diff --git a/src/ssb.c b/src/ssb.c
index 916a463c..d6c2c7b3 100644
--- a/src/ssb.c
+++ b/src/ssb.c
@@ -211,10 +211,12 @@ typedef struct _tf_ssb_connection_t {
 
 	tf_ssb_connection_t* next;
 	tf_ssb_request_t* requests;
+	const char* destroy_reason;
 } tf_ssb_connection_t;
 
 static JSClassID _connection_class_id;
 
+static void _tf_ssb_connection_destroy(tf_ssb_connection_t* connection, const char* reason);
 static void _tf_ssb_connection_client_send_hello(uv_stream_t* stream);
 static void _tf_ssb_connection_on_close(uv_handle_t* handle);
 static void _tf_ssb_connection_close(tf_ssb_connection_t* connection, const char* reason);
@@ -235,10 +237,7 @@ static void _tf_ssb_connection_send_close(tf_ssb_connection_t* connection)
 	{
 		_tf_ssb_write(connection, message_enc, sizeof(message_enc));
 	}
-	else
-	{
-		_tf_ssb_connection_close(connection, "crypto_secretbox_easy close message");
-	}
+	_tf_ssb_connection_close(connection, "crypto_secretbox_easy close message");
 }
 
 static void _tf_ssb_connection_close(tf_ssb_connection_t* connection, const char* reason)
@@ -254,11 +253,7 @@ static void _tf_ssb_connection_close(tf_ssb_connection_t* connection, const char
 		connection->state = k_tf_ssb_state_closing;
 		_tf_ssb_connection_send_close(connection);
 	}
-	else
-	{
-		printf("closing: %s\n", reason);
-		uv_close((uv_handle_t*)&connection->tcp, _tf_ssb_connection_on_close);
-	}
+	_tf_ssb_connection_destroy(connection, reason);
 }
 
 static void _tf_ssb_connection_on_tcp_alloc(uv_handle_t* handle, size_t suggested_size, uv_buf_t* buf)
@@ -1096,7 +1091,7 @@ static bool _tf_ssb_connection_box_stream_recv(tf_ssb_connection_t* connection)
 			memcpy(connection->body_auth_tag, header + sizeof(uint16_t), sizeof(connection->body_auth_tag));
 			if (!connection->body_len)
 			{
-				uv_close((uv_handle_t*)&connection->tcp, _tf_ssb_connection_on_close);
+				_tf_ssb_connection_close(connection, "empty body, graceful close");
 			}
 		}
 		else
@@ -1203,9 +1198,14 @@ void tf_ssb_append_message(tf_ssb_t* ssb, JSValue message)
 	JS_FreeValue(context, root);
 }
 
-void tf_ssb_connection_destroy(tf_ssb_connection_t* connection)
+void _tf_ssb_connection_destroy(tf_ssb_connection_t* connection, const char* reason)
 {
 	tf_ssb_t* ssb = connection->ssb;
+	if (!connection->destroy_reason)
+	{
+		connection->destroy_reason = reason;
+		printf("destroying connection: %s\n", reason);
+	}
 	for (tf_ssb_connection_t** it = &connection->ssb->connections; *it; it = &(*it)->next)
 	{
 		if (*it == connection)
@@ -1254,7 +1254,10 @@ static void _tf_ssb_connection_on_close(uv_handle_t* handle)
 {
 	tf_ssb_connection_t* connection = handle->data;
 	handle->data = NULL;
-	tf_ssb_connection_destroy(connection);
+	if (connection)
+	{
+		_tf_ssb_connection_destroy(connection, "handle closed");
+	}
 }
 
 static void _tf_ssb_connection_on_tcp_recv(uv_stream_t* stream, ssize_t nread, const uv_buf_t* buf)
@@ -1310,8 +1313,7 @@ static void _tf_ssb_connection_on_tcp_recv(uv_stream_t* stream, ssize_t nread, c
 					static_assert(sizeof(connection->serverepub) == crypto_box_PUBLICKEYBYTES, "serverepub size");
 					if (crypto_auth_hmacsha512256_verify(hmac, connection->serverepub, 32, k_ssb_network) != 0)
 					{
-						printf("crypto_auth_hmacsha512256_verify failed\n");
-						uv_close((uv_handle_t*)stream, _tf_ssb_connection_on_close);
+						_tf_ssb_connection_close(connection, "crypto_auth_hmacsha512256_verify failed");
 					}
 					else
 					{
@@ -1344,7 +1346,7 @@ static void _tf_ssb_connection_on_tcp_recv(uv_stream_t* stream, ssize_t nread, c
 	}
 	else
 	{
-		uv_close((uv_handle_t*)stream, _tf_ssb_connection_on_close);
+		_tf_ssb_connection_close(connection, "read zero");
 	}
 	free(buf->base);
 }
@@ -1386,7 +1388,7 @@ static void _tf_ssb_connection_on_connect(uv_connect_t* connect, int status)
 		if (result)
 		{
 			printf("uv_read_start => %s\n", uv_strerror(status));
-			uv_close((uv_handle_t*)&connection->tcp, _tf_ssb_connection_on_close);
+			_tf_ssb_connection_close(connection, "uv_read_start failed");
 		}
 		else
 		{
@@ -1396,7 +1398,7 @@ static void _tf_ssb_connection_on_connect(uv_connect_t* connect, int status)
 	else
 	{
 		printf("connect => %s\n", uv_strerror(status));
-		uv_close((uv_handle_t*)&connection->tcp, _tf_ssb_connection_on_close);
+		_tf_ssb_connection_close(connection, "uv_tcp_connect failed");
 	}
 }
 
@@ -1811,7 +1813,7 @@ static void _tf_ssb_connection_finalizer(JSRuntime* runtime, JSValue value)
 	if (connection)
 	{
 		connection->object = JS_UNDEFINED;
-		tf_ssb_connection_destroy(connection);
+		_tf_ssb_connection_destroy(connection, "object finalized");
 	}
 }
 
@@ -1912,7 +1914,7 @@ tf_ssb_connection_t* tf_ssb_connection_create(tf_ssb_t* ssb, const char* host, c
 	if (result)
 	{
 		printf("uv_tcp_connect(%s): %s\n", host, uv_strerror(result));
-		tf_ssb_connection_destroy(connection);
+		_tf_ssb_connection_destroy(connection, "connect failed");
 	}
 	else
 	{
@@ -1991,15 +1993,13 @@ static void _tf_ssb_on_connection(uv_stream_t* stream, int status)
 
 	if (uv_tcp_init(ssb->loop, &connection->tcp) != 0)
 	{
-		printf("uv_tcp_init failed\n");
-		tf_ssb_connection_destroy(connection);
+		_tf_ssb_connection_destroy(connection, "init failed");
 		return;
 	}
 
 	if (uv_accept(stream, (uv_stream_t*)&connection->tcp) != 0)
 	{
-		printf("uv_accept failed\n");
-		tf_ssb_connection_destroy(connection);
+		_tf_ssb_connection_destroy(connection, "accept failed");
 		return;
 	}