diff --git a/runtime/doc/eval.txt b/runtime/doc/eval.txt
index d34fa5b..43d1883 100644
--- a/runtime/doc/eval.txt
+++ b/runtime/doc/eval.txt
@@ -2031,7 +2031,8 @@
 				any	send {string} over raw {handle}
 ch_setoptions({handle}, {options})
 				none	set options for {handle}
-ch_status({handle})		String	status of channel {handle}
+ch_status({handle} [, {options}])
+				String	status of channel {handle}
 changenr()			Number	current change number
 char2nr({expr}[, {utf8}])	Number	ASCII/UTF8 value of first char in {expr}
 cindent({lnum})			Number	C indent for line {lnum}
@@ -3042,7 +3043,8 @@
 		Returns a Dictionary with information about {handle}.  The
 		items are:
 		   "id"		  number of the channel
-		   "status"	  "open" (any part is open) or "closed"
+		   "status"	  "open", "buffered" or "closed", like
+				  ch_status()
 		When opened with ch_open():
 		   "hostname"	  the hostname of the address
 		   "port"	  the port of the address
@@ -3051,11 +3053,11 @@
 		   "sock_io"	  "socket"
 		   "sock_timeout" timeout in msec
 		When opened with job_start():
-		   "out_status"	  "open" or "closed"
+		   "out_status"	  "open", "buffered" or "closed"
 		   "out_mode"	  "NL", "RAW", "JSON" or "JS"
 		   "out_io"	  "null", "pipe", "file" or "buffer"
 		   "out_timeout"  timeout in msec
-		   "err_status"	  "open" or "closed"
+		   "err_status"	  "open", "buffered" or "closed"
 		   "err_mode"	  "NL", "RAW", "JSON" or "JS"
 		   "err_io"	  "out", "null", "pipe", "file" or "buffer"
 		   "err_timeout"  timeout in msec
@@ -3140,7 +3142,7 @@
 		These options cannot be changed:
 			"waittime"	only applies to |ch_open()|
 
-ch_status({handle})						*ch_status()*
+ch_status({handle} [, {options}])				*ch_status()*
 		Return the status of {handle}:
 			"fail"		failed to open the channel
 			"open"		channel can be used
@@ -3150,6 +3152,11 @@
 		"buffered" is used when the channel was closed but there is
 		still data that can be obtained with |ch_read()|.
 
+		If {options} is given it can contain a "part" entry to specify
+		the part of the channel to return the status for: "out" or
+		"err".  For example, to get the error status: >
+			ch_status(job, {"part": "err"})
+<
 							*copy()*
 copy({expr})	Make a copy of {expr}.  For Numbers and Strings this isn't
 		different from using {expr} directly.
diff --git a/src/channel.c b/src/channel.c
index f4d1e95..0bab47a 100644
--- a/src/channel.c
+++ b/src/channel.c
@@ -2590,23 +2590,41 @@
 
 /*
  * Return a string indicating the status of the channel.
+ * If "req_part" is not negative check that part.
  */
     char *
-channel_status(channel_T *channel)
+channel_status(channel_T *channel, int req_part)
 {
     int part;
     int has_readahead = FALSE;
 
     if (channel == NULL)
 	 return "fail";
-    if (channel_is_open(channel))
-	 return "open";
-    for (part = PART_SOCK; part <= PART_ERR; ++part)
-	if (channel_has_readahead(channel, part))
-	{
+    if (req_part == PART_OUT)
+    {
+	if (channel->CH_OUT_FD != INVALID_FD)
+	    return "open";
+	if (channel_has_readahead(channel, PART_OUT))
 	    has_readahead = TRUE;
-	    break;
-	}
+    }
+    else if (req_part == PART_ERR)
+    {
+	if (channel->CH_ERR_FD != INVALID_FD)
+	    return "open";
+	if (channel_has_readahead(channel, PART_ERR))
+	    has_readahead = TRUE;
+    }
+    else
+    {
+	if (channel_is_open(channel))
+	    return "open";
+	for (part = PART_SOCK; part <= PART_ERR; ++part)
+	    if (channel_has_readahead(channel, part))
+	    {
+		has_readahead = TRUE;
+		break;
+	    }
+    }
 
     if (has_readahead)
 	return "buffered";
@@ -2619,6 +2637,7 @@
     chanpart_T *chanpart = &channel->ch_part[part];
     char	namebuf[20];  /* longest is "sock_timeout" */
     size_t	tail;
+    char	*status;
     char	*s = "";
 
     vim_strncpy((char_u *)namebuf, (char_u *)name, 4);
@@ -2626,8 +2645,13 @@
     tail = STRLEN(namebuf);
 
     STRCPY(namebuf + tail, "status");
-    dict_add_nr_str(dict, namebuf, 0,
-		(char_u *)(chanpart->ch_fd == INVALID_FD ? "closed" : "open"));
+    if (chanpart->ch_fd != INVALID_FD)
+	status = "open";
+    else if (channel_has_readahead(channel, part))
+	status = "buffered";
+    else
+	status = "closed";
+    dict_add_nr_str(dict, namebuf, 0, (char_u *)status);
 
     STRCPY(namebuf + tail, "mode");
     switch (chanpart->ch_mode)
@@ -2660,7 +2684,7 @@
 channel_info(channel_T *channel, dict_T *dict)
 {
     dict_add_nr_str(dict, "id", channel->ch_id, NULL);
-    dict_add_nr_str(dict, "status", 0, (char_u *)channel_status(channel));
+    dict_add_nr_str(dict, "status", 0, (char_u *)channel_status(channel, -1));
 
     if (channel->ch_hostname != NULL)
     {
@@ -4244,6 +4268,8 @@
 		val = get_tv_string(item);
 		if (STRCMP(val, "err") == 0)
 		    opt->jo_part = PART_ERR;
+		else if (STRCMP(val, "out") == 0)
+		    opt->jo_part = PART_OUT;
 		else
 		{
 		    EMSG2(_(e_invarg2), val);
diff --git a/src/evalfunc.c b/src/evalfunc.c
index e89bc30..84eaa8c 100644
--- a/src/evalfunc.c
+++ b/src/evalfunc.c
@@ -514,7 +514,7 @@
     {"ch_sendexpr",	2, 3, f_ch_sendexpr},
     {"ch_sendraw",	2, 3, f_ch_sendraw},
     {"ch_setoptions",	2, 2, f_ch_setoptions},
-    {"ch_status",	1, 1, f_ch_status},
+    {"ch_status",	1, 2, f_ch_status},
 #endif
     {"changenr",	0, 0, f_changenr},
     {"char2nr",		1, 2, f_char2nr},
@@ -1985,13 +1985,24 @@
 f_ch_status(typval_T *argvars, typval_T *rettv)
 {
     channel_T	*channel;
+    jobopt_T	opt;
+    int		part = -1;
 
     /* return an empty string by default */
     rettv->v_type = VAR_STRING;
     rettv->vval.v_string = NULL;
 
     channel = get_channel_arg(&argvars[0], FALSE, FALSE, 0);
-    rettv->vval.v_string = vim_strsave((char_u *)channel_status(channel));
+
+    if (argvars[1].v_type != VAR_UNKNOWN)
+    {
+	clear_job_options(&opt);
+	if (get_job_options(&argvars[1], &opt, JO_PART) == OK
+						     && (opt.jo_set & JO_PART))
+	    part = opt.jo_part;
+    }
+
+    rettv->vval.v_string = vim_strsave((char_u *)channel_status(channel, part));
 }
 #endif
 
diff --git a/src/proto/channel.pro b/src/proto/channel.pro
index 869989c..e056d5f 100644
--- a/src/proto/channel.pro
+++ b/src/proto/channel.pro
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
 int channel_collapse(channel_T *channel, int part, int want_nl);
 int channel_can_write_to(channel_T *channel);
 int channel_is_open(channel_T *channel);
-char *channel_status(channel_T *channel);
+char *channel_status(channel_T *channel, int req_part);
 void channel_info(channel_T *channel, dict_T *dict);
 void channel_close(channel_T *channel, int invoke_close_cb);
 void channel_close_in(channel_T *channel);
diff --git a/src/testdir/test_channel.vim b/src/testdir/test_channel.vim
index f8252f1..eb75a0b 100644
--- a/src/testdir/test_channel.vim
+++ b/src/testdir/test_channel.vim
@@ -434,6 +434,23 @@
   let job = job_start(s:python . " test_channel_pipe.py", {'mode': 'raw'})
   call assert_equal(v:t_job, type(job))
   call assert_equal("run", job_status(job))
+
+  call assert_equal("open", ch_status(job))
+  call assert_equal("open", ch_status(job), {"part": "out"})
+  call assert_equal("open", ch_status(job), {"part": "err"})
+  call assert_fails('call ch_status(job, {"in_mode": "raw"})', 'E475:')
+  call assert_fails('call ch_status(job, {"part": "in"})', 'E475:')
+
+  let dict = ch_info(job)
+  call assert_true(dict.id != 0)
+  call assert_equal('open', dict.status)
+  call assert_equal('open', dict.out_status)
+  call assert_equal('RAW', dict.out_mode)
+  call assert_equal('pipe', dict.out_io)
+  call assert_equal('open', dict.err_status)
+  call assert_equal('RAW', dict.err_mode)
+  call assert_equal('pipe', dict.err_io)
+
   try
     " For a change use the job where a channel is expected.
     call ch_sendraw(job, "echo something\n")
diff --git a/src/version.c b/src/version.c
index cf9b198..cd15950 100644
--- a/src/version.c
+++ b/src/version.c
@@ -765,6 +765,8 @@
 static int included_patches[] =
 {   /* Add new patch number below this line */
 /**/
+    15,
+/**/
     14,
 /**/
     13,