diff --git a/src/api-wrappers/AXUIElement.swift b/src/api-wrappers/AXUIElement.swift
index 704359a4..45734f13 100644
--- a/src/api-wrappers/AXUIElement.swift
+++ b/src/api-wrappers/AXUIElement.swift
@@ -49,14 +49,40 @@ extension AXUIElement {
         return attribute(kAXSubroleAttribute, String.self)
     }
 
-    func subscribeWithRetry(_ axObserver: AXObserver, _ notification: String, _ pointer: UnsafeMutableRawPointer?, _ callback: (() -> Void)? = nil, _ previousResult: AXError? = nil) {
+    func subscribeWithRetry(_ axObserver: AXObserver, _ notification: String, _ pointer: UnsafeMutableRawPointer?, _ callback: (() -> Void)? = nil, _ runningApplication: NSRunningApplication? = nil, _ wid: CGWindowID? = nil, _ attemptsCount: Int = 0) {
+        if attemptsCount == 0 || attemptsCount % 1000 == 0 {
+            if let runningApplication = runningApplication {
+//                debugPrint("attempt pid", attemptsCount, pid, notification, Applications.appsInSubscriptionRetryLoop.filter { $0.starts(with: String(pid)) })
+            }
+            if let wid = wid {
+//                debugPrint("attempt wid", attemptsCount, wid, notification, Windows.windowsInSubscriptionRetryLoop.filter { $0.starts(with: String(wid)) })
+            }
+        }
+        if let runningApplication = runningApplication, Applications.appsInSubscriptionRetryLoop.first(where: { $0 == String(runningApplication.processIdentifier) + String(notification) }) == nil {
+//            debugPrint("early quit pid", attemptsCount, pid, notification)
+            return
+        }
+        if let wid = wid, Windows.windowsInSubscriptionRetryLoop.first(where: { $0 == String(wid) + String(notification) }) == nil {
+//            debugPrint("early quit wid", attemptsCount, wid, notification)
+            return
+        }
         let result = AXObserverAddNotification(axObserver, self, notification as CFString, pointer)
         if result == .success || result == .notificationUnsupported || result == .notificationAlreadyRegistered {
+            debugPrint("subbed", attemptsCount, runningApplication, wid, Applications.list.first(where: { $0.runningApplication.processIdentifier == runningApplication?.processIdentifier }))
             callback?()
+            if let runningApplication = runningApplication {
+                Application.stopSubscriptionRetries(notification, runningApplication)
+                debugPrint("app sub list", Applications.appsInSubscriptionRetryLoop)
+            }
+            if let wid = wid {
+                Window.stopSubscriptionRetries(notification, wid)
+                debugPrint("win sub list", Windows.windowsInSubscriptionRetryLoop)
+            }
             return
         }
-        DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + .milliseconds(10), execute: {
-            self.subscribeWithRetry(axObserver, notification, pointer, callback, result)
+        DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + .milliseconds(10), execute: { [weak self] in
+            guard let self = self else { return }
+            self.subscribeWithRetry(axObserver, notification, pointer, callback, runningApplication, wid, attemptsCount + 1)
         })
     }
 
diff --git a/src/logic/Application.swift b/src/logic/Application.swift
index 011802fc..67b48316 100644
--- a/src/logic/Application.swift
+++ b/src/logic/Application.swift
@@ -6,6 +6,20 @@ class Application: NSObject {
     var axObserver: AXObserver?
     var isReallyFinishedLaunching = false
 
+    static let notifications = [
+        kAXApplicationActivatedNotification,
+        kAXFocusedWindowChangedNotification,
+        kAXWindowCreatedNotification,
+        kAXApplicationHiddenNotification,
+        kAXApplicationShownNotification,
+    ]
+
+    // some apps never finish their subscription retry loop; they should be stopped to avoid infinite loop
+    static func stopSubscriptionRetries(_ notification: String, _ runningApplication: NSRunningApplication) {
+        debugPrint("removeObservers", runningApplication.processIdentifier, runningApplication.bundleIdentifier)
+        Applications.appsInSubscriptionRetryLoop.removeAll { $0 == String(runningApplication.processIdentifier) + String(notification) }
+    }
+
     init(_ runningApplication: NSRunningApplication) {
         self.runningApplication = runningApplication
         super.init()
@@ -16,6 +30,14 @@ class Application: NSObject {
         }
     }
 
+    deinit {
+        debugPrint("deinit", runningApplication.processIdentifier, runningApplication.bundleIdentifier)
+        // some apps never finish launching; subscription retries should be stopped to avoid infinite loops
+        Application.notifications.forEach { Application.stopSubscriptionRetries($0, runningApplication) }
+        // some apps never finish launching; observer should be removed to avoid leak
+        removeObserver()
+    }
+
     func removeObserver() {
         runningApplication.safeRemoveObserver(self, "isFinishedLaunching")
     }
@@ -53,22 +75,20 @@ class Application: NSObject {
     private func observeEvents() {
         guard let axObserver = axObserver else { return }
         let selfPointer = UnsafeMutableRawPointer(Unmanaged.passUnretained(self).toOpaque())
-        for notification in [
-            kAXApplicationActivatedNotification,
-            kAXFocusedWindowChangedNotification,
-            kAXWindowCreatedNotification,
-            kAXApplicationHiddenNotification,
-            kAXApplicationShownNotification,
-        ] {
-            axUiElement!.subscribeWithRetry(axObserver, notification, selfPointer, {
+        for notification in Application.notifications {
+            debugPrint("subscribeWithRetry app", runningApplication.processIdentifier, notification, runningApplication.bundleIdentifier)
+            Applications.appsInSubscriptionRetryLoop.append(String(runningApplication.processIdentifier) + String(notification))
+            axUiElement!.subscribeWithRetry(axObserver, notification, selfPointer, { [weak self] in
                 // some apps have `isFinishedLaunching == true` but are actually not finished, and will return .cannotComplete
                 // we consider them ready when the first subscription succeeds, and list their windows again at that point
+                guard let self = self else { return }
                 if !self.isReallyFinishedLaunching {
                     self.isReallyFinishedLaunching = true
                     self.observeNewWindows()
                 }
-            })
+            }, runningApplication)
         }
+        debugPrint("app sub list", Applications.appsInSubscriptionRetryLoop)
         CFRunLoopAddSource(CFRunLoopGetCurrent(), AXObserverGetRunLoopSource(axObserver), .defaultMode)
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/logic/Applications.swift b/src/logic/Applications.swift
index 1b05dcb6..64fe88b4 100644
--- a/src/logic/Applications.swift
+++ b/src/logic/Applications.swift
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import Cocoa
 class Applications {
     static var list = [Application]()
     static var appsObserver = RunningApplicationsObserver()
+    static var appsInSubscriptionRetryLoop = [String]()
 
     static func observeNewWindows() {
         for app in list {
@@ -53,12 +54,11 @@ class Applications {
 
     static func removeRunningApplications(_ runningApps: [NSRunningApplication]) {
         for runningApp in runningApps {
-            guard let app = Applications.list.first(where: { $0.runningApplication.isEqual(runningApp) }) else { continue }
-            Windows.list.removeAll(where: { $0.application.runningApplication.isEqual(runningApp) })
-            // some apps never finish launching; the observer leaks for them without this
-            app.removeObserver()
             Applications.list.removeAll(where: { $0.runningApplication.isEqual(runningApp) })
+            Windows.list.removeAll(where: { $0.application.runningApplication.isEqual(runningApp) })
         }
+        debugPrint("app sub list", Applications.appsInSubscriptionRetryLoop)
+        debugPrint("win sub list", Windows.windowsInSubscriptionRetryLoop)
         guard Windows.list.count > 0 else { (App.shared as! App).hideUi(); return }
         // TODO: implement of more sophisticated way to decide which thumbnail gets focused on app quit
         Windows.focusedWindowIndex = 1
diff --git a/src/logic/Window.swift b/src/logic/Window.swift
index fc689404..5db9d764 100644
--- a/src/logic/Window.swift
+++ b/src/logic/Window.swift
@@ -14,6 +14,18 @@ class Window {
     var application: Application
     var axObserver: AXObserver?
 
+    static let notifications = [
+        kAXUIElementDestroyedNotification,
+        kAXTitleChangedNotification,
+        kAXWindowMiniaturizedNotification,
+        kAXWindowDeminiaturizedNotification,
+    ]
+
+    static func stopSubscriptionRetries(_ notification: String, _ cgWindowId: CGWindowID) {
+        debugPrint("removeObservers", cgWindowId)
+        Windows.windowsInSubscriptionRetryLoop.removeAll { $0 == (String(cgWindowId) + String(notification)) }
+    }
+
     init(_ axUiElement: AXUIElement, _ application: Application) {
         // TODO: make a efficient batched AXUIElementCopyMultipleAttributeValues call once for each window, and store the values
         self.axUiElement = axUiElement
@@ -30,17 +42,22 @@ class Window {
         observeEvents()
     }
 
+    deinit {
+        debugPrint("deinit", cgWindowId, title)
+        // some windows never finish launching; subscription retries should be stopped to avoid infinite loops
+        Window.notifications.forEach { Window.stopSubscriptionRetries($0, cgWindowId) }
+    }
+
     private func observeEvents() {
         AXObserverCreate(application.runningApplication.processIdentifier, axObserverCallback, &axObserver)
         guard let axObserver = axObserver else { return }
-        for notification in [
-            kAXUIElementDestroyedNotification,
-            kAXTitleChangedNotification,
-            kAXWindowMiniaturizedNotification,
-            kAXWindowDeminiaturizedNotification,
-        ] {
-            axUiElement.subscribeWithRetry(axObserver, notification, nil)
+        for notification in Window.notifications {
+            debugPrint("subscribeWithRetry win", cgWindowId, notification, title)
+            Windows.windowsInSubscriptionRetryLoop.append(String(cgWindowId) + String(notification))
+            axUiElement.subscribeWithRetry(axObserver, notification, nil, nil, nil, cgWindowId)
         }
+        debugPrint("app sub list", Applications.appsInSubscriptionRetryLoop)
+        debugPrint("win sub list", Windows.windowsInSubscriptionRetryLoop)
         CFRunLoopAddSource(CFRunLoopGetCurrent(), AXObserverGetRunLoopSource(axObserver), .defaultMode)
     }
 
@@ -56,7 +73,8 @@ class Window {
         // macOS bug: when switching to a System Preferences window in another space, it switches to that space,
         // but quickly switches back to another window in that space
         // You can reproduce this buggy behaviour by clicking on the dock icon, proving it's an OS bug
-        DispatchQueues.focusActions.async {
+        DispatchQueues.focusActions.async { [weak self] in
+            guard let self = self else { return }
             var elementConnection = UInt32(0)
             CGSGetWindowOwner(cgsMainConnectionId, self.cgWindowId, &elementConnection)
             var psn = ProcessSerialNumber()
@@ -115,6 +133,7 @@ private func axObserverCallback(observer: AXObserver, element: AXUIElement, noti
 private func eventWindowDestroyed(_ app: App, _ element: AXUIElement) {
     guard let existingIndex = Windows.list.firstIndexThatMatches(element) else { return }
     Windows.list.remove(at: existingIndex)
+    debugPrint("win sub list", Windows.windowsInSubscriptionRetryLoop)
     guard Windows.list.count > 0 else { app.hideUi(); return }
     Windows.moveFocusedWindowIndexAfterWindowDestroyedInBackground(existingIndex)
     app.refreshOpenUi()
diff --git a/src/logic/Windows.swift b/src/logic/Windows.swift
index b6656858..530f61c7 100644
--- a/src/logic/Windows.swift
+++ b/src/logic/Windows.swift
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ class Windows {
     // order in the array is important: most-recently-used elements are first
     static var list = [Window]()
     static var focusedWindowIndex = Array<Window>.Index(0)
+    static var windowsInSubscriptionRetryLoop = [String]()
 
     static func focusedWindow() -> Window? {
         return list.count > focusedWindowIndex ? list[focusedWindowIndex] : nil
diff --git a/src/ui/App.swift b/src/ui/App.swift
index 6986922b..27962b1a 100644
--- a/src/ui/App.swift
+++ b/src/ui/App.swift
@@ -122,7 +122,8 @@ class App: NSApplication, NSApplicationDelegate {
             Windows.refreshAllThumbnails()
             Windows.focusedWindowIndex = 0
             Windows.cycleFocusedWindowIndex(step)
-            DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: DispatchTime.now() + Preferences.windowDisplayDelay, execute: {
+            DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: DispatchTime.now() + Preferences.windowDisplayDelay, execute: { [weak self] in
+                guard let self = self else { return }
                 self.refreshOpenUi()
                 if self.uiWorkShouldBeDone { self.thumbnailsPanel?.show() }
             })