diff --git a/src/main.c b/src/main.c
index 6e6635956..8141f8de6 100644
--- a/src/main.c
+++ b/src/main.c
@@ -771,6 +771,8 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
   signal(SIGUSR2, SIG_IGN);
 #endif /* _WIN32 */
 
+  olsr_shutdown_registered = true;
+
   /* Starting scheduler */
   olsr_scheduler();
 
diff --git a/src/olsr.c b/src/olsr.c
index 216996228..986044c1b 100644
--- a/src/olsr.c
+++ b/src/olsr.c
@@ -81,6 +81,8 @@ bool changes_neighborhood;
 bool changes_hna;
 bool changes_force;
 
+bool olsr_shutdown_registered = false;
+
 /*COLLECT startup sleeps caused by warnings*/
 
 #ifdef OLSR_COLLECT_STARTUP_SLEEP
@@ -576,7 +578,13 @@ olsr_exit(const char *msg, int val)
     olsr_cnf->exit_value = val;
   }
 
-  raise(SIGTERM);
+  /* Only take the orderly shutdown path once olsr_shutdown() is
+   * installed. Before that, SIGTERM still has its default disposition
+   * and raise() would kill us outright, so the exit() below would never
+   * run and the process would report 143 instead of val. */
+  if (olsr_shutdown_registered) {
+    raise(SIGTERM);
+  }
 
   /* in case the signal handler was not setup yet */
   exit(val);
diff --git a/src/olsr.h b/src/olsr.h
index 505231691..755228432 100644
--- a/src/olsr.h
+++ b/src/olsr.h
@@ -54,6 +54,8 @@ extern bool changes_neighborhood;
 extern bool changes_hna;
 extern bool changes_force;
 
+extern bool olsr_shutdown_registered;
+
 extern union olsr_ip_addr all_zero;
 
 void get_argc_argv(int *argc, char **argv[]);