diff --git a/src/unix/stream.c b/src/unix/stream.c
index fb1be0050..892838ccc 100644
--- a/src/unix/stream.c
+++ b/src/unix/stream.c
@@ -632,8 +632,6 @@ static void uv__drain(uv_stream_t* stream) {
   uv_shutdown_t* req;
 
   assert(ngx_queue_empty(&stream->write_queue));
-  assert(stream->write_queue_size == 0);
-
   uv__io_stop(stream->loop, &stream->io_watcher, UV__POLLOUT);
 
   /* Shutdown? */
@@ -727,10 +725,8 @@ start:
 
   assert(uv__stream_fd(stream) >= 0);
 
-  if (ngx_queue_empty(&stream->write_queue)) {
-    assert(stream->write_queue_size == 0);
+  if (ngx_queue_empty(&stream->write_queue))
     return;
-  }
 
   q = ngx_queue_head(&stream->write_queue);
   req = ngx_queue_data(q, uv_write_t, queue);
@@ -1205,6 +1201,12 @@ int uv_write2(uv_write_t* req,
       return uv__set_artificial_error(stream->loop, UV_EBADF);
   }
 
+  /* It's legal for write_queue_size > 0 even when the write_queue is empty;
+   * it means there are error-state requests in the write_completed_queue that
+   * will touch up write_queue_size later, see also uv__write_req_finish().
+   * We chould check that write_queue is empty instead but that implies making
+   * a write() syscall when we know that the handle is in error mode.
+   */
   empty_queue = (stream->write_queue_size == 0);
 
   /* Initialize the req */