diff --git a/src/imap_stream.rs b/src/imap_stream.rs
index 58f03d0..6420196 100644
--- a/src/imap_stream.rs
+++ b/src/imap_stream.rs
@@ -25,6 +25,15 @@ pub struct ImapStream<R: Read + Write> {
     decode_needs: usize,
     /// The buffer.
     buffer: Buffer,
+
+    /// True if the stream should not return any more items.
+    ///
+    /// This is set when reading from a stream
+    /// returns an error.
+    /// Afterwards the stream returns only `None`
+    /// and `poll_next()` does not read
+    /// from the underlying stream.
+    read_closed: bool,
 }
 
 impl<R: Read + Write + Unpin> ImapStream<R> {
@@ -34,6 +43,7 @@ impl<R: Read + Write + Unpin> ImapStream<R> {
             inner,
             buffer: Buffer::new(),
             decode_needs: 0,
+            read_closed: false,
         }
     }
 
@@ -132,6 +142,52 @@ impl<R: Read + Write + Unpin> ImapStream<R> {
             }
         }
     }
+
+    fn do_poll_next(
+        mut self: Pin<&mut Self>,
+        cx: &mut Context<'_>,
+    ) -> Poll<Option<io::Result<ResponseData>>> {
+        let this = &mut *self;
+        if let Some(response) = this.decode()? {
+            return Poll::Ready(Some(Ok(response)));
+        }
+        loop {
+            this.buffer.ensure_capacity(this.decode_needs)?;
+            let buf = this.buffer.free_as_mut_slice();
+
+            // The buffer should have at least one byte free
+            // before we try reading into it
+            // so we can treat 0 bytes read as EOF.
+            // This is guaranteed by `ensure_capacity()` above
+            // even if it is called with 0 as an argument.
+            debug_assert!(!buf.is_empty());
+
+            #[cfg(feature = "runtime-async-std")]
+            let num_bytes_read = ready!(Pin::new(&mut this.inner).poll_read(cx, buf))?;
+
+            #[cfg(feature = "runtime-tokio")]
+            let num_bytes_read = {
+                let buf = &mut tokio::io::ReadBuf::new(buf);
+                let start = buf.filled().len();
+                ready!(Pin::new(&mut this.inner).poll_read(cx, buf))?;
+                buf.filled().len() - start
+            };
+
+            if num_bytes_read == 0 {
+                if this.buffer.used() > 0 {
+                    return Poll::Ready(Some(Err(io::Error::new(
+                        io::ErrorKind::UnexpectedEof,
+                        "bytes remaining in stream",
+                    ))));
+                }
+                return Poll::Ready(None);
+            }
+            this.buffer.extend_used(num_bytes_read);
+            if let Some(response) = this.decode()? {
+                return Poll::Ready(Some(Ok(response)));
+            }
+        }
+    }
 }
 
 /// Abstraction around needed buffer management.
@@ -273,54 +329,152 @@ impl<R: Read + Write + Unpin> Stream for ImapStream<R> {
     type Item = io::Result<ResponseData>;
 
     fn poll_next(mut self: Pin<&mut Self>, cx: &mut Context<'_>) -> Poll<Option<Self::Item>> {
-        let this = &mut *self;
-        if let Some(response) = this.decode()? {
-            return Poll::Ready(Some(Ok(response)));
+        if self.read_closed {
+            return Poll::Ready(None);
         }
-        loop {
-            this.buffer.ensure_capacity(this.decode_needs)?;
-            let buf = this.buffer.free_as_mut_slice();
+        let res = match ready!(self.as_mut().do_poll_next(cx)) {
+            None => None,
+            Some(Err(err)) => {
+                self.read_closed = true;
+                Some(Err(err))
+            }
+            Some(Ok(item)) => Some(Ok(item)),
+        };
+        Poll::Ready(res)
+    }
+}
 
-            // The buffer should have at least one byte free
-            // before we try reading into it
-            // so we can treat 0 bytes read as EOF.
-            // This is guaranteed by `ensure_capacity()` above
-            // even if it is called with 0 as an argument.
-            debug_assert!(!buf.is_empty());
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
 
-            #[cfg(feature = "runtime-async-std")]
-            let num_bytes_read = ready!(Pin::new(&mut this.inner).poll_read(cx, buf))?;
+    use pin_project::pin_project;
+    use std::io::Write as _;
 
-            #[cfg(feature = "runtime-tokio")]
-            let num_bytes_read = {
-                let buf = &mut tokio::io::ReadBuf::new(buf);
-                let start = buf.filled().len();
-                ready!(Pin::new(&mut this.inner).poll_read(cx, buf))?;
-                buf.filled().len() - start
-            };
+    /// Wrapper for a stream that
+    /// fails once on a first read.
+    ///
+    /// Writes are discarded.
+    #[pin_project]
+    struct FailingStream {
+        #[pin]
+        inner: &'static [u8],
+        has_failed: bool,
+    }
 
-            if num_bytes_read == 0 {
-                if this.buffer.used() > 0 {
-                    return Poll::Ready(Some(Err(io::Error::new(
-                        io::ErrorKind::UnexpectedEof,
-                        "bytes remaining in stream",
-                    ))));
-                }
-                return Poll::Ready(None);
+    impl FailingStream {
+        fn new(buf: &'static [u8]) -> Self {
+            Self {
+                inner: buf,
+                has_failed: false,
             }
-            this.buffer.extend_used(num_bytes_read);
-            if let Some(response) = this.decode()? {
-                return Poll::Ready(Some(Ok(response)));
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[cfg(feature = "runtime-tokio")]
+    impl Read for FailingStream {
+        fn poll_read(
+            self: Pin<&mut Self>,
+            cx: &mut Context<'_>,
+            buf: &mut tokio::io::ReadBuf<'_>,
+        ) -> Poll<tokio::io::Result<()>> {
+            let this = self.project();
+            if !*this.has_failed {
+                *this.has_failed = true;
+
+                Poll::Ready(Err(std::io::Error::other("Failure")))
+            } else {
+                this.inner.poll_read(cx, buf)
             }
         }
     }
-}
 
-#[cfg(test)]
-mod tests {
-    use super::*;
+    #[cfg(feature = "runtime-async-std")]
+    impl Read for FailingStream {
+        fn poll_read(
+            self: Pin<&mut Self>,
+            cx: &mut Context<'_>,
+            buf: &mut [u8],
+        ) -> Poll<async_std::io::Result<usize>> {
+            let this = self.project();
+            if !*this.has_failed {
+                *this.has_failed = true;
+
+                Poll::Ready(Err(std::io::Error::other("Failure")))
+            } else {
+                this.inner.poll_read(cx, buf)
+            }
+        }
+    }
 
-    use std::io::Write;
+    #[cfg(feature = "runtime-tokio")]
+    impl Write for FailingStream {
+        fn poll_write(
+            self: Pin<&mut Self>,
+            _cx: &mut Context<'_>,
+            buf: &[u8],
+        ) -> Poll<tokio::io::Result<usize>> {
+            Poll::Ready(Ok(buf.len()))
+        }
+
+        fn poll_flush(self: Pin<&mut Self>, _cx: &mut Context<'_>) -> Poll<tokio::io::Result<()>> {
+            Poll::Ready(Ok(()))
+        }
+
+        fn poll_shutdown(
+            self: Pin<&mut Self>,
+            _cx: &mut Context<'_>,
+        ) -> Poll<tokio::io::Result<()>> {
+            Poll::Ready(Ok(()))
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[cfg(feature = "runtime-async-std")]
+    impl Write for FailingStream {
+        fn poll_write(
+            self: Pin<&mut Self>,
+            _cx: &mut Context<'_>,
+            buf: &[u8],
+        ) -> Poll<async_std::io::Result<usize>> {
+            Poll::Ready(Ok(buf.len()))
+        }
+
+        fn poll_flush(
+            self: Pin<&mut Self>,
+            _cx: &mut Context<'_>,
+        ) -> Poll<async_std::io::Result<()>> {
+            Poll::Ready(Ok(()))
+        }
+
+        fn poll_close(
+            self: Pin<&mut Self>,
+            _cx: &mut Context<'_>,
+        ) -> Poll<async_std::io::Result<()>> {
+            Poll::Ready(Ok(()))
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Tests that stream returns `None` after
+    /// a single error of the underlying stream.
+    ///
+    /// This is need to prevent accidental
+    /// reading from a network stream
+    /// after a temporary error such as a timeout
+    /// or returning an inifinite stream of errors.
+    #[cfg_attr(feature = "runtime-tokio", tokio::test)]
+    #[cfg_attr(feature = "runtime-async-std", async_std::test)]
+    async fn test_imap_stream_error() {
+        use futures::StreamExt;
+
+        let mock_stream = FailingStream::new(b"* OK\r\n");
+        let mut imap_stream = ImapStream::new(mock_stream);
+
+        // First call is an error because underlying stream fails.
+        assert!(imap_stream.next().await.unwrap().is_err());
+
+        // IMAP stream should end even though underlying stream fails only once.
+        assert!(imap_stream.next().await.is_none());
+    }
 
     #[test]
     fn test_buffer_empty() {