diff --git a/pkg/oonimkall/eventemitter.go b/pkg/oonimkall/eventemitter.go
index d6aec3d..17b9366 100644
--- a/pkg/oonimkall/eventemitter.go
+++ b/pkg/oonimkall/eventemitter.go
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 package oonimkall
 
+import "time"
+
 // eventEmitter emits event on a channel
 type eventEmitter struct {
 	disabled map[string]bool
@@ -36,5 +38,13 @@ func (ee *eventEmitter) Emit(key string, value interface{}) {
 	if ee.disabled[key] {
 		return
 	}
-	ee.out <- &event{Key: key, Value: value}
+	const maxSendTimeout = 250 * time.Millisecond
+	timer := time.NewTimer(maxSendTimeout)
+	defer timer.Stop()
+	select {
+	case ee.out <- &event{Key: key, Value: value}:
+		// good, we've been able to send the new event
+	case <-timer.C:
+		// oops, we've timed out sending
+	}
 }
diff --git a/pkg/oonimkall/task.go b/pkg/oonimkall/task.go
index 1d548b3..de59b3b 100644
--- a/pkg/oonimkall/task.go
+++ b/pkg/oonimkall/task.go
@@ -59,10 +59,9 @@ import (
 // running as subsequent Tasks to reuse the Session connections
 // created with the OONI probe services backends.
 type Task struct {
-	cancel    context.CancelFunc
-	isdone    *atomicx.Int64
-	isstopped *atomicx.Int64
-	out       chan *event
+	cancel context.CancelFunc
+	isdone *atomicx.Int64
+	out    chan *event
 }
 
 // StartTask starts an asynchronous task. The input argument is a
@@ -75,15 +74,13 @@ func StartTask(input string) (*Task, error) {
 	const bufsiz = 128 // common case: we don't want runner to block
 	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
 	task := &Task{
-		cancel:    cancel,
-		isdone:    &atomicx.Int64{},
-		isstopped: &atomicx.Int64{},
-		out:       make(chan *event, bufsiz),
+		cancel: cancel,
+		isdone: &atomicx.Int64{},
+		out:    make(chan *event, bufsiz),
 	}
 	go func() {
-		defer close(task.out)
-		defer task.isstopped.Add(1)
 		run(ctx, &settings, task.out)
+		task.out <- nil // signal that we're done w/o closing the channel
 	}()
 	return task, nil
 }
@@ -92,6 +89,9 @@ func StartTask(input string) (*Task, error) {
 // string is a serialized JSON following MK v0.10.9's API.
 func (t *Task) WaitForNextEvent() string {
 	const terminated = `{"key":"task_terminated","value":{}}` // like MK
+	if t.isdone.Load() != 0 {
+		return terminated
+	}
 	evp := <-t.out
 	if evp == nil {
 		t.isdone.Add(1)
@@ -107,6 +107,10 @@ func (t *Task) IsDone() bool {
 	return t.isdone.Load() != 0
 }
 
+func (t *Task) isRunning() bool {
+	return !t.IsDone()
+}
+
 // Interrupt interrupts the task.
 func (t *Task) Interrupt() {
 	t.cancel()
diff --git a/pkg/oonimkall/task_integration_test.go b/pkg/oonimkall/task_integration_test.go
index 194ac2d..4a6b1bf 100644
--- a/pkg/oonimkall/task_integration_test.go
+++ b/pkg/oonimkall/task_integration_test.go
@@ -511,13 +511,13 @@ func TestNonblock(t *testing.T) {
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
-	if !task.IsRunning() {
+	if !task.isRunning() {
 		t.Fatal("The runner should be running at this point")
 	}
 	// If the task blocks because it emits too much events, this test
 	// will run forever and will be killed. Because we have room for up
 	// to 128 events in the buffer, we should hopefully be fine.
-	for task.IsRunning() {
+	for task.isRunning() {
 		time.Sleep(time.Second)
 	}
 	for !task.IsDone() {
diff --git a/pkg/oonimkall/task_internal_test.go b/pkg/oonimkall/task_internal_test.go
deleted file mode 100644
index 71fcbd0..0000000
--- a/pkg/oonimkall/task_internal_test.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,5 +0,0 @@
-package oonimkall
-
-func (t *Task) IsRunning() bool {
-	return t.isstopped.Load() == 0
-}