diff --git a/src/etc/rc.initial b/src/etc/rc.initial
index f96fb07e0..bceb0ce98 100755
--- a/src/etc/rc.initial
+++ b/src/etc/rc.initial
@@ -18,6 +18,13 @@ fi
 # endless loop
 while : ; do
 
+# We `set -e' to force exit if we encounter an error.
+# This is mainly useful in case we lose our tty (happens when
+# an ssh connection breaks, for example), in which case our stdout
+# is closed and the `echo' commands in the while loop will silently fail.
+# Failure to exit at that moment would lead to an infinite loop.
+set -e
+
 echo
 
 echo " 0) Logout                             7) Ping host"
@@ -32,6 +39,9 @@ echo
 read -p "Enter an option: " OPCODE
 echo
 
+# The scripts we'll call below may return non-zero, don't exit if they do
+set +e
+
 # see what the user has chosen
 case ${OPCODE} in
 0|exit|logout|quit)