diff --git a/gdb/tui/tui.c b/gdb/tui/tui.c
index 828e42bccf7..551a72e3992 100644
--- a/gdb/tui/tui.c
+++ b/gdb/tui/tui.c
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@
 
 /* Tells whether the TUI is active or not.  */
 bool tui_active = false;
-static bool tui_finish_init = true;
+static int tui_init = -1;
 
 enum tui_key_mode tui_current_key_mode = TUI_COMMAND_MODE;
 
@@ -363,7 +363,13 @@ tui_enable (void)
   /* To avoid to initialize curses when gdb starts, there is a deferred
      curses initialization.  This initialization is made only once
      and the first time the curses mode is entered.  */
-  if (tui_finish_init)
+  if (tui_init == 0)
+    {
+      /* Initalization failed before, just throw a generic error, don't try
+	 again.  Workaround for segfault in libncurses5 bsc#1179210.  */
+      error (_("Cannot enable the TUI"));
+    }
+  else if (tui_init == -1)
     {
       WINDOW *w;
       SCREEN *s;
@@ -383,6 +389,8 @@ tui_enable (void)
       if (!gdb_stderr->isatty ())
 	error (_("Cannot enable the TUI when output is not a terminal"));
 
+      tui_init = 0;
+
       s = newterm (NULL, stdout, stdin);
 #ifdef __MINGW32__
       /* The MinGW port of ncurses requires $TERM to be unset in order
@@ -435,7 +443,8 @@ tui_enable (void)
       tui_set_win_focus_to (TUI_SRC_WIN);
       keypad (TUI_CMD_WIN->handle.get (), TRUE);
       wrefresh (TUI_CMD_WIN->handle.get ());
-      tui_finish_init = false;
+
+      tui_init = 1;
     }
   else
     {