lib/PublicInbox/LEI.pm               | 19 ++++++++++++++++++-
 lib/PublicInbox/LeiForgetMailSync.pm |  4 ++--
 lib/PublicInbox/LeiImportKw.pm       |  3 ++-
 lib/PublicInbox/LeiNoteEvent.pm      |  4 ++--
 lib/PublicInbox/LeiPmdir.pm          |  5 +++--
 lib/PublicInbox/LeiStore.pm          | 35 ++++++++++++++++++++++++-----------
 lib/PublicInbox/LeiXSearch.pm        |  4 ++--
 lib/PublicInbox/PktOp.pm             |  9 ++++++---

diff --git a/lib/PublicInbox/LEI.pm b/lib/PublicInbox/LEI.pm
index ea3ec0fec36ef7963b8aad218252d004b352bf9b..5694e92c92001d755cc3062b7d446edce067cf37 100644
--- a/lib/PublicInbox/LEI.pm
+++ b/lib/PublicInbox/LEI.pm
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ $GLP_PASS->configure(qw(gnu_getopt no_ignore_case auto_abbrev pass_through));
 
 our %PATH2CFG; # persistent for socket daemon
 our $MDIR2CFGPATH; # /path/to/maildir => { /path/to/config => [ ino watches ] }
+our %LIVE_SOCK; # "GLOB(0x....)" => $lei->{sock}
 
 # TBD: this is a documentation mechanism to show a subcommand
 # (may) pass options through to another command:
@@ -565,6 +566,7 @@ 	undef $listener;
 	$dir_idle->force_close if $dir_idle;
 	%PATH2CFG = ();
 	$MDIR2CFGPATH = {};
+	%LIVE_SOCK = ();
 	eval 'no warnings; undef $PublicInbox::LeiNoteEvent::to_flush';
 	undef $errors_log;
 	$quit = \&CORE::exit;
@@ -1429,7 +1431,7 @@ 			$seen{$f} = undef;
 			add_maildir_watch($cd, $cfg_f);
 		}
 	}
-	my $wait = $renames ? $sto->ipc_do('done') : undef;
+	$lei->sto_done_request if $renames;
 	if ($old) { # cull old non-existent entries
 		for my $url (keys %$old) {
 			next if exists $seen{$url};
@@ -1461,6 +1463,21 @@ 		my $sto = $lei->{sto} // _lei_store($lei);
 		$sto ? $sto->search : undef
 	};
 	$lse ? $lse->lms : undef;
+}
+
+sub sto_done_request { # only call this from lei-daemon process (not workers)
+	my ($lei, $sock) = @_;
+	if ($sock //= $lei->{sock}) {
+		$LIVE_SOCK{"$sock"} = $sock;
+		$lei->{sto}->ipc_do('done', "$sock"); # issue, async wait
+	} else { # forcibly wait
+		my $wait = $lei->{sto}->ipc_do('done');
+	}
+}
+
+sub sto_done_complete { # called in lei-daemon when LeiStore->done is complete
+	my ($sock_str) = @_;
+	delete $LIVE_SOCK{$sock_str}; # frees {sock} for waiting lei clients
 }
 
 1;
diff --git a/lib/PublicInbox/LeiForgetMailSync.pm b/lib/PublicInbox/LeiForgetMailSync.pm
index 940ca1b692c10d47faf7849d275ed1ac7c5c41e0..2b4e58a9b39a7c3ed69e53341920489d81d8f44c 100644
--- a/lib/PublicInbox/LeiForgetMailSync.pm
+++ b/lib/PublicInbox/LeiForgetMailSync.pm
@@ -16,12 +16,12 @@ sub lei_forget_mail_sync {
 	my ($lei, @folders) = @_;
 	my $lms = $lei->lms or return;
 	my $sto = $lei->_lei_store or return; # may disappear due to race
-	$sto->write_prepare;
+	$sto->write_prepare($lei);
 	my $err = $lms->arg2folder($lei, \@folders);
 	$lei->qerr(@{$err->{qerr}}) if $err->{qerr};
 	return $lei->fail($err->{fail}) if $err->{fail};
 	$sto->ipc_do('lms_forget_folders', @folders);
-	my $wait = $sto->ipc_do('done');
+	$lei->sto_done_request;
 }
 
 *_complete_forget_mail_sync = \&PublicInbox::LeiExportKw::_complete_export_kw;
diff --git a/lib/PublicInbox/LeiImportKw.pm b/lib/PublicInbox/LeiImportKw.pm
index 2878cbdf30f7751d0262a217f4f5a7fe6f796712..402125cf5a43a4b1d1cb0cc0988367313a310907 100644
--- a/lib/PublicInbox/LeiImportKw.pm
+++ b/lib/PublicInbox/LeiImportKw.pm
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ 	my ($cls, $lei) = @_;
 	my $self = bless { -wq_ident => 'lei import_kw worker' }, $cls;
 	my ($op_c, $ops) = $lei->workers_start($self, $self->detect_nproc);
 	$op_c->{ops} = $ops; # for PktOp->event_step
+	$self->{lei_sock} = $lei->{sock};
 	$lei->{ikw} = $self;
 }
 
@@ -42,13 +43,13 @@
 sub ikw_done_wait {
 	my ($arg, $pid) = @_;
 	my ($self, $lei) = @$arg;
-	my $wait = $lei->{sto}->ipc_do('done');
 	$lei->can('wq_done_wait')->($arg, $pid);
 }
 
 sub _lei_wq_eof { # EOF callback for main lei daemon
 	my ($lei) = @_;
 	my $ikw = delete $lei->{ikw} or return $lei->fail;
+	$lei->sto_done_request($ikw->{lei_sock});
 	$ikw->wq_wait_old(\&ikw_done_wait, $lei);
 }
 
diff --git a/lib/PublicInbox/LeiNoteEvent.pm b/lib/PublicInbox/LeiNoteEvent.pm
index 1cd1529640f8c80b82b6b09bef4914397192df71..6a40ba3967b816d6310905d751520ded7915e180 100644
--- a/lib/PublicInbox/LeiNoteEvent.pm
+++ b/lib/PublicInbox/LeiNoteEvent.pm
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ 	my ($lei) = @_;
 	if (my $lne = delete $lei->{cfg}->{-lei_note_event}) {
 		$lne->wq_close(1, undef, $lei); # runs _lei_wq_eof;
 	} elsif ($lei->{sto}) { # lms_clear_src calls only:
-		my $wait = $lei->{sto}->ipc_do('done');
+		$lei->sto_done_request;
 	}
 }
 
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@
 sub _lei_wq_eof { # EOF callback for main lei daemon
 	my ($lei) = @_;
 	my $lne = delete $lei->{lne} or return $lei->fail;
-	my $wait = $lei->{sto}->ipc_do('done');
+	$lei->sto_done_request;
 	$lne->wq_wait_old(\&lne_done_wait, $lei);
 }
 
diff --git a/lib/PublicInbox/LeiPmdir.pm b/lib/PublicInbox/LeiPmdir.pm
index 760f276cffe41bf45566de6df3f377bcfd8332d9..59cf886e1526854db0755429b59ac2dba445e8aa 100644
--- a/lib/PublicInbox/LeiPmdir.pm
+++ b/lib/PublicInbox/LeiPmdir.pm
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ 	};
 	my ($op_c, $ops) = $lei->workers_start($self, $nproc,
 		undef, { ipt => $ipt }); # LeiInput subclass
 	$op_c->{ops} = $ops; # for PktOp->event_step
+	$self->{lei_sock} = $lei->{sock}; # keep client for pmd_done_wait
 	$lei->{pmd} = $self;
 }
 
@@ -32,7 +33,7 @@ sub ipc_atfork_child {
 	my ($self) = @_;
 	my $ipt = $self->{ipt} // die 'BUG: no self->{ipt}';
 	$ipt->{lei} = $self->{lei};
-	$ipt->ipc_atfork_child;
+	$ipt->ipc_atfork_child; # calls _lei_atfork_child;
 }
 
 sub each_mdir_fn { # maildir_each_file callback
@@ -48,13 +49,13 @@
 sub pmd_done_wait {
 	my ($arg, $pid) = @_;
 	my ($self, $lei) = @$arg;
-	my $wait = $lei->{sto}->ipc_do('done');
 	$lei->can('wq_done_wait')->($arg, $pid);
 }
 
 sub _lei_wq_eof { # EOF callback for main lei daemon
 	my ($lei) = @_;
 	my $pmd = delete $lei->{pmd} or return $lei->fail;
+	$lei->sto_done_request($pmd->{lei_sock});
 	$pmd->wq_wait_old(\&pmd_done_wait, $lei);
 }
 
diff --git a/lib/PublicInbox/LeiStore.pm b/lib/PublicInbox/LeiStore.pm
index bbd853e5a2a40a4523fa13068cb4a4652d3679e1..28e36e89c7ca04c75da16e68ef34080bb3c8780e 100644
--- a/lib/PublicInbox/LeiStore.pm
+++ b/lib/PublicInbox/LeiStore.pm
@@ -471,7 +471,7 @@ 	undef;
 }
 
 sub done {
-	my ($self) = @_;
+	my ($self, $sock_ref) = @_;
 	my $err = '';
 	if (my $im = delete($self->{im})) {
 		eval { $im->done };
@@ -486,6 +486,10 @@ 	}
 	$self->{priv_eidx}->done; # V2Writable::done
 	xchg_stderr($self);
 	die $err if $err;
+
+	# notify clients ->done has been issued
+	defined($sock_ref) and
+		$self->{s2d_op_p}->pkt_do('sto_done_complete', $sock_ref);
 }
 
 sub ipc_atfork_child {
@@ -493,28 +497,37 @@ 	my ($self) = @_;
 	my $lei = $self->{lei};
 	$lei->_lei_atfork_child(1) if $lei;
 	xchg_stderr($self);
-	if (my $err = delete($self->{err_pipe})) {
-		close $err->[0];
-		$self->{-err_wr} = $err->[1];
+	if (my $to_close = delete($self->{to_close})) {
+		close($_) for @$to_close;
 	}
 	$self->SUPER::ipc_atfork_child;
 }
 
 sub write_prepare {
 	my ($self, $lei) = @_;
+	$lei // die 'BUG: $lei not passed';
 	unless ($self->{-ipc_req}) {
-		my $d = $lei->store_path;
-		$self->ipc_lock_init("$d/ipc.lock");
-		substr($d, -length('/lei/store'), 10, '');
+		# s2d => store-to-daemon messages
+		require PublicInbox::PktOp;
+		my ($s2d_op_c, $s2d_op_p) = PublicInbox::PktOp->pair;
+		my $dir = $lei->store_path;
+		$self->ipc_lock_init("$dir/ipc.lock");
+		substr($dir, -length('/lei/store'), 10, '');
 		pipe(my ($r, $w)) or die "pipe: $!";
-		my $err_pipe = [ $r, $w ];
 		# Mail we import into lei are private, so headers filtered out
 		# by -mda for public mail are not appropriate
 		local @PublicInbox::MDA::BAD_HEADERS = ();
-		$self->ipc_worker_spawn("lei/store $d", $lei->oldset,
-					{ lei => $lei, err_pipe => $err_pipe });
+		$self->ipc_worker_spawn("lei/store $dir", $lei->oldset, {
+					lei => $lei,
+					-err_wr => $w,
+					to_close => [ $r, $s2d_op_c->{sock} ],
+					s2d_op_p => $s2d_op_p,
+				});
 		require PublicInbox::LeiStoreErr;
-		PublicInbox::LeiStoreErr->new($err_pipe->[0], $lei);
+		PublicInbox::LeiStoreErr->new($r, $lei);
+		$s2d_op_c->{ops} = {
+			sto_done_complete => [ $lei->can('sto_done_complete') ]
+		};
 	}
 	$lei->{sto} = $self;
 }
diff --git a/lib/PublicInbox/LeiXSearch.pm b/lib/PublicInbox/LeiXSearch.pm
index 5e34d864e5844456ace1a61a4d40125dbc1dd25c..1f83e582055c7ef06d40ffae5b632efbd484778b 100644
--- a/lib/PublicInbox/LeiXSearch.pm
+++ b/lib/PublicInbox/LeiXSearch.pm
@@ -374,8 +374,8 @@ 	}
 	if ($lei->{opt}->{'mail-sync'} && !$lei->{sto}) {
 		warn "BUG: {sto} missing with --mail-sync";
 	}
-	my $wait = $lei->{sto} ? $lei->{sto}->ipc_do('done') : undef;
-	$wait = $lei->{v2w} ? $lei->{v2w}->ipc_do('done') : undef;
+	$lei->sto_done_request if $lei->{sto};
+	my $wait = $lei->{v2w} ? $lei->{v2w}->ipc_do('done') : undef;
 	$lei->{ovv}->ovv_end($lei);
 	my $start_mua;
 	if ($l2m) { # close() calls LeiToMail reap_compress
diff --git a/lib/PublicInbox/PktOp.pm b/lib/PublicInbox/PktOp.pm
index 92e150a46bdf2126ad7bcf13e52de2b1ca4794ae..10942dd19b6880335fb465d9de4e3f3113755597 100644
--- a/lib/PublicInbox/PktOp.pm
+++ b/lib/PublicInbox/PktOp.pm
@@ -56,9 +56,12 @@ 			# it doesn't load Sereal||Storable for startup speed
 			($cmd, @pargs) = split(/ /, $msg);
 		}
 		my $op = $self->{ops}->{$cmd //= $msg};
-		die "BUG: unknown message: `$cmd'" unless $op;
-		my ($sub, @args) = @$op;
-		$sub->(@args, @pargs);
+		if ($op) {
+			my ($sub, @args) = @$op;
+			$sub->(@args, @pargs);
+		} elsif ($msg ne '') {
+			die "BUG: unknown message: `$cmd'";
+		}
 		return $self->close if $msg eq ''; # close on EOF
 	}
 }