diff --git a/src/control.c b/src/control.c
index 3e6aadf..f88e0a9 100644
--- a/src/control.c
+++ b/src/control.c
@@ -422,6 +422,12 @@ void accept_control_connection(struct server* params, int client_fd,
 		),
 		"Failed to create client thread"
 	);
+
+	/* FIXME: This thread *really* shouldn't detach
+	 * Since it can see the server object, if listen switches mode
+	 * while this is live, Bad Things Could Happen.
+	 */
+	pthread_detach( control_thread );
 }
 
 void serve_open_control_socket(struct server* params)
diff --git a/src/serve.c b/src/serve.c
index 2c319ff..f44bf84 100644
--- a/src/serve.c
+++ b/src/serve.c
@@ -81,6 +81,7 @@ struct server * server_create (
 
 	out->close_signal = self_pipe_create();
 	out->acl_updated_signal = self_pipe_create();
+	out->vacuum_signal = self_pipe_create();
 
 	NULLCHECK( out->close_signal );
 	NULLCHECK( out->acl_updated_signal );
@@ -94,6 +95,8 @@ void server_destroy( struct server * serve )
 	serve->acl_updated_signal = NULL;
 	self_pipe_destroy( serve->close_signal );
 	serve->close_signal = NULL;
+	self_pipe_destroy( serve->vacuum_signal );
+	serve->vacuum_signal = NULL;
 
 	pthread_mutex_destroy( &serve->l_acl );
 	pthread_mutex_destroy( &serve->l_io );
@@ -207,7 +210,7 @@ int tryjoin_client_thread( struct client_tbl_entry *entry, int (*joinfunc)(pthre
 	NULLCHECK( joinfunc );
 
 	int was_closed = 0;
-	void * status;
+	void * status=NULL;
 	int join_errno;
 
 	if (entry->thread != 0) {
@@ -222,7 +225,7 @@ int tryjoin_client_thread( struct client_tbl_entry *entry, int (*joinfunc)(pthre
 
 		join_errno = joinfunc(entry->thread, &status);
 		/* join_errno can legitimately be ESRCH if the thread is
-		 * already dead, but the cluent still needs tidying up. */
+		 * already dead, but the client still needs tidying up. */
 		if (join_errno != 0 && !entry->client->stopped ) {
 			FATAL_UNLESS( join_errno == EBUSY,  
 					"Problem with joining thread %p: %s", 
@@ -262,6 +265,14 @@ int cleanup_client_thread( struct client_tbl_entry * entry )
 	return tryjoin_client_thread( entry, pthread_tryjoin_np );
 }
 
+void cleanup_client_threads( struct client_tbl_entry * entries )
+{
+	int i;
+	for( i = 0; i < MAX_NBD_CLIENTS; i++ ) {
+		cleanup_client_thread( &entries[i] );
+	}
+}
+
 
 /**
  * Join a client thread after having sent a stop signal to it.
@@ -281,15 +292,13 @@ int cleanup_and_find_client_slot(struct server* params)
 {
 	NULLCHECK( params );
 
-	int slot=-1, i,j;
+	int slot=-1, i;
+
+	cleanup_client_threads( params->nbd_client );
 
 	for ( i = 0; i < MAX_NBD_CLIENTS; i++ ) {
-		cleanup_client_thread( &params->nbd_client[i] );
-	}
-
-	for ( j = 0; j < MAX_NBD_CLIENTS; j++ ) {
-		if( params->nbd_client[j].thread == 0 && slot == -1 ){
-			slot = j;
+		if( params->nbd_client[i].thread == 0 && slot == -1 ){
+			slot = i;
 			break;
 		}
 	}
@@ -353,6 +362,48 @@ int server_should_accept_client(
 }
 
 
+struct client_cleanup {
+	pthread_t client_thread;
+	struct self_pipe * vacuum_signal;
+};
+
+
+void *client_vacuum( void * cleanup_uncast )
+{
+	pthread_detach( pthread_self() );
+	NULLCHECK( cleanup_uncast );
+	struct client_cleanup *cleanup = (struct client_cleanup *)cleanup_uncast;
+
+	pthread_join( cleanup->client_thread, NULL );
+	self_pipe_signal( cleanup->vacuum_signal );
+	free( cleanup );
+	return NULL;
+}
+
+
+/* Why do we need this rather odd arrangement?  Because if we don't have
+ * it, dead threads don't get tidied up until the next incoming
+ * connection happens.
+ */
+int spawn_client_thread( 
+	struct client * client_params, 
+	struct self_pipe * vacuum_signal, 
+	pthread_t *out_thread)
+{
+	struct client_cleanup * cleanup = xmalloc( sizeof( struct client_cleanup ) );
+	cleanup->vacuum_signal = vacuum_signal;
+	int result = pthread_create(&cleanup->client_thread, NULL, client_serve, client_params);
+
+	if ( 0 == result ){
+		pthread_t watcher;
+		pthread_create( &watcher, NULL, client_vacuum, cleanup );
+
+		*out_thread = cleanup->client_thread;
+	}
+	return result;
+}
+
+
 /** Dispatch function for accepting an NBD connection and starting a thread
   * to handle it.  Rejects the connection if there is an ACL, and the far end's
   * address doesn't match, or if there are too many clients already connected.
@@ -390,7 +441,9 @@ void accept_nbd_client(
 	memcpy(&params->nbd_client[slot].address, client_address, 
 	  sizeof(union mysockaddr));
 	
-	if (pthread_create(&params->nbd_client[slot].thread, NULL, client_serve, client_params) != 0) {
+	pthread_t * thread = &params->nbd_client[slot].thread;
+
+	if (spawn_client_thread( client_params, params->vacuum_signal, thread ) != 0) {
 		debug( "Thread creation problem." );
 		write(client_fd, "Thread creation problem", 23);
 		client_destroy( client_params );
@@ -479,6 +532,7 @@ void server_replace_acl( struct server *serve, struct acl * new_acl )
 }
 
 
+
 /** Accept either an NBD or control socket connection, dispatch appropriately */
 int server_accept( struct server * params )
 {
@@ -493,6 +547,7 @@ int server_accept( struct server * params )
 	FD_SET(params->server_fd, &fds);
 	self_pipe_fd_set( params->close_signal, &fds );
 	self_pipe_fd_set( params->acl_updated_signal, &fds );
+	self_pipe_fd_set( params->vacuum_signal, &fds );
 	if (params->control_socket_name) {
 		FD_SET(params->control_fd, &fds);
 	}
@@ -505,6 +560,11 @@ int server_accept( struct server * params )
 		return 0;
 	}
 
+	if ( self_pipe_fd_isset( params->vacuum_signal, &fds ) ) {
+		cleanup_client_threads( params->nbd_client );
+		self_pipe_signal_clear( params->vacuum_signal );
+	}
+
 	if ( self_pipe_fd_isset( params->acl_updated_signal, &fds ) ) {
 		self_pipe_signal_clear( params->acl_updated_signal );
 		server_audit_clients( params );
diff --git a/src/serve.h b/src/serve.h
index 72f6c2c..14a76fc 100644
--- a/src/serve.h
+++ b/src/serve.h
@@ -69,6 +69,11 @@ struct server {
 	struct self_pipe *   acl_updated_signal;
 	pthread_mutex_t      l_acl;
 
+	/** vacuum_signal will be sent when client threads terminate.
+	 * This is mainly to keep valgrind happy
+	 */
+	struct self_pipe *   vacuum_signal;
+
 	struct mirror_status* mirror;
 	int                  server_fd;
 	int                  control_fd;
diff --git a/src/util.c b/src/util.c
index 2e2481d..96736b8 100644
--- a/src/util.c
+++ b/src/util.c
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ void error_handler(int fatal __attribute__ ((unused)) )
 	longjmp(context->jmp, 1);
 }
 
+
 void mylog(int line_level, const char* format, ...)
 {
 	va_list argptr;
diff --git a/src/util.h b/src/util.h
index 52cec40..aa233f6 100644
--- a/src/util.h
+++ b/src/util.h
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ extern pthread_key_t cleanup_handler_key;
 		abort(); \
 	case 2: /* non-fatal error, return to context of error handler setup */ \
 		context->handler(context->data, 0); \
+		pthread_exit((void *)1);\
 	default: \
 		abort(); \
 	} \
diff --git a/tests/flexnbd.rb b/tests/flexnbd.rb
index 64969a5..ce13607 100644
--- a/tests/flexnbd.rb
+++ b/tests/flexnbd.rb
@@ -19,12 +19,13 @@ class ValgrindExecutor
   attr_reader :pid
 
   class Error
-    attr_accessor :what, :kind
+    attr_accessor :what, :kind, :pid
     attr_reader :backtrace
     def initialize
       @backtrace=[]
       @what = ""
       @kind = ""
+      @pid = ""
     end
 
     def add_frame
@@ -44,7 +45,7 @@ class ValgrindExecutor
     end
 
     def to_s
-      ([@what + " (#{@kind})"] + @backtrace.map{|h| "#{h[:file]}:#{h[:line]} #{h[:fn]}" }).join("\n")
+      ([@what + " (#{@kind}) in #{@pid}"] + @backtrace.map{|h| "#{h[:file]}:#{h[:line]} #{h[:fn]}" }).join("\n")
     end
 
   end # class Error
@@ -54,6 +55,8 @@ class ValgrindExecutor
     include REXML::StreamListener
     def initialize( killer )
       @killer = killer
+      @error = Error.new
+      @found = false
     end
 
     def text( text )
@@ -63,7 +66,7 @@ class ValgrindExecutor
     def tag_start(tag, attrs)
       case tag.to_s
       when "error"
-        @error = Error.new
+        @found = true
       when "frame"
         @error.add_frame
       end
@@ -72,23 +75,43 @@ class ValgrindExecutor
     def tag_end(tag)
       case tag.to_s
       when "what"
-        @error.what = @text if @error
+        @error.what = @text if @found
         @text = ""
       when "kind"
-        @error.kind = @text if @error
+        @error.kind = @text if @found
       when "file"
-        @error.add_file( @text ) if @error
+        @error.add_file( @text ) if @found
       when "fn"
-        @error.add_fn( @text ) if @error
+        @error.add_fn( @text ) if @found
       when "line"
-        @error.add_line( @text ) if @error
-      when "error"
+        @error.add_line( @text ) if @found
+      when "error", "stack"
         @killer.call( @error )
+      when "pid"
+        @error.pid=@text
       end
     end
   end # class ErrorListener
 
 
+  class DebugErrorListener < ErrorListener
+    def text( txt )
+      print txt
+      super( txt )
+    end
+
+    def tag_start( tag, attrs )
+      print "<#{tag}>"
+      super( tag, attrs )
+    end
+
+    def tag_end( tag )
+      print "</#{tag}>"
+      super( tag )
+    end
+  end
+
+
   def initialize
     @pid = nil
   end
@@ -107,6 +130,7 @@ class ValgrindExecutor
     $stderr.puts "* Valgrind error spotted:"
     $stderr.puts err.to_s.split("\n").map{|s| "  #{s}"}
     $stderr.puts "*"*72
+    exit(1)
   end
 
 
@@ -214,7 +238,7 @@ class FlexNBD
     Thread.start do
       Process.waitpid2( pid )
       if @kill
-        fail "flexnbd quit with a bad status #{$?.exitstatus}" unless 
+        fail "flexnbd quit with a bad status #{$?.exitstatus}" unless
           $?.exitstatus == @kill
       else
         $stderr.puts "flexnbd quit"