diff --git a/src/backupformat/rsync.js b/src/backupformat/rsync.js
index 7a9c8913e..335b52e4a 100644
--- a/src/backupformat/rsync.js
+++ b/src/backupformat/rsync.js
@@ -54,14 +54,16 @@ async function addFile(sourceFile, encryption, uploader, progressCallback) {
         progressCallback({ message: `Uploading ${sourceFile}: ${transferred}M@${speed}MBps` }); // 0M@0MBps looks wrong
     });
 
+    // careful not to have async code between here and pipeline() for 'error' handling
     const hash = new HashStream();
+    const destStream = uploader.createStream();
 
     let pipeline = null;
     if (encryption) {
         const encryptStream = new EncryptStream(encryption);
-        pipeline = safe(stream.pipeline(sourceStream, encryptStream, ps, hash, uploader.stream));
+        pipeline = safe(stream.pipeline(sourceStream, encryptStream, ps, hash, destStream));
     } else {
-        pipeline = safe(stream.pipeline(sourceStream, ps, hash, uploader.stream));
+        pipeline = safe(stream.pipeline(sourceStream, ps, hash, destStream));
     }
 
     const [error] = await safe(pipeline);
diff --git a/src/backupformat/tgz.js b/src/backupformat/tgz.js
index 6c2ff9908..241936d33 100644
--- a/src/backupformat/tgz.js
+++ b/src/backupformat/tgz.js
@@ -146,16 +146,17 @@ async function tarPack(dataLayout, encryption, uploader, progressCallback) {
         progressCallback({ message: `Uploading backup ${transferred}M@${speed}MBps` });
     });
 
+    // careful not to have async code between here and pipeline() for 'error' handling
     const pack = tar.pack();
-
     const hash = new HashStream();
+    const destStream = uploader.createStream();
 
     let pipeline = null;
     if (encryption) {
         const encryptStream = new EncryptStream(encryption);
-        pipeline = safe(stream.pipeline(pack, gzip, encryptStream, ps, hash, uploader.stream));
+        pipeline = safe(stream.pipeline(pack, gzip, encryptStream, ps, hash, destStream));
     } else {
-        pipeline = safe(stream.pipeline(pack, gzip, ps, hash, uploader.stream));
+        pipeline = safe(stream.pipeline(pack, gzip, ps, hash, destStream));
     }
 
     let fileCount = 0;
diff --git a/src/storage/filesystem.js b/src/storage/filesystem.js
index 2c2271fd9..c7604f4ab 100644
--- a/src/storage/filesystem.js
+++ b/src/storage/filesystem.js
@@ -117,7 +117,9 @@ async function upload(config, limits, remotePath) {
     await safe(fs.promises.unlink(fullRemotePath)); // remove any hardlink
 
     return {
-        stream: fs.createWriteStream(fullRemotePath, { autoClose: true }),
+        createStream() {
+            return fs.createWriteStream(fullRemotePath, { autoClose: true });
+        },
         async finish() {
             const backupUid = parseInt(process.env.SUDO_UID, 10) || process.getuid(); // in test, upload() may or may not be called via sudo script
             if (hasChownSupportSync(config)) {
diff --git a/src/storage/gcs.js b/src/storage/gcs.js
index fe735b327..a7dd43f44 100644
--- a/src/storage/gcs.js
+++ b/src/storage/gcs.js
@@ -76,12 +76,8 @@ async function upload(config, limits, remotePath) {
 
     debug(`Uploading to ${fullRemotePath}`);
 
-    const uploadStream = getBucket(config)
-        .file(fullRemotePath)
-        .createWriteStream({ resumable: false });
-
     return {
-        stream: uploadStream,
+        createStream() { return getBucket(config).file(fullRemotePath).createWriteStream({ resumable: false }); },
         async finish() {}
     };
 }
diff --git a/src/storage/interface.js b/src/storage/interface.js
index b47867cf1..942de67dc 100644
--- a/src/storage/interface.js
+++ b/src/storage/interface.js
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ async function upload(config, limits, backupFilePath) {
     assert.strictEqual(typeof limits, 'object');
     assert.strictEqual(typeof backupFilePath, 'string');
 
-    // Result: { stream, finish() callback }
+    // Result: { createStream(), finish() callback }
     throw new BoxError(BoxError.NOT_IMPLEMENTED, 'upload is not implemented');
 }
 
diff --git a/src/storage/s3.js b/src/storage/s3.js
index 139e223a5..954d51219 100644
--- a/src/storage/s3.js
+++ b/src/storage/s3.js
@@ -182,27 +182,32 @@ async function upload(config, limits, remotePath) {
     // s3: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/dev/qfacts.html (max 10k parts and no size limit on the last part!)
     const partSize = limits.uploadPartSize || (config._provider === 'scaleway-objectstorage' ? 100 * 1024 * 1024 : 10 * 1024 * 1024);
 
-    const passThrough = new PassThrough();
-
-    const options = {
-        client: s3,
-        params: {
-            Bucket: config.bucket,
-            Key: path.join(config.prefix, remotePath),
-            Body: passThrough
-        },
-        partSize,
-        queueSize: 3,
-        leavePartsOnError: false
-    };
-
-    const managedUpload = constants.TEST ? new globalThis.S3MockUpload(options) : new Upload(options);
-    managedUpload.on('httpUploadProgress', (progress) => debug(`Upload progress: ${JSON.stringify(progress)}`));
-    const uploadPromise = managedUpload.done();
+    let uploadPromise = null;
 
     return {
-        stream: passThrough,
+        createStream() {
+            const passThrough = new PassThrough();
+
+            const options = {
+                client: s3,
+                params: {
+                    Bucket: config.bucket,
+                    Key: path.join(config.prefix, remotePath),
+                    Body: passThrough
+                },
+                partSize,
+                queueSize: 3,
+                leavePartsOnError: false
+            };
+
+            const managedUpload = constants.TEST ? new globalThis.S3MockUpload(options) : new Upload(options);
+            managedUpload.on('httpUploadProgress', (progress) => debug(`Upload progress: ${JSON.stringify(progress)}`));
+            uploadPromise = managedUpload.done();
+
+            return passThrough;
+        },
         async finish() {
+            if (!uploadPromise) return; // stream was never created
             const [error, data] = await safe(uploadPromise);
             if (error) throw new BoxError(BoxError.EXTERNAL_ERROR, `Upload error: code: ${error.Code} message: ${error.message}`); // sometimes message is null
             debug(`Upload finished. ${JSON.stringify(data)}`);