diff --git a/recording-daemon/notify.c b/recording-daemon/notify.c
index 0b7396a20..b3ae3ace3 100644
--- a/recording-daemon/notify.c
+++ b/recording-daemon/notify.c
@@ -143,6 +143,11 @@ cleanup:
 	return success;
 }
 
+static void failed_http(notif_req_t *req) {
+	if (req->content)
+		output_content_failure(req->content);
+}
+
 static bool do_notify_command(notif_req_t *req) {
 	ilog(LOG_DEBUG, "Executing notification command for '%s%s%s'", FMT_M(req->name));
 
@@ -190,6 +195,9 @@ static void do_notify(void *p, void *u) {
 				"Giving up",
 				FMT_M(req->name),
 				req->retries);
+
+		if (req->action->failed)
+			req->action->failed(req);
 	}
 
 	req->action->cleanup(req);
@@ -335,6 +343,7 @@ static const notif_action_t http_action = {
 	.setup = notify_req_setup_http,
 	.perform = do_notify_http,
 	.cleanup = cleanup_http,
+	.failed = failed_http,
 };
 
 
diff --git a/recording-daemon/output.c b/recording-daemon/output.c
index 752b83f63..697e4f691 100644
--- a/recording-daemon/output.c
+++ b/recording-daemon/output.c
@@ -522,12 +522,15 @@ static bool output_config(sink_t *sink, output_t *output, const format_t *reques
 
 static void content_free(content_t *s) {
 	g_string_free(s->s, TRUE);
+	g_free(s->name);
 }
 
 
-static content_t *output_make_content(GString *s) {
+static content_t *output_make_content(GString *s, output_t *output) {
 	content_t *ret = obj_alloc0(content_t, content_free);
 	ret->s = s;
+	if (output->file_name && output->file_name[0])
+		ret->name = g_strdup(output->file_name);
 	return ret;
 }
 
@@ -557,12 +560,63 @@ content_t *output_get_content(output_t *output) {
 		return NULL;
 	}
 
-	output->content = output_make_content(content);
+	output->content = output_make_content(content, output);
 
 	return obj_get(output->content);
 }
 
 
+G_DEFINE_AUTOPTR_CLEANUP_FUNC(FILE, fclose)
+
+
+void output_content_failure(content_t *c) {
+	unsigned int exp = 0;
+	if (!atomic_compare_exchange(&c->failed, &exp, 1))
+		return; // already done
+
+	// find output file name
+	const char *prefix;
+	char buf[33];
+	if (c->name)
+		prefix = c->name;
+	else {
+		rand_hex_str(buf, 16);
+		prefix = buf;
+	}
+
+	g_autoptr(char) fn = g_strdup_printf("%s/backup-%s", output_dir, prefix);
+
+	if (g_file_test(fn, G_FILE_TEST_EXISTS)) {
+		char suffix[17];
+		rand_hex_str(suffix, 8);
+		g_free(fn);
+		fn = g_strdup_printf("%s/backup-%s%s", output_dir, prefix, suffix);
+		if (g_file_test(fn, G_FILE_TEST_EXISTS)) {
+			ilog(LOG_ERR, "Failed to write emergency backup to '%s': file exists",
+					fn);
+			return;
+		}
+	}
+
+	g_autoptr(FILE) fp = fopen(fn, "wb");
+	if (!fp) {
+		ilog(LOG_ERR, "Failed to write emergency backup to '%s': %s",
+				fn, strerror(errno));
+		return;
+	}
+
+	ssize_t written = fwrite(c->s->str, 1, c->s->len, fp);
+	if (written < 0)
+		ilog(LOG_ERR, "Failed to write emergency backup to '%s': %s",
+				fn, strerror(errno));
+	else if (written != c->s->len)
+		ilog(LOG_ERR, "Failed to write emergency backup to '%s': short write",
+				fn);
+	else
+		ilog(LOG_NOTICE, "Wrote emergency backup to '%s'", fn);
+}
+
+
 static bool output_shutdown(output_t *output) {
 	if (!output)
 		return false;
@@ -581,7 +635,7 @@ static bool output_shutdown(output_t *output) {
 	else if (output->membuf) {
 		if (output->membuf->len) {
 			obj_release(output->content);
-			output->content = output_make_content(output->membuf);
+			output->content = output_make_content(output->membuf, output);
 			output->membuf = NULL;
 			ret = true;
 		}
diff --git a/recording-daemon/output.h b/recording-daemon/output.h
index 67eaa87c4..ff3bc51ee 100644
--- a/recording-daemon/output.h
+++ b/recording-daemon/output.h
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ void output_init(const char *format);
 output_t *output_new_ext(metafile_t *, const char *type, const char *kind, const char *label);
 void output_close(metafile_t *, output_t *, tag_t *, bool discard);
 content_t *output_get_content(output_t *);
+void output_content_failure(content_t *);
 
 
 void sink_init(sink_t *);
diff --git a/recording-daemon/types.h b/recording-daemon/types.h
index 30b887864..5c86dbf05 100644
--- a/recording-daemon/types.h
+++ b/recording-daemon/types.h
@@ -228,12 +228,16 @@ struct decode_s {
 struct content_s {
 	struct obj obj;
 	GString *s;
+
+	char *name;
+	unsigned int failed;
 };
 
 struct notif_action_s {
 	const char *name;
 	void (*setup)(notif_req_t *, output_t *o, metafile_t *mf, tag_t *tag);
 	bool (*perform)(notif_req_t *);
+	void (*failed)(notif_req_t *);
 	void (*cleanup)(notif_req_t *);
 };