diff --git a/scripts/kgpy b/scripts/kgpy
index 68aab51..fc2d93b 100644
--- a/scripts/kgpy
+++ b/scripts/kgpy
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@ def create_sys_cmd_functions():
     for x in filter(lambda n: n.startswith("sys_cmd_"), dir(m)):
         fn = getattr(m,x)
         name = _get_name(fn.__doc__)
-        registry[name] = fn 
+        registry[name] = fn
 
     return registry
 
@@ -236,39 +236,46 @@ def run_file(klong_loop, klong, fname, verbose=False):
         run_in_klong_loop(klong_loop, klong, f.read(), verbose=verbose)
 
 
-def start_io_loop(ioloop):
-    asyncio.set_event_loop(ioloop)
-    ioloop.run_forever()
+klong_stop_event = asyncio.Event()
+io_stop_event = asyncio.Event()
 
 
-def start_klong_loop(klong_loop):
-    asyncio.set_event_loop(klong_loop)
-    klong_loop.run_forever()
+def start_loop(loop, stop_event):
+    asyncio.set_event_loop(loop)
+    loop.run_until_complete(stop_event.wait())
 
 
-def setup_async_loop(start_loop_func, debug: bool = False) -> asyncio.AbstractEventLoop:
+def setup_async_loop(start_loop_func, debug=False, slow_callback_duration=2) -> asyncio.AbstractEventLoop:
     loop = asyncio.new_event_loop()
+    loop.slow_callback_duration = slow_callback_duration
     if debug:
         loop.set_debug(True)
     thread = threading.Thread(target=start_loop_func, args=(loop,), daemon=True)
     thread.start()
-    return loop
+    return loop, thread
 
 
-def cleanup_async_loop(loop: Optional[asyncio.AbstractEventLoop] = None, debug: bool = False) -> None:
-    if loop is None:
-        loop = asyncio.get_event_loop()
+def cleanup_async_loop(loop: asyncio.AbstractEventLoop, loop_thread, stop_event, debug=True) -> None:
 
-    while len(asyncio.all_tasks(loop=loop)) > 0:
-        if debug:
-            print(asyncio.all_tasks(loop=loop))
-        time.sleep(0.1)
+    if loop.is_closed():
+        return
 
-    for task in asyncio.all_tasks(loop=loop):
-        loop.call_soon_threadsafe(task.cancel)
+    loop.call_soon_threadsafe(stop_event.set)
+    loop_thread.join()
 
-    loop.call_soon_threadsafe(loop.stop)
-    loop.close()
+    pending_tasks = asyncio.all_tasks(loop=loop)
+    if len(pending_tasks) > 0:
+        print(f"cancelling {len(pending_tasks)} pending tasks...")
+        for task in pending_tasks:
+            loop.call_soon_threadsafe(task.cancel)
+        # wait for all tasks to be cancelled but we can't use run_until_complete because the loop is already running
+        while len(asyncio.all_tasks(loop=loop)) > 0:
+            time.sleep(0)
+
+    loop.stop()
+
+    if not loop.is_closed():
+        loop.close()
 
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
@@ -300,9 +307,8 @@ if __name__ == "__main__":
 
     klong = KlongInterpreter()
 
-    io_loop = loop = setup_async_loop(start_io_loop, debug=True)
-    klong_loop = loop = setup_async_loop(start_klong_loop, debug=True)
-    klong_loop.slow_callback_duration = 2  # Set threshold to 2 seconds
+    io_loop, io_loop_thread = setup_async_loop(lambda loop: start_loop(loop, io_stop_event), debug=True, slow_callback_duration=2)
+    klong_loop, klong_loop_thread = setup_async_loop(lambda loop: start_loop(loop, klong_stop_event), debug=True, slow_callback_duration=2)
 
     console_loop = asyncio.new_event_loop()
     asyncio.set_event_loop(console_loop)
@@ -328,7 +334,7 @@ if __name__ == "__main__":
                     continue
                 print(x)
                 klong(x)
-    
+
     if args.filename:
         if args.verbose:
             print(f"Running: {args.filename}")
@@ -350,5 +356,5 @@ if __name__ == "__main__":
 
     shutdown_event.trigger()
 
-    cleanup_async_loop(loop=klong_loop, debug=args.debug)
-    cleanup_async_loop(loop=io_loop, debug=args.debug)
+    cleanup_async_loop(io_loop, io_loop_thread, stop_event=io_stop_event, debug=args.debug)
+    cleanup_async_loop(klong_loop, klong_loop_thread, stop_event=klong_stop_event, debug=args.debug)