diff --git a/src/connection.js b/src/connection.js
index 10ab1bb..83156fe 100644
--- a/src/connection.js
+++ b/src/connection.js
@@ -323,8 +323,24 @@ function Connection(options, queues = {}, { onopen = noop, onend = noop, onclose
       try {
         handle(incoming.subarray(0, length + 1))
       } catch (e) {
-        query && (query.cursorFn || query.describeFirst) && write(Sync)
-        errored(e)
+        if (query && query.describeFirst && !query.onlyDescribe && !query.retried) {
+          // A query new to this connection is bound only once its describe
+          // is answered, so a parameter that fails to serialize throws here,
+          // after its Parse and Describe were sent. A bare Sync would be
+          // answered without an error, letting a transaction the query was
+          // part of commit without it. Bind it with no parameters instead,
+          // which the server refuses since it takes at least one: that aborts
+          // any transaction, answers in the query's place, and the query is
+          // rejected with its own error, as a retried query is. It is no
+          // longer a cursor either, whose error would send a Sync of its own.
+          query.retried = e
+          query.describeFirst = false
+          query.cursorFn = null
+          write(Buffer.concat([Bind([], [], query.statement.name), ExecuteUnnamed]))
+        } else {
+          query && (query.cursorFn || query.describeFirst) && write(Sync)
+          errored(e)
+        }
       }
       incoming = incoming.subarray(length + 1)
       remaining = 0
diff --git a/tests/index.js b/tests/index.js
index 845c6ce..29b3df2 100644
--- a/tests/index.js
+++ b/tests/index.js
@@ -977,6 +977,37 @@ t('Throws if more than 65534 parameters', async() => {
   }`.catch(e => e.code)), await sql`drop table test`]
 })
 
+t('Parameter failing to serialize aborts a pipelined transaction on a reserved connection', async() => {
+  const sql = postgres(options)
+  await sql`create table test (x int)`
+  const reserved = await sql.reserve()
+  const results = await Promise.all([
+    reserved`begin`,
+    reserved`insert into test values (1)`,
+    reserved`select ${ new Date(NaN) }::timestamptz as x`,
+    reserved`insert into test values (2)`,
+    reserved`commit`
+  ].map(x => x.then(x => x.command, e => e.code || e.name)))
+  reserved.release()
+  const count = (await sql`select count(*)::int from test`)[0].count
+  await sql`drop table test`
+  await sql.end()
+  return ['BEGIN,INSERT,RangeError,25P02,ROLLBACK,0', [...results, count].join()]
+})
+
+t('Parameter failing to serialize in a pipelined cursor rejects only that query', async() => {
+  const sql = postgres(options)
+  await sql`select 1`
+  const results = await Promise.all([
+    sql`select pg_sleep(0.1), 1 as x`,
+    sql`select ${ new Date(NaN) }::timestamptz as x`.cursor(() => { /* noop */ }),
+    sql`select 3 as x`
+  ].map(x => x.then(x => x.length ? x[0].x : x.command, e => e.name)))
+  const after = (await sql`select 4 as x`)[0].x
+  await sql.end()
+  return ['1,RangeError,3,4', [...results, after].join()]
+})
+
 t('let postgres do implicit cast of unknown types', async() => {
   await sql`create table test (x timestamp with time zone)`
   const [{ x }] = await sql`insert into test values (${ new Date().toISOString() }) returning *`