diff --git a/components/esp32/syscalls.c b/components/esp32/syscalls.c
index 1aff0167aa..350f5f4105 100644
--- a/components/esp32/syscalls.c
+++ b/components/esp32/syscalls.c
@@ -367,6 +367,23 @@ void IRAM_ATTR _lock_release_recursive(_lock_t *lock) {
     lock_release_generic(lock, queueQUEUE_TYPE_RECURSIVE_MUTEX);
 }
 
+// This function is not part on newlib API, it is defined in libc/stdio/local.h
+// It is called as part of _reclaim_reent via a pointer in __cleanup member 
+// of struct _reent.
+// This function doesn't call _fclose_r for _stdin, _stdout, _stderr members
+// of struct reent. Not doing so causes a memory leak each time a task is
+// terminated. We replace __cleanup member with _extra_cleanup_r (below) to work
+// around this.
+extern void _cleanup_r(struct _reent* r);
+
+void _extra_cleanup_r(struct _reent* r)
+{
+    _cleanup_r(r);
+    _fclose_r(r, r->_stdout);
+    _fclose_r(r, r->_stderr);
+    _fclose_r(r, r->_stdin);
+}
+
 static struct _reent s_reent;
 
 /*
diff --git a/components/freertos/tasks.c b/components/freertos/tasks.c
index a4595154ed..ff3a0530d6 100644
--- a/components/freertos/tasks.c
+++ b/components/freertos/tasks.c
@@ -85,6 +85,7 @@ task.h is included from an application file. */
 #include "StackMacros.h"
 #include "portmacro.h"
 #include "semphr.h"
+#include "sys/reent.h"
 
 /* Lint e961 and e750 are suppressed as a MISRA exception justified because the
 MPU ports require MPU_WRAPPERS_INCLUDED_FROM_API_FILE to be defined for the
@@ -3489,6 +3490,9 @@ TCB_t *pxNewTCB;
 
 #if ( INCLUDE_vTaskDelete == 1 )
 
+	// TODO: move this to newlib component and provide a header file
+	extern void _extra_cleanup_r(struct _reent* r);
+
 	static void prvDeleteTCB( TCB_t *pxTCB )
 	{
 		/* This call is required specifically for the TriCore port.  It must be
@@ -3500,6 +3504,7 @@ TCB_t *pxNewTCB;
 		to the task to free any memory allocated at the application level. */
 		#if ( configUSE_NEWLIB_REENTRANT == 1 )
 		{
+			pxTCB->xNewLib_reent.__cleanup = &_extra_cleanup_r;
 			_reclaim_reent( &( pxTCB->xNewLib_reent ) );
 		}
 		#endif /* configUSE_NEWLIB_REENTRANT */