diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/PresentsDObjectMgr.java b/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/PresentsDObjectMgr.java
index ae4a66348..bee73fc73 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/PresentsDObjectMgr.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/PresentsDObjectMgr.java
@@ -201,6 +201,10 @@ public class PresentsDObjectMgr
     // from interface DObjectManager
     public void postEvent (DEvent event)
     {
+        if (!_running) {
+            throw new IllegalStateException("Object manager has been shutdown");
+        }
+
         // assign the event's id and append it to the queue
         event.eventId = getNextEventId(true);
         _evqueue.append(event);
@@ -273,6 +277,10 @@ public class PresentsDObjectMgr
      */
     public void postRunnable (Runnable unit)
     {
+        if (!_running) {
+            throw new IllegalStateException("Object manager has been shutdown");
+        }
+
         // just append it to the queue
         _evqueue.append(unit);
     }
@@ -563,6 +571,15 @@ public class PresentsDObjectMgr
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Tests if the event processing thread is still running. This is required by the
+     * {@link ConnectionManager} to ensure messages posted just before or during shutdown are sent.
+     */
+    public synchronized boolean isRunning ()
+    {
+        return _running;
+    }
+
     /**
      * Processes a single unit from the queue.
      */
@@ -790,11 +807,6 @@ public class PresentsDObjectMgr
         }
     }
 
-    protected synchronized boolean isRunning ()
-    {
-        return _running;
-    }
-
     protected int getNextOid ()
     {
         // look for the next unused oid. in theory if we had two billion objects, this would loop
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/PresentsServer.java b/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/PresentsServer.java
index d1f65b5d1..a2f535fe2 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/PresentsServer.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/PresentsServer.java
@@ -158,6 +158,17 @@ public class PresentsServer
 
         // initialize the time base services
         TimeBaseProvider.init(_invmgr, _omgr);
+        
+        // Make the client manager shut down before the invoker and dobj threads. This will help
+        // application code to avoid long chains of shutdown constraints (e.g. msoy bureau manager).
+        // TODO: is this check needed?
+        if (_invoker instanceof PresentsInvoker) {
+            _shutmgr.addConstraint(
+                _clmgr, ShutdownManager.Constraint.RUNS_BEFORE, (PresentsInvoker)_invoker);
+
+        } else {
+            log.warning("Invoker is not a PresentsInvoker", "invoker", _invoker);
+        }
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/ShutdownManager.java b/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/ShutdownManager.java
index db481c3b6..d968400c8 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/ShutdownManager.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/ShutdownManager.java
@@ -127,6 +127,7 @@ public class ShutdownManager
         // shut down all shutdown participants
         downers.apply(new ObserverList.ObserverOp<Shutdowner>() {
             public boolean apply (Shutdowner downer) {
+                log.info("Calling shutdown registrant", "downer", downer);
                 downer.shutdown();
                 return true;
             }
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/net/ConnectionManager.java b/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/net/ConnectionManager.java
index 50c70335b..f3bb18ca2 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/net/ConnectionManager.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/net/ConnectionManager.java
@@ -255,6 +255,13 @@ public class ConnectionManager extends LoopingThread
         report.append(avgOut).append(" avg size, ");
         report.append(bytesOut*1000/sinceLast).append(" bps\n");
     }
+    
+    @Override // from LoopingThread
+    public boolean isRunning ()
+    {
+        // Prevent exiting our thread until the object manager is done.
+        return super.isRunning() || _omgr.isRunning();
+    }
 
     /**
      * Notifies the connection observers of a connection event. Used internally.
@@ -722,6 +729,9 @@ public class ConnectionManager extends LoopingThread
         sendOutgoingMessages(System.currentTimeMillis());
 
         // unbind our listening socket
+        // Note: because we wait for the object manager to exit before we do, we will still be
+        // accepting connections as long as there are events pending.
+        // TODO: consider shutting down the listen socker earlier, like in the shutdown method
         try {
             _ssocket.socket().close();
         } catch (IOException ioe) {
@@ -846,6 +856,10 @@ public class ConnectionManager extends LoopingThread
      */
     void postMessage (Connection conn, DownstreamMessage msg)
     {
+        if (!isRunning()) {
+            throw new IllegalStateException("Connection manager has been shutdown");
+        }
+        
         // sanity check
         if (conn == null || msg == null) {
             log.warning("postMessage() bogosity", "conn", conn, "msg", msg, new Exception());