diff --git a/editors/awk.c b/editors/awk.c
index e765d3fcfb0d8ad2376a80eb98336268ee12571b..6c60a0615ce5a0a2f1ab1cd2adb5fcda2785602d 100644
--- a/editors/awk.c
+++ b/editors/awk.c
@@ -3156,7 +3156,8 @@ static var *evaluate(node *op, var *res)
 			if (op1) {
 				rsm = newfile(L.s);
 				if (!rsm->F) {
-					if (opinfo == TI_PGETLINE) {
+					/* NB: can't use "opinfo == TI_PGETLINE", would break "cmd" | getline */
+					if ((opinfo & OPCLSMASK) == OC_PGETLINE) {
 						rsm->F = popen(L.s, "r");
 						rsm->is_pipe = TRUE;
 					} else {
diff --git a/testsuite/awk.tests b/testsuite/awk.tests
index 6b23b91cb59e33c286839990033e88f1d1e2fa1d..242c897d174e144f5380da01855f0f233764fed4 100755
--- a/testsuite/awk.tests
+++ b/testsuite/awk.tests
@@ -455,4 +455,9 @@ testing "awk print + redirect" \
 	"STDERR %s\n" \
 	'' ''
 
+testing "awk \"cmd\" | getline" \
+	"awk 'BEGIN { \"echo HELLO\" | getline; print }'" \
+	"HELLO\n" \
+	'' ''
+
 exit $FAILCOUNT