diff --git a/changes/cov709056 b/changes/cov709056
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..64a75ad8a2f1ab72eb73eeadece4d7a5dec46ec3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changes/cov709056
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+  o Minor bugfixes:
+    - Check return value of fputs() when writing authority certificate
+      file. Fixes Coverity issue 709056; bugfix on 0.2.0.1-alpha.
+
diff --git a/src/tools/tor-gencert.c b/src/tools/tor-gencert.c
index a8ffc077963e410b85fea00c09184fb4d5e28951..38b2101a3c44407ea6306ddfa0f290cb02ea55c8 100644
--- a/src/tools/tor-gencert.c
+++ b/src/tools/tor-gencert.c
@@ -497,7 +497,12 @@ generate_certificate(void)
     return 1;
   }
 
-  fputs(buf, f);
+  if (fputs(buf, f) < 0) {
+    log_err(LD_GENERAL, "Couldn't write to %s: %s",
+            certificate_file, strerror(errno));
+    fclose(f);
+    return 1;
+  }
   fclose(f);
   return 0;
 }