diff --git a/zyklonb.c b/zyklonb.c
index 6b06caa..3c147a5 100644
--- a/zyklonb.c
+++ b/zyklonb.c
@@ -1787,6 +1787,32 @@ on_plugin_death (struct plugin *plugin, int status)
 	try_finish_quit (ctx);
 }
 
+static bool
+try_reap_plugin (struct bot_context *ctx)
+{
+	int status;
+	pid_t zombie = waitpid (-1, &status, WNOHANG);
+
+	if (zombie == -1)
+	{
+		// No children to wait on
+		if (errno == ECHILD)
+			return false;
+
+		hard_assert (errno == EINTR);
+		return true;
+	}
+
+	if (zombie == 0)
+		return false;
+
+	struct plugin *plugin = plugin_find_by_pid (ctx, zombie);
+	// XXX: re-exec if something has died that we don't recognize?
+	if (soft_assert (plugin != NULL))
+		on_plugin_death (plugin, status);
+	return true;
+}
+
 static void
 on_signal_pipe_readable (const struct pollfd *fd, struct bot_context *ctx)
 {
@@ -1803,31 +1829,10 @@ on_signal_pipe_readable (const struct pollfd *fd, struct bot_context *ctx)
 		initiate_quit (ctx);
 	}
 
-	// Reap all dead children (since the pipe may overflow, we ask waitpid()
-	// to return all the zombies it knows about).
-	while (true)
-	{
-		int status;
-		pid_t zombie = waitpid (-1, &status, WNOHANG);
-
-		if (zombie == -1)
-		{
-			// No children to wait on
-			if (errno == ECHILD)
-				break;
-
-			hard_assert (errno == EINTR);
-			continue;
-		}
-
-		if (zombie == 0)
-			break;
-
-		struct plugin *plugin = plugin_find_by_pid (ctx, zombie);
-		// XXX: re-exec if something has died that we don't recognize?
-		if (soft_assert (plugin != NULL))
-			on_plugin_death (plugin, status);
-	}
+	// Reap all dead children (since the signal pipe may overflow etc. we run
+	// waitpid() in a loop to return all the zombies it knows about).
+	while (try_reap_plugin (ctx))
+		;
 }
 
 int