diff --git a/io/iom_wait.c b/io/iom_wait.c
index eaa6fd8..086e6cd 100644
--- a/io/iom_wait.c
+++ b/io/iom_wait.c
@@ -9,39 +9,62 @@
 #endif
 #include <errno.h>
 
+// return the next event, waiting of none are queued
+// wait at most timeout milliseconds
+// on success, return 1 and return the fd in *s and the events on it in *revents
+// if we waited but ran into a timeout, return 0
+// if we run into a system error, return -1
+// if another thread aborted this iomux, return -2
 int iom_wait(iomux_t* c,int64* s,unsigned int* revents,unsigned long timeout) {
   for (;;) {
     /* If we have an event in the queue, use that one */
     int r;
     if (c->working==-2) return -2;	/* iomux was aborted */
-    for (;;) {
+
+    for (;;) {		// CAS-loop get the first element from the queue
       unsigned int f=c->l;
       if (f == c->h)
 	break; /* no elements in queue */
       int n=(f+1)%SLOTS;
+
+      *s=c->q[f].fd;
+      *revents=c->q[f].events;
+
       if (__sync_bool_compare_and_swap(&c->l,f,n)) {
-	/* we got one, and its index is in f */
-	*s=c->q[f].fd;
-	*revents=c->q[f].events;
+	/* we got one */
+	return 1;
       }
       /* collided with another thread, try again */
     }
+
     /* The queue was empty. If someone else is already calling
     * epoll_wait/kevent, then use the semaphore */
     if (__sync_bool_compare_and_swap(&c->working,0,1)) {
+      /* race avoidance: another thread could have come in between and
+       * refilled the job queue */
+      if (c->h != c->l) {
+	/* set working back to 0 unless someone set it to -2 in the mean time (iom_abort) */
+	if (__sync_val_compare_and_swap(&c->working,1,0)==-2) return -2;
+	continue;
+      }
+
       /* we have the job to fill the struct. */
-      int freeslots = (c->h - c->l);
-      if (!freeslots) freeslots=SLOTS;
 
 #ifdef HAVE_EPOLL
       struct epoll_event ee[SLOTS];
       int i;
-      r=epoll_wait(c->ctx, ee, freeslots, timeout);
-      if (r<=0) {
-	/* we ran into a timeout, so let someone else take over */
+      r=epoll_wait(c->ctx, ee, SLOTS, timeout);
+      if (r <= 0) {
+	/* epoll_wait returned a timeout or an error! */
+	/* relinquish the lock and return 0 / -1 */
 	if (__sync_val_compare_and_swap(&c->working,1,0)==-2) return -2;
 #ifdef __dietlibc__
-	cnd_broadcast(&c->sem);
+	// for timeout we want to hand off to one other thread, no need
+	// to wake them all up. Error might be transient (EINTR) and the
+	// next guy might succeed, so only wake one up. If the error was
+	// not transient, then they will also get an error and wake the
+	// next up
+	cnd_signal(&c->sem);
 #else
 	sem_post(&c->sem);
 #endif
@@ -56,7 +79,10 @@ int iom_wait(iomux_t* c,int64* s,unsigned int* revents,unsigned long timeout) {
 	  /* return last event instead of enqueueing it */
 	  *s=ee[i].data.fd;
 	  *revents=e;
+	  /* loop terminates here, but no return statement because we
+	   * still need to signal the semaphore below */
 	} else {
+	  /* The CAS loop on c->working above ensures we are the only one writing to c->h */
 	  c->q[c->h].fd=ee[i].data.fd;
 	  c->q[c->h].events=e;
 	  c->h = (c->h + 1) % SLOTS;
@@ -65,12 +91,14 @@ int iom_wait(iomux_t* c,int64* s,unsigned int* revents,unsigned long timeout) {
 #elif defined(HAVE_KQUEUE)
       struct kevent kev[SLOTS];
       struct timespec ts = { .tv_sec=timeout/1000, .tv_nsec=(timeout%1000)*1000000 };
-      int r=kevent(c->ctx, 0, 0, kev, freeslots, &ts);
+      int r=kevent(c->ctx, 0, 0, kev, SLOTS, &ts);
       int i;
       if (r<=0) {
-	/* we ran into a timeout, so let someone else take over */
+	/* kevent returned a timeout or an error! */
+	/* relinquish the lock and return 0 / -1 */
 	if (__sync_val_compare_and_swap(&c->working,1,0)==-2) return -2;
 #ifdef __dietlibc__
+	// no dietlibc for kqueue based systems yet
 	cnd_broadcast(&c->sem);
 #else
 	sem_post(&c->sem);
@@ -85,7 +113,10 @@ int iom_wait(iomux_t* c,int64* s,unsigned int* revents,unsigned long timeout) {
 	  /* return last event instead of enqueueing it */
 	  *s=kev[i].ident;
 	  *revents=e;
+	  /* loop terminates here, but no return statement because we
+	   * still need to signal the semaphore below */
 	} else {
+	  /* The CAS loop on c->working above ensures we are the only one writing to c->h */
 	  c->q[c->h].fd=kev[i].ident;
 	  c->q[c->h].events=e;
 	  c->h = (c->h + 1) % SLOTS;
@@ -100,7 +131,10 @@ int iom_wait(iomux_t* c,int64* s,unsigned int* revents,unsigned long timeout) {
 	 doing it anymore */
       if (__sync_val_compare_and_swap(&c->working,1,0)==-2) return -2;
 #ifdef __dietlibc__
-      cnd_signal(&c->sem);
+      if (c->h == (c->l + 1) % SLOTS)
+	cnd_signal(&c->sem);
+      else
+	cnd_broadcast(&c->sem);
 #else
       sem_post(&c->sem);
 #endif