diff --git a/api/server/router/container/container_routes.go b/api/server/router/container/container_routes.go
index 6823a1a223182..2852623fe94dc 100644
--- a/api/server/router/container/container_routes.go
+++ b/api/server/router/container/container_routes.go
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/versions"
 	"github.com/docker/docker/pkg/ioutils"
 	"github.com/docker/docker/pkg/signal"
+	"github.com/docker/docker/pkg/stdcopy"
 	"golang.org/x/net/context"
 	"golang.org/x/net/websocket"
 )
@@ -108,9 +109,10 @@ func (s *containerRouter) getContainersLogs(ctx context.Context, w http.Response
 		select {
 		case <-chStarted:
 			// The client may be expecting all of the data we're sending to
-			// be multiplexed, so send it through OutStream, which will
-			// have been set up to handle that if needed.
-			fmt.Fprintf(logsConfig.OutStream, "Error running logs job: %v\n", err)
+			// be multiplexed, so mux it through the Systemerr stream, which
+			// will cause the client to throw an error when demuxing
+			stdwriter := stdcopy.NewStdWriter(logsConfig.OutStream, stdcopy.Systemerr)
+			fmt.Fprintf(stdwriter, "Error running logs job: %v\n", err)
 		default:
 			return err
 		}
diff --git a/api/server/router/swarm/cluster_routes.go b/api/server/router/swarm/cluster_routes.go
index 59420fe90583e..076d4a4452e6d 100644
--- a/api/server/router/swarm/cluster_routes.go
+++ b/api/server/router/swarm/cluster_routes.go
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/backend"
 	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/filters"
 	types "github.com/docker/docker/api/types/swarm"
+	"github.com/docker/docker/pkg/stdcopy"
 	"golang.org/x/net/context"
 )
 
@@ -252,7 +253,8 @@ func (sr *swarmRouter) getServiceLogs(ctx context.Context, w http.ResponseWriter
 			// The client may be expecting all of the data we're sending to
 			// be multiplexed, so send it through OutStream, which will
 			// have been set up to handle that if needed.
-			fmt.Fprintf(logsConfig.OutStream, "Error grabbing service logs: %v\n", err)
+			stdwriter := stdcopy.NewStdWriter(w, stdcopy.Systemerr)
+			fmt.Fprintf(stdwriter, "Error grabbing service logs: %v\n", err)
 		default:
 			return err
 		}
diff --git a/pkg/stdcopy/stdcopy.go b/pkg/stdcopy/stdcopy.go
index be20765457401..a018a203f3865 100644
--- a/pkg/stdcopy/stdcopy.go
+++ b/pkg/stdcopy/stdcopy.go
@@ -20,6 +20,9 @@ const (
 	Stdout
 	// Stderr represents standard error steam type.
 	Stderr
+	// Systemerr represents errors originating from the system that make it
+	// into the the multiplexed stream.
+	Systemerr
 
 	stdWriterPrefixLen = 8
 	stdWriterFdIndex   = 0
@@ -115,8 +118,9 @@ func StdCopy(dstout, dsterr io.Writer, src io.Reader) (written int64, err error)
 			}
 		}
 
+		stream := StdType(buf[stdWriterFdIndex])
 		// Check the first byte to know where to write
-		switch StdType(buf[stdWriterFdIndex]) {
+		switch stream {
 		case Stdin:
 			fallthrough
 		case Stdout:
@@ -125,6 +129,11 @@ func StdCopy(dstout, dsterr io.Writer, src io.Reader) (written int64, err error)
 		case Stderr:
 			// Write on stderr
 			out = dsterr
+		case Systemerr:
+			// If we're on Systemerr, we won't write anywhere.
+			// NB: if this code changes later, make sure you don't try to write
+			// to outstream if Systemerr is the stream
+			out = nil
 		default:
 			return 0, fmt.Errorf("Unrecognized input header: %d", buf[stdWriterFdIndex])
 		}
@@ -155,11 +164,18 @@ func StdCopy(dstout, dsterr io.Writer, src io.Reader) (written int64, err error)
 			}
 		}
 
+		// we might have an error from the source mixed up in our multiplexed
+		// stream. if we do, return it.
+		if stream == Systemerr {
+			return written, fmt.Errorf("error from daemon in stream: %s", string(buf[stdWriterPrefixLen:frameSize+stdWriterPrefixLen]))
+		}
+
 		// Write the retrieved frame (without header)
 		nw, ew = out.Write(buf[stdWriterPrefixLen : frameSize+stdWriterPrefixLen])
 		if ew != nil {
 			return 0, ew
 		}
+
 		// If the frame has not been fully written: error
 		if nw != frameSize {
 			return 0, io.ErrShortWrite
diff --git a/pkg/stdcopy/stdcopy_test.go b/pkg/stdcopy/stdcopy_test.go
index 3137a75239892..b3e2c4dfd8ee1 100644
--- a/pkg/stdcopy/stdcopy_test.go
+++ b/pkg/stdcopy/stdcopy_test.go
@@ -246,6 +246,35 @@ func TestStdCopyDetectsNotFullyWrittenFrames(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// TestStdCopyReturnsErrorFromSystem tests that StdCopy correctly returns an
+// error, when that error is muxed into the Systemerr stream.
+func TestStdCopyReturnsErrorFromSystem(t *testing.T) {
+	// write in the basic messages, just so there's some fluff in there
+	stdOutBytes := []byte(strings.Repeat("o", startingBufLen))
+	stdErrBytes := []byte(strings.Repeat("e", startingBufLen))
+	buffer, err := getSrcBuffer(stdOutBytes, stdErrBytes)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	// add in an error message on the Systemerr stream
+	systemErrBytes := []byte(strings.Repeat("S", startingBufLen))
+	systemWriter := NewStdWriter(buffer, Systemerr)
+	_, err = systemWriter.Write(systemErrBytes)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	// now copy and demux. we should expect an error containing the string we
+	// wrote out
+	_, err = StdCopy(ioutil.Discard, ioutil.Discard, buffer)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected error, got none")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), string(systemErrBytes)) {
+		t.Fatal("expected error to contain message")
+	}
+}
+
 func BenchmarkWrite(b *testing.B) {
 	w := NewStdWriter(ioutil.Discard, Stdout)
 	data := []byte("Test line for testing stdwriter performance\n")