diff --git a/examples/echoserver/echoserver.c b/examples/echoserver/echoserver.c
index d3ba00eb..4d262851 100644
--- a/examples/echoserver/echoserver.c
+++ b/examples/echoserver/echoserver.c
@@ -1222,6 +1222,9 @@ static int ssh_worker(thread_ctx_t* threadCtx)
             }
             #endif
 
+            if (wolfSSH_OutputPending(ssh))
+                wantWrite = 1;
+
             FD_ZERO(&writeFds);
             if (wantWrite)
                 FD_SET(sshFd, &writeFds);
@@ -1297,9 +1300,15 @@ static int ssh_worker(thread_ctx_t* threadCtx)
                     break;
                 }
                 #endif
-                /* The channel reads below overwrite cnt_r with a byte
-                 * count, so keep the worker's status. */
+                /* rc keeps the worker's status: cnt_r and ssh->error are
+                 * both reused. */
                 rc = cnt_r;
+                if (rc == WS_FATAL_ERROR) {
+                    int err = wolfSSH_get_error(ssh);
+
+                    if (err == WS_WANT_READ || err == WS_WANT_WRITE)
+                        rc = err;
+                }
 
                 /* The peer is done sending: hand back the backlog and answer
                  * its EOF, since the library no longer answers for us. Off
@@ -1515,9 +1524,7 @@ static int ssh_worker(thread_ctx_t* threadCtx)
                         wantWrite = 1;
                         continue;
                     }
-                    else if (rc != WS_FATAL_ERROR
-                            || (wolfSSH_get_error(ssh) != WS_WANT_READ
-                                && wolfSSH_get_error(ssh) != WS_WANT_WRITE)) {
+                    else if (rc != WS_WANT_READ) {
                         #ifdef SHELL_DEBUG
                             printf("Break:read sshFd returns %d: errno =%x\n",
                                     cnt_r, errno);
diff --git a/ide/Espressif/ESP-IDF/examples/wolfssh_echoserver/main/echoserver.c b/ide/Espressif/ESP-IDF/examples/wolfssh_echoserver/main/echoserver.c
index c8c1fdb7..3f6f708a 100644
--- a/ide/Espressif/ESP-IDF/examples/wolfssh_echoserver/main/echoserver.c
+++ b/ide/Espressif/ESP-IDF/examples/wolfssh_echoserver/main/echoserver.c
@@ -995,9 +995,15 @@ static int ssh_worker(thread_ctx_t* threadCtx)
                    channel. The additional channel is only used with the
                    agent. */
                 cnt_r = wolfSSH_worker(ssh, &lastChannel);
-                /* The channel reads below overwrite cnt_r with a byte
-                 * count, so keep the worker's status. */
+                /* rc keeps the worker's status: cnt_r and ssh->error are
+                 * both reused. */
                 rc = cnt_r;
+                if (rc == WS_FATAL_ERROR) {
+                    int err = wolfSSH_get_error(ssh);
+
+                    if (err == WS_WANT_READ || err == WS_WANT_WRITE)
+                        rc = err;
+                }
 
                 /* The peer is done sending: hand back the backlog and answer
                  * its EOF, since the library no longer answers for us. Off
@@ -1167,12 +1173,7 @@ static int ssh_worker(thread_ctx_t* threadCtx)
                          * above, which has already run this pass. */
                         continue;
                     }
-                    else if (rc == WS_WANT_WRITE) {
-                        /* Transient; the queue drives the write side. */
-                    }
-                    else if (rc != WS_FATAL_ERROR
-                            || (wolfSSH_get_error(ssh) != WS_WANT_READ
-                                && wolfSSH_get_error(ssh) != WS_WANT_WRITE)) {
+                    else if (rc != WS_WANT_READ && rc != WS_WANT_WRITE) {
                         #ifdef SHELL_DEBUG
                             printf("Break:read sshFd returns %d: errno =%x\n",
                                     cnt_r, errno);
diff --git a/scripts/fwd-bulk.test b/scripts/fwd-bulk.test
index 4004329c..b327c38c 100755
--- a/scripts/fwd-bulk.test
+++ b/scripts/fwd-bulk.test
@@ -80,15 +80,13 @@ stall_limit=15
 ./examples/portfwd/portfwd '-?' 2>&1 | grep -q "does not exist" \
     && { echo "forwarding not compiled in, skipping"; exit 77; }
 
-# A WOLFSSH_TEST_BLOCK build fails writes at random, which stalls the
-# echoserver regardless of what the peer does. The other echoserver scripts
-# skip it for the same reason.
 WOLFSSH_OPTIONS=`./apps/wolfssh-options` || {
     echo "fail: could not run ./apps/wolfssh-options"
     exit 1
 }
 echo "$WOLFSSH_OPTIONS" | grep -qx "TEST_BLOCK" \
-    && { echo "macro WOLFSSH_TEST_BLOCK was used, skipping"; exit 77; }
+    && { echo "portfwd does not support non-blocking mode, skipping test"
+         exit 77; }
 
 do_cleanup() {
     for pid in $nc_client_pid $portfwd_pid $server_pid $nc_server_pid \
diff --git a/scripts/sshclient.test b/scripts/sshclient.test
index 762f457f..4e8c2684 100755
--- a/scripts/sshclient.test
+++ b/scripts/sshclient.test
@@ -30,14 +30,10 @@ client_limit=60
 ./examples/echoserver/echoserver '-?' 2>&1 | grep -q "^echoserver " \
     || { echo "echoserver doesn't run, skipping"; exit 77; }
 
-# A WOLFSSH_TEST_BLOCK build fails writes at random. The echoserver leaves a
-# failed write queued and then waits on the peer for a reply to the message
-# it never sent, so a session stalls no matter what the client does. The
-# other echoserver scripts skip this build for the same reason.
 if [ -x ./examples/client/client ] \
     && ./examples/client/client -h 2>&1 | grep -q "WOLFSSH_TEST_BLOCK"
 then
-    echo "macro WOLFSSH_TEST_BLOCK was used, skipping"
+    echo "wolfssh client does not support non-blocking mode, skipping test"
     exit 77
 fi