diff --git a/bin/bitbake-worker b/bin/bitbake-worker
index a8a9660c5f..88217182fb 100755
--- a/bin/bitbake-worker
+++ b/bin/bitbake-worker
@@ -21,9 +21,14 @@ import traceback
 import queue
 import shlex
 import subprocess
+import fcntl
 from multiprocessing import Lock
 from threading import Thread
 
+# Remove when we have a minimum of python 3.10
+if not hasattr(fcntl, 'F_SETPIPE_SZ'):
+    fcntl.F_SETPIPE_SZ = 1031
+
 bb.utils.check_system_locale()
 
 # Users shouldn't be running this code directly
@@ -44,7 +49,6 @@ if sys.argv[1].startswith("decafbadbad"):
 # updates to log files for use with tail
 try:
     if sys.stdout.name == '<stdout>':
-        import fcntl
         fl = fcntl.fcntl(sys.stdout.fileno(), fcntl.F_GETFL)
         fl |= os.O_SYNC 
         fcntl.fcntl(sys.stdout.fileno(), fcntl.F_SETFL, fl)
@@ -56,6 +60,12 @@ logger = logging.getLogger("BitBake")
 
 worker_pipe = sys.stdout.fileno()
 bb.utils.nonblockingfd(worker_pipe)
+# Try to make the pipe buffers larger as it is much more efficient. If we can't
+# e.g. out of buffer space (/proc/sys/fs/pipe-user-pages-soft) then just pass over.
+try:
+    fcntl.fcntl(worker_pipe, fcntl.F_SETPIPE_SZ, 512 * 1024)
+except:
+    pass
 # Need to guard against multiprocessing being used in child processes
 # and multiple processes trying to write to the parent at the same time
 worker_pipe_lock = None
@@ -357,7 +367,7 @@ class runQueueWorkerPipe():
     def read(self):
         start = len(self.queue)
         try:
-            self.queue.extend(self.input.read(102400) or b"")
+            self.queue.extend(self.input.read(512*1024) or b"")
         except (OSError, IOError) as e:
             if e.errno != errno.EAGAIN:
                 raise
diff --git a/lib/bb/runqueue.py b/lib/bb/runqueue.py
index 1b5b58f352..61608ac603 100644
--- a/lib/bb/runqueue.py
+++ b/lib/bb/runqueue.py
@@ -3318,7 +3318,7 @@ class runQueuePipe():
 
         start = len(self.queue)
         try:
-            self.queue.extend(self.input.read(102400) or b"")
+            self.queue.extend(self.input.read(512 * 1024) or b"")
         except (OSError, IOError) as e:
             if e.errno != errno.EAGAIN:
                 raise