diff --git a/io/channel-socket.c b/io/channel-socket.c
index b50e63a053..bc5f80e780 100644
--- a/io/channel-socket.c
+++ b/io/channel-socket.c
@@ -688,10 +688,13 @@ qio_channel_socket_close(QIOChannel *ioc,
     int rc = 0;
 
     if (sioc->fd != -1) {
-        SocketAddress *addr = socket_local_address(sioc->fd, errp);
 #ifdef WIN32
         WSAEventSelect(sioc->fd, NULL, 0);
 #endif
+        if (qio_channel_has_feature(ioc, QIO_CHANNEL_FEATURE_LISTEN)) {
+            socket_listen_cleanup(sioc->fd, errp);
+        }
+
         if (closesocket(sioc->fd) < 0) {
             sioc->fd = -1;
             error_setg_errno(errp, errno,
@@ -699,20 +702,6 @@ qio_channel_socket_close(QIOChannel *ioc,
             return -1;
         }
         sioc->fd = -1;
-
-        if (addr && addr->type == SOCKET_ADDRESS_TYPE_UNIX
-            && addr->u.q_unix.path) {
-            if (unlink(addr->u.q_unix.path) < 0 && errno != ENOENT) {
-                error_setg_errno(errp, errno,
-                                 "Failed to unlink socket %s",
-                                 addr->u.q_unix.path);
-                rc = -1;
-            }
-        }
-
-        if (addr) {
-            qapi_free_SocketAddress(addr);
-        }
     }
     return rc;
 }
diff --git a/tests/test-io-channel-socket.c b/tests/test-io-channel-socket.c
index 0597213f93..c253ae30f5 100644
--- a/tests/test-io-channel-socket.c
+++ b/tests/test-io-channel-socket.c
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ static void test_io_channel_set_socket_bufs(QIOChannel *src,
 
 static void test_io_channel_setup_sync(SocketAddress *listen_addr,
                                        SocketAddress *connect_addr,
+                                       QIOChannel **srv,
                                        QIOChannel **src,
                                        QIOChannel **dst)
 {
@@ -78,7 +79,7 @@ static void test_io_channel_setup_sync(SocketAddress *listen_addr,
 
     test_io_channel_set_socket_bufs(*src, *dst);
 
-    object_unref(OBJECT(lioc));
+    *srv = QIO_CHANNEL(lioc);
 }
 
 
@@ -99,6 +100,7 @@ static void test_io_channel_complete(QIOTask *task,
 
 static void test_io_channel_setup_async(SocketAddress *listen_addr,
                                         SocketAddress *connect_addr,
+                                        QIOChannel **srv,
                                         QIOChannel **src,
                                         QIOChannel **dst)
 {
@@ -146,21 +148,34 @@ static void test_io_channel_setup_async(SocketAddress *listen_addr,
     qio_channel_set_delay(*src, false);
     test_io_channel_set_socket_bufs(*src, *dst);
 
-    object_unref(OBJECT(lioc));
+    *srv = QIO_CHANNEL(lioc);
 
     g_main_loop_unref(data.loop);
 }
 
 
+static void test_io_channel_socket_path_exists(SocketAddress *addr,
+                                               bool expectExists)
+{
+    if (addr->type != SOCKET_ADDRESS_TYPE_UNIX) {
+        return;
+    }
+
+    g_assert(g_file_test(addr->u.q_unix.path,
+                         G_FILE_TEST_EXISTS) == expectExists);
+}
+
+
 static void test_io_channel(bool async,
                             SocketAddress *listen_addr,
                             SocketAddress *connect_addr,
                             bool passFD)
 {
-    QIOChannel *src, *dst;
+    QIOChannel *src, *dst, *srv;
     QIOChannelTest *test;
     if (async) {
-        test_io_channel_setup_async(listen_addr, connect_addr, &src, &dst);
+        test_io_channel_setup_async(listen_addr, connect_addr,
+                                    &srv, &src, &dst);
 
         g_assert(!passFD ||
                  qio_channel_has_feature(src, QIO_CHANNEL_FEATURE_FD_PASS));
@@ -169,14 +184,25 @@ static void test_io_channel(bool async,
         g_assert(qio_channel_has_feature(src, QIO_CHANNEL_FEATURE_SHUTDOWN));
         g_assert(qio_channel_has_feature(dst, QIO_CHANNEL_FEATURE_SHUTDOWN));
 
+        test_io_channel_socket_path_exists(listen_addr, true);
+
         test = qio_channel_test_new();
         qio_channel_test_run_threads(test, true, src, dst);
         qio_channel_test_validate(test);
 
+        test_io_channel_socket_path_exists(listen_addr, true);
+
+        /* unref without close, to ensure finalize() cleans up */
+
         object_unref(OBJECT(src));
         object_unref(OBJECT(dst));
+        test_io_channel_socket_path_exists(listen_addr, true);
 
-        test_io_channel_setup_async(listen_addr, connect_addr, &src, &dst);
+        object_unref(OBJECT(srv));
+        test_io_channel_socket_path_exists(listen_addr, false);
+
+        test_io_channel_setup_async(listen_addr, connect_addr,
+                                    &srv, &src, &dst);
 
         g_assert(!passFD ||
                  qio_channel_has_feature(src, QIO_CHANNEL_FEATURE_FD_PASS));
@@ -189,10 +215,24 @@ static void test_io_channel(bool async,
         qio_channel_test_run_threads(test, false, src, dst);
         qio_channel_test_validate(test);
 
+        /* close before unref, to ensure finalize copes with already closed */
+
+        qio_channel_close(src, &error_abort);
+        qio_channel_close(dst, &error_abort);
+        test_io_channel_socket_path_exists(listen_addr, true);
+
         object_unref(OBJECT(src));
         object_unref(OBJECT(dst));
+        test_io_channel_socket_path_exists(listen_addr, true);
+
+        qio_channel_close(srv, &error_abort);
+        test_io_channel_socket_path_exists(listen_addr, false);
+
+        object_unref(OBJECT(srv));
+        test_io_channel_socket_path_exists(listen_addr, false);
     } else {
-        test_io_channel_setup_sync(listen_addr, connect_addr, &src, &dst);
+        test_io_channel_setup_sync(listen_addr, connect_addr,
+                                   &srv, &src, &dst);
 
         g_assert(!passFD ||
                  qio_channel_has_feature(src, QIO_CHANNEL_FEATURE_FD_PASS));
@@ -201,14 +241,25 @@ static void test_io_channel(bool async,
         g_assert(qio_channel_has_feature(src, QIO_CHANNEL_FEATURE_SHUTDOWN));
         g_assert(qio_channel_has_feature(dst, QIO_CHANNEL_FEATURE_SHUTDOWN));
 
+        test_io_channel_socket_path_exists(listen_addr, true);
+
         test = qio_channel_test_new();
         qio_channel_test_run_threads(test, true, src, dst);
         qio_channel_test_validate(test);
 
+        test_io_channel_socket_path_exists(listen_addr, true);
+
+        /* unref without close, to ensure finalize() cleans up */
+
         object_unref(OBJECT(src));
         object_unref(OBJECT(dst));
+        test_io_channel_socket_path_exists(listen_addr, true);
 
-        test_io_channel_setup_sync(listen_addr, connect_addr, &src, &dst);
+        object_unref(OBJECT(srv));
+        test_io_channel_socket_path_exists(listen_addr, false);
+
+        test_io_channel_setup_sync(listen_addr, connect_addr,
+                                   &srv, &src, &dst);
 
         g_assert(!passFD ||
                  qio_channel_has_feature(src, QIO_CHANNEL_FEATURE_FD_PASS));
@@ -221,8 +272,23 @@ static void test_io_channel(bool async,
         qio_channel_test_run_threads(test, false, src, dst);
         qio_channel_test_validate(test);
 
+        test_io_channel_socket_path_exists(listen_addr, true);
+
+        /* close before unref, to ensure finalize copes with already closed */
+
+        qio_channel_close(src, &error_abort);
+        qio_channel_close(dst, &error_abort);
+        test_io_channel_socket_path_exists(listen_addr, true);
+
         object_unref(OBJECT(src));
         object_unref(OBJECT(dst));
+        test_io_channel_socket_path_exists(listen_addr, true);
+
+        qio_channel_close(srv, &error_abort);
+        test_io_channel_socket_path_exists(listen_addr, false);
+
+        object_unref(OBJECT(srv));
+        test_io_channel_socket_path_exists(listen_addr, false);
     }
 }
 
@@ -316,7 +382,6 @@ static void test_io_channel_unix(bool async)
 
     qapi_free_SocketAddress(listen_addr);
     qapi_free_SocketAddress(connect_addr);
-    g_assert(g_file_test(TEST_SOCKET, G_FILE_TEST_EXISTS) == FALSE);
 }
 
 
@@ -335,7 +400,7 @@ static void test_io_channel_unix_fd_pass(void)
 {
     SocketAddress *listen_addr = g_new0(SocketAddress, 1);
     SocketAddress *connect_addr = g_new0(SocketAddress, 1);
-    QIOChannel *src, *dst;
+    QIOChannel *src, *dst, *srv;
     int testfd;
     int fdsend[3];
     int *fdrecv = NULL;
@@ -359,7 +424,7 @@ static void test_io_channel_unix_fd_pass(void)
     connect_addr->type = SOCKET_ADDRESS_TYPE_UNIX;
     connect_addr->u.q_unix.path = g_strdup(TEST_SOCKET);
 
-    test_io_channel_setup_sync(listen_addr, connect_addr, &src, &dst);
+    test_io_channel_setup_sync(listen_addr, connect_addr, &srv, &src, &dst);
 
     memcpy(bufsend, "Hello World", G_N_ELEMENTS(bufsend));
 
@@ -412,6 +477,7 @@ static void test_io_channel_unix_fd_pass(void)
 
     object_unref(OBJECT(src));
     object_unref(OBJECT(dst));
+    object_unref(OBJECT(srv));
     qapi_free_SocketAddress(listen_addr);
     qapi_free_SocketAddress(connect_addr);
     unlink(TEST_SOCKET);