diff --git a/Documentation/technical/api-run-command.txt b/Documentation/technical/api-run-command.txt
index a9fdb45b93..8bf3e37f53 100644
--- a/Documentation/technical/api-run-command.txt
+++ b/Documentation/technical/api-run-command.txt
@@ -46,6 +46,13 @@ Functions
 	The argument dir corresponds the member .dir. The argument env
 	corresponds to the member .env.
 
+`child_process_clear`::
+
+	Release the memory associated with the struct child_process.
+	Most users of the run-command API don't need to call this
+	function explicitly because `start_command` invokes it on
+	failure and `finish_command` calls it automatically already.
+
 The functions above do the following:
 
 . If a system call failed, errno is set and -1 is returned. A diagnostic
diff --git a/daemon.c b/daemon.c
index 56679a15fe..be70cd4da0 100644
--- a/daemon.c
+++ b/daemon.c
@@ -802,6 +802,7 @@ static void check_dead_children(void)
 			/* remove the child */
 			*cradle = blanket->next;
 			live_children--;
+			child_process_clear(&blanket->cld);
 			free(blanket);
 		} else
 			cradle = &blanket->next;
diff --git a/run-command.c b/run-command.c
index e17e456cda..13fa452e8c 100644
--- a/run-command.c
+++ b/run-command.c
@@ -11,6 +11,12 @@ void child_process_init(struct child_process *child)
 	argv_array_init(&child->env_array);
 }
 
+void child_process_clear(struct child_process *child)
+{
+	argv_array_clear(&child->args);
+	argv_array_clear(&child->env_array);
+}
+
 struct child_to_clean {
 	pid_t pid;
 	struct child_to_clean *next;
@@ -327,8 +333,7 @@ int start_command(struct child_process *cmd)
 fail_pipe:
 			error("cannot create %s pipe for %s: %s",
 				str, cmd->argv[0], strerror(failed_errno));
-			argv_array_clear(&cmd->args);
-			argv_array_clear(&cmd->env_array);
+			child_process_clear(cmd);
 			errno = failed_errno;
 			return -1;
 		}
@@ -513,8 +518,7 @@ fail_pipe:
 			close_pair(fderr);
 		else if (cmd->err)
 			close(cmd->err);
-		argv_array_clear(&cmd->args);
-		argv_array_clear(&cmd->env_array);
+		child_process_clear(cmd);
 		errno = failed_errno;
 		return -1;
 	}
@@ -540,8 +544,7 @@ fail_pipe:
 int finish_command(struct child_process *cmd)
 {
 	int ret = wait_or_whine(cmd->pid, cmd->argv[0], 0);
-	argv_array_clear(&cmd->args);
-	argv_array_clear(&cmd->env_array);
+	child_process_clear(cmd);
 	return ret;
 }
 
diff --git a/run-command.h b/run-command.h
index 5428b048e2..12bb26c2a6 100644
--- a/run-command.h
+++ b/run-command.h
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ struct child_process {
 
 #define CHILD_PROCESS_INIT { NULL, ARGV_ARRAY_INIT, ARGV_ARRAY_INIT }
 void child_process_init(struct child_process *);
+void child_process_clear(struct child_process *);
 
 int start_command(struct child_process *);
 int finish_command(struct child_process *);