diff --git a/src/helpers.rs b/src/helpers.rs
index e735c2d0..ae7a432d 100644
--- a/src/helpers.rs
+++ b/src/helpers.rs
@@ -62,14 +62,14 @@ pub async fn download<P: AsRef<Path>>(url: &str, path: P) -> Result<(), Binstall
     debug!("Downloading to file: '{}'", path.display());
 
     let mut bytes_stream = resp.bytes_stream();
-    let writer = AsyncFileWriter::new(path)?;
+    let mut writer = AsyncFileWriter::new(path)?;
 
     let guard = scopeguard::guard(path, |path| {
         fs::remove_file(path).ok();
     });
 
     while let Some(res) = bytes_stream.next().await {
-        writer.write(res?).await;
+        writer.write(res?).await?;
     }
 
     writer.done().await?;
@@ -254,19 +254,47 @@ impl AsyncFileWriter {
         Ok(Self { handle, tx })
     }
 
-    pub async fn write(&self, bytes: Bytes) {
-        self.tx
-            .send(bytes)
-            .await
-            .expect("Implementation bug: rx is closed before tx is dropped")
+    /// Upon error, this writer shall not be reused.
+    /// Otherwise, `Self::done` would panic.
+    pub async fn write(&mut self, bytes: Bytes) -> io::Result<()> {
+        let send_future = async {
+            self.tx
+                .send(bytes)
+                .await
+                .expect("Implementation bug: rx is closed before tx is dropped")
+        };
+        tokio::pin!(send_future);
+
+        let task_future = async {
+            Self::wait(&mut self.handle).await.map(|_| {
+                panic!("Implementation bug: write task finished before all writes are done")
+            })
+        };
+        tokio::pin!(task_future);
+
+        // Use select to run them in parallel, so that if the send blocks
+        // the current future and the task failed with some error, the future
+        // returned by this function would not block forever.
+        tokio::select! {
+            // It isn't completely safe to cancel the send_future as it would
+            // cause us to lose our place in the queue, but if the send_future
+            // is cancelled, it means that the task has failed and the mpsc
+            // won't matter anyway.
+            _ = send_future => Ok(()),
+            res = task_future => res,
+        }
     }
 
-    pub async fn done(self) -> io::Result<()> {
+    pub async fn done(mut self) -> io::Result<()> {
         // Drop tx as soon as possible so that the task would wrap up what it
         // was doing and flush out all the pending data.
         drop(self.tx);
 
-        match self.handle.await {
+        Self::wait(&mut self.handle).await
+    }
+
+    async fn wait(handle: &mut task::JoinHandle<io::Result<()>>) -> io::Result<()> {
+        match handle.await {
             Ok(res) => res,
             Err(join_err) => Err(io::Error::new(io::ErrorKind::Other, join_err)),
         }