diff --git a/src/shrpx_connection_handler.cc b/src/shrpx_connection_handler.cc
index 51232b1f..960beed0 100644
--- a/src/shrpx_connection_handler.cc
+++ b/src/shrpx_connection_handler.cc
@@ -96,6 +96,12 @@ void ocsp_chld_cb(struct ev_loop *loop, ev_child *w, int revent) {
 }
 } // namespace
 
+namespace {
+void thread_join_async_cb(struct ev_loop *loop, ev_async *w, int revent) {
+  ev_break(loop);
+}
+} // namespace
+
 ConnectionHandler::ConnectionHandler(struct ev_loop *loop)
     : single_worker_(nullptr), loop_(loop),
       tls_ticket_key_memcached_get_retry_count_(0),
@@ -110,6 +116,8 @@ ConnectionHandler::ConnectionHandler(struct ev_loop *loop)
   ev_io_init(&ocsp_.rev, ocsp_read_cb, -1, EV_READ);
   ocsp_.rev.data = this;
 
+  ev_async_init(&thread_join_asyncev_, thread_join_async_cb);
+
   ev_child_init(&ocsp_.chldev, ocsp_chld_cb, 0, 0);
   ocsp_.chldev.data = this;
 
@@ -120,6 +128,7 @@ ConnectionHandler::ConnectionHandler(struct ev_loop *loop)
 }
 
 ConnectionHandler::~ConnectionHandler() {
+  ev_async_stop(loop_, &thread_join_asyncev_);
   ev_timer_stop(loop_, &disable_acceptor_timer_);
   ev_timer_stop(loop_, &ocsp_timer_);
 
@@ -264,9 +273,19 @@ void ConnectionHandler::graceful_shutdown_worker() {
   }
 
   for (auto &worker : workers_) {
-
     worker->send(wev);
   }
+
+#ifndef NOTHREADS
+  ev_async_start(loop_, &thread_join_asyncev_);
+
+  thread_join_fut_ = std::async(std::launch::async, [this]() {
+    (void)reopen_log_files();
+    join_worker();
+    ev_async_send(get_loop(), &thread_join_asyncev_);
+    delete log_config();
+  });
+#endif // NOTHREADS
 }
 
 int ConnectionHandler::handle_connection(int fd, sockaddr *addr, int addrlen) {
diff --git a/src/shrpx_connection_handler.h b/src/shrpx_connection_handler.h
index 51a746ca..f9c5b03a 100644
--- a/src/shrpx_connection_handler.h
+++ b/src/shrpx_connection_handler.h
@@ -34,6 +34,9 @@
 
 #include <memory>
 #include <vector>
+#ifndef NOTHREADS
+#include <future>
+#endif // NOTHREADS
 
 #include <openssl/ssl.h>
 
@@ -158,6 +161,10 @@ private:
 #endif // HAVE_NEVERBLEED
   ev_timer disable_acceptor_timer_;
   ev_timer ocsp_timer_;
+  ev_async thread_join_asyncev_;
+#ifndef NOTHREADS
+  std::future<void> thread_join_fut_;
+#endif // NOTHREADS
   size_t tls_ticket_key_memcached_get_retry_count_;
   size_t tls_ticket_key_memcached_fail_count_;
   unsigned int worker_round_robin_cnt_;
diff --git a/src/shrpx_worker_process.cc b/src/shrpx_worker_process.cc
index 0dc3926c..c2358c58 100644
--- a/src/shrpx_worker_process.cc
+++ b/src/shrpx_worker_process.cc
@@ -112,19 +112,14 @@ void graceful_shutdown(ConnectionHandler *conn_handler) {
 
   conn_handler->graceful_shutdown_worker();
 
-  if (get_config()->num_worker == 1 &&
-      conn_handler->get_single_worker()->get_worker_stat()->num_connections >
-          0) {
+  if (get_config()->num_worker == 1) {
+    if (conn_handler->get_single_worker()->get_worker_stat()->num_connections ==
+        0) {
+      ev_break(conn_handler->get_loop());
+    }
+
     return;
   }
-
-  // We have accepted all pending connections.  Shutdown main event
-  // loop.
-
-  // TODO this makes IPC from master process impossible.  Perhaps, we
-  // should keep alive default loop, and break it once all connections
-  // are terminated somehow.
-  ev_break(conn_handler->get_loop());
 }
 } // namespace
 
@@ -527,7 +522,6 @@ int worker_process_event_loop(WorkerProcessConfig *wpconf) {
 
   ev_run(loop, 0);
 
-  conn_handler.join_worker();
   conn_handler.cancel_ocsp_update();
 
 #ifdef HAVE_NEVERBLEED