diff --git a/WHATSNEW b/WHATSNEW
index 0121f75f8..1ba308409 100644
--- a/WHATSNEW
+++ b/WHATSNEW
@@ -15,6 +15,11 @@ Fixed bugs:
  * TarInputStream should now properly read GNU longlink entries' names.
    Bugzilla Report 55040.
 
+ * <java> and <exec> used to be too restrictive when evaluating
+   whether a given set of options is compatible with spawning the new
+   process.
+   Bugzilla Report 55112.
+
 Other changes:
 --------------
 
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/ExecTask.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/ExecTask.java
index a17bca4f4..c87335d64 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/ExecTask.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/ExecTask.java
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ public class ExecTask extends Task {
      */
     public void setTimeout(Long value) {
         timeout = value;
-        incompatibleWithSpawn = true;
+        incompatibleWithSpawn |= timeout != null;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -363,7 +363,7 @@ public class ExecTask extends Task {
      */
     public void setFailIfExecutionFails(boolean flag) {
         failIfExecFails = flag;
-        incompatibleWithSpawn = true;
+        incompatibleWithSpawn |= flag;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -376,7 +376,7 @@ public class ExecTask extends Task {
      */
     public void setAppend(boolean append) {
         redirector.setAppend(append);
-        incompatibleWithSpawn = true;
+        incompatibleWithSpawn |= append;
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Java.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Java.java
index 384ef85be..30c5738ff 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Java.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Java.java
@@ -619,7 +619,7 @@ public class Java extends Task {
      */
     public void setAppend(boolean append) {
         redirector.setAppend(append);
-        incompatibleWithSpawn = true;
+        incompatibleWithSpawn |= append;
     }
 
     /**