diff --git a/binaries/daemon/src/listener/mod.rs b/binaries/daemon/src/listener/mod.rs
index 28864506..149aa57c 100644
--- a/binaries/daemon/src/listener/mod.rs
+++ b/binaries/daemon/src/listener/mod.rs
@@ -7,6 +7,10 @@ use dora_core::{
     },
 };
 use eyre::{eyre, Context};
+use futures::{
+    future::{self, Fuse},
+    FutureExt,
+};
 use shared_memory_server::{ShmemConf, ShmemServer};
 use std::{
     collections::{BTreeMap, VecDeque},
@@ -95,21 +99,17 @@ pub async fn spawn_listener_loop(
     }
 }
 
-struct Listener<C> {
+struct Listener {
     dataflow_id: DataflowId,
     node_id: NodeId,
     daemon_tx: mpsc::Sender<Event>,
     subscribed_events: Option<UnboundedReceiver<NodeEvent>>,
     queue: VecDeque<Box<Option<NodeEvent>>>,
     queue_sizes: BTreeMap<DataId, usize>,
-    connection: C,
 }
 
-impl<C> Listener<C>
-where
-    C: Connection,
-{
-    pub(crate) async fn run(
+impl Listener {
+    pub(crate) async fn run<C: Connection>(
         mut connection: C,
         daemon_tx: mpsc::Sender<Event>,
         queue_sizes: BTreeMap<DataId, usize>,
@@ -146,13 +146,16 @@ where
                         let mut listener = Listener {
                             dataflow_id,
                             node_id,
-                            connection,
                             daemon_tx,
                             subscribed_events: None,
                             queue_sizes,
                             queue: VecDeque::new(),
                         };
-                        match listener.run_inner().await.wrap_err("listener failed") {
+                        match listener
+                            .run_inner(connection)
+                            .await
+                            .wrap_err("listener failed")
+                        {
                             Ok(()) => {}
                             Err(err) => tracing::error!("{err:?}"),
                         }
@@ -176,34 +179,44 @@ where
         }
     }
 
-    async fn run_inner(&mut self) -> eyre::Result<()> {
+    async fn run_inner<C: Connection>(&mut self, mut connection: C) -> eyre::Result<()> {
         loop {
-            // receive the next node message
-            let message = match self
-                .connection
-                .receive_message()
-                .await
-                .wrap_err("failed to receive DaemonRequest")
-            {
-                Ok(Some(m)) => m,
+            let mut next_message = connection.receive_message();
+            let message = loop {
+                let next_event = if let Some(events) = &mut self.subscribed_events {
+                    Box::pin(events.recv()).fuse()
+                } else {
+                    Fuse::terminated()
+                };
+                let event = match future::select(next_event, next_message).await {
+                    future::Either::Left((event, n)) => {
+                        next_message = n;
+                        event
+                    }
+                    future::Either::Right((message, _)) => break message,
+                };
+                if let Some(event) = event {
+                    self.queue.push_back(Box::new(Some(event)));
+                    self.handle_events().await?;
+                }
+            };
+
+            match message.wrap_err("failed to receive DaemonRequest") {
+                Ok(Some(message)) => {
+                    self.handle_message(message, &mut connection).await?;
+                }
+                Err(err) => {
+                    tracing::warn!("{err:?}");
+                }
                 Ok(None) => {
                     tracing::debug!(
                         "channel disconnected: {}/{}",
                         self.dataflow_id,
                         self.node_id
                     );
-                    break;
-                } // disconnected
-                Err(err) => {
-                    tracing::warn!("{err:?}");
-                    continue;
+                    break; // disconnected
                 }
-            };
-
-            // handle incoming events
-            self.handle_events().await?;
-
-            self.handle_message(message).await?;
+            }
         }
         Ok(())
     }
@@ -255,19 +268,27 @@ where
         Ok(())
     }
 
-    #[tracing::instrument(skip(self), fields(%self.dataflow_id, %self.node_id))]
-    async fn handle_message(&mut self, message: DaemonRequest) -> eyre::Result<()> {
+    #[tracing::instrument(skip(self, connection), fields(%self.dataflow_id, %self.node_id))]
+    async fn handle_message<C: Connection>(
+        &mut self,
+        message: DaemonRequest,
+        connection: &mut C,
+    ) -> eyre::Result<()> {
         match message {
             DaemonRequest::Register { .. } => {
                 let reply = DaemonReply::Result(Err("unexpected register message".into()));
-                self.send_reply(reply)
+                self.send_reply(reply, connection)
                     .await
                     .wrap_err("failed to send register reply")?;
             }
             DaemonRequest::Stopped => {
                 let (reply_sender, reply) = oneshot::channel();
-                self.process_daemon_event(DaemonNodeEvent::Stopped { reply_sender }, Some(reply))
-                    .await?
+                self.process_daemon_event(
+                    DaemonNodeEvent::Stopped { reply_sender },
+                    Some(reply),
+                    connection,
+                )
+                .await?
             }
             DaemonRequest::CloseOutputs(outputs) => {
                 let (reply_sender, reply) = oneshot::channel();
@@ -277,6 +298,7 @@ where
                         reply_sender,
                     },
                     Some(reply),
+                    connection,
                 )
                 .await?
             }
@@ -290,7 +312,7 @@ where
                     metadata,
                     data,
                 };
-                self.process_daemon_event(event, None).await?;
+                self.process_daemon_event(event, None, connection).await?;
             }
             DaemonRequest::Subscribe => {
                 let (tx, rx) = mpsc::unbounded_channel();
@@ -301,6 +323,7 @@ where
                         reply_sender,
                     },
                     Some(reply),
+                    connection,
                 )
                 .await?;
                 self.subscribed_events = Some(rx);
@@ -330,7 +353,7 @@ where
                     DaemonReply::NextEvents(queued_events)
                 };
 
-                self.send_reply(reply)
+                self.send_reply(reply, connection)
                     .await
                     .wrap_err("failed to send NextEvent reply")?;
             }
@@ -343,18 +366,26 @@ where
         drop_tokens: Vec<dora_core::daemon_messages::DropToken>,
     ) -> eyre::Result<()> {
         if !drop_tokens.is_empty() {
-            let drop_event = DaemonNodeEvent::ReportDrop {
-                tokens: drop_tokens,
+            let event = Event::Node {
+                dataflow_id: self.dataflow_id,
+                node_id: self.node_id.clone(),
+                event: DaemonNodeEvent::ReportDrop {
+                    tokens: drop_tokens,
+                },
             };
-            self.process_daemon_event(drop_event, None).await?;
+            self.daemon_tx
+                .send(event)
+                .await
+                .map_err(|_| eyre!("failed to report drop tokens to daemon"))?;
         }
         Ok(())
     }
 
-    async fn process_daemon_event(
+    async fn process_daemon_event<C: Connection>(
         &mut self,
         event: DaemonNodeEvent,
         reply: Option<oneshot::Receiver<DaemonReply>>,
+        connection: &mut C,
     ) -> eyre::Result<()> {
         // send NodeEvent to daemon main loop
         let event = Event::Node {
@@ -373,12 +404,16 @@ where
         } else {
             DaemonReply::Empty
         };
-        self.send_reply(reply).await?;
+        self.send_reply(reply, connection).await?;
         Ok(())
     }
 
-    async fn send_reply(&mut self, reply: DaemonReply) -> eyre::Result<()> {
-        self.connection
+    async fn send_reply<C: Connection>(
+        &mut self,
+        reply: DaemonReply,
+        connection: &mut C,
+    ) -> eyre::Result<()> {
+        connection
             .send_reply(reply)
             .await
             .wrap_err_with(|| format!("failed to send reply to node `{}`", self.node_id))