Index: generic/tclIO.c
==================================================================
--- generic/tclIO.c
+++ generic/tclIO.c
@@ -8923,12 +8923,12 @@
     ChannelState *statePtr;	/* State info for channel */
     Tcl_Channel chan;		/* The opaque type for the channel. */
     const char *chanName;
     int modeIndex;		/* Index of mode argument. */
     int mask;
-    static const char *const modeOptions[] = {"readable", "writable", NULL};
-    static const int maskArray[] = {TCL_READABLE, TCL_WRITABLE};
+    static const char *const modeOptions[] = {"readable", "writable", "exception", NULL};
+    static const int maskArray[] = {TCL_READABLE, TCL_WRITABLE, TCL_EXCEPTION };
 
     if ((objc != 3) && (objc != 4)) {
 	Tcl_WrongNumArgs(interp, 1, objv, "channelId event ?script?");
 	return TCL_ERROR;
     }
@@ -8943,11 +8943,11 @@
     if (chan == NULL) {
 	return TCL_ERROR;
     }
     chanPtr = (Channel *) chan;
     statePtr = chanPtr->state;
-    if ((statePtr->flags & mask) == 0) {
+    if ( ((statePtr->flags | TCL_EXCEPTION) & mask) == 0) {
 	Tcl_SetObjResult(interp, Tcl_ObjPrintf("channel is not %s",
 		(mask == TCL_READABLE) ? "readable" : "writable"));
 	return TCL_ERROR;
     }
 

Index: tests/chanio.test
==================================================================
--- tests/chanio.test
+++ tests/chanio.test
@@ -5496,11 +5496,11 @@
 test chan-io-41.4 {Tcl_FileeventCmd: errors} -constraints fileevent -body {
     chan event gorp writable
 } -returnCodes error -result {can not find channel named "gorp"}
 test chan-io-41.5 {Tcl_FileeventCmd: errors} -constraints fileevent -body {
     chan event gorp who-knows
-} -returnCodes error -result {bad event name "who-knows": must be readable or writable}
+} -returnCodes error -result {bad event name "who-knows": must be readable, writable, or exception}
 
 #
 # Test chan event on a file
 #
 

Index: tests/io.test
==================================================================
--- tests/io.test
+++ tests/io.test
@@ -5795,11 +5795,11 @@
 test io-41.4 {Tcl_FileeventCmd: errors} {fileevent} {
     list [catch {fileevent gorp writable} msg] $msg
 } {1 {can not find channel named "gorp"}}
 test io-41.5 {Tcl_FileeventCmd: errors} {fileevent} {
     list [catch {fileevent gorp who-knows} msg] $msg
-} {1 {bad event name "who-knows": must be readable or writable}}
+} {1 {bad event name "who-knows": must be readable, writable, or exception}}
 
 #
 # Test fileevent on a file
 #
 

Index: tests/zlib.test
==================================================================
--- tests/zlib.test
+++ tests/zlib.test
@@ -838,11 +838,11 @@
     set ::total
 } -cleanup {
     close $srv
     rename bgerror {}
 } -returnCodes error \
-  -result {bad event name "xyzzy": must be readable or writable}
+  -result {bad event name "xyzzy": must be readable, writable, or exception}
 test zlib-10.1 "bug #2818131 (mismatch read)" -constraints {
     zlib
 } -setup {
     proc bgerror {s} {set ::total [list error $s]}
     proc zlibRead {c} {

Index: unix/tclEpollNotfy.c
==================================================================
--- unix/tclEpollNotfy.c
+++ unix/tclEpollNotfy.c
@@ -219,11 +219,14 @@
     struct epoll_event newEvent;
     struct PlatformEventData *newPedPtr;
     struct stat fdStat;
 
     newEvent.events = 0;
-    if (filePtr->mask & (TCL_READABLE | TCL_EXCEPTION)) {
+    if (filePtr->mask & TCL_EXCEPTION) {
+	newEvent.events |= EPOLLERR | EPOLLPRI;
+    }
+    if (filePtr->mask & TCL_READABLE) {
 	newEvent.events |= EPOLLIN;
     }
     if (filePtr->mask & TCL_WRITABLE) {
 	newEvent.events |= EPOLLOUT;
     }
@@ -240,11 +243,13 @@
      *		port regular files (S_IFREG.) Therefore, filePtr is in these
      *		cases simply added or deleted from the list of FileHandlers
      *		associated with regular files belonging to tsdPtr.
      */
 
-    if (fstat(filePtr->fd, &fdStat) == -1) {
+    if (newEvent.events & EPOLLERR) {
+	/* if exceptions are requested, ignore file type */
+    } else if (fstat(filePtr->fd, &fdStat) == -1) {
 	Tcl_Panic("fstat: %s", strerror(errno));
     } else if ((fdStat.st_mode & S_IFMT) == S_IFREG) {
 	switch (op) {
 	case EPOLL_CTL_ADD:
 	    if (isNew) {
@@ -254,11 +259,12 @@
 	case EPOLL_CTL_DEL:
 	    LIST_REMOVE(filePtr, readyNode);
 	    break;
 	}
 	return;
-   } else if (epoll_ctl(tsdPtr->eventsFd, op, filePtr->fd, &newEvent) == -1) {
+   }
+   if (epoll_ctl(tsdPtr->eventsFd, op, filePtr->fd, &newEvent) == -1) {
 	Tcl_Panic("epoll_ctl: %s", strerror(errno));
    }
 }
 
 /*