diff --git a/cmd/mountlib/check_linux.go b/cmd/mountlib/check_linux.go
index 81e3ccf37..58d839bf5 100644
--- a/cmd/mountlib/check_linux.go
+++ b/cmd/mountlib/check_linux.go
@@ -7,15 +7,10 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
-	"time"
 
 	"github.com/moby/sys/mountinfo"
 )
 
-const (
-	pollInterval = 100 * time.Millisecond
-)
-
 // CheckMountEmpty checks if folder is not already a mountpoint.
 // On Linux we use the OS-specific /proc/self/mountinfo API so the check won't access the path.
 // Directories marked as "mounted" by autofs are considered not mounted.
@@ -80,19 +75,5 @@ func CheckMountReady(mountpoint string) error {
 	return fmt.Errorf(msg, mountpointAbs)
 }
 
-// WaitMountReady waits until mountpoint is mounted by rclone.
-func WaitMountReady(mountpoint string, timeout time.Duration) (err error) {
-	endTime := time.Now().Add(timeout)
-	for {
-		err = CheckMountReady(mountpoint)
-		delay := time.Until(endTime)
-		if err == nil || delay <= 0 {
-			break
-		}
-		if delay > pollInterval {
-			delay = pollInterval
-		}
-		time.Sleep(delay)
-	}
-	return
-}
+// CanCheckMountReady is set if CheckMountReady is functional
+var CanCheckMountReady = true
diff --git a/cmd/mountlib/check_other.go b/cmd/mountlib/check_other.go
index 328f83bca..760be4ec6 100644
--- a/cmd/mountlib/check_other.go
+++ b/cmd/mountlib/check_other.go
@@ -3,10 +3,6 @@
 
 package mountlib
 
-import (
-	"time"
-)
-
 // CheckMountEmpty checks if mountpoint folder is empty.
 // On non-Linux unixes we list directory to ensure that.
 func CheckMountEmpty(mountpoint string) error {
@@ -19,9 +15,5 @@ func CheckMountReady(mountpoint string) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-// WaitMountReady should wait until mountpoint is mounted by rclone.
-// The check is implemented only for Linux so we just sleep a little.
-func WaitMountReady(mountpoint string, timeout time.Duration) error {
-	time.Sleep(timeout)
-	return nil
-}
+// CanCheckMountReady is set if CheckMountReady is functional
+var CanCheckMountReady = false
diff --git a/cmd/mountlib/mount.go b/cmd/mountlib/mount.go
index 558a7b241..a94f4a7dd 100644
--- a/cmd/mountlib/mount.go
+++ b/cmd/mountlib/mount.go
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ import (
 	"runtime"
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
-	"syscall"
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/rclone/rclone/cmd"
@@ -157,6 +156,38 @@ func AddFlags(flagSet *pflag.FlagSet) {
 	flags.DurationVarP(flagSet, &Opt.DaemonWait, "daemon-wait", "", Opt.DaemonWait, "Time to wait for ready mount from daemon (maximum time on Linux, constant sleep time on OSX/BSD) (not supported on Windows)", "Mount")
 }
 
+const (
+	pollInterval = 100 * time.Millisecond
+)
+
+// WaitMountReady waits until mountpoint is mounted by rclone.
+//
+// If the mount daemon dies prematurely it will notice too.
+func WaitMountReady(mountpoint string, timeout time.Duration, daemon *os.Process) (err error) {
+	endTime := time.Now().Add(timeout)
+	for {
+		if CanCheckMountReady {
+			err = CheckMountReady(mountpoint)
+			if err == nil {
+				break
+			}
+		}
+		err = daemonize.Check(daemon)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		delay := time.Until(endTime)
+		if delay <= 0 {
+			break
+		}
+		if delay > pollInterval {
+			delay = pollInterval
+		}
+		time.Sleep(delay)
+	}
+	return
+}
+
 // NewMountCommand makes a mount command with the given name and Mount function
 func NewMountCommand(commandName string, hidden bool, mount MountFn) *cobra.Command {
 	var commandDefinition = &cobra.Command{
@@ -220,16 +251,9 @@ func NewMountCommand(commandName string, hidden bool, mount MountFn) *cobra.Comm
 				handle := atexit.Register(func() {
 					killDaemon("Got interrupt")
 				})
-				err = WaitMountReady(mnt.MountPoint, Opt.DaemonWait)
+				err = WaitMountReady(mnt.MountPoint, Opt.DaemonWait, daemon)
 				if err != nil {
 					killDaemon("Daemon timed out")
-				} else {
-					// Double check daemon is still alive
-					// on non Linux OSes WaitMountReady is just a no-op
-					err = daemon.Signal(syscall.Signal(0))
-					if err != nil {
-						err = fmt.Errorf("daemon has died: %w", err)
-					}
 				}
 				atexit.Unregister(handle)
 			}
diff --git a/lib/daemonize/daemon_other.go b/lib/daemonize/daemon_other.go
index a0781d453..a7d663d0e 100644
--- a/lib/daemonize/daemon_other.go
+++ b/lib/daemonize/daemon_other.go
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
-//go:build windows || plan9 || js
-// +build windows plan9 js
+//go:build !unix
 
 // Package daemonize provides daemonization stub for non-Unix platforms.
 package daemonize
@@ -10,7 +9,14 @@ import (
 	"runtime"
 )
 
+var errNotSupported = fmt.Errorf("daemon mode is not supported on the %s platform", runtime.GOOS)
+
 // StartDaemon runs background twin of current process.
 func StartDaemon(args []string) (*os.Process, error) {
-	return nil, fmt.Errorf("background mode is not supported on %s platform", runtime.GOOS)
+	return nil, errNotSupported
+}
+
+// Check returns non nil if the daemon process has died
+func Check(daemon *os.Process) error {
+	return errNotSupported
 }
diff --git a/lib/daemonize/daemon_unix.go b/lib/daemonize/daemon_unix.go
index 1fcb2c55c..6e1e0442e 100644
--- a/lib/daemonize/daemon_unix.go
+++ b/lib/daemonize/daemon_unix.go
@@ -1,15 +1,16 @@
-//go:build !windows && !plan9 && !js
-// +build !windows,!plan9,!js
+//go:build unix
 
 // Package daemonize provides daemonization interface for Unix platforms.
 package daemonize
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"strings"
 	"syscall"
 
 	"github.com/rclone/rclone/fs"
+	"golang.org/x/sys/unix"
 )
 
 // StartDaemon runs background twin of current process.
@@ -108,3 +109,20 @@ func argsToEnv(origArgs, origEnv []string) (args, env []string) {
 	}
 	return
 }
+
+// Check returns non nil if the daemon process has died
+func Check(daemon *os.Process) error {
+	var status unix.WaitStatus
+	wpid, err := unix.Wait4(daemon.Pid, &status, unix.WNOHANG, nil)
+	// fs.Debugf(nil, "wait4 returned wpid=%d, err=%v, status=%d", wpid, err, status)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	if wpid == 0 {
+		return nil
+	}
+	if status.Exited() {
+		return fmt.Errorf("daemon exited with error code %d", status.ExitStatus())
+	}
+	return nil
+}