diff --git a/src/bin/psql/startup.c b/src/bin/psql/startup.c
index 5d7fe6e..30af5b5 100644
--- a/src/bin/psql/startup.c
+++ b/src/bin/psql/startup.c
@@ -89,7 +89,9 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[])
 	int			successResult;
 	char	   *password = NULL;
 	char	   *password_prompt = NULL;
-	bool		new_pass;
+#define PARAMS_ARRAY_SIZE	8
+	const char **keywords = pg_malloc(PARAMS_ARRAY_SIZE * sizeof(*keywords));
+	const char **values = pg_malloc(PARAMS_ARRAY_SIZE * sizeof(*values));
 
 	set_pglocale_pgservice(argv[0], PG_TEXTDOMAIN("psql"));
 
@@ -197,50 +199,38 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[])
 	if (pset.getPassword == TRI_YES)
 		password = simple_prompt(password_prompt, 100, false);
 
-	/* loop until we have a password if requested by backend */
-	do
-	{
-#define PARAMS_ARRAY_SIZE	8
-		const char **keywords = pg_malloc(PARAMS_ARRAY_SIZE * sizeof(*keywords));
-		const char **values = pg_malloc(PARAMS_ARRAY_SIZE * sizeof(*values));
-
-		keywords[0] = "host";
-		values[0] = options.host;
-		keywords[1] = "port";
-		values[1] = options.port;
-		keywords[2] = "user";
-		values[2] = options.username;
-		keywords[3] = "password";
-		values[3] = password;
-		keywords[4] = "dbname";
-		values[4] = (options.action == ACT_LIST_DB &&
-					 options.dbname == NULL) ?
-			"postgres" : options.dbname;
-		keywords[5] = "fallback_application_name";
-		values[5] = pset.progname;
-		keywords[6] = "client_encoding";
-		values[6] = (pset.notty || getenv("PGCLIENTENCODING")) ? NULL : "auto";
-		keywords[7] = NULL;
-		values[7] = NULL;
-
-		new_pass = false;
-		pset.db = PQconnectdbParams(keywords, values, true);
-		free(keywords);
-		free(values);
-
-		if (PQstatus(pset.db) == CONNECTION_BAD &&
-			PQconnectionNeedsPassword(pset.db) &&
-			password == NULL &&
-			pset.getPassword != TRI_NO)
-		{
-			PQfinish(pset.db);
-			password = simple_prompt(password_prompt, 100, false);
-			new_pass = true;
-		}
-	} while (new_pass);
 
-	free(password);
-	free(password_prompt);
+	keywords[0] = "host";
+	values[0] = options.host;
+	keywords[1] = "port";
+	values[1] = options.port;
+	keywords[2] = "user";
+	values[2] = options.username;
+	keywords[3] = "password";
+	values[3] = password;
+	keywords[4] = "dbname";
+	values[4] = (options.action == ACT_LIST_DB &&
+				 options.dbname == NULL) ?
+		"postgres" : options.dbname;
+	keywords[5] = "fallback_application_name";
+	values[5] = pset.progname;
+	keywords[6] = "client_encoding";
+	values[6] = (pset.notty || getenv("PGCLIENTENCODING")) ? NULL : "auto";
+	keywords[7] = NULL;
+	values[7] = NULL;
+
+	pset.db = PQconnectdbParams(keywords, values, true);
+	free(keywords);
+	free(values);
+
+	if (PQstatus(pset.db) == CONNECTION_BAD &&
+		PQconnectionNeedsPassword(pset.db) &&
+		password == NULL &&
+		pset.getPassword != TRI_NO)
+	{
+		password = simple_prompt(password_prompt, 100, false);
+		PQsendPassword(pset.db, password);
+	}
 
 	if (PQstatus(pset.db) == CONNECTION_BAD)
 	{
diff --git a/src/interfaces/libpq/exports.txt b/src/interfaces/libpq/exports.txt
index 93da50d..797b5d3 100644
--- a/src/interfaces/libpq/exports.txt
+++ b/src/interfaces/libpq/exports.txt
@@ -165,3 +165,4 @@ lo_lseek64                162
 lo_tell64                 163
 lo_truncate64             164
 PQconninfo                165
+PQsendPassword            166
diff --git a/src/interfaces/libpq/fe-connect.c b/src/interfaces/libpq/fe-connect.c
index ae9dfaa..402384f 100644
--- a/src/interfaces/libpq/fe-connect.c
+++ b/src/interfaces/libpq/fe-connect.c
@@ -466,6 +466,21 @@ PQconnectdbParams(const char *const * keywords,
 }
 
 /*
+ *		PQsendPassword
+ *
+ * send a password that the server asked for halfway between a connection sequence.
+ */
+void
+PQsendPassword(PGconn *conn, char *password)
+{
+	conn->pgpass = password;
+	conn->status = CONNECTION_SENDING_PASSWORD;
+
+	resetPQExpBuffer(&conn->errorMessage);
+	(void) connectDBComplete(conn);
+}
+
+/*
  *		PQpingParams
  *
  * check server status, accepting parameters identical to PQconnectdbParams
@@ -1555,6 +1570,7 @@ PQconnectPoll(PGconn *conn)
 	PGresult   *res;
 	char		sebuf[256];
 	int			optval;
+	static AuthRequest areq;
 
 	if (conn == NULL)
 		return PGRES_POLLING_FAILED;
@@ -1598,6 +1614,7 @@ PQconnectPoll(PGconn *conn)
 			/* Special cases: proceed without waiting. */
 		case CONNECTION_SSL_STARTUP:
 		case CONNECTION_NEEDED:
+		case CONNECTION_SENDING_PASSWORD:
 			break;
 
 		default:
@@ -2160,7 +2177,6 @@ keep_going:						/* We will come back to here until there is
 				char		beresp;
 				int			msgLength;
 				int			avail;
-				AuthRequest areq;
 
 				/*
 				 * Scan the message from current point (note that if we find
@@ -2442,7 +2458,34 @@ keep_going:						/* We will come back to here until there is
 				/* Look to see if we have more data yet. */
 				goto keep_going;
 			}
+		case CONNECTION_SENDING_PASSWORD:
+			{
+				/*
+				 * Note that conn->pghost must be non-NULL if we are going to
+				 * avoid the Kerberos code doing a hostname look-up.
+				 */
+
+				if (pg_fe_sendauth(areq, conn) != STATUS_OK)
+				{
+					conn->errorMessage.len = strlen(conn->errorMessage.data);
+					goto error_return;
+				}
+				conn->errorMessage.len = strlen(conn->errorMessage.data);
+
+				/*
+				 * Just make sure that any data sent by pg_fe_sendauth is
+				 * flushed out.  Although this theoretically could block, it
+				 * really shouldn't since we don't send large auth responses.
+				 */
+				if (pqFlush(conn))
+					goto error_return;
 
+				/* Now go back to reading backend's response to the password just sent
+				 * in the current authentication sequence
+				 */
+				conn->status = CONNECTION_AWAITING_RESPONSE;
+				return PGRES_POLLING_READING;
+			}
 		case CONNECTION_AUTH_OK:
 			{
 				/*
diff --git a/src/interfaces/libpq/libpq-fe.h b/src/interfaces/libpq/libpq-fe.h
index e0f4bc7..5888a58 100644
--- a/src/interfaces/libpq/libpq-fe.h
+++ b/src/interfaces/libpq/libpq-fe.h
@@ -62,7 +62,11 @@ typedef enum
 								 * backend startup. */
 	CONNECTION_SETENV,			/* Negotiating environment. */
 	CONNECTION_SSL_STARTUP,		/* Negotiating SSL. */
-	CONNECTION_NEEDED			/* Internal state: connect() needed */
+	CONNECTION_NEEDED,			/* Internal state: connect() needed */
+	CONNECTION_SENDING_PASSWORD		/* An intermediate state to help client send a password
+						 * over an existing connection	
+						 */
+						
 } ConnStatusType;
 
 typedef enum
@@ -258,6 +262,9 @@ extern PGconn *PQsetdbLogin(const char *pghost, const char *pgport,
 #define PQsetdb(M_PGHOST,M_PGPORT,M_PGOPT,M_PGTTY,M_DBNAME)  \
 	PQsetdbLogin(M_PGHOST, M_PGPORT, M_PGOPT, M_PGTTY, M_DBNAME, NULL, NULL)
 
+/* send a password that the server asked for halfway between a connection sequence */
+extern void PQsendPassword(PGconn *conn, char *password);
+
 /* close the current connection and free the PGconn data structure */
 extern void PQfinish(PGconn *conn);