diff --git a/src/tmpfiles.c b/src/tmpfiles.c
index 46c8a24b..a209f51a 100644
--- a/src/tmpfiles.c
+++ b/src/tmpfiles.c
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 #include "config.h"		/* Generated by configure script */
 
 #include <dirent.h>
+#include <fcntl.h>
 #include <ftw.h>
 #include <getopt.h>
 #include <glob.h>
@@ -566,58 +567,65 @@ static void tmpfiles(char *line)
 			umask(omask);
 			break;
 		}
-		case 'e':
+		case 'e': {
+			int uid, gid;
+
 			if (glob(path, GLOB_NOESCAPE, NULL, &gl))
 				break;
 
+			uid = parse_uid(user);
+			gid = parse_gid(group);
+			if (gid < 0)
+				gid = 0;
+
 			for (size_t i = 0; i < gl.gl_pathc; i++) {
 				char *p = gl.gl_pathv[i];
-				int uid, gid;
 
-				/* e only adjusts existing directories */
-				if (!fisdir(p))
-					continue;
-
-				uid = parse_uid(user);
-				gid = parse_gid(group);
-				if (gid < 0)
-					gid = 0;
-
-				if (mode)
-					chmod(p, mode);
-				if (uid >= 0 && chown(p, uid, gid))
-					warn("Failed chown(%s, %d, %d)", p, uid, gid);
+				/* skip non-directories */
+				if (dirperm(p, mode, uid, gid) && errno != ENOTDIR)
+					warn("Failed setting mode/owner on %s", p);
 			}
 			break;
+		}
 		case 'f':
-		case 'F':
-			mkparent(path, 0755);
+		case 'F': {
+			int flags = O_WRONLY | O_CREAT | O_NOFOLLOW | O_CLOEXEC;
+			int fd, uid, gid;
+
 			if (type[1] == '+' || type[0] == 'F') {
-				/* f+/F will create or truncate the file */
-				fp = fopen(path, "w+");
+				flags |= O_TRUNC;	/* create or truncate */
 			} else {
-				/* f will create the file if it doesn't exist */
-				if (strc)
-					fp = fopen(path, "w");
+				if (!strc)
+					break;		/* create only if missing */
+				flags |= O_EXCL;
 			}
 
-			if (fp) {
-				int uid, gid;
-
-				write_arg(fp, arg);
-				rc = fclose(fp);
-
-				/* Apply mode and ownership */
-				if (mode)
-					chmod(path, mode);
-				uid = parse_uid(user);
-				gid = parse_gid(group);
-				if (gid < 0)
-					gid = 0;
-				if (uid >= 0 && chown(path, uid, gid))
-					warn("Failed chown(%s, %d, %d)", path, uid, gid);
+			mkparent(path, 0755);
+			fd = open(path, flags, 0666);
+			if (fd < 0) {
+				if (errno != EEXIST)
+					warn("Failed creating %s", path);
+				break;
 			}
+
+			fp = fdopen(fd, "w");
+			if (!fp) {
+				close(fd);
+				break;
+			}
+
+			write_arg(fp, arg);
+
+			uid = parse_uid(user);
+			gid = parse_gid(group);
+			if (gid < 0)
+				gid = 0;
+			if (fdperm(fd, mode, uid, gid))
+				warn("Failed setting mode/owner on %s", path);
+
+			rc = fclose(fp);
 			break;
+		}
 		case 'l': /* Finit extension, like 'L' but only if target exists */
 			if (!arg) {
 				paste(buf, sizeof(buf), "/usr/share/factory", path);
diff --git a/src/util.c b/src/util.c
index 161bfad8..72c59c1b 100644
--- a/src/util.c
+++ b/src/util.c
@@ -376,26 +376,37 @@ int rmrf(const char *path)
 }
 
 /*
- * Set mode and owner on a directory that may already exist.  Works on
- * an fd opened with O_NOFOLLOW | O_DIRECTORY, so the change lands on
- * the directory itself and not on whatever a link at @path points to.
- * Only what differs is touched, the directory may be immutable.  uid
- * -1 skips the chown.
+ * Set mode and owner on an open fd, only what differs is touched, the
+ * file may be immutable.  mode 0 skips the chmod, uid -1 the chown.
+ */
+int fdperm(int fd, mode_t mode, uid_t uid, gid_t gid)
+{
+	struct stat st;
+	int rc;
+
+	rc = fstat(fd, &st);
+	if (!rc && mode && (st.st_mode & 07777) != mode)
+		rc = fchmod(fd, mode);
+	if (!rc && uid != (uid_t)-1 && (st.st_uid != uid || st.st_gid != gid))
+		rc = fchown(fd, uid, gid);
+
+	return rc;
+}
+
+/*
+ * Same for a directory that may already exist.  Opened with
+ * O_NOFOLLOW | O_DIRECTORY, so the change lands on the directory
+ * itself and not on whatever a link at @path points to.
  */
 int dirperm(const char *path, mode_t mode, uid_t uid, gid_t gid)
 {
-	struct stat st;
 	int fd, rc;
 
 	fd = open(path, O_RDONLY | O_DIRECTORY | O_NOFOLLOW | O_CLOEXEC);
 	if (fd < 0)
 		return -1;
 
-	rc = fstat(fd, &st);
-	if (!rc && (st.st_mode & 07777) != mode)
-		rc = fchmod(fd, mode);
-	if (!rc && uid != (uid_t)-1 && (st.st_uid != uid || st.st_gid != gid))
-		rc = fchown(fd, uid, gid);
+	rc = fdperm(fd, mode, uid, gid);
 	close(fd);
 
 	return rc;
diff --git a/src/util.h b/src/util.h
index 6e2cc053..7780dc49 100644
--- a/src/util.h
+++ b/src/util.h
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@ int   getgroup     (const char *group);
 int   getcuser     (char *buf, size_t len);
 int   getcgroup    (char *buf, size_t len);
 
+int   fdperm       (int fd, mode_t mode, uid_t uid, gid_t gid);
 int   dirperm      (const char *path, mode_t mode, uid_t uid, gid_t gid);
 int   mksubsys     (const char *dir, mode_t mode, char *user, char *group);
 int   mksubsysd    (const char *dir, mode_t mode, uid_t uid, gid_t gid);