diff --git a/src/bitcoindrpc.zig b/src/bitcoindrpc.zig
index a813c6a..d937aa2 100644
--- a/src/bitcoindrpc.zig
+++ b/src/bitcoindrpc.zig
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ pub const Client = struct {
     fn parseResponse(self: Client, comptime m: Method, b: []const u8) !Result(m) {
         var resp = try types.Deinitable(RpcResponse(m)).init(self.allocator);
         errdefer resp.deinit();
-        resp.value = try std.json.parseFromSliceLeaky(RpcResponse(m), self.allocator, b, .{
+        resp.value = try std.json.parseFromSliceLeaky(RpcResponse(m), resp.arena.allocator(), b, .{
             .ignore_unknown_fields = true,
             .allocate = .alloc_always,
         });
@@ -150,6 +150,7 @@ pub const Client = struct {
         return .{ .value = resp.value.result.?, .arena = resp.arena };
     }
 
+    /// callers own returned value.
     fn formatreq(self: *Client, comptime m: Method, args: MethodArgs(m)) ![]const u8 {
         const req = RpcRequest(m){
             .id = self.reqid.fetchAdd(1, .Monotonic),
@@ -163,7 +164,7 @@ pub const Client = struct {
         const auth = try self.getAuthBase64();
         defer self.allocator.free(auth);
 
-        var bytes = std.ArrayList(u8).init(self.allocator);
+        var bytes = std.ArrayList(u8).init(self.allocator); // return value as owned slice
         const w = bytes.writer();
         try w.writeAll("POST / HTTP/1.0\r\n");
         //try w.writeAll("Host: 127.0.0.1\n", .{});
diff --git a/src/comm.zig b/src/comm.zig
index e1e5c91..5503c16 100644
--- a/src/comm.zig
+++ b/src/comm.zig
@@ -234,13 +234,13 @@ pub fn read(allocator: mem.Allocator, reader: anytype) !ParsedMessage {
             else => Error.CommReadZeroLenInNonVoidTag,
         };
     }
-
-    var bytes = try allocator.alloc(u8, len);
-    defer allocator.free(bytes);
-    try reader.readNoEof(bytes);
-    return switch (tag) {
+    switch (tag) {
         .ping, .pong, .poweroff, .standby, .wakeup => unreachable, // handled above
         inline else => |t| {
+            var bytes = try allocator.alloc(u8, len);
+            defer allocator.free(bytes);
+            try reader.readNoEof(bytes);
+
             var arena = try allocator.create(std.heap.ArenaAllocator);
             arena.* = std.heap.ArenaAllocator.init(allocator);
             errdefer {
@@ -255,7 +255,7 @@ pub fn read(allocator: mem.Allocator, reader: anytype) !ParsedMessage {
             };
             return parsed;
         },
-    };
+    }
 }
 
 /// outputs the message msg using writer.
diff --git a/src/lndhttp.zig b/src/lndhttp.zig
index e57dd9a..b198d0f 100644
--- a/src/lndhttp.zig
+++ b/src/lndhttp.zig
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ pub const Client = struct {
             .listchannels => .{
                 .httpmethod = .GET,
                 .url = blk: {
-                    var buf = std.ArrayList(u8).init(arena);
+                    var buf = std.ArrayList(u8).init(arena); // free'ed when arena is deinit'ed, formatreq call site
                     const w = buf.writer();
                     try std.fmt.format(w, "{s}/v1/channels?peer_alias_lookup={}", .{ self.apibase, args.peer_alias_lookup });
                     if (args.status) |v| switch (v) {
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ pub const Client = struct {
                         // TODO: sanitize; Uri.writeEscapedQuery(w, q);
                         try std.fmt.format(w, "&peer={s}", .{v});
                     }
-                    break :blk try std.Uri.parse(buf.items);
+                    break :blk try std.Uri.parse(buf.items); // uri point to the original buf
                 },
                 .headers = blk: {
                     var h = std.http.Headers{ .allocator = arena };
diff --git a/src/nd.zig b/src/nd.zig
index 5170141..dc855e9 100644
--- a/src/nd.zig
+++ b/src/nd.zig
@@ -132,7 +132,9 @@ fn parseArgs(gpa: std.mem.Allocator) !NdArgs {
 var sigquit: std.Thread.ResetEvent = .{};
 
 fn sighandler(sig: c_int) callconv(.C) void {
-    logger.info("received signal {}", .{sig});
+    if (sigquit.isSet()) {
+        return;
+    }
     switch (sig) {
         os.SIG.INT, os.SIG.TERM => sigquit.set(),
         else => {},
@@ -215,6 +217,7 @@ pub fn main() !void {
     try os.sigaction(os.SIG.INT, &sa, null);
     try os.sigaction(os.SIG.TERM, &sa, null);
     sigquit.wait();
+    logger.info("sigquit: terminating ...", .{});
 
     // reached here due to sig TERM or INT.
     // tell deamon to terminate threads.
diff --git a/src/nd/Daemon.zig b/src/nd/Daemon.zig
index 6e9ac23..68a302d 100644
--- a/src/nd/Daemon.zig
+++ b/src/nd/Daemon.zig
@@ -376,9 +376,8 @@ fn commThreadLoop(self: *Daemon) void {
         };
         defer res.deinit();
 
-        const msg = res.value;
-        logger.debug("got msg: {s}", .{@tagName(msg)});
-        switch (msg) {
+        logger.debug("got msg: {s}", .{@tagName(res.value)});
+        switch (res.value) {
             .pong => {
                 logger.info("received pong from ngui", .{});
             },
@@ -408,7 +407,7 @@ fn commThreadLoop(self: *Daemon) void {
                     // TODO: send err back to ngui
                 };
             },
-            else => logger.warn("unhandled msg tag {s}", .{@tagName(msg)}),
+            else => |v| logger.warn("unhandled msg tag {s}", .{@tagName(v)}),
         }
 
         self.mu.lock();
@@ -579,7 +578,7 @@ fn sendBitcoindReport(self: *Daemon) !void {
     const mempool = try client.call(.getmempoolinfo, {});
     defer mempool.deinit();
 
-    const balance: ?lndhttp.WalletBalance = blk: {
+    const balance: ?lndhttp.Client.Result(.walletbalance) = blk: { // lndhttp.WalletBalance
         var lndc = lndhttp.Client.init(.{
             .allocator = self.allocator,
             .tlscert_path = "/home/lnd/.lnd/tls.cert",
@@ -587,9 +586,9 @@ fn sendBitcoindReport(self: *Daemon) !void {
         }) catch break :blk null;
         defer lndc.deinit();
         const res = lndc.call(.walletbalance, {}) catch break :blk null;
-        defer res.deinit();
-        break :blk res.value;
+        break :blk res;
     };
+    defer if (balance) |bal| bal.deinit();
 
     const btcrep: comm.Message.BitcoinReport = .{
         .blocks = bcinfo.value.blocks,
@@ -617,11 +616,11 @@ fn sendBitcoindReport(self: *Daemon) !void {
         },
         .balance = if (balance) |bal| .{
             .source = .lnd,
-            .total = bal.total_balance,
-            .confirmed = bal.confirmed_balance,
-            .unconfirmed = bal.unconfirmed_balance,
-            .locked = bal.locked_balance,
-            .reserved = bal.reserved_balance_anchor_chan,
+            .total = bal.value.total_balance,
+            .confirmed = bal.value.confirmed_balance,
+            .unconfirmed = bal.value.unconfirmed_balance,
+            .locked = bal.value.locked_balance,
+            .reserved = bal.value.reserved_balance_anchor_chan,
         } else null,
     };
 
diff --git a/src/ngui.zig b/src/ngui.zig
index 3c74e5a..6a193a8 100644
--- a/src/ngui.zig
+++ b/src/ngui.zig
@@ -226,15 +226,24 @@ fn commThreadLoopCycle() !void {
     defer ui_mutex.unlock();
     switch (state) {
         .standby => switch (msg.value) {
-            .ping => try comm.pipeWrite(comm.Message.pong),
+            .ping => {
+                defer msg.deinit();
+                try comm.pipeWrite(comm.Message.pong);
+            },
             .network_report,
             .bitcoind_report,
             .lightning_report,
             => last_report.replace(msg),
-            else => logger.debug("ignoring {s}: in standby", .{@tagName(msg.value)}),
+            else => {
+                logger.debug("ignoring {s}: in standby", .{@tagName(msg.value)});
+                msg.deinit();
+            },
         },
         .active, .alert => switch (msg.value) {
-            .ping => try comm.pipeWrite(comm.Message.pong),
+            .ping => {
+                defer msg.deinit();
+                try comm.pipeWrite(comm.Message.pong);
+            },
             .poweroff_progress => |rep| {
                 ui.poweroff.updateStatus(rep) catch |err| logger.err("poweroff.updateStatus: {any}", .{err});
                 msg.deinit();
@@ -253,8 +262,12 @@ fn commThreadLoopCycle() !void {
             },
             .settings => |sett| {
                 ui.settings.update(sett) catch |err| logger.err("settings.update: {any}", .{err});
+                msg.deinit();
+            },
+            else => {
+                logger.warn("unhandled msg tag {s}", .{@tagName(msg.value)});
+                msg.deinit();
             },
-            else => logger.warn("unhandled msg tag {s}", .{@tagName(msg.value)}),
         },
     }
 }
@@ -342,7 +355,9 @@ fn usage(prog: []const u8) !void {
 
 /// handles sig TERM and INT: makes the program exit.
 fn sighandler(sig: c_int) callconv(.C) void {
-    logger.info("received signal {}", .{sig});
+    if (sigquit.isSet()) {
+        return;
+    }
     switch (sig) {
         os.SIG.INT, os.SIG.TERM => sigquit.set(),
         else => {},
@@ -399,9 +414,13 @@ pub fn main() anyerror!void {
     try os.sigaction(os.SIG.INT, &sa, null);
     try os.sigaction(os.SIG.TERM, &sa, null);
     sigquit.wait();
+    logger.info("sigquit: terminating ...", .{});
 
+    // assuming nd won't ever send any more messages,
+    // so should be safe to touch last_report without a fence.
     last_report.deinit();
-    logger.info("main terminated", .{});
+
+    // let the OS rip off UI and comm threads
 }
 
 test "tick" {