diff --git a/src/node.cc b/src/node.cc
index a192da432f..36987d76aa 100644
--- a/src/node.cc
+++ b/src/node.cc
@@ -2365,6 +2365,7 @@ static void EnableDebug(bool wait_connect) {
 
 
 #ifdef __POSIX__
+// FIXME this is positively unsafe with isolates/threads
 static void EnableDebugSignalHandler(int signal) {
   // Break once process will return execution to v8
   v8::Debug::DebugBreak(node_isolate);
@@ -2567,7 +2568,7 @@ static Handle<Value> DebugPause(const Arguments& args) {
 }
 
 
-char** Init(int argc, char *argv[]) {
+char** ProcessInit(int argc, char *argv[]) {
   // Initialize prog_start_time to get relative uptime.
   uv_uptime(&prog_start_time);
 
@@ -2610,37 +2611,55 @@ char** Init(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 #ifdef __POSIX__
   // Ignore SIGPIPE
   RegisterSignalHandler(SIGPIPE, SIG_IGN);
+  // TODO decide whether to handle these signals per-process or per-thread
   RegisterSignalHandler(SIGINT, SignalExit);
   RegisterSignalHandler(SIGTERM, SignalExit);
 #endif // __POSIX__
 
-  // Don't use NODE_LOOP(), the node::Isolate() has not yet been initialized.
-  uv_loop_t* const loop = uv_default_loop();
+  return argv;
+}
+
+
+void EmitExit(v8::Handle<v8::Object> process_l) {
+  // process.emit('exit')
+  Local<Value> emit_v = process_l->Get(String::New("emit"));
+  assert(emit_v->IsFunction());
+  Local<Function> emit = Local<Function>::Cast(emit_v);
+  Local<Value> args[] = { String::New("exit") };
+  TryCatch try_catch;
+  emit->Call(process_l, 1, args);
+  if (try_catch.HasCaught()) {
+    FatalException(try_catch);
+  }
+}
+
 
-  uv_prepare_init(uv_default_loop(), &prepare_tick_watcher);
+void StartThread(Isolate* isolate, int argc, char** argv) {
+  uv_loop_t* loop = isolate->GetLoop();
+
+  uv_prepare_init(loop, &prepare_tick_watcher);
   uv_prepare_start(&prepare_tick_watcher, PrepareTick);
   uv_unref(loop);
 
-  uv_check_init(uv_default_loop(), &check_tick_watcher);
+  uv_check_init(loop, &check_tick_watcher);
   uv_check_start(&check_tick_watcher, node::CheckTick);
   uv_unref(loop);
 
-  uv_idle_init(uv_default_loop(), &tick_spinner);
+  uv_idle_init(loop, &tick_spinner);
   uv_unref(loop);
 
-  uv_check_init(uv_default_loop(), &gc_check);
+  uv_check_init(loop, &gc_check);
   uv_check_start(&gc_check, node::Check);
   uv_unref(loop);
 
-  uv_idle_init(uv_default_loop(), &gc_idle);
+  uv_idle_init(loop, &gc_idle);
   uv_unref(loop);
 
-  uv_timer_init(uv_default_loop(), &gc_timer);
+  uv_timer_init(loop, &gc_timer);
   uv_unref(loop);
 
   V8::SetFatalErrorHandler(node::OnFatalError);
 
-
   // Set the callback DebugMessageDispatch which is called from the debug
   // thread.
   v8::Debug::SetDebugMessageDispatchHandler(node::DebugMessageDispatch);
@@ -2668,27 +2687,27 @@ char** Init(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 #endif // __POSIX__
   }
 
-  return argv;
-}
+  Handle<Object> process_l = SetupProcessObject(argc, argv);
+  v8_typed_array::AttachBindings(v8::Context::GetCurrent()->Global());
 
+  // Create all the objects, load modules, do everything.
+  // so your next reading stop should be node::Load()!
+  Load(process_l);
 
-void EmitExit(v8::Handle<v8::Object> process_l) {
-  // process.emit('exit')
-  Local<Value> emit_v = process_l->Get(String::New("emit"));
-  assert(emit_v->IsFunction());
-  Local<Function> emit = Local<Function>::Cast(emit_v);
-  Local<Value> args[] = { String::New("exit") };
-  TryCatch try_catch;
-  emit->Call(process_l, 1, args);
-  if (try_catch.HasCaught()) {
-    FatalException(try_catch);
-  }
+  // All our arguments are loaded. We've evaluated all of the scripts. We
+  // might even have created TCP servers. Now we enter the main eventloop. If
+  // there are no watchers on the loop (except for the ones that were
+  // uv_unref'd) then this function exits. As long as there are active
+  // watchers, it blocks.
+  uv_run(loop);
+
+  EmitExit(process_l);
 }
 
 
 int Start(int argc, char *argv[]) {
   // This needs to run *before* V8::Initialize()
-  argv = Init(argc, argv);
+  argv = ProcessInit(argc, argv);
 
   v8::V8::Initialize();
   v8::HandleScope handle_scope;
@@ -2699,24 +2718,7 @@ int Start(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 
   // Create the main node::Isolate object
   Isolate* isolate = Isolate::New(uv_default_loop());
-
-  Handle<Object> process_l = SetupProcessObject(argc, argv);
-
-  v8_typed_array::AttachBindings(context->Global());
-
-  // Create all the objects, load modules, do everything.
-  // so your next reading stop should be node::Load()!
-  Load(process_l);
-
-  // All our arguments are loaded. We've evaluated all of the scripts. We
-  // might even have created TCP servers. Now we enter the main eventloop. If
-  // there are no watchers on the loop (except for the ones that were
-  // uv_unref'd) then this function exits. As long as there are active
-  // watchers, it blocks.
-  uv_run(NODE_LOOP());
-
-  EmitExit(process_l);
-
+  StartThread(isolate, argc, argv);
   isolate->Dispose();
 
 #ifndef NDEBUG