diff --git a/include/components/controller.hpp b/include/components/controller.hpp
index 99f25942..023ebad0 100644
--- a/include/components/controller.hpp
+++ b/include/components/controller.hpp
@@ -53,6 +53,8 @@ class controller
   bool enqueue(event&& evt);
   bool enqueue(string&& input_data);
 
+  void signal_handler(int signum);
+
   void conn_cb(int status, int events);
   void ipc_cb(string buf);
 
@@ -88,7 +90,7 @@ class controller
   unique_ptr<ipc> m_ipc;
   unique_ptr<inotify_watch> m_confwatch;
 
-  eventloop eloop;
+  std::unique_ptr<eventloop> eloop;
 
   /**
    * \brief State flag
diff --git a/include/components/eventloop.hpp b/include/components/eventloop.hpp
index bffe88e1..dcdd9517 100644
--- a/include/components/eventloop.hpp
+++ b/include/components/eventloop.hpp
@@ -6,6 +6,30 @@
 
 POLYBAR_NS
 
+template <class H, class... Args>
+struct cb_helper {
+  std::function<void(Args...)> func;
+
+  static void callback(H* context, Args... args) {
+    const auto unpackedThis = static_cast<const cb_helper*>(context->data);
+    return unpackedThis->func(std::forward<Args>(args)...);
+  }
+};
+
+struct SignalHandle {
+  SignalHandle(uv_loop_t* loop, std::function<void(int)> fun) {
+    handle = std::make_unique<uv_signal_t>();
+    // TODO handle return value
+    uv_signal_init(loop, handle.get());
+    cb = cb_helper<uv_signal_t, int>{fun};
+
+    handle->data = &cb;
+  };
+
+  std::unique_ptr<uv_signal_t> handle;
+  cb_helper<uv_signal_t, int> cb;
+};
+
 class eventloop {
  public:
   eventloop();
@@ -16,14 +40,28 @@ class eventloop {
   void stop();
 
   /**
-   * TODO remove
+   * TODO make protected
    */
   uv_loop_t* get() const {
     return m_loop.get();
   }
 
+  void signal_handler(int signum, std::function<void(int)> fun) {
+    auto handle = std::make_unique<SignalHandle>(get(), fun);
+    uv_signal_start(handle->handle.get(), &handle->cb.callback, signum);
+    m_sig_handles.push_back(std::move(handle));
+  }
+
+ protected:
+  template <typename H, typename T, typename... Args, void (T::*F)(Args...)>
+  static void generic_cb(H* handle, Args&&... args) {
+    (static_cast<T*>(handle->data).*F)(std::forward<Args>(args)...);
+  }
+
  private:
   std::unique_ptr<uv_loop_t> m_loop{nullptr};
+
+  vector<std::unique_ptr<SignalHandle>> m_sig_handles;
 };
 
 POLYBAR_NS_END
diff --git a/include/utils/file.hpp b/include/utils/file.hpp
index 0e062936..ebbf1921 100644
--- a/include/utils/file.hpp
+++ b/include/utils/file.hpp
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ class file_ptr {
 
 class file_descriptor {
  public:
-  explicit file_descriptor(const string& path, int flags = 0);
+  explicit file_descriptor(const string& path, int flags = 0, bool autoclose = true);
   explicit file_descriptor(int fd, bool autoclose = true);
   ~file_descriptor();
 
diff --git a/src/components/controller.cpp b/src/components/controller.cpp
index 21c8ee88..8cbf9073 100644
--- a/src/components/controller.cpp
+++ b/src/components/controller.cpp
@@ -134,7 +134,6 @@ bool controller::run(bool writeback, string snapshot_dst) {
   read_events();
 
   if (m_event_thread.joinable()) {
-    enqueue(make_quit_evt(static_cast<bool>(g_reload)));
     m_event_thread.join();
   }
 
@@ -179,7 +178,7 @@ void controller::conn_cb(int, int) {
   if (m_connection.connection_has_error()) {
     g_terminate = 1;
     g_reload = 0;
-    eloop.stop();
+    eloop->stop();
     return;
   }
 
@@ -204,10 +203,10 @@ static void conn_cb_wrapper(uv_poll_t* handle, int status, int events) {
   static_cast<controller*>(handle->data)->conn_cb(status, events);
 }
 
-static void signal_cb_wrapper(uv_signal_t* handle, int signum) {
+void controller::signal_handler(int signum) {
   g_terminate = 1;
   g_reload = (signum == SIGUSR1);
-  static_cast<eventloop*>(handle->loop->data)->stop();
+  eloop->stop();
 }
 
 static void confwatch_cb_wrapper(uv_fs_event_t* handle, const char* fname, int, int) {
@@ -249,7 +248,8 @@ static void ipc_read_cb_wrapper(uv_stream_t* stream, ssize_t nread, const uv_buf
 void controller::read_events() {
   m_log.info("Entering event loop (thread-id=%lu)", this_thread::get_id());
 
-  auto loop = eloop.get();
+  eloop = std::make_unique<eventloop>();
+  auto loop = eloop->get();
 
   auto conn_handle = std::make_unique<uv_poll_t>();
   uv_poll_init(loop, conn_handle.get(), m_connection.get_file_descriptor());
@@ -257,15 +257,8 @@ void controller::read_events() {
 
   uv_poll_start(conn_handle.get(), UV_READABLE, conn_cb_wrapper);
 
-  std::vector<unique_ptr<uv_signal_t>> handles;
-
   for (auto s : {SIGINT, SIGQUIT, SIGTERM, SIGUSR1, SIGALRM}) {
-    auto signal_handle = std::make_unique<uv_signal_t>();
-    uv_signal_init(loop, signal_handle.get());
-    signal_handle->data = this;
-
-    uv_signal_start(signal_handle.get(), signal_cb_wrapper, s);
-    handles.push_back(std::move(signal_handle));
+    eloop->signal_handler(s, [this](int signum) { signal_handler(signum); });
   }
 
   auto conf_handle = std::unique_ptr<uv_fs_event_t>(nullptr);
@@ -288,7 +281,8 @@ void controller::read_events() {
     uv_read_start((uv_stream_t*)ipc_handle.get(), ipc_alloc_cb, ipc_read_cb_wrapper);
   }
 
-  eloop.run();
+  eloop->run();
+  eloop.reset();
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/src/components/eventloop.cpp b/src/components/eventloop.cpp
index 99e2e35e..d3d4a1bc 100644
--- a/src/components/eventloop.cpp
+++ b/src/components/eventloop.cpp
@@ -10,10 +10,30 @@ eventloop::eventloop() {
   m_loop->data = this;
 }
 
+static void close_walk_cb(uv_handle_t* handle, void*) {
+  if (!uv_is_closing(handle)) {
+    uv_close(handle, nullptr);
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Completely closes everything in the loop.
+ *
+ * After this function returns, uv_loop_close can be called.
+ */
+static void close_loop(uv_loop_t* loop) {
+  uv_walk(loop, close_walk_cb, nullptr);
+  uv_run(loop, UV_RUN_DEFAULT);
+  // TODO handle return value
+}
+
 eventloop::~eventloop() {
   if (m_loop) {
+    close_loop(m_loop.get());
     uv_loop_close(m_loop.get());
     // TODO handle return value
+
+    m_loop.reset();
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/components/ipc.cpp b/src/components/ipc.cpp
index 17473815..7487a910 100644
--- a/src/components/ipc.cpp
+++ b/src/components/ipc.cpp
@@ -34,15 +34,13 @@ ipc::ipc(signal_emitter& emitter, const logger& logger) : m_sig(emitter), m_log(
   }
 
   m_log.info("Created ipc channel at: %s", m_path);
-  m_fd = file_util::make_file_descriptor(m_path, O_RDONLY | O_NONBLOCK);
+  m_fd = file_util::make_file_descriptor(m_path, O_RDONLY | O_NONBLOCK, false);
 }
 
 /**
  * Deconstruct ipc handler
  */
 ipc::~ipc() {
-  m_fd.reset();
-
   if (!m_path.empty()) {
     m_log.trace("ipc: Removing file handle");
     unlink(m_path.c_str());
@@ -66,8 +64,6 @@ void ipc::receive_message(string buf) {
   } else if (!payload.empty()) {
     m_log.warn("Received unknown ipc message: (payload=%s)", payload);
   }
-
-  /* m_fd = file_util::make_file_descriptor(m_path, O_RDONLY | O_NONBLOCK); */
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/src/modules/xwindow.cpp b/src/modules/xwindow.cpp
index 010750c1..a6eccef5 100644
--- a/src/modules/xwindow.cpp
+++ b/src/modules/xwindow.cpp
@@ -86,6 +86,7 @@ namespace modules {
    * Handler for XCB_PROPERTY_NOTIFY events
    */
   void xwindow_module::handle(const evt::property_notify& evt) {
+    m_log.notice("%s: handle Thread id: %i", name(), concurrency_util::thread_id(this_thread::get_id()));
     if (evt->atom == _NET_ACTIVE_WINDOW) {
       update(true);
     } else if (evt->atom == _NET_CURRENT_DESKTOP) {
diff --git a/src/utils/file.cpp b/src/utils/file.cpp
index 83f51ddb..d8303054 100644
--- a/src/utils/file.cpp
+++ b/src/utils/file.cpp
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ file_ptr::operator int() const {
 // }}}
 // implementation of file_descriptor {{{
 
-file_descriptor::file_descriptor(const string& path, int flags) {
+file_descriptor::file_descriptor(const string& path, int flags, bool autoclose) : m_autoclose(autoclose) {
   if ((m_fd = open(path.c_str(), flags)) == -1) {
     throw system_error("Failed to open file descriptor");
   }