diff --git a/util/linux/socket.cc b/util/linux/socket.cc
index 68efd570..f56eacf6 100644
--- a/util/linux/socket.cc
+++ b/util/linux/socket.cc
@@ -168,17 +168,17 @@ bool UnixCredentialSocket::RecvMsg(int fd,
     return false;
   }
 
+  // Credentials are missing from the message either when the recv socket wasn't
+  // configured with SO_PASSCRED or when all sending sockets have been closed.
+  // In the latter case, res == 0. This case is also indistinguishable from an
+  // empty message sent to a recv socket which hasn't set SO_PASSCRED.
   if (!local_creds) {
-    LOG(ERROR) << "missing credentials";
+    LOG_IF(ERROR, res != 0) << "missing credentials";
     return false;
   }
 
-  // res == 0 may also indicate that the sending socket disconnected, but in
-  // that case, the message will also have missing or invalid credentials.
   if (static_cast<size_t>(res) != buf_size) {
-    if (res != 0 || (local_creds && local_creds->pid != 0)) {
-      LOG(ERROR) << "incorrect payload size " << res;
-    }
+    LOG(ERROR) << "incorrect payload size " << res;
     return false;
   }
 
diff --git a/util/linux/socket.h b/util/linux/socket.h
index c02a6c30..85860f7b 100644
--- a/util/linux/socket.h
+++ b/util/linux/socket.h
@@ -76,7 +76,11 @@ class UnixCredentialSocket {
   //! \param[out] creds The credentials of the sender.
   //! \param[out] fds The recieved file descriptors. Optional. If `nullptr`, all
   //!     received file descriptors will be closed.
-  //! \return `true` on success. Otherwise, `false`, with a message logged.
+  //! \return `true` on success. Otherwise, `false`, with a message logged. No
+  //!     message will be logged if the message was detected to be an EOF
+  //!     condition triggered by all clients disconnecting. This case is
+  //!     indistinguishable from misuses of this interface that haven't set
+  //!     `SO_PASSCRED` on \a fd.
   static bool RecvMsg(int fd,
                       void* buf,
                       size_t buf_size,