diff --git a/cmd/up.go b/cmd/up.go
index 15f8772..4ecd1e0 100644
--- a/cmd/up.go
+++ b/cmd/up.go
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ var up = &cobra.Command{
 			return fmt.Errorf("failed while rendering files from ignition config, err: %w", err)
 		}
 
-		signals := make(chan os.Signal)
+		signals := make(chan os.Signal, 1)
 		signal.Notify(signals,
 			syscall.SIGTERM,
 			syscall.SIGINT,
diff --git a/pkg/proc/basejob_test.go b/pkg/proc/basejob_test.go
index 28d84cd..cf28654 100644
--- a/pkg/proc/basejob_test.go
+++ b/pkg/proc/basejob_test.go
@@ -14,7 +14,8 @@ import (
 func startTestJob(t *testing.T) (*baseJob, chan error) {
 	t.Helper()
 
-	job, err := newBaseJob(&config.BaseJobConfig{
+	job := &baseJob{}
+	err := job.init(&config.BaseJobConfig{
 		Name:    "test-job",
 		Command: "sleep",
 		Args:    []string{"30"},
diff --git a/pkg/proc/types.go b/pkg/proc/types.go
index 0acdc08..bd6ccb1 100644
--- a/pkg/proc/types.go
+++ b/pkg/proc/types.go
@@ -131,21 +131,17 @@ type Job interface {
 	GetName() string
 }
 
-func newBaseJob(jobConfig *config.BaseJobConfig) (*baseJob, error) {
-	job := &baseJob{
-		Config:  jobConfig,
-		cmd:     nil,
-		restart: false,
-		stop:    false,
-		stdout:  os.Stdout,
-		stderr:  os.Stderr,
-	}
+// init initializes the baseJob in place; baseJob must not be copied once
+// initialized, since it contains sync.WaitGroup and atomic.Bool fields.
+func (job *baseJob) init(jobConfig *config.BaseJobConfig) error {
+	job.Config = jobConfig
+	job.stdout = os.Stdout
+	job.stderr = os.Stderr
 	job.phase.Set(JobPhaseReasonAwaitingReadiness)
-	if len(jobConfig.Stdout) == 0 {
-		return job, nil
-	}
 
-	return job, job.CreateAndOpenStdFile(jobConfig)
+	// no-ops for unset stdout/stderr, so it is safe to call unconditionally;
+	// stderr may be configured without stdout
+	return job.CreateAndOpenStdFile(jobConfig)
 }
 
 func (job *baseJob) CreateAndOpenStdFile(jobConfig *config.BaseJobConfig) error {
@@ -174,29 +170,26 @@ func (job *baseJob) CreateAndOpenStdFile(jobConfig *config.BaseJobConfig) error
 }
 
 func NewCommonJob(c *config.JobConfig) (*CommonJob, error) {
-	job, err := newBaseJob(&c.BaseJobConfig)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+	j := CommonJob{
+		Config: c,
 	}
 
-	j := CommonJob{
-		baseJob: *job,
-		Config:  c,
+	if err := j.baseJob.init(&c.BaseJobConfig); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
 	}
 
 	return &j, nil
 }
 
 func NewLazyJob(c *config.JobConfig) (*LazyJob, error) {
-	commonJob, err := NewCommonJob(c)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+	j := LazyJob{
+		CommonJob: CommonJob{
+			Config: c,
+		},
 	}
 
-	commonJob.phase.Set(JobPhaseReasonAwaitingReadiness)
-
-	j := LazyJob{
-		CommonJob: *commonJob,
+	if err := j.baseJob.init(&c.BaseJobConfig); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
 	}
 
 	if c.Laziness.SpinUpTimeout != "" {