lib/PublicInbox/LEI.pm        | 11 +++++------
 lib/PublicInbox/LeiBlob.pm    |  4 ++--
 lib/PublicInbox/LeiConvert.pm |  4 ++--
 lib/PublicInbox/LeiImport.pm  |  4 ++--
 lib/PublicInbox/LeiMark.pm    |  4 ++--
 lib/PublicInbox/LeiMirror.pm  |  4 ++--
 lib/PublicInbox/LeiP2q.pm     |  4 ++--
 lib/PublicInbox/LeiXSearch.pm |  8 +++-----
 lib/PublicInbox/PktOp.pm      | 20 +++++++++++++++-----

diff --git a/lib/PublicInbox/LEI.pm b/lib/PublicInbox/LEI.pm
index 478912cd7fd2948a36995752128c7990f64f19a9..9cacb1426f38eef7ad4eb3eccc6d1fff8a7cacfd 100644
--- a/lib/PublicInbox/LEI.pm
+++ b/lib/PublicInbox/LEI.pm
@@ -494,11 +494,11 @@ 	close $unclosed_after_die;
 }
 
 sub pkt_op_pair {
-	my ($self, $ops) = @_;
+	my ($self) = @_;
 	require PublicInbox::OnDestroy;
 	require PublicInbox::PktOp;
 	my $end = PublicInbox::OnDestroy->new($$, \&_delete_pkt_op, $self);
-	@$self{qw(pkt_op_c pkt_op_p)} = PublicInbox::PktOp->pair($ops);
+	@$self{qw(pkt_op_c pkt_op_p)} = PublicInbox::PktOp->pair;
 	$end;
 }
 
@@ -512,14 +512,13 @@ 		'child_error' => [ \&child_error, $lei ],
 		($ops ? %$ops : ()),
 	};
 	$ops->{''} //= [ \&dclose, $lei ];
-	my $end = $lei->pkt_op_pair($ops);
+	my $end = $lei->pkt_op_pair;
 	$wq->wq_workers_start($ident, $jobs, $lei->oldset, { lei => $lei });
 	delete $lei->{pkt_op_p};
-	my $op = delete $lei->{pkt_op_c};
+	my $op_c = delete $lei->{pkt_op_c};
 	@$end = ();
 	$lei->event_step_init;
-	# oneshot needs $op, daemon-mode uses DS->EventLoop to handle $op
-	$lei->{oneshot} ? $op : undef;
+	($op_c, $ops);
 }
 
 sub _help {
diff --git a/lib/PublicInbox/LeiBlob.pm b/lib/PublicInbox/LeiBlob.pm
index 2facbad3ada42a7206e9719589361e2745fc7e32..97747220a684cffdb520442669397d2ae64206ab 100644
--- a/lib/PublicInbox/LeiBlob.pm
+++ b/lib/PublicInbox/LeiBlob.pm
@@ -103,12 +103,12 @@ 	}
 	my $lxs = $lei->lxs_prepare or return;
 	require PublicInbox::SolverGit;
 	my $self = bless { lxs => $lxs, oid_b => $blob }, __PACKAGE__;
-	my $op = $lei->workers_start($self, 'lei_solve', 1,
+	my ($op_c, $ops) = $lei->workers_start($self, 'lei_solve', 1,
 		{ '' => [ \&sol_done, $lei ] });
 	$lei->{sol} = $self;
 	$self->wq_io_do('do_solve_blob', []);
 	$self->wq_close(1);
-	while ($op && $op->{sock}) { $op->event_step }
+	$op_c->op_wait_event($ops);
 }
 
 sub ipc_atfork_child {
diff --git a/lib/PublicInbox/LeiConvert.pm b/lib/PublicInbox/LeiConvert.pm
index 083ecc33bc5bf9fd488f8690a727f4532d7c4982..5d0adb14ecc5ec467c35de3c3a79d55bcdecf05b 100644
--- a/lib/PublicInbox/LeiConvert.pm
+++ b/lib/PublicInbox/LeiConvert.pm
@@ -53,11 +53,11 @@ 		$lei->fail("output not specified or is not a mail destination");
 	my $devfd = $lei->path_to_fd($ovv->{dst}) // return;
 	$lei->{opt}->{augment} = 1 if $devfd < 0;
 	$self->prepare_inputs($lei, \@inputs) or return;
-	my $op = $lei->workers_start($self, 'lei_convert', 1);
+	my ($op_c, $ops) = $lei->workers_start($self, 'lei_convert', 1);
 	$lei->{cnv} = $self;
 	$self->wq_io_do('do_convert', []);
 	$self->wq_close(1);
-	while ($op && $op->{sock}) { $op->event_step }
+	$op_c->op_wait_event($ops);
 }
 
 sub ipc_atfork_child {
diff --git a/lib/PublicInbox/LeiImport.pm b/lib/PublicInbox/LeiImport.pm
index 7c5b7d0905eebfbb3354101f5f262df422f1a039..803b5cdad89879d563f0e2b5d625536e67c3fbdd 100644
--- a/lib/PublicInbox/LeiImport.pm
+++ b/lib/PublicInbox/LeiImport.pm
@@ -76,11 +76,11 @@ 	}
 	my $ops = { '' => [ \&import_done, $lei ] };
 	$lei->{auth}->op_merge($ops, $self) if $lei->{auth};
 	$self->{-wq_nr_workers} = $j // 1; # locked
-	my $op = $lei->workers_start($self, 'lei_import', undef, $ops);
+	my ($op_c, undef) = $lei->workers_start($self, 'lei_import', $j, $ops);
 	$lei->{imp} = $self;
 	$self->wq_io_do('input_stdin', []) if $self->{0};
 	net_merge_complete($self) unless $lei->{auth};
-	while ($op && $op->{sock}) { $op->event_step }
+	$op_c->op_wait_event($ops);
 }
 
 no warnings 'once';
diff --git a/lib/PublicInbox/LeiMark.pm b/lib/PublicInbox/LeiMark.pm
index 34846b842a5aff01164dd0662b8a210dd98310e4..6e611318b3ff8510cda42329d977db28917ce6da 100644
--- a/lib/PublicInbox/LeiMark.pm
+++ b/lib/PublicInbox/LeiMark.pm
@@ -116,11 +116,11 @@ 		return $lei->fail('no keywords or labels specified');
 	my $ops = { '' => [ \&mark_done, $lei ] };
 	$lei->{auth}->op_merge($ops, $self) if $lei->{auth};
 	$self->{vmd_mod} = $vmd_mod;
-	my $op = $lei->workers_start($self, 'lei_mark', 1, $ops);
+	my ($op_c, undef) = $lei->workers_start($self, 'lei_mark', 1, $ops);
 	$lei->{mark} = $self;
 	$self->wq_io_do('input_stdin', []) if $self->{0};
 	net_merge_complete($self) unless $lei->{auth};
-	while ($op && $op->{sock}) { $op->event_step }
+	$op_c->op_wait_event($ops);
 }
 
 sub note_missing {
diff --git a/lib/PublicInbox/LeiMirror.pm b/lib/PublicInbox/LeiMirror.pm
index c83386c61ff4717b9f90b63607818d859639a8e2..89574d28f5b3f9f12ecc859c831290917183bb57 100644
--- a/lib/PublicInbox/LeiMirror.pm
+++ b/lib/PublicInbox/LeiMirror.pm
@@ -282,13 +282,13 @@ 	require PublicInbox::Lock;
 	require PublicInbox::Inbox;
 	require PublicInbox::Admin;
 	require PublicInbox::InboxWritable;
-	my $op = $lei->workers_start($self, 'lei_mirror', 1, {
+	my ($op, $ops) = $lei->workers_start($self, 'lei_mirror', 1, {
 		'' => [ \&mirror_done, $lei ]
 	});
 	$lei->{mrr} = $self;
 	$self->wq_io_do('do_mirror', []);
 	$self->wq_close(1);
-	while ($op && $op->{sock}) { $op->event_step }
+	$op->op_wait_event($ops);
 }
 
 sub ipc_atfork_child {
diff --git a/lib/PublicInbox/LeiP2q.pm b/lib/PublicInbox/LeiP2q.pm
index 25f63a10d623c62dbb1abbacbabc786447d9cca1..a8a3dd2ccfa7d0bcae67ba7d9b3ec4a66b122ab0 100644
--- a/lib/PublicInbox/LeiP2q.pm
+++ b/lib/PublicInbox/LeiP2q.pm
@@ -185,11 +185,11 @@ 		$self->{0} = delete $lei->{0}; # guard from _lei_atfork_child
 	} else {
 		$self->{input} = $input;
 	}
-	my $op = $lei->workers_start($self, 'lei_p2q', 1);
+	my ($op, $ops) = $lei->workers_start($self, 'lei_p2q', 1);
 	$lei->{p2q} = $self;
 	$self->wq_io_do('do_p2q', []);
 	$self->wq_close(1);
-	while ($op && $op->{sock}) { $op->event_step }
+	$op->op_wait_event($ops);
 }
 
 sub ipc_atfork_child {
diff --git a/lib/PublicInbox/LeiXSearch.pm b/lib/PublicInbox/LeiXSearch.pm
index b41daffebbdfacf3114426a0a6743dd0c0c44b1d..1a194f1c9dd9d45285e21bba796a0feb33095cc2 100644
--- a/lib/PublicInbox/LeiXSearch.pm
+++ b/lib/PublicInbox/LeiXSearch.pm
@@ -427,7 +427,7 @@ 		'child_error' => [ $lei->can('child_error'), $lei ],
 		'incr_start_query' => [ \&incr_start_query, $self, $l2m ],
 	};
 	$lei->{auth}->op_merge($ops, $l2m) if $l2m && $lei->{auth};
-	my $end = $lei->pkt_op_pair($ops);
+	my $end = $lei->pkt_op_pair;
 	$lei->{1}->autoflush(1);
 	$lei->start_pager if delete $lei->{need_pager};
 	$lei->{ovv}->ovv_begin($lei);
@@ -445,7 +445,7 @@ 		fcntl($lei->{startq}, 1031, 4096) if $^O eq 'linux';
 	}
 	$self->wq_workers_start('lei_xsearch', undef,
 				$lei->oldset, { lei => $lei });
-	my $op = delete $lei->{pkt_op_c};
+	my $op_c = delete $lei->{pkt_op_c};
 	delete $lei->{pkt_op_p};
 	@$end = ();
 	$self->{threads} = $lei->{opt}->{threads};
@@ -455,9 +455,7 @@ 	} else {
 		start_query($self);
 	}
 	$lei->event_step_init; # wait for shutdowns
-	if ($lei->{oneshot}) {
-		while ($op->{sock}) { $op->event_step }
-	}
+	$op_c->op_wait_event($ops);
 }
 
 sub add_uri {
diff --git a/lib/PublicInbox/PktOp.pm b/lib/PublicInbox/PktOp.pm
index 5d8e78ea78635211885271cb650f1ed48d76696e..c32217354a024a170f719ce973b3ff885a12df01 100644
--- a/lib/PublicInbox/PktOp.pm
+++ b/lib/PublicInbox/PktOp.pm
@@ -16,21 +16,23 @@ use PublicInbox::IPC qw(ipc_freeze ipc_thaw);
 our @EXPORT_OK = qw(pkt_do);
 
 sub new {
-	my ($cls, $r, $ops) = @_;
-	my $self = bless { sock => $r, ops => $ops }, $cls;
+	my ($cls, $r) = @_;
+	my $self = bless { sock => $r }, $cls;
 	if ($PublicInbox::DS::in_loop) { # iff using DS->EventLoop
 		$r->blocking(0);
 		$self->SUPER::new($r, EPOLLIN|EPOLLET);
+	} else {
+		$self->{blocking} = 1;
 	}
 	$self;
 }
 
 # returns a blessed object as the consumer, and a GLOB/IO for the producer
 sub pair {
-	my ($cls, $ops) = @_;
+	my ($cls) = @_;
 	my ($c, $p);
 	socketpair($c, $p, AF_UNIX, SOCK_SEQPACKET, 0) or die "socketpair: $!";
-	(new($cls, $c, $ops), $p);
+	(new($cls, $c), $p);
 }
 
 sub pkt_do { # for the producer to trigger event_step in consumer
@@ -41,7 +43,7 @@
 sub close {
 	my ($self) = @_;
 	my $c = $self->{sock} or return;
-	$c->blocking ? delete($self->{sock}) : $self->SUPER::close;
+	$self->{blocking} ? delete($self->{sock}) : $self->SUPER::close;
 }
 
 sub event_step {
@@ -71,6 +73,14 @@ 		my ($sub, @args) = @$op;
 		$sub->(@args, @pargs);
 		return $self->close if $msg eq ''; # close on EOF
 	}
+}
+
+# call this when we're ready to wait on events,
+# returns immediately if non-blocking
+sub op_wait_event {
+	my ($self, $ops) = @_;
+	$self->{ops} = $ops;
+	while ($self->{blocking} && $self->{sock}) { event_step($self) }
 }
 
 1;