, channel);
 
   return channel->id;
 }
@@ -142,12 +145,22 @@ void channel_from_connection(SocketWatcher *watcher)
   channel->data.stream.internal_data = channel;
   wstream_init(&channel->data.stream, 0);
   rstream_init(&channel->data.stream, CHANNEL_BUFFER_SIZE);
-  rstream_start(&channel->data.stream, parse_msgpack, channel);
+  rstream_start(&channel->data.stream, receive_msgpack, channel);
 }
 
 uint64_t channel_connect(bool tcp, const char *address,
                          int timeout, const char **error)
 {
+  if (!tcp) {
+    char *path = fix_fname(address);
+    if (server_owns_pipe_address(path)) {
+      // avoid deadlock
+      xfree(path);
+      return channel_create_internal();
+    }
+    xfree(path);
+  }
+
   Channel *channel = register_channel(kChannelTypeSocket, 0, NULL);
   if (!socket_connect(&main_loop, &channel->data.stream,
                       tcp, address, timeout, error)) {
@@ -160,7 +173,7 @@ uint64_t channel_connect(bool tcp, const char *address,
   channel->data.stream.internal_data = channel;
   wstream_init(&channel->data.stream, 0);
   rstream_init(&channel->data.stream, CHANNEL_BUFFER_SIZE);
-  rstream_start(&channel->data.stream, parse_msgpack, channel);
+  rstream_start(&channel->data.stream, receive_msgpack, channel);
   return channel->id;
 }
 
@@ -324,11 +337,20 @@ void channel_from_stdio(void)
   incref(channel);  // stdio channels are only closed on exit
   // read stream
   rstream_init_fd(&main_loop, &channel->data.std.in, 0, CHANNEL_BUFFER_SIZE);
-  rstream_start(&channel->data.std.in, parse_msgpack, channel);
+  rstream_start(&channel->data.std.in, receive_msgpack, channel);
   // write stream
   wstream_init_fd(&main_loop, &channel->data.std.out, 1, 0);
 }
 
+/// Creates a loopback channel. This is used to avoid deadlock
+/// when an instance connects to its own named pipe.
+uint64_t channel_create_internal(void)
+{
+  Channel *channel = register_channel(kChannelTypeInternal, 0, NULL);
+  incref(channel);  // internal channel lives until process exit
+  return channel->id;
+}
+
 void channel_process_exit(uint64_t id, int status)
 {
   Channel *channel = pmap_get(uint64_t)(channels, id);
@@ -337,8 +359,8 @@ void channel_process_exit(uint64_t id, int status)
   decref(channel);
 }
 
-static void parse_msgpack(Stream *stream, RBuffer *rbuf, size_t c, void *data,
-    bool eof)
+static void receive_msgpack(Stream *stream, RBuffer *rbuf, size_t c,
+                            void *data, bool eof)
 {
   Channel *channel = data;
   incref(channel);
@@ -360,6 +382,14 @@ static void parse_msgpack(Stream *stream, RBuffer *rbuf, size_t c, void *data,
   rbuffer_read(rbuf, msgpack_unpacker_buffer(channel->unpacker), count);
   msgpack_unpacker_buffer_consumed(channel->unpacker, count);
 
+  parse_msgpack(channel);
+
+end:
+  decref(channel);
+}
+
+static void parse_msgpack(Channel *channel)
+{
   msgpack_unpacked unpacked;
   msgpack_unpacked_init(&unpacked);
   msgpack_unpack_return result;
@@ -383,7 +413,7 @@ static void parse_msgpack(Stream *stream, RBuffer *rbuf, size_t c, void *data,
       }
       msgpack_unpacked_destroy(&unpacked);
       // Bail out from this event loop iteration
-      goto end;
+      return;
     }
 
     handle_request(channel, &unpacked.data);
@@ -407,11 +437,9 @@ static void parse_msgpack(Stream *stream, RBuffer *rbuf, size_t c, void *data,
                            "This error can also happen when deserializing "
                            "an object with high level of nesting");
   }
-
-end:
-  decref(channel);
 }
 
+
 static void handle_request(Channel *channel, msgpack_object *request)
   FUNC_ATTR_NONNULL_ALL
 {
@@ -521,8 +549,11 @@ static bool channel_write(Channel *channel, WBuffer *buffer)
     case kChannelTypeStdio:
       success = wstream_write(&channel->data.std.out, buffer);
       break;
-    default:
-      abort();
+    case kChannelTypeInternal:
+      incref(channel);
+      CREATE_EVENT(channel->events, internal_read_event, 2, channel, buffer);
+      success = true;
+      break;
   }
 
   if (!success) {
@@ -539,6 +570,22 @@ static bool channel_write(Channel *channel, WBuffer *buffer)
   return success;
 }
 
+static void internal_read_event(void **argv)
+{
+  Channel *channel = argv[0];
+  WBuffer *buffer = argv[1];
+
+  msgpack_unpacker_reserve_buffer(channel->unpacker, buffer->size);
+  memcpy(msgpack_unpacker_buffer(channel->unpacker),
+         buffer->data, buffer->size);
+  msgpack_unpacker_buffer_consumed(channel->unpacker, buffer->size);
+
+  parse_msgpack(channel);
+
+  decref(channel);
+  wstream_release_wbuffer(buffer);
+}
+
 static void send_error(Channel *channel, uint64_t id, char *err)
 {
   Error e = ERROR_INIT;
@@ -655,8 +702,9 @@ static void close_channel(Channel *channel)
       stream_close(&channel->data.std.out, NULL, NULL);
       multiqueue_put(main_loop.fast_events, exit_event, 1, channel);
       return;
-    default:
-      abort();
+    case kChannelTypeInternal:
+      // nothing to free.
+      break;
   }
 
   decref(channel);
diff --git a/src/nvim/msgpack_rpc/server.c b/src/nvim/msgpack_rpc/server.c
index bae5a32850..c9edd05dc2 100644
--- a/src/nvim/msgpack_rpc/server.c
+++ b/src/nvim/msgpack_rpc/server.c
@@ -97,6 +97,18 @@ char *server_address_new(void)
 #endif
 }
 
+/// Check if this instance owns a pipe address.
+/// The argument must already be resolved to an absolute path!
+bool server_owns_pipe_address(const char *path)
+{
+  for (int i = 0; i < watchers.ga_len; i++) {
+    if (!strcmp(path, ((SocketWatcher **)watchers.ga_data)[i]->addr)) {
+      return true;
+    }
+  }
+  return false;
+}
+
 /// Starts listening for API calls.
 ///
 /// The socket type is determined by parsing `endpoint`: If it's a valid IPv4
diff --git a/src/nvim/path.c b/src/nvim/path.c
index 9162b6da4d..f2339c8046 100644
--- a/src/nvim/path.c
+++ b/src/nvim/path.c
@@ -1715,7 +1715,7 @@ int vim_FullName(const char *fname, char *buf, size_t len, bool force)
 ///
 /// @param fname is the filename to expand
 /// @return [allocated] Full path (NULL for failure).
-char *fix_fname(char *fname)
+char *fix_fname(const char *fname)
 {
 #ifdef UNIX
   return FullName_save(fname, true);
diff --git a/test/functional/api/server_requests_spec.lua b/test/functional/api/server_requests_spec.lua
index b325139d12..cf15062325 100644
--- a/test/functional/api/server_requests_spec.lua
+++ b/test/functional/api/server_requests_spec.lua
@@ -282,4 +282,20 @@ describe('server -> client', function()
     end)
   end)
 
+  describe('when connecting to its own pipe adress', function()
+    it('it does not deadlock', function()
+      local address = funcs.serverlist()[1]
+      local first = string.sub(address,1,1)
+      ok(first == '/' or first == '\\')
+      local serverpid = funcs.getpid()
+
+      local id = funcs.sockconnect('pipe', address, {rpc=true})
+
+      funcs.rpcrequest(id, 'nvim_set_current_line', 'hello')
+      eq('hello', meths.get_current_line())
+      eq(serverpid, funcs.rpcrequest(id, "nvim_eval", "getpid()"))
+
+      eq(id, funcs.rpcrequest(id, 'nvim_get_api_info')[1])
+    end)
+  end)
 end)