diff --git a/src/ctrl/ctrl_core.c b/src/ctrl/ctrl_core.c
index 10cbdf3f..b15404ae 100644
--- a/src/ctrl/ctrl_core.c
+++ b/src/ctrl/ctrl_core.c
@@ -801,6 +801,7 @@ ctrl_entity_release(CTRL_EntityStore *store, CTRL_Entity *entity)
       
       // rjf: dec counter
       store->entity_kind_counts[t->e->kind] -= 1;
+      store->entity_kind_alloc_gens[t->e->kind] += 1;
     }
     scratch_end(scratch);
   }
@@ -4190,7 +4191,8 @@ ctrl_thread__kill(DMN_CtrlCtx *ctrl_ctx, CTRL_Msg *msg)
       {
         done = 1;
       }
-      if(event->kind == DMN_EventKind_Halt)
+      if(event->kind == DMN_EventKind_Null ||
+         event->kind == DMN_EventKind_Error)
       {
         done = 1;
       }
diff --git a/src/dbg_engine/dbg_engine_core.c b/src/dbg_engine/dbg_engine_core.c
index 8d7f1769..7b1dbd8c 100644
--- a/src/dbg_engine/dbg_engine_core.c
+++ b/src/dbg_engine/dbg_engine_core.c
@@ -3939,6 +3939,7 @@ d_tick(Arena *arena, D_TargetArray *targets, D_BreakpointArray *breakpoints)
   d_state->frame_eval_memread_endt_us = os_now_microseconds() + 5000;
   d_state->top_regs = &d_state->base_regs;
   d_regs_copy_contents(d_frame_arena(), &d_state->top_regs->v, &d_state->top_regs->v);
+  B32 ctrl_running_pre_tick = d_state->ctrl_is_running;
   
   //////////////////////////////
   //- rjf: sync with ctrl thread
@@ -5074,7 +5075,7 @@ d_tick(Arena *arena, D_TargetArray *targets, D_BreakpointArray *breakpoints)
     ctrl_msg_list_concat_in_place(&d_state->ctrl_msgs, &msgs_copy);
     if(d_state->ctrl_msgs.count != 0)
     {
-      if(!d_state->ctrl_soft_halt_issued && d_state->ctrl_is_running)
+      if(!d_state->ctrl_soft_halt_issued && ctrl_running_pre_tick)
       {
         d_state->ctrl_soft_halt_issued = 1;
         ctrl_halt();
diff --git a/src/dbg_frontend/dbg_frontend_core.c b/src/dbg_frontend/dbg_frontend_core.c
index cc978981..ccf5451b 100644
--- a/src/dbg_frontend/dbg_frontend_core.c
+++ b/src/dbg_frontend/dbg_frontend_core.c
@@ -12215,6 +12215,27 @@ df_frame(void)
   //
   D_EventList engine_events = d_tick(scratch.arena, &targets, &breakpoints);
   
+  //////////////////////////////
+  //- rjf: no selected thread? -> try to snap to any existing thread
+  //
+  if(ctrl_entity_from_handle(d_state->ctrl_entity_store, df_base_regs()->thread) == &ctrl_entity_nil)
+  {
+    CTRL_Entity *process = ctrl_entity_from_handle(d_state->ctrl_entity_store, df_base_regs()->process);
+    if(process == &ctrl_entity_nil)
+    {
+      CTRL_EntityList all_processes = ctrl_entity_list_from_kind(d_state->ctrl_entity_store, CTRL_EntityKind_Process);
+      if(all_processes.count != 0)
+      {
+        process = all_processes.first->v;
+      }
+    }
+    CTRL_Entity *new_thread = ctrl_entity_child_from_kind(process, CTRL_EntityKind_Thread);
+    if(new_thread != &ctrl_entity_nil)
+    {
+      df_cmd(DF_CmdKind_SelectThread, .thread = new_thread->handle);
+    }
+  }
+  
   //////////////////////////////
   //- rjf: process debug engine events
   //