diff --git a/fb.go b/fb.go
index 0338558..d3f4a08 100644
--- a/fb.go
+++ b/fb.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"math"
 	"path/filepath"
+	"sync/atomic"
 	"unsafe"
 
 	"golang.org/x/sys/unix"
@@ -49,6 +50,9 @@ type framebuffer struct {
 	// One token per completed flip. The render loop waits on this rather than on
 	// a timer, so drawing is paced by the panel instead of by a guess at its rate.
 	flips chan struct{}
+
+	// Set before the fd goes, so the event reader can tell shutdown from failure.
+	closing atomic.Bool
 }
 
 func (fb *framebuffer) offset(x, y int) int {
@@ -275,18 +279,30 @@ func openFramebuffer() (*framebuffer, error) {
 }
 
 // Flip completions arrive on the drm fd as a stream of length-prefixed events.
+// Nothing else feeds fb.flips, so returning early here freezes the panel on its
+// last frame while everything else goes on running.
 func (fb *framebuffer) readEvents() {
 	buf := make([]byte, 4096)
 	for {
 		n, err := unix.Read(fb.fd, buf)
-		if n <= 0 || err != nil {
+		if fb.closing.Load() {
 			return
 		}
+		if err == unix.EINTR || err == unix.EAGAIN {
+			continue
+		}
+		if err != nil {
+			panic(fmt.Sprintf("reading drm events: %v", err))
+		}
+		if n == 0 {
+			panic("drm fd reported end of file")
+		}
 		for off := 0; off+8 <= n; {
 			typ := binary.LittleEndian.Uint32(buf[off:])
 			length := int(binary.LittleEndian.Uint32(buf[off+4:]))
 			if length < 8 || off+length > n {
-				return
+				panic(fmt.Sprintf("drm event at offset %d claims %d bytes of %d read",
+					off, length, n))
 			}
 			if typ == drm.EventFlipComplete {
 				select {
@@ -300,6 +316,7 @@ func (fb *framebuffer) readEvents() {
 }
 
 func (fb *framebuffer) close() {
+	fb.closing.Store(true)
 	for i := range fb.bufs {
 		if fb.bufs[i].mem != nil {
 			unix.Munmap(fb.bufs[i].mem)