diff --git a/gdb/inflow.c b/gdb/inflow.c
index 518b2dcf4e0..0292192ae2e 100644
--- a/gdb/inflow.c
+++ b/gdb/inflow.c
@@ -49,6 +49,8 @@
 
 static void pass_signal (int);
 
+static int gdb_has_a_terminal (void);
+
 static void child_terminal_ours_1 (target_terminal_state);
 
 /* Record terminal status separately for debugger and inferior.  */
@@ -59,14 +61,16 @@ static struct serial *stdin_serial;
 
 scoped_restore_tty_state::scoped_restore_tty_state ()
 {
-  m_ttystate = serial_get_tty_state (stdin_serial);
+  if (gdb_has_a_terminal ())
+    m_ttystate = serial_get_tty_state (stdin_serial);
 }
 
 /* See terminal.h.  */
 
 scoped_restore_tty_state::~scoped_restore_tty_state ()
 {
-  serial_set_tty_state (stdin_serial, m_ttystate);
+  if (m_ttystate != nullptr)
+    serial_set_tty_state (stdin_serial, m_ttystate);
 }
 
 /* Terminal related info we need to keep track of.  Each inferior
diff --git a/gdb/ser-unix.c b/gdb/ser-unix.c
index f9ef8441629..9d17e1cc3ad 100644
--- a/gdb/ser-unix.c
+++ b/gdb/ser-unix.c
@@ -152,6 +152,7 @@ hardwire_set_tty_state (struct serial *scb, serial_ttystate ttystate)
   struct hardwire_ttystate *state;
 
   state = (struct hardwire_ttystate *) ttystate;
+  gdb_assert (state != nullptr);
 
   return set_tty_state (scb, state);
 }
diff --git a/gdb/serial.h b/gdb/serial.h
index 6bcb5ab6598..a7070dfc8bd 100644
--- a/gdb/serial.h
+++ b/gdb/serial.h
@@ -152,7 +152,8 @@ extern void serial_send_break (struct serial *scb);
 extern void serial_raw (struct serial *scb);
 
 /* Return a pointer to a newly malloc'd ttystate containing the state
-   of the tty.  */
+   of the tty.  Can return NULL if the current tty state could not be
+   read.  */
 
 extern serial_ttystate serial_get_tty_state (struct serial *scb);
 
diff --git a/gdb/terminal.h b/gdb/terminal.h
index 225554a60c3..892d43113d4 100644
--- a/gdb/terminal.h
+++ b/gdb/terminal.h
@@ -59,7 +59,9 @@ class scoped_restore_tty_state
   DISABLE_COPY_AND_ASSIGN (scoped_restore_tty_state);
 
 private:
-  serial_ttystate m_ttystate;
+  /* The saved tty state.  This can remain NULL even after the constructor
+     has run if serial_get_tty_state fails to fetch the tty state.  */
+  serial_ttystate m_ttystate = nullptr;
 };
 
 #ifdef USE_WIN32API
diff --git a/gdb/testsuite/gdb.base/shell-no-terminal.exp b/gdb/testsuite/gdb.base/shell-no-terminal.exp
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..2a630fb1541
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gdb/testsuite/gdb.base/shell-no-terminal.exp
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+# Copyright 2025 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+#
+# This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
+# it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+# the Free Software Foundation; either version 3 of the License, or
+# (at your option) any later version.
+#
+# This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+# but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+# GNU General Public License for more details.
+#
+# You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+# along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+
+# Run GDB in batch mode, with stdin attached to a non-pty.  Use the
+# 'shell' command from the GDB command line.  Check that GDB doesn't
+# crash.  This checks for bug PR gdb/33716.
+
+# Remote boards override the 'remote_spawn' mechanism, and don't
+# support the 'readonly' argument that this test relies on.  Just
+# running this test on local hosts should be fine.
+require {!is_remote host}
+
+gdb_exit
+
+save_vars { GDBFLAGS } {
+    append GDBFLAGS " -batch -ex \"shell echo first\" -ex \"shell echo second\" </dev/null"
+
+    # Inlined default_gdb_spawn.
+    verbose -log "Spawning $GDB $INTERNAL_GDBFLAGS $GDBFLAGS"
+    gdb_write_cmd_file "$GDB $INTERNAL_GDBFLAGS $GDBFLAGS"
+
+    set use_gdb_stub [use_gdb_stub]
+    set res [remote_spawn host "$GDB $INTERNAL_GDBFLAGS [host_info gdb_opts] $GDBFLAGS" "readonly"]
+    if { $res < 0 || $res == "" } {
+	perror "Spawning $GDB failed."
+	return
+    }
+    set gdb_spawn_id $res
+}
+
+# Capture the output of the GDB process.  The above GDB is spawned
+# without a pty (so that we can replace its stdin), and so we don't
+# use '\r\n' as the end of line sequence, instead we expect '\n'.
+set saw_first false
+set saw_second false
+gdb_test_multiple "" "check shell command output" {
+    -re "^first\n" {
+	set saw_first true
+	exp_continue
+    }
+    -re "^second\n" {
+	set saw_second true
+	exp_continue
+    }
+    eof {
+	gdb_assert { $saw_first && $saw_second } $gdb_test_name
+    }
+}