diff --git a/Source/Async/ThreadPool.cpp b/Source/Async/ThreadPool.cpp
index f9c5d8c9..26fea5cb 100644
--- a/Source/Async/ThreadPool.cpp
+++ b/Source/Async/ThreadPool.cpp
@@ -227,7 +227,7 @@ namespace Aurora::Async
     
 
         while ((!auThread->Exiting()) &&
-               (!this->shutdown) && 
+               ((this->shuttingdown_ & 2) != 2) &&
                (!pJobRunner->bBreakEarly))
         {
             AuUInt32 uCount {};
@@ -235,7 +235,7 @@ namespace Aurora::Async
             // Do work (blocking)
             if (!InternalRunOne(pJobRunner, true, uCount))
             {
-                if (this->shutdown)
+                if ((this->shuttingdown_ & 2) == 2)
                 {
                     return ranOnce;
                 }
@@ -267,60 +267,24 @@ namespace Aurora::Async
 
             if (asyncLoop->GetSourceCount() > 1)
             {
-                bool bShouldTrySleepForKernel {};
-
-                if (runMode == ERunMode::eLowLatencyFreqKernel)
+                bool bShouldTrySleepForKernel = block;
+                if (!block)
                 {
-                    if (state->rateLimiter.CheckExchangePass())
-                    {
-                    #if defined(AURORA_PLATFORM_WIN32)
-                        bShouldTrySleepForKernel = asyncLoop->PumpNonblocking();
-                    #else
-                        bShouldTrySleepForKernel = asyncLoop->IsSignaledPeek();
-                    #endif
-                    }
-                    else
-                    {
-                        if (!PollInternal(state, false, uCount))
-                        {
-                            AuThreading::ContextYield();
-                        }
-                        else
-                        {
-                            success = true;
-                        }
-                    }
-                }
-                else if (runMode == ERunMode::eLowLatencyYield)
-                {
-                    AuThreading::ContextYield();
-                    block = false;
-                    #if defined(AURORA_PLATFORM_WIN32)
-                        bShouldTrySleepForKernel = asyncLoop->PumpNonblocking();
-                    #else
-                        bShouldTrySleepForKernel = asyncLoop->IsSignaledPeek();
-                    #endif
-                }
-                else if (runMode == ERunMode::eEfficient)
-                {
-                    bShouldTrySleepForKernel = block;
-                    if (!block)
-                    {
-                        bShouldTrySleepForKernel = asyncLoop->IsSignaledPeek();
-                    }
+                    bShouldTrySleepForKernel = asyncLoop->IsSignaledPeek();
                 }
 
                 if (bShouldTrySleepForKernel)
                 {
-                    // epoll and such like can be checked without read success. kevent works on availablity, not scheduling read like iosubmit
-                    // allow windows to atomically pump instead of wasting time buffering the primitives state
-                    if ((AuBuild::kIsNtDerived && runMode == ERunMode::eEfficient) ||
-                        (!AuBuild::kIsNtDerived))
+                    AuAtomicAdd(&state->cvSleepCount, 1u);
+                    if (block)
                     {
-                        AuAtomicAdd(&state->cvSleepCount, 1u);
                         asyncLoop->WaitAny(0);
-                        AuAtomicSub(&state->cvSleepCount, 1u);
                     }
+                    else
+                    {
+                        asyncLoop->PumpNonblocking();
+                    }
+                    AuAtomicSub(&state->cvSleepCount, 1u);
                 }
                 
                 success = PollInternal(state, false, uCount);
@@ -333,7 +297,6 @@ namespace Aurora::Async
 
         EarlyExitTick();
 
-
         return success;
     }
 
@@ -578,7 +541,7 @@ namespace Aurora::Async
 
         for (auto itr = state->pendingWorkItems.begin(); itr != state->pendingWorkItems.end(); )
         {
-            if (state->threadObject->Exiting() || this->shutdown)
+            if (state->threadObject->Exiting())
             {
                 break;
             }
@@ -666,6 +629,7 @@ namespace Aurora::Async
 
         AuList<WorkerId_t> toBarrier;
 
+        // wait for regular prio work to complete
         {
             {
                 AU_LOCK_GUARD(this->rwlock_->AsReadable());
@@ -701,6 +665,7 @@ namespace Aurora::Async
             }
         }
 
+        // increment abort cookies
         {
             for (const auto &id : toBarrier)
             {
@@ -713,9 +678,7 @@ namespace Aurora::Async
             }
         }
 
-        // Time for fuckiness
-
-        // Specify the root-level shutdown flag for 'ok, u can work, but you're shutting down after sync barrier'
+        // set shutdown flags
         {
             AuAtomicTestAndSet(&this->shuttingdown_, 1);
         }
@@ -749,7 +712,7 @@ namespace Aurora::Async
                     }
 
                     // thread object:
-                    if (!pGroup->IsSysThread()) // bug?
+                    if (pState->bCreate)
                     {
                         pState->threadObject->SendExitSignal();
                         threads.push_back(pState->threadObject);
@@ -773,8 +736,8 @@ namespace Aurora::Async
                 pState->eventLs->Set();
             }
         }
-        // Final sync to exit
 
+        // Final sync to exit
         {
             for (const auto &id : toBarrier)
             {
@@ -799,7 +762,6 @@ namespace Aurora::Async
         }
 
         // Is dead flag
-        this->shutdown = true;
         this->shutdownEvent_->Set();
 
         if (pLocalRunner)
@@ -1156,8 +1118,7 @@ namespace Aurora::Async
 
         auto pA = this->GetThreadStateNoWarn();
 
-        if (this->shutdown ||
-            this->shuttingdown_ & 2) // fast 
+        if (this->shuttingdown_ & 2) // fast 
         {
             if (pA->rejecting)
             {
@@ -1316,6 +1277,8 @@ namespace Aurora::Async
 
         threadState->asyncLoop->SourceAdd(threadState->eventLs);
 
+        threadState->bCreate = create;
+
         if (!create)
         {
             threadState->threadObject = AuThreads::ThreadShared(AuThreads::ThreadInfo(
diff --git a/Source/Async/ThreadState.hpp b/Source/Async/ThreadState.hpp
index ffd298f5..1cfe776d 100644
--- a/Source/Async/ThreadState.hpp
+++ b/Source/Async/ThreadState.hpp
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ namespace Aurora::Async
         bool bAlreadyDoingExitTick {};
         bool bBreakEarly {};
         bool bIsKiller {};
+        bool bCreate {};
 
         //
         AuThreadPrimitives::SpinLock externalFencesLock;