diff --git a/src/playbin.vala b/src/playbin.vala
index 9f1145d..a28ab73 100644
--- a/src/playbin.vala
+++ b/src/playbin.vala
@@ -57,9 +57,6 @@ public class Playbin : GLib.Object {
     public ListStore _play_queue;
     public ListModel play_queue { get { return this._play_queue; } }
 
-    // try to prevent wait_event to be called twice
-    private bool is_handling_event = false;
-
     private async Mpv.Error mpv_command_async (string[] args) {
         CommandCallback cc = {};
 
@@ -70,6 +67,9 @@ public class Playbin : GLib.Object {
         return cc.error;
     }
 
+    // should be Mpv.WakeupCallback, but i think there's a vala bug here
+    private SourceOnceFunc wakeup_callback; // anchor reference here, mpv won't remind us
+
     public Playbin () {
         this._play_queue = new ListStore (typeof (Subsonic.Song));
 
@@ -83,123 +83,150 @@ public class Playbin : GLib.Object {
         assert (this.mpv.observe_property (2, "playlist-pos", Mpv.Format.INT64) >= 0);
         assert (this.mpv.observe_property (3, "pause", Mpv.Format.FLAG) >= 0);
 
-        this.mpv.wakeup_callback = () => {
-            Idle.add (() => {
-                if (this.is_handling_event) return false;
-                this.is_handling_event = true;
+        int wakeup_fds[2];
+        try {
+            assert (Unix.open_pipe (wakeup_fds, 0));
+        } catch (Error e) {
+            error (@"could not open pipe for mpv wakeup: $(e.message)");
+        }
 
-                while (true) {
-                    var event = this.mpv.wait_event (0.0);
-                    if (event.event_id == Mpv.EventId.NONE) break;
+        IOChannel wakeup_read = new IOChannel.unix_new (wakeup_fds[0]);
+        IOChannel wakeup_write = new IOChannel.unix_new (wakeup_fds[1]);
 
-                    switch (event.event_id) {
-                    case Mpv.EventId.PROPERTY_CHANGE:
-                        var data = event.parse_property ();
-                        switch (event.reply_userdata) {
-                        case 0:
-                            assert (data.name == "time-pos");
-                            if (data.format == Mpv.Format.NONE) {
-                                this.position = 0.0;
-                            } else {
-                                this.position = data.parse_double ();
-                            }
-                            break;
+        try {
+            wakeup_read.set_encoding (null);
+            wakeup_write.set_encoding (null);
+            wakeup_write.set_buffered (false);
+        } catch (Error e) {
+            error (@"could not set up pipes for mpv wakeup: $(e.message)");
+        }
 
-                        case 1:
-                            assert (data.name == "duration");
-                            if (data.format == Mpv.Format.NONE) {
-                                // this.duration = 0.0; i think this prevents the fallback below from working
-                            } else {
-                                this.duration = data.parse_double ();
-                            }
-                            break;
+        this.wakeup_callback = () => {
+            try {
+                wakeup_write.write_chars ({0}, null);
+            } catch (Error e) {
+                error (@"could not write to mpv wakeup pipe: $(e.message)");
+            }
+        };
+        this.mpv.wakeup_callback = this.wakeup_callback;
 
-                        case 2:
-                            // here as a sanity check
-                            // should always match our own play_queu_position/state
-                            assert (data.name == "playlist-pos");
-                            int64 playlist_pos = data.parse_int64 ();
-                            if (playlist_pos < 0) {
-                                if (this.state != PlaybinState.STOPPED) {
-                                    error ("mpv has no current playlist entry, but we think it's index %u", this.play_queue_position);
-                                }
-                                assert (this.play_queue_position == this.play_queue.get_n_items ());
-                            } else {
-                                if (this.state == PlaybinState.STOPPED) {
-                                    error ("mpv is at playlist entry %u, but we're stopped", (uint) playlist_pos);
-                                }
-                                if (this.play_queue_position != (uint) playlist_pos) {
-                                    error ("mpv is at playlist entry %u, but we think it's %u", (uint) playlist_pos, this.play_queue_position);
-                                }
-                            }
-                            break;
+        assert (0 < wakeup_read.add_watch (IOCondition.IN, (source, condition) => {
+            try {
+                wakeup_read.read_chars ({0}, null);
+            } catch (Error e) {
+                error (@"could not read from mpv wakeup pipe: $(e.message)");
+            }
 
-                        case 3:
-                            // also here as a sanity check
-                            // should always match our own state
-                            assert (data.name == "pause");
-                            bool pause = data.parse_flag ();
-                            if (pause && this.state != PlaybinState.PAUSED) {
-                                error (@"mpv is paused, but we are @(this.state)");
-                            }
-                            if (!pause && this.state == PlaybinState.PAUSED) {
-                                error ("mpv is not paused, but we are paused");
-                            }
-                            break;
+            while (true) {
+                var event = this.mpv.wait_event (0.0);
+                if (event.event_id == Mpv.EventId.NONE) break;
 
-                        default:
-                            assert (false);
-                            break;
+                switch (event.event_id) {
+                case Mpv.EventId.PROPERTY_CHANGE:
+                    var data = event.parse_property ();
+                    switch (event.reply_userdata) {
+                    case 0:
+                        assert (data.name == "time-pos");
+                        if (data.format == Mpv.Format.NONE) {
+                            this.position = 0.0;
+                        } else {
+                            this.position = data.parse_double ();
                         }
                         break;
 
-                    case Mpv.EventId.START_FILE:
-                        debug ("START_FILE received");
-
-                        // estimate duration from api data
-                        // while mpv doesn't know it
-                        this.duration = ((Subsonic.Song) this._play_queue.get_item (this.play_queue_position)).duration;
-
-                        this.new_track ();
+                    case 1:
+                        assert (data.name == "duration");
+                        if (data.format == Mpv.Format.NONE) {
+                            // this.duration = 0.0; i think this prevents the fallback below from working
+                        } else {
+                            this.duration = data.parse_double ();
+                        }
                         break;
 
-                    case Mpv.EventId.END_FILE:
-                        var data = event.parse_end_file ();
-                        debug (@"END_FILE received (reason: $(data.reason))");
-
-                        if (data.error < 0) {
-                            warning ("playback of track aborted: %s", data.error.to_string ());
-                        }
-
-                        if (data.reason == Mpv.EndFileReason.EOF) {
-                            // assume this is a proper transition
-                            this.play_queue_position += 1;
-
-                            if (this.play_queue_position == this._play_queue.get_n_items ()) {
-                                // reached the end (?)
-                                this.state = PlaybinState.STOPPED;
-                                this.stopped ();
+                    case 2:
+                        // here as a sanity check
+                        // should always match our own play_queu_position/state
+                        assert (data.name == "playlist-pos");
+                        int64 playlist_pos = data.parse_int64 ();
+                        if (playlist_pos < 0) {
+                            if (this.state != PlaybinState.STOPPED) {
+                                error ("mpv has no current playlist entry, but we think it's index %u", this.play_queue_position);
+                            }
+                            assert (this.play_queue_position == this.play_queue.get_n_items ());
+                        } else {
+                            if (this.state == PlaybinState.STOPPED) {
+                                error ("mpv is at playlist entry %u, but we're stopped", (uint) playlist_pos);
+                            }
+                            if (this.play_queue_position != (uint) playlist_pos) {
+                                error ("mpv is at playlist entry %u, but we think it's %u", (uint) playlist_pos, this.play_queue_position);
                             }
                         }
-
                         break;
 
-                    case Mpv.EventId.COMMAND_REPLY:
-                        unowned CommandCallback *cc = (CommandCallback *) event.reply_userdata;
-                        cc.error = event.error;
-                        cc.callback ();
+                    case 3:
+                        // also here as a sanity check
+                        // should always match our own state
+                        assert (data.name == "pause");
+                        bool pause = data.parse_flag ();
+                        if (pause && this.state != PlaybinState.PAUSED) {
+                            error (@"mpv is paused, but we are @(this.state)");
+                        }
+                        if (!pause && this.state == PlaybinState.PAUSED) {
+                            error ("mpv is not paused, but we are paused");
+                        }
                         break;
-                      
+
                     default:
-                        // ignore by default
+                        assert (false);
                         break;
                     }
+                    break;
+
+                case Mpv.EventId.START_FILE:
+                    debug ("START_FILE received");
+
+                    // estimate duration from api data
+                    // while mpv doesn't know it
+                    this.duration = ((Subsonic.Song) this._play_queue.get_item (this.play_queue_position)).duration;
+
+                    this.new_track ();
+                    break;
+
+                case Mpv.EventId.END_FILE:
+                    var data = event.parse_end_file ();
+                    debug (@"END_FILE received (reason: $(data.reason))");
+
+                    if (data.error < 0) {
+                        warning ("playback of track aborted: %s", data.error.to_string ());
+                    }
+
+                    if (data.reason == Mpv.EndFileReason.EOF) {
+                        // assume this is a proper transition
+                        this.play_queue_position += 1;
+
+                        if (this.play_queue_position == this._play_queue.get_n_items ()) {
+                            // reached the end (?)
+                            this.state = PlaybinState.STOPPED;
+                            this.stopped ();
+                        }
+                    }
+
+                    break;
+
+                case Mpv.EventId.COMMAND_REPLY:
+                    unowned CommandCallback *cc = (CommandCallback *) event.reply_userdata;
+                    cc.error = event.error;
+                    cc.callback ();
+                    break;
+                  
+                default:
+                    // ignore by default
+                    break;
                 }
+            }
             
-                this.is_handling_event = false;
-                return false;
-            });
-        };
+            return true;
+        }));
     }
 
     public void seek (double position) {
diff --git a/src/vapi/mpv.vapi b/src/vapi/mpv.vapi
index 31a3b2c..278eb5e 100644
--- a/src/vapi/mpv.vapi
+++ b/src/vapi/mpv.vapi
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ namespace Mpv {
         [CCode (cname = "mpv_wait_event")]
         public unowned Event? wait_event (double timeout);
 
-        public WakeupCallback wakeup_callback {
+        public unowned WakeupCallback wakeup_callback {
             [CCode (cname = "mpv_set_wakeup_callback")] set;
         }