diff --git a/sshfs.c b/sshfs.c
index c97f66d..095563d 100644
--- a/sshfs.c
+++ b/sshfs.c
@@ -4518,7 +4518,11 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 		exit(1);
 	}
 
-#if !defined(__CYGWIN__)
+	/*
+	 * On macOS the FD_CLOEXEC fcntl is deferred until after
+	 * fuse_daemonize() below; see the comment there.
+	 */
+#if !defined(__CYGWIN__) && !defined(__APPLE__)
 	res = fcntl(fuse_session_fd(se), F_SETFD, FD_CLOEXEC);
 	if (res == -1)
 		perror("WARNING: failed to set FD_CLOEXEC on fuse device");
@@ -4542,6 +4546,30 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 		exit(1);
 	}
 
+#ifdef __APPLE__
+	/*
+	 * macFUSE 5.3.3+ mounts lazily: fuse_mount() only records the request,
+	 * and the real mount (and its XPC channel) is created on first use.
+	 * On macOS fuse_session_fd() is such a first use -- it triggers the
+	 * delayed mount and marks the mount as started, after which
+	 * fuse_daemonize() refuses to fork and stays in the foreground
+	 * ("daemonize requested after mount started; continuing in foreground").
+	 *
+	 * So defer the FD_CLOEXEC fcntl until here, after daemonizing: the
+	 * mount is then created in the daemon child, where its XPC connection
+	 * survives, and daemonization still forks as before. The fuse fd does
+	 * not exist yet while the first ssh child is spawned in ssh_connect()
+	 * above, so nothing can leak in that window; setting FD_CLOEXEC now
+	 * still protects the ssh children spawned later on reconnect.
+	 *
+	 * See macFUSE commit 867b5cdb ("Defer mount process until first use on
+	 * macOS") and https://github.com/libfuse/sshfs/issues/338
+	 */
+	res = fcntl(fuse_session_fd(se), F_SETFD, FD_CLOEXEC);
+	if (res == -1)
+		perror("WARNING: failed to set FD_CLOEXEC on fuse device");
+#endif
+
 	if (sshfs.singlethread)
 		res = fuse_loop(fuse);
 	else