diff -u b/lib/master.c b/lib/master.c

--- b/lib/master.c

+++ b/lib/master.c

@@ -802,8 +802,8 @@

 	if (list_empty(&master->mounts)) {

 		master_mutex_unlock();

-		error(LOGOPT_ANY, "no mounts in table");

-		return 0;

+		warn(LOGOPT_ANY, "no mounts in table");

+		return 1;

 	}

 	master_mutex_unlock();

--- a/daemon/automount.c

+++ b/daemon/automount.c

@@ -61,6 +61,8 @@ static size_t kpkt_len;

 /* Attribute to create detached thread */

 pthread_attr_t thread_attr;

+/* Attribute to create normal thread */

+pthread_attr_t thread_attr_nodetach;

 struct master_readmap_cond mrc = {

 	PTHREAD_MUTEX_INITIALIZER, PTHREAD_COND_INITIALIZER, 0, NULL, 0, 0, 0, 0};

@@ -914,7 +916,7 @@ static void *do_notify_state(void *arg)

 	return NULL;

 }

-static int do_signals(struct master *master, int sig)

+static pthread_t do_signals(struct master *master, int sig)

 {

 	pthread_t thid;

 	int r_sig = sig;

@@ -924,7 +926,7 @@ static int do_signals(struct master *master, int sig)

 	if (status)

 		fatal(status);

-	status = pthread_create(&thid, &thread_attr, do_notify_state, &r_sig);

+	status = pthread_create(&thid, &thread_attr_nodetach, do_notify_state, &r_sig);

 	if (status) {

 		error(master->default_logging,

 		      "mount state notify thread create failed");

@@ -948,7 +950,7 @@ static int do_signals(struct master *master, int sig)

 	pthread_cleanup_pop(1);

-	return 1;

+	return thid;

 }

 static void *do_read_master(void *arg)

@@ -1038,6 +1040,7 @@ static int do_hup_signal(struct master *master, time_t age)

 /* Deal with all the signal-driven events in the state machine */

 static void *statemachine(void *arg)

 {

+	pthread_t thid = 0;

 	sigset_t signalset;

 	int sig;

@@ -1048,15 +1051,17 @@ static void *statemachine(void *arg)

 	while (1) {

 		sigwait(&signalset, &sig);

-

-		if (master_list_empty(master_list))

-			return NULL;

-

 		switch (sig) {

 		case SIGTERM:

 		case SIGUSR2:

 		case SIGUSR1:

-			do_signals(master_list, sig);

+			thid = do_signals(master_list, sig);

+			if (thid) {

+				pthread_join(thid, NULL);

+				if (master_list_empty(master_list))

+					return NULL;

+				thid = 0;

+			}

 			break;

 		case SIGHUP:

@@ -1171,10 +1176,6 @@ static void handle_mounts_cleanup(void *arg)

 	msg("shut down path %s", path);

-	/* If we are the last tell the state machine to shutdown */

-	if (!submount && master_list_empty(master_list))

-		kill(getpid(), SIGTERM);

-

 	return;

 }

@@ -1644,6 +1645,14 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])

 	}

 #endif

+	if (pthread_attr_init(&thread_attr_nodetach)) {

+		crit(LOGOPT_ANY,

+		     "%s: failed to init thread attribute struct!",

+		     program);

+		close(start_pipefd[1]);

+		exit(1);

+	}

+

 	msg("Starting automounter version %s, master map %s",

 		version, master_list->name);

 	msg("using kernel protocol version %d.%02d",