diff --git a/src/uucore/src/lib/features/pipes.rs b/src/uucore/src/lib/features/pipes.rs
index 5d8e893e7d..c4c6a99e05 100644
--- a/src/uucore/src/lib/features/pipes.rs
+++ b/src/uucore/src/lib/features/pipes.rs
@@ -43,27 +43,41 @@ pub fn pipe<const SIZE_REQUIRED: bool>(s: usize) -> std::io::Result<(PipeReader,
 ///
 /// At least one of `source` and `target` must be some sort of pipe.
 /// To get around this requirement, consider splicing from your source into
-/// a [`pipe`] and then from the pipe into your target (with `splice_exact`):
+/// a [`pipe`] and then from the pipe into your target (with `drain_pipe`):
 /// this is still very efficient.
 #[inline]
 pub fn splice(source: &impl AsFd, target: &impl AsFd, len: usize) -> rustix::io::Result<usize> {
     rustix::pipe::splice(source, None, target, None, len, SpliceFlags::empty())
 }
 
-/// Try to splice `len` bytes from `source` into `target`.
+/// splice `len` bytes from `pipe` into `dest`.
 ///
-/// Note that this splice_exact does not provide bytes sent when it failed.
-/// In the case failed relaying splice via pipe, all content of the pipe
-/// should be drained by `read` to keep bytes sent accurate.
+/// returns Ok(Ok(())) if splice succeed
+/// returns Ok(Err(())) if splice failed, but read/write fallback succeed
+/// returns Err(e) if read/write fallback failed too
+///
+/// Thus, ?.is_err() returns serious error at early stage and checks that splice failed
 #[inline]
-pub fn splice_exact(source: &impl AsFd, target: &impl AsFd, len: usize) -> rustix::io::Result<()> {
-    let mut left = len;
-    while left > 0 {
-        let written = splice(source, target, left)?;
-        debug_assert_ne!(written, 0, "unexpected end of data");
-        left -= written;
+pub fn drain_pipe(
+    pipe: &PipeReader,
+    dest: &impl AsFd,
+    len: usize,
+) -> std::io::Result<Result<(), ()>> {
+    debug_assert!(len <= MAX_ROOTLESS_PIPE_SIZE, "unexpected RAM usage");
+    let mut remaining = len;
+    while remaining > 0 {
+        if let Ok(s) = splice(pipe, dest, remaining) {
+            remaining -= s;
+        } else {
+            // read/write fallback
+            // use read_to_end to make pipe empty for the case write failed
+            let mut drain = Vec::with_capacity(remaining);
+            pipe.take(remaining as u64).read_to_end(&mut drain)?;
+            RawWriter(&dest).write_all(&drain)?;
+            return Ok(Err(()));
+        }
     }
-    Ok(())
+    Ok(Ok(()))
 }
 
 /// check that source is FUSE
@@ -119,17 +133,7 @@ pub fn splice_unbounded_broker(
         match splice(&source, &pipe_wr, MAX_ROOTLESS_PIPE_SIZE) {
             Ok(0) => return Ok(Ok(())),
             Ok(n) => {
-                if splice_exact(&pipe_rd, dest, n).is_err() {
-                    // If the first splice manages to copy to the intermediate
-                    // pipe, but the second splice to stdout fails for some reason
-                    // we can recover by copying the data that we have from the
-                    // intermediate pipe to stdout using unbuffered read/write. Then
-                    // we tell the caller to fall back.
-                    // use read_to_end to drain pipe for the case write failed
-                    debug_assert!(n <= MAX_ROOTLESS_PIPE_SIZE, "unexpected RAM usage");
-                    let mut drain = Vec::with_capacity(n);
-                    pipe_rd.take(n as u64).read_to_end(&mut drain)?;
-                    RawWriter(&dest).write_all(&drain)?;
+                if drain_pipe(pipe_rd, dest, n)?.is_err() {
                     return Ok(Err(()));
                 }
             }
@@ -197,19 +201,13 @@ pub fn send_n_bytes(input: impl AsFd, target: impl AsFd, n: u64) -> std::io::Res
                 Ok(s) => {
                     n -= s as u64;
                     bytes_written += s as u64;
-                    if splice_exact(&broker_r, &target, s).is_ok() {
-                        if n == 0 {
-                            // avoid unnecessary splice for small input
-                            break false;
-                        }
-                    } else {
-                        debug_assert!(s <= MAX_ROOTLESS_PIPE_SIZE, "unexpected RAM usage");
-                        // use read_to_end to drain pipe at this fallback for the case write failed
-                        let mut drain = Vec::with_capacity(s);
-                        broker_r.take(s as u64).read_to_end(&mut drain)?;
-                        RawWriter(&target).write_all(&drain)?;
+                    if drain_pipe(broker_r, &target, s)?.is_err() {
                         break true;
                     }
+                    if n == 0 {
+                        // avoid unnecessary splice for small input
+                        break false;
+                    }
                 }
                 _ => break true,
             }