diff --git a/gdb/aarch64-fbsd-nat.c b/gdb/aarch64-fbsd-nat.c
index 709f5162ce0..38fb093f139 100644
--- a/gdb/aarch64-fbsd-nat.c
+++ b/gdb/aarch64-fbsd-nat.c
@@ -120,6 +120,9 @@ aarch64_fbsd_nat_target::store_registers (struct regcache *regcache,
 const struct target_desc *
 aarch64_fbsd_nat_target::read_description ()
 {
+  if (inferior_ptid == null_ptid)
+    return this->beneath ()->read_description ();
+
   aarch64_features features;
   features.tls = have_regset (inferior_ptid, NT_ARM_TLS)? 1 : 0;
   return aarch64_read_description (features);
diff --git a/gdb/amd64-fbsd-nat.c b/gdb/amd64-fbsd-nat.c
index bae267f230f..43e83ff2485 100644
--- a/gdb/amd64-fbsd-nat.c
+++ b/gdb/amd64-fbsd-nat.c
@@ -310,6 +310,9 @@ amd64_fbsd_nat_target::read_description ()
   struct reg regs;
   int is64;
 
+  if (inferior_ptid == null_ptid)
+    return this->beneath ()->read_description ();
+
   if (ptrace (PT_GETREGS, inferior_ptid.pid (),
 	      (PTRACE_TYPE_ARG3) &regs, 0) == -1)
     perror_with_name (_("Couldn't get registers"));
diff --git a/gdb/arm-fbsd-nat.c b/gdb/arm-fbsd-nat.c
index 5181281b27d..cf22fc6cce9 100644
--- a/gdb/arm-fbsd-nat.c
+++ b/gdb/arm-fbsd-nat.c
@@ -93,6 +93,9 @@ arm_fbsd_nat_target::read_description ()
   const struct target_desc *desc;
   bool tls = false;
 
+  if (inferior_ptid == null_ptid)
+    return this->beneath ()->read_description ();
+
 #ifdef PT_GETREGSET
   tls = have_regset (inferior_ptid, NT_ARM_TLS) != 0;
 #endif
diff --git a/gdb/i386-fbsd-nat.c b/gdb/i386-fbsd-nat.c
index 927771e8b20..a2255c3c26b 100644
--- a/gdb/i386-fbsd-nat.c
+++ b/gdb/i386-fbsd-nat.c
@@ -315,6 +315,9 @@ i386_fbsd_nat_target::read_description ()
 #endif
   static int xmm_probed;
 
+  if (inferior_ptid == null_ptid)
+    return this->beneath ()->read_description ();
+
 #ifdef PT_GETXSTATE_INFO
   if (!xsave_probed)
     {