diff --git a/src/builtins/cd.rs b/src/builtins/cd.rs
index 739909611..d5468eca2 100644
--- a/src/builtins/cd.rs
+++ b/src/builtins/cd.rs
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 use errno::Errno;
 use libc::{EACCES, ELOOP, ENOENT, ENOTDIR, EPERM};
 use nix::unistd::fchdir;
+use std::sync::Arc;
 
 // The cd builtin. Changes the current directory to the one specified or to $HOME if none is
 // specified. The directory can be relative to any directory in the CDPATH variable.
@@ -82,35 +83,42 @@ pub fn cd(parser: &mut Parser, streams: &mut IoStreams, args: &mut [&wstr]) -> B
         let res = wopen_dir(&norm_dir, BEST_O_SEARCH).map_err(|err| err as i32);
 
         let res = res.and_then(|fd| {
-            fchdir(&fd).map_err(|_|
+            fchdir(&fd)
+                .map_err(|_|
                 // nix::Result::Err contains nix::errno::Errno, which does not offer an API for
                 // converting to a raw int.
                 errno::errno().0)
+                .map(|()| fd)
         });
 
-        if let Err(err) = res {
-            // Some errors we skip and only report if nothing worked.
-            // ENOENT in particular is very low priority
-            // - if in another directory there was a *file* by the correct name
-            // we prefer *that* error because it's more specific
-            if err == ENOENT {
-                let tmp = wreadlink(&norm_dir);
-                // clippy doesn't like this is_some/unwrap pair, but using if let is harder to read IMO
-                // TODO: if-let-chains
-                if let Some(tmp) = tmp.filter(|_| broken_symlink.is_empty()) {
-                    broken_symlink = norm_dir;
-                    broken_symlink_target = tmp;
-                } else if best_errno == 0 {
-                    best_errno = errno::errno().0;
+        let fd = match res {
+            Ok(fd) => fd,
+            Err(err) => {
+                // Some errors we skip and only report if nothing worked.
+                // ENOENT in particular is very low priority
+                // - if in another directory there was a *file* by the correct name
+                // we prefer *that* error because it's more specific
+                if err == ENOENT {
+                    let tmp = wreadlink(&norm_dir);
+                    if let Some(tmp) = tmp.filter(|_| broken_symlink.is_empty()) {
+                        broken_symlink = norm_dir;
+                        broken_symlink_target = tmp;
+                    } else if best_errno == 0 {
+                        best_errno = errno::errno().0;
+                    }
+                    continue;
+                } else if err == ENOTDIR {
+                    best_errno = err;
+                    continue;
                 }
-                continue;
-            } else if err == ENOTDIR {
                 best_errno = err;
-                continue;
+                break;
             }
-            best_errno = err;
-            break;
-        }
+        };
+
+        // Stash the fd for the cwd in the parser so it stays open.
+        // Eventually fish will support distinct CWDs for different parsers in different threads.
+        parser.libdata_mut().cwd_fd = Some(Arc::new(fd));
 
         parser.set_var_and_fire(
             L!("PWD"),
diff --git a/src/parser.rs b/src/parser.rs
index 08acdfe38..c82444a82 100644
--- a/src/parser.rs
+++ b/src/parser.rs
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
     },
     event::{self, Event},
     expand::{ExpandFlags, ExpandResultCode, expand_string, replace_home_directory_with_tilde},
+    fds::{BEST_O_SEARCH, open_dir},
     flog, flogf, function,
     io::IoChain,
     job_group::MaybeJobId,
@@ -25,6 +26,7 @@
     proc::{InternalJobId, JobGroupRef, JobList, JobRef, Pid, ProcStatus, job_reap},
     signal::{RawSignal, signal_check_cancel, signal_clear_cancel},
     wait_handle::WaitHandleStore,
+    wutil::perror_nix,
 };
 use assert_matches::assert_matches;
 use fish_common::{
@@ -38,6 +40,7 @@
 use std::io::Write as _;
 use std::num::NonZeroU32;
 use std::ops::DerefMut;
+use std::os::fd::OwnedFd;
 use std::rc::Rc;
 use std::sync::Arc;
 use std::time::Duration;
@@ -271,6 +274,10 @@ pub struct LibraryData {
     /// the command line.
     pub transient_commandline: ScopedRefCell<Option<WString>>,
 
+    /// A file descriptor holding the current working directory, for use in openat().
+    /// This is never null and never invalid.
+    pub cwd_fd: Option<Arc<OwnedFd>>,
+
     /// Variables supporting the "status" builtin.
     pub status_vars: StatusVars,
 
@@ -443,7 +450,7 @@ pub fn user(mode: EnvMode) -> Self {
 impl Parser {
     /// Create a parser.
     pub fn new(variables: EnvStack, cancel_behavior: CancelBehavior) -> Parser {
-        let result = Self {
+        let mut result = Self {
             interactive_initialized: false,
             current_node: ScopedRefCell::new(None),
             current_filename: ScopedRefCell::new(None),
@@ -462,6 +469,15 @@ pub fn new(variables: EnvStack, cancel_behavior: CancelBehavior) -> Parser {
             test_only_suppress_stderr: false,
         };
 
+        match open_dir(c".", BEST_O_SEARCH) {
+            Ok(fd) => {
+                result.libdata_mut().cwd_fd = Some(Arc::new(fd));
+            }
+            Err(err) => {
+                perror_nix("Unable to open the current working directory", err);
+            }
+        }
+
         result
     }