diff --git a/lib/module.js b/lib/module.js
index a7c7115566..27bba73acc 100644
--- a/lib/module.js
+++ b/lib/module.js
@@ -495,6 +495,8 @@ Module._extensions['.node'] = process.dlopen;
 Module.runMain = function() {
   // Load the main module--the command line argument.
   Module._load(process.argv[1], null, true);
+  // Handle any nextTicks added in the first tick of the program
+  process._tickCallback();
 };
 
 Module._initPaths = function() {
diff --git a/src/node.js b/src/node.js
index 5ef6e3c478..acb2840e7c 100644
--- a/src/node.js
+++ b/src/node.js
@@ -114,10 +114,8 @@
         setTimeout(Module.runMain, debugTimeout);
 
       } else {
-        // REMOVEME: nextTick should not be necessary. This hack to get
-        // test/simple/test-exception-handler2.js working.
         // Main entry point into most programs:
-        process.nextTick(Module.runMain);
+        Module.runMain();
       }
 
     } else {
@@ -156,8 +154,6 @@
         });
       }
     }
-
-    process._needTickCallback();
   }
 
   startup.globalVariables = function() {
diff --git a/test/message/error_exit.out b/test/message/error_exit.out
index acdd424ca9..11ea76fd72 100644
--- a/test/message/error_exit.out
+++ b/test/message/error_exit.out
@@ -9,6 +9,6 @@ AssertionError: 1 == 2
     at Object.Module._extensions..js (module.js:*:*)
     at Module.load (module.js:*:*)
     at Function.Module._load (module.js:*:*)
-    at Module.runMain (module.js:*:*)
-    at _tickCallback (node.js:*:*)
-    at process._tickFromSpinner (node.js:*:*)
+    at Function.Module.runMain (module.js:*:*)
+    at startup (node.js:*:*)
+    at node.js:*:*
diff --git a/test/message/max_tick_depth.out b/test/message/max_tick_depth.out
index aa9876b2be..f285484508 100644
--- a/test/message/max_tick_depth.out
+++ b/test/message/max_tick_depth.out
@@ -7,8 +7,8 @@ tick 15
 tick 14
 tick 13
 tick 12
-(node) warning: Recursive process.nextTick detected. This will break in the next version of node. Please use setImmediate for recursive deferral.
 tick 11
+(node) warning: Recursive process.nextTick detected. This will break in the next version of node. Please use setImmediate for recursive deferral.
 tick 10
 tick 9
 tick 8
@@ -18,6 +18,6 @@ tick 5
 tick 4
 tick 3
 tick 2
-(node) warning: Recursive process.nextTick detected. This will break in the next version of node. Please use setImmediate for recursive deferral.
 tick 1
+(node) warning: Recursive process.nextTick detected. This will break in the next version of node. Please use setImmediate for recursive deferral.
 tick 0
diff --git a/test/message/max_tick_depth_trace.out b/test/message/max_tick_depth_trace.out
index 180e5c90f4..8671a8aac3 100644
--- a/test/message/max_tick_depth_trace.out
+++ b/test/message/max_tick_depth_trace.out
@@ -7,13 +7,15 @@ tick 15
 tick 14
 tick 13
 tick 12
+tick 11
 Trace: (node) warning: Recursive process.nextTick detected. This will break in the next version of node. Please use setImmediate for recursive deferral.
     at maxTickWarn (node.js:*:*)
-    at process.nextTick (node.js:*:*
+    at process.nextTick (node.js:*:*)
     at f (*test*message*max_tick_depth_trace.js:*:*)
-    at _tickCallback (node.js:*:*)
-    at process._tickFromSpinner (node.js:*:*)
-tick 11
+    at process._tickCallback (node.js:*:*)
+    at Function.Module.runMain (module.js:*:*)
+    at startup (node.js:*:*)
+    at node.js:*:*
 tick 10
 tick 9
 tick 8
@@ -23,11 +25,11 @@ tick 5
 tick 4
 tick 3
 tick 2
+tick 1
 Trace: (node) warning: Recursive process.nextTick detected. This will break in the next version of node. Please use setImmediate for recursive deferral.
     at maxTickWarn (node.js:*:*)
-    at process.nextTick (node.js:*:*
+    at process.nextTick (node.js:*:*)
     at f (*test*message*max_tick_depth_trace.js:*:*)
     at _tickCallback (node.js:*:*)
     at process._tickFromSpinner (node.js:*:*)
-tick 1
 tick 0
diff --git a/test/message/nexttick_throw.out b/test/message/nexttick_throw.out
index 7f9d4e2bab..baced2ce87 100644
--- a/test/message/nexttick_throw.out
+++ b/test/message/nexttick_throw.out
@@ -1,7 +1,10 @@
+
 *test*message*nexttick_throw.js:*
         undefined_reference_error_maker;
         ^
 ReferenceError: undefined_reference_error_maker is not defined
     at *test*message*nexttick_throw.js:*:*
-    at _tickCallback (node.js:*:*)
-    at process._tickFromSpinner (node.js:*:*)
+    at process._tickCallback (node.js:*:*)
+    at Function.Module.runMain (module.js:*:*)
+    at startup (node.js:*:*)
+    at node.js:*:*
diff --git a/test/message/undefined_reference_in_new_context.out b/test/message/undefined_reference_in_new_context.out
index 983023b407..f8095ce337 100644
--- a/test/message/undefined_reference_in_new_context.out
+++ b/test/message/undefined_reference_in_new_context.out
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ ReferenceError: foo is not defined
     at Module._compile (module.js:*)
     at *..js (module.js:*)
     at Module.load (module.js:*)
-    at *._load (module.js:*)
-    at Module.runMain (module.js:*)
-    at _tickCallback (node.js:*)
-    at *._tickFromSpinner (node.js:*)
+    at Function.Module._load (module.js:*:*)
+    at Function.Module.runMain (module.js:*:*)
+    at startup (node.js:*:*)
+    at node.js:*:*
diff --git a/test/simple/test-domain.js b/test/simple/test-domain.js
index c47e2d7352..f77217e4a3 100644
--- a/test/simple/test-domain.js
+++ b/test/simple/test-domain.js
@@ -110,6 +110,12 @@ d.on('error', function(er) {
       assert.ok(!er.domainBound);
       break;
 
+    case 'nextTick execution loop':
+      assert.equal(er.domain, d);
+      assert.ok(!er.domainEmitter);
+      assert.ok(!er.domainBound);
+      break;
+
     default:
       console.error('unexpected error, throwing %j', er.message, er);
       throw er;
@@ -127,6 +133,18 @@ process.on('exit', function() {
 });
 
 
+
+// revert to using the domain when a callback is passed to nextTick in
+// the middle of a tickCallback loop
+d.run(function() {
+  process.nextTick(function() {
+    throw new Error('nextTick execution loop');
+  });
+});
+expectCaught++;
+
+
+
 // catch thrown errors no matter how many times we enter the event loop
 // this only uses implicit binding, except for the first function
 // passed to d.run().  The rest are implicitly bound by virtue of being