diff --git a/Lib/test/test_posix.py b/Lib/test/test_posix.py
index 88d298bce65..ac3dbb832d7 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_posix.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_posix.py
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 import os
 import pwd
 import shutil
+import sys
 import unittest
 import warnings
 warnings.filterwarnings('ignore', '.* potential security risk .*',
@@ -287,8 +288,13 @@ def _create_and_do_getcwd(dirname, current_path_length = 0):
                     os.chdir(dirname)
                     try:
                         os.getcwd()
-                        if current_path_length < 1027:
+                        if current_path_length < 4099:
                             _create_and_do_getcwd(dirname, current_path_length + len(dirname) + 1)
+                    except OSError as e:
+                        expected_errno = errno.ENAMETOOLONG
+                        if 'sunos' in sys.platform or 'openbsd' in sys.platform:
+                            expected_errno = errno.ERANGE # Issue 9185
+                        self.assertEqual(e.errno, expected_errno)
                     finally:
                         os.chdir('..')
                         os.rmdir(dirname)
diff --git a/Modules/posixmodule.c b/Modules/posixmodule.c
index 46ee7164947..a7f73825677 100644
--- a/Modules/posixmodule.c
+++ b/Modules/posixmodule.c
@@ -1970,6 +1970,24 @@ PyDoc_STRVAR(posix_getcwd__doc__,
 "getcwd() -> path\n\n\
 Return a string representing the current working directory.");
 
+#if (defined(__sun) && defined(__SVR4)) || defined(__OpenBSD__)
+/* Issue 9185: getcwd() returns NULL/ERANGE indefinitely. */
+static PyObject *
+posix_getcwd(PyObject *self, PyObject *noargs)
+{
+    char buf[PATH_MAX+2];
+    char *res;
+
+    Py_BEGIN_ALLOW_THREADS
+    res = getcwd(buf, sizeof buf);
+    Py_END_ALLOW_THREADS
+
+    if (res == NULL)
+        return posix_error();
+
+    return PyString_FromString(buf);
+}
+#else
 static PyObject *
 posix_getcwd(PyObject *self, PyObject *noargs)
 {
@@ -2006,6 +2024,7 @@ posix_getcwd(PyObject *self, PyObject *noargs)
 
     return dynamic_return;
 }
+#endif /* getcwd() NULL/ERANGE workaround. */
 
 #ifdef Py_USING_UNICODE
 PyDoc_STRVAR(posix_getcwdu__doc__,