diff --git a/userspace/falco/app_actions/process_events.cpp b/userspace/falco/app_actions/process_events.cpp
index 680f741f..01f1f76d 100644
--- a/userspace/falco/app_actions/process_events.cpp
+++ b/userspace/falco/app_actions/process_events.cpp
@@ -228,7 +228,7 @@ void application::process_inspector_events(
 		std::shared_ptr<sinsp> inspector,
 		std::shared_ptr<stats_writer> statsw,
 		std::string source, // an empty source represents capture mode
-		std::atomic<bool>* finished,
+		application::source_sync_context* sync,
 		application::run_result* res) noexcept
 {
 	try
@@ -277,7 +277,10 @@ void application::process_inspector_events(
 		*res = run_result::fatal(e.what());
 	}
 
-	finished->store(true, std::memory_order_seq_cst);
+	if (sync)
+	{
+		sync->finish();
+	}
 }
 
 static std::shared_ptr<stats_writer> init_stats_writer(const cmdline_options& opts)
@@ -315,8 +318,7 @@ application::run_result application::process_events()
 			return res;
 		}
 
-		std::atomic<bool> finished;
-		process_inspector_events(m_state->offline_inspector, statsw, "", &finished, &res);
+		process_inspector_events(m_state->offline_inspector, statsw, "", nullptr, &res);
 		m_state->offline_inspector->close();
 
 		// Honor -M also when using a trace file.
@@ -339,19 +341,18 @@ application::run_result application::process_events()
 
 			// the name of the source of which events are processed
 			std::string source;
-			// set to true when the event processing loop finishes
-			std::unique_ptr<std::atomic<bool>> finished;
-			// set to true when the result has been collected after finishing
-			std::unique_ptr<std::atomic<bool>> joined;
 			// the result of the event processing loop
 			application::run_result res;
 			// if non-null, the thread on which events are processed
 			std::unique_ptr<std::thread> thread;
+			// used for thread synchronization purposes
+			std::unique_ptr<application::source_sync_context> sync;
 		};
 
 		print_enabled_event_sources();
 
 		// start event processing for all enabled sources
+		falco::semaphore termination_sem(m_state->enabled_sources.size());
 		std::vector<live_context> ctxs;
 		ctxs.reserve(m_state->enabled_sources.size());
 		for (const auto& source : m_state->enabled_sources)
@@ -359,35 +360,33 @@ application::run_result application::process_events()
 			ctxs.emplace_back();
 			auto& ctx = ctxs[ctxs.size() - 1];
 			ctx.source = source;
-			ctx.finished.reset(new std::atomic<bool>());
-			ctx.joined.reset(new std::atomic<bool>());
-			ctx.finished->store(false, std::memory_order_seq_cst);
-			ctx.joined->store(false, std::memory_order_seq_cst);
+			ctx.sync.reset(new application::source_sync_context(termination_sem));
 			auto src_info = m_state->source_infos.at(source);
 
 			try
 			{
 				falco_logger::log(LOG_DEBUG, "Opening event source '" + source + "'\n");
+				termination_sem.acquire();
 				res = open_live_inspector(src_info->inspector, source);
 				if (!res.success)
 				{
 					// note: we don't return here because we need to reach
 					// the thread termination loop below to make sure all
 					// already-spawned threads get terminated gracefully
-					ctx.finished->store(true, std::memory_order_seq_cst);
+					ctx.sync->finish();
 					break;
 				}
 
 				if (m_state->enabled_sources.size() == 1)
 				{
 					// optimization: with only one source we don't spawn additional threads
-					process_inspector_events(src_info->inspector, statsw, source, ctx.finished.get(), &ctx.res);
+					process_inspector_events(src_info->inspector, statsw, source, ctx.sync.get(), &ctx.res);
 				}
 				else
 				{
 					ctx.thread.reset(new std::thread(
 						&application::process_inspector_events,
-						this, src_info->inspector, statsw, source, ctx.finished.get(), &ctx.res));
+						this, src_info->inspector, statsw, source, ctx.sync.get(), &ctx.res));
 				}
 			}
 			catch (std::exception &e)
@@ -396,7 +395,7 @@ application::run_result application::process_events()
 				// the thread termination loop below to make sure all
 				// already-spawned threads get terminated gracefully
 				ctx.res = run_result::fatal(e.what());
-				ctx.finished->store(true, std::memory_order_seq_cst);
+				ctx.sync->finish();
 				break;
 			}
 		}
@@ -408,16 +407,24 @@ application::run_result application::process_events()
 		size_t closed_count = 0;
 		while (closed_count < ctxs.size())
 		{
+			// This is shared across all running event source threads an
+			// keeps the main thread sleepy until one of the parallel
+			// threads terminates and invokes release(). At that point,
+			// we know that at least one thread finished running and we can
+			// attempt joining it. Not that this also works when only one
+			// event source is enabled, in which we have no additional threads.
+			termination_sem.acquire();
+
 			if (!res.success && !termination_forced)
 			{
 				falco_logger::log(LOG_INFO, "An error occurred in an event source, forcing termination...\n");
 				terminate(false);
 				termination_forced = true;
 			}
+
 			for (auto &ctx : ctxs)
 			{
-				if (ctx.finished->load(std::memory_order_seq_cst)
-						&& !ctx.joined->load(std::memory_order_seq_cst))
+				if (ctx.sync->finished() && !ctx.sync->joined())
 				{
 					if (ctx.thread)
 					{
@@ -436,7 +443,7 @@ application::run_result application::process_events()
 					m_state->source_infos.at(ctx.source)->inspector->close();
 
 					res = run_result::merge(res, ctx.res);
-					ctx.joined->store(true, std::memory_order_seq_cst);
+					ctx.sync->join();
 					closed_count++;
 				}
 			}
diff --git a/userspace/falco/application.h b/userspace/falco/application.h
index d41c4d8a..efd368d2 100644
--- a/userspace/falco/application.h
+++ b/userspace/falco/application.h
@@ -369,7 +369,7 @@ private:
 		std::shared_ptr<sinsp> inspector,
 		std::shared_ptr<stats_writer> statsw,
 		std::string source, // an empty source represents capture mode
-		std::atomic<bool>* finished,
+		application::source_sync_context* sync,
 		run_result* res) noexcept;
 
 	/* Returns true if we are in capture mode. */