diff --git a/binaries/runtime/src/operator/mod.rs b/binaries/runtime/src/operator/mod.rs
index 8103e3c6..ded825df 100644
--- a/binaries/runtime/src/operator/mod.rs
+++ b/binaries/runtime/src/operator/mod.rs
@@ -3,9 +3,14 @@ use dora_core::{
     descriptor::{OperatorDefinition, OperatorSource},
     message::{Metadata, MetadataParameters},
 };
+use dora_operator_api_python::metadata_to_pydict;
 use eyre::Context;
 #[cfg(feature = "tracing")]
 use opentelemetry::sdk::trace::Tracer;
+use pyo3::{
+    types::{PyBytes, PyDict},
+    IntoPy, PyObject, Python,
+};
 use std::any::Any;
 use tokio::sync::mpsc::{Receiver, Sender};
 
@@ -95,6 +100,41 @@ pub enum IncomingEvent {
     },
 }
 
+impl IntoPy<PyObject> for IncomingEvent {
+    fn into_py(self, py: Python) -> PyObject {
+        let dict = PyDict::new(py);
+
+        let ty = match self {
+            Self::Stop => "STOP",
+            Self::Input {
+                input_id,
+                metadata,
+                data,
+            } => {
+                dict.set_item("id", input_id.to_string())
+                    .wrap_err("failed to add input ID")
+                    .unwrap();
+                dict.set_item(
+                    "data",
+                    PyBytes::new(py, data.as_deref().unwrap_or_default()),
+                )
+                .wrap_err("failed to add input data")
+                .unwrap();
+                dict.set_item("metadata", metadata_to_pydict(&metadata, py))
+                    .wrap_err("failed to add input metadata")
+                    .unwrap();
+                "INPUT"
+            }
+        };
+
+        dict.set_item("type", ty)
+            .wrap_err("could not make type a python dictionary item")
+            .unwrap();
+
+        dict.into()
+    }
+}
+
 #[derive(Debug)]
 pub enum StopReason {
     InputsClosed,
diff --git a/binaries/runtime/src/operator/python.rs b/binaries/runtime/src/operator/python.rs
index be749d1e..5f8655cc 100644
--- a/binaries/runtime/src/operator/python.rs
+++ b/binaries/runtime/src/operator/python.rs
@@ -6,15 +6,9 @@ use dora_core::{
     descriptor::source_is_url,
 };
 use dora_download::download_file;
-use dora_operator_api_python::metadata_to_pydict;
 use dora_operator_api_types::DoraStatus;
 use eyre::{bail, eyre, Context, Result};
-use pyo3::{
-    pyclass,
-    types::IntoPyDict,
-    types::{PyBytes, PyDict},
-    Py, Python,
-};
+use pyo3::{pyclass, types::IntoPyDict, IntoPy, Py, Python};
 use std::{
     borrow::Cow,
     panic::{catch_unwind, AssertUnwindSafe},
@@ -23,15 +17,12 @@ use std::{
 use tokio::sync::mpsc::{Receiver, Sender};
 
 fn traceback(err: pyo3::PyErr) -> eyre::Report {
-    Python::with_gil(|py| {
-        eyre::Report::msg(format!(
-            "{}\n{err}",
-            err.traceback(py)
-                .expect("PyError should have a traceback")
-                .format()
-                .expect("Traceback could not be formatted")
-        ))
-    })
+    let traceback = Python::with_gil(|py| err.traceback(py).and_then(|t| t.format().ok()));
+    if let Some(traceback) = traceback {
+        eyre::eyre!("{err}:\n{traceback}")
+    } else {
+        eyre::eyre!("{err}")
+    }
 }
 
 #[tracing::instrument(skip(events_tx, incoming_events, tracer))]
@@ -109,72 +100,61 @@ pub fn run(
             Python::with_gil(init_operator).wrap_err("failed to init python operator")?;
 
         let reason = loop {
-            let Some(event) = incoming_events.blocking_recv() else { break StopReason::InputsClosed };
-
-            match event {
-                IncomingEvent::Input {
-                    input_id,
-                    mut metadata,
-                    data,
-                } => {
-                    #[cfg(feature = "tracing")]
-                    let (_child_cx, string_cx) = {
-                        use dora_tracing::{deserialize_context, serialize_context};
-                        use opentelemetry::trace::TraceContextExt;
-                        use opentelemetry::{trace::Tracer, Context as OtelContext};
-
-                        let cx = deserialize_context(&metadata.parameters.open_telemetry_context);
-                        let span = tracer.start_with_context(format!("{}", input_id), &cx);
-
-                        let child_cx = OtelContext::current_with_span(span);
-                        let string_cx = serialize_context(&child_cx);
-                        (child_cx, string_cx)
-                    };
-
-                    #[cfg(not(feature = "tracing"))]
-                    let string_cx = {
-                        let () = tracer;
-                        "".to_string()
-                    };
-                    metadata.parameters.open_telemetry_context = Cow::Owned(string_cx);
-
-                    let status = Python::with_gil(|py| -> Result<i32> {
-                        // We need to create a new scoped `GILPool` because the dora-runtime
-                        // is currently started through a `start_runtime` wrapper function,
-                        // which is annotated with `#[pyfunction]`. This attribute creates an
-                        // initial `GILPool` that lasts for the entire lifetime of the `dora-runtime`.
-                        // However, we want the `PyBytes` created below to be freed earlier.
-                        // creating a new scoped `GILPool` tied to this closure, will free `PyBytes`
-                        // at the end of the closure.
-                        // See https://github.com/PyO3/pyo3/pull/2864 and
-                        // https://github.com/PyO3/pyo3/issues/2853 for more details.
-                        let pool = unsafe { py.new_pool() };
-                        let py = pool.python();
-                        let input_dict = PyDict::new(py);
-
-                        input_dict.set_item("id", input_id.as_str())?;
-                        if let Some(data) = data {
-                            let bytes = PyBytes::new(py, &data);
-                            input_dict.set_item("data", bytes)?;
-                        }
-                        input_dict.set_item("metadata", metadata_to_pydict(&metadata, py))?;
-
-                        let status_enum = operator
-                            .call_method1(py, "on_input", (input_dict, send_output.clone()))
-                            .map_err(traceback)?;
-                        let status_val = Python::with_gil(|py| status_enum.getattr(py, "value"))
-                            .wrap_err("on_input must have enum return value")?;
-                        Python::with_gil(|py| status_val.extract(py))
-                            .wrap_err("on_input has invalid return value")
-                    })?;
-                    match status {
-                        s if s == DoraStatus::Continue as i32 => {} // ok
-                        s if s == DoraStatus::Stop as i32 => break StopReason::ExplicitStop,
-                        s if s == DoraStatus::StopAll as i32 => break StopReason::ExplicitStopAll,
-                        other => bail!("on_input returned invalid status {other}"),
-                    }
-                }
-                IncomingEvent::Stop => {}
+            let Some(mut event) = incoming_events.blocking_recv() else { break StopReason::InputsClosed };
+
+            if let IncomingEvent::Input {
+                input_id, metadata, ..
+            } = &mut event
+            {
+                #[cfg(feature = "tracing")]
+                let (_child_cx, string_cx) = {
+                    use dora_tracing::{deserialize_context, serialize_context};
+                    use opentelemetry::trace::TraceContextExt;
+                    use opentelemetry::{trace::Tracer, Context as OtelContext};
+
+                    let cx = deserialize_context(&metadata.parameters.open_telemetry_context);
+                    let span = tracer.start_with_context(format!("{}", input_id), &cx);
+
+                    let child_cx = OtelContext::current_with_span(span);
+                    let string_cx = serialize_context(&child_cx);
+                    (child_cx, string_cx)
+                };
+
+                #[cfg(not(feature = "tracing"))]
+                let string_cx = {
+                    let _ = input_id;
+                    let () = tracer;
+                    "".to_string()
+                };
+                metadata.parameters.open_telemetry_context = Cow::Owned(string_cx);
+            }
+            let status = Python::with_gil(|py| -> Result<i32> {
+                // We need to create a new scoped `GILPool` because the dora-runtime
+                // is currently started through a `start_runtime` wrapper function,
+                // which is annotated with `#[pyfunction]`. This attribute creates an
+                // initial `GILPool` that lasts for the entire lifetime of the `dora-runtime`.
+                // However, we want the `PyBytes` created below to be freed earlier.
+                // creating a new scoped `GILPool` tied to this closure, will free `PyBytes`
+                // at the end of the closure.
+                // See https://github.com/PyO3/pyo3/pull/2864 and
+                // https://github.com/PyO3/pyo3/issues/2853 for more details.
+                let pool = unsafe { py.new_pool() };
+                let py = pool.python();
+                let input_dict = event.into_py(py);
+
+                let status_enum = operator
+                    .call_method1(py, "on_event", (input_dict, send_output.clone()))
+                    .map_err(traceback)?;
+                let status_val = Python::with_gil(|py| status_enum.getattr(py, "value"))
+                    .wrap_err("on_event must have enum return value")?;
+                Python::with_gil(|py| status_val.extract(py))
+                    .wrap_err("on_event has invalid return value")
+            })?;
+            match status {
+                s if s == DoraStatus::Continue as i32 => {} // ok
+                s if s == DoraStatus::Stop as i32 => break StopReason::ExplicitStop,
+                s if s == DoraStatus::StopAll as i32 => break StopReason::ExplicitStopAll,
+                other => bail!("on_event returned invalid status {other}"),
             }
         };
 
diff --git a/examples/python-operator-dataflow/object_detection.py b/examples/python-operator-dataflow/object_detection.py
index 098ec4d1..fd103f86 100755
--- a/examples/python-operator-dataflow/object_detection.py
+++ b/examples/python-operator-dataflow/object_detection.py
@@ -22,6 +22,14 @@ class Operator:
     def __init__(self):
         self.model = torch.hub.load("ultralytics/yolov5", "yolov5n")
 
+    def on_event(
+        self,
+        dora_event: dict,
+        send_output: Callable[[str, bytes], None],
+    ) -> DoraStatus:
+        if dora_event["type"] == "INPUT":
+            return self.on_input(dora_event, send_output)
+
     def on_input(
         self,
         dora_input: dict,
diff --git a/examples/python-operator-dataflow/plot.py b/examples/python-operator-dataflow/plot.py
index 57a2a293..6c95eae8 100755
--- a/examples/python-operator-dataflow/plot.py
+++ b/examples/python-operator-dataflow/plot.py
@@ -26,6 +26,14 @@ class Operator:
         self.image = []
         self.bboxs = []
 
+    def on_event(
+        self,
+        dora_event: dict,
+        send_output: Callable[[str, bytes], None],
+    ) -> DoraStatus:
+        if dora_event["type"] == "INPUT":
+            return self.on_input(dora_event, send_output)
+
     def on_input(
         self,
         dora_input: dict,