diff --git a/extra/ui/cocoa/cocoa.factor b/extra/ui/cocoa/cocoa.factor
index 53ed62252d..b719556cba 100755
--- a/extra/ui/cocoa/cocoa.factor
+++ b/extra/ui/cocoa/cocoa.factor
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ SYMBOL: stop-after-last-window?
 : event-loop ( -- )
     event-loop? [
         [
-            [ NSApp do-events ui-step 10 sleep ] ui-try
+            [ NSApp do-events ui-step ui-wait ] ui-try
         ] with-autorelease-pool event-loop
     ] when ;
 
diff --git a/extra/ui/gadgets/gadgets.factor b/extra/ui/gadgets/gadgets.factor
index 37c5684cc9..3db3b9c270 100755
--- a/extra/ui/gadgets/gadgets.factor
+++ b/extra/ui/gadgets/gadgets.factor
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 ! See http://factorcode.org/license.txt for BSD license.
 USING: arrays hashtables kernel models math namespaces sequences
 quotations math.vectors combinators sorting vectors dlists
-models ;
+models threads ;
 IN: ui.gadgets
 
 TUPLE: rect loc dim ;
@@ -178,13 +178,17 @@ M: array gadget-text*
 
 : forget-pref-dim ( gadget -- ) f swap set-gadget-pref-dim ;
 
+SYMBOL: ui-thread
+
+: notify-ui-thread ( -- ) ui-thread get interrupt ;
+
 : layout-queue ( -- queue ) \ layout-queue get ;
 
 : layout-later ( gadget -- )
     #! When unit testing gadgets without the UI running, the
     #! invalid queue is not initialized and we simply ignore
     #! invalidation requests.
-    layout-queue [ push-front ] [ drop ] if* ;
+    layout-queue [ push-front notify-ui-thread ] [ drop ] if* ;
 
 DEFER: relayout
 
@@ -256,11 +260,11 @@ M: gadget layout* drop ;
 
 : queue-graft ( gadget -- )
     { f t } over set-gadget-graft-state
-    graft-queue push-front ;
+    graft-queue push-front notify-ui-thread ;
 
 : queue-ungraft ( gadget -- )
     { t f } over set-gadget-graft-state
-    graft-queue push-front ;
+    graft-queue push-front notify-ui-thread ;
 
 : graft-later ( gadget -- )
     dup gadget-graft-state {
diff --git a/extra/ui/ui.factor b/extra/ui/ui.factor
index 1de0dac6f0..adff223bc7 100755
--- a/extra/ui/ui.factor
+++ b/extra/ui/ui.factor
@@ -133,6 +133,9 @@ SYMBOL: ui-hook
 : ui-step ( -- )
     [ notify-queued layout-queued redraw-worlds ] assert-depth ;
 
+: ui-wait ( -- )
+    10 sleep ;
+
 : open-world-window ( world -- )
     dup pref-dim over set-gadget-dim dup relayout graft ui-step ;
 
@@ -155,6 +158,7 @@ M: object close-window
     find-world [ ungraft ] when* ;
 
 : start-ui ( -- )
+    self ui-thread set-global
     restore-windows? [
         restore-windows
     ] [
diff --git a/extra/ui/windows/windows.factor b/extra/ui/windows/windows.factor
index b5e3fa6814..b7040c875d 100755
--- a/extra/ui/windows/windows.factor
+++ b/extra/ui/windows/windows.factor
@@ -354,7 +354,7 @@ M: windows-ui-backend (close-window)
     {
         { [ windows get empty? ] [ drop ] }
         { [ dup peek-message? ] [
-            >r [ ui-step 10 sleep ] ui-try
+            >r [ ui-step ui-wait ] ui-try
             r> event-loop
         ] }
         { [ dup MSG-message WM_QUIT = ] [ drop ] }
@@ -459,8 +459,8 @@ M: windows-ui-backend raise-window* ( world -- )
 M: windows-ui-backend set-title ( string world -- )
     world-handle [ nip win-hWnd WM_SETTEXT 0 ] 2keep
     dup win-title [ free ] when*
-    >r malloc-u16-string r>
-    dupd set-win-title alien-address
+    >r malloc-u16-string dup r>
+    set-win-title alien-address
     SendMessage drop ;
 
 M: windows-ui-backend ui
diff --git a/extra/ui/x11/x11.factor b/extra/ui/x11/x11.factor
index 9156089a2f..d56bd8e119 100755
--- a/extra/ui/x11/x11.factor
+++ b/extra/ui/x11/x11.factor
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ M: world client-event
         next-event dup
         None XFilterEvent zero? [ drop wait-event ] unless
     ] [
-        ui-step 10 sleep wait-event
+        ui-step ui-wait wait-event
     ] if ;
 
 : do-events ( -- )