diff --git a/clients/cli/connections.c b/clients/cli/connections.c
index 453781477..e9e21be82 100644
--- a/clients/cli/connections.c
+++ b/clients/cli/connections.c
@@ -2093,7 +2093,7 @@ do_connections_show (NmCli *nmc, int argc, char **argv)
 			}
 		}
 
-		nm_cli_spawn_pager (nmc);
+		nm_cli_spawn_pager (&nmc->nmc_config, &nmc->pager_data);
 
 		items = con_show_get_items (nmc, active_only, show_active_fields, order);
 		g_ptr_array_add (items, NULL);
diff --git a/clients/cli/general.c b/clients/cli/general.c
index 2cc86aaaf..6e7410ed2 100644
--- a/clients/cli/general.c
+++ b/clients/cli/general.c
@@ -556,7 +556,7 @@ print_permissions (void *user_data)
 		permissions[i] = GINT_TO_POINTER (nm_auth_permission_sorted[i]);
 	permissions[i] = NULL;
 
-	nm_cli_spawn_pager (nmc);
+	nm_cli_spawn_pager (&nmc->nmc_config, &nmc->pager_data);
 
 	if (!nmc_print (&nmc->nmc_config,
 	                permissions,
@@ -1447,7 +1447,7 @@ do_overview (NmCli *nmc, int argc, char **argv)
 	/* Register polkit agent */
 	nmc_start_polkit_agent_start_try (nmc);
 
-	nm_cli_spawn_pager (nmc);
+	nm_cli_spawn_pager (&nmc->nmc_config, &nmc->pager_data);
 
 	/* The VPN connections don't have devices (yet?). */
 	p = nm_client_get_active_connections (nmc->client);
diff --git a/clients/cli/nmcli.c b/clients/cli/nmcli.c
index 6751a080c..aedb2e087 100644
--- a/clients/cli/nmcli.c
+++ b/clients/cli/nmcli.c
@@ -911,11 +911,12 @@ signal_handler (gpointer user_data)
 }
 
 void
-nm_cli_spawn_pager (NmCli *nmc)
+nm_cli_spawn_pager (const NmcConfig *nmc_config,
+                    NmcPagerData *pager_data)
 {
-	if (nmc->pager_pid > 0)
+	if (pager_data->pid != 0)
 		return;
-	nmc->pager_pid = nmc_terminal_spawn_pager (&nmc->nmc_config);
+	pager_data->pid = nmc_terminal_spawn_pager (nmc_config);
 }
 
 static void
@@ -937,13 +938,14 @@ nmc_cleanup (NmCli *nmc)
 
 	nm_clear_g_free (&nmc->required_fields);
 
-	if (nmc->pager_pid > 0) {
+	if (nmc->pager_data.pid != 0) {
+		pid_t pid = nm_steal_int (&nmc->pager_data.pid);
+
 		fclose (stdout);
 		fclose (stderr);
 		do {
-			ret = waitpid (nmc->pager_pid, NULL, 0);
+			ret = waitpid (pid, NULL, 0);
 		} while (ret == -1 && errno == EINTR);
-		nmc->pager_pid = 0;
 	}
 
 	nm_clear_g_free (&nmc->palette_buffer);
diff --git a/clients/cli/nmcli.h b/clients/cli/nmcli.h
index f9a066162..29d52d09a 100644
--- a/clients/cli/nmcli.h
+++ b/clients/cli/nmcli.h
@@ -101,6 +101,10 @@ typedef struct _NmcConfig {
 	const char *palette[_NM_META_COLOR_NUM];          /* Color palette */
 } NmcConfig;
 
+typedef struct {
+	pid_t pid;
+} NmcPagerData;
+
 typedef struct _NmcOutputData {
 	GPtrArray *output_data;                           /* GPtrArray of arrays of NmcOutputField structs - accumulates data for output */
 } NmcOutputData;
@@ -111,7 +115,8 @@ typedef struct _NmCli {
 
 	NMCResultCode return_value;                       /* Return code of nmcli */
 	GString *return_text;                             /* Reason text */
-	pid_t pager_pid;                                  /* PID of a pager, if one was spawned */
+
+	NmcPagerData pager_data;
 
 	int timeout;                                      /* Operation timeout */
 
@@ -150,7 +155,8 @@ void     nmc_clear_sigint (void);
 void     nmc_set_sigquit_internal (void);
 void     nmc_exit (void);
 
-void nm_cli_spawn_pager (NmCli *nmc);
+void nm_cli_spawn_pager (const NmcConfig *nmc_config,
+                         NmcPagerData *pager_data);
 
 void nmc_empty_output_fields (NmcOutputData *output_data);
 
diff --git a/clients/cli/utils.c b/clients/cli/utils.c
index c5a4c38ea..e97003de8 100644
--- a/clients/cli/utils.c
+++ b/clients/cli/utils.c
@@ -1587,7 +1587,7 @@ print_required_fields (const NmcConfig *nmc_config,
 	gboolean field_names = of_flags & NMC_OF_FLAG_FIELD_NAMES;
 	gboolean section_prefix = of_flags & NMC_OF_FLAG_SECTION_PREFIX;
 
-	nm_cli_spawn_pager (&nm_cli);
+	nm_cli_spawn_pager (nmc_config, &nm_cli.pager_data);
 
 	/* --- Main header --- */
 	if (   nmc_config->print_output == NMC_PRINT_PRETTY