diff --git a/guest/microdroid_manager/Android.bp b/guest/microdroid_manager/Android.bp
index 82e26b7..9c9a3d0 100644
--- a/guest/microdroid_manager/Android.bp
+++ b/guest/microdroid_manager/Android.bp
@@ -48,7 +48,6 @@
         "libprotobuf",
         "librpcbinder_rs",
         "librustutils",
-        "libsafe_ownedfd",
         "libsecretkeeper_client",
         "libsecretkeeper_comm_nostd",
         "libscopeguard",
@@ -60,7 +59,6 @@
         "libvsock",
         "librand",
         "libzeroize",
-        "libsafe_ownedfd",
     ],
     init_rc: ["microdroid_manager.rc"],
     multilib: {
diff --git a/guest/microdroid_manager/src/main.rs b/guest/microdroid_manager/src/main.rs
index d12bfd3..7352a2c 100644
--- a/guest/microdroid_manager/src/main.rs
+++ b/guest/microdroid_manager/src/main.rs
@@ -50,14 +50,13 @@
 use rustutils::sockets::android_get_control_socket;
 use rustutils::system_properties;
 use rustutils::system_properties::PropertyWatcher;
-use safe_ownedfd::take_fd_ownership;
 use secretkeeper_comm::data_types::ID_SIZE;
 use std::borrow::Cow::{Borrowed, Owned};
 use std::env;
 use std::ffi::CString;
 use std::fs::{self, create_dir, File, OpenOptions};
 use std::io::{Read, Write};
-use std::os::unix::io::OwnedFd;
+use std::os::unix::io::{FromRawFd, OwnedFd};
 use std::os::unix::process::CommandExt;
 use std::os::unix::process::ExitStatusExt;
 use std::path::Path;
@@ -200,7 +199,13 @@
     );
     info!("started.");
 
-    let vm_payload_service_fd = prepare_vm_payload_service_socket()?;
+    // SAFETY: This is the only place we take the ownership of the fd of the vm payload service.
+    //
+    // To ensure that the CLOEXEC flag is set on the file descriptor as early as possible,
+    // it is necessary to fetch the socket corresponding to vm_payload_service at the
+    // very beginning, as android_get_control_socket() sets the CLOEXEC flag on the file
+    // descriptor.
+    let vm_payload_service_fd = unsafe { prepare_vm_payload_service_socket()? };
 
     load_crashkernel_if_supported().context("Failed to load crashkernel")?;
 
@@ -482,9 +487,22 @@
 }
 
 /// Prepares a socket file descriptor for the vm payload service.
-fn prepare_vm_payload_service_socket() -> Result<OwnedFd> {
+///
+/// # Safety
+///
+/// The caller must ensure that this function is the only place that claims ownership
+/// of the file descriptor and it is called only once.
+unsafe fn prepare_vm_payload_service_socket() -> Result<OwnedFd> {
     let raw_fd = android_get_control_socket(VM_PAYLOAD_SERVICE_SOCKET_NAME)?;
-    Ok(take_fd_ownership(raw_fd)?)
+
+    // Creating OwnedFd for stdio FDs is not safe.
+    if [libc::STDIN_FILENO, libc::STDOUT_FILENO, libc::STDERR_FILENO].contains(&raw_fd) {
+        bail!("File descriptor {raw_fd} is standard I/O descriptor");
+    }
+    // SAFETY: Initializing OwnedFd for a RawFd created by the init.
+    // We checked that the integer value corresponds to a valid FD and that the caller
+    // ensures that this is the only place to claim its ownership.
+    Ok(unsafe { OwnedFd::from_raw_fd(raw_fd) })
 }
 
 fn is_strict_boot() -> bool {