diff --git a/bin/mpdevil b/bin/mpdevil
index c9da2ec..6d14bcd 100755
--- a/bin/mpdevil
+++ b/bin/mpdevil
@@ -1793,75 +1793,127 @@ class ArtistPopover(Gtk.Popover):
 # browser #
 ###########
 
+class SearchThread(threading.Thread):
+	def __init__(self, client, search_entry, songs_window, hits_label, search_tag):
+		super().__init__(daemon=True)
+		self._client=client
+		self._search_entry=search_entry
+		self._songs_view=songs_window.get_treeview()
+		self._store=self._songs_view.get_model()
+		self._action_bar=songs_window.get_action_bar()
+		self._hits_label=hits_label
+		self._search_tag=search_tag
+		self._stop_flag=False
+		self._callback=None
+
+	def set_callback(self, callback):
+		self._callback=callback
+
+	def stop(self):
+		self._stop_flag=True
+
+	def start(self):
+		self._songs_view.clear()
+		self._hits_label.set_text("")
+		self._action_bar.set_sensitive(False)
+		self._search_text=self._search_entry.get_text()
+		if self._search_text:
+			super().start()
+		else:
+			self._exit()
+
+	def run(self):
+		hits=0
+		stripe_size=1000
+		songs=self._get_songs(0, stripe_size)
+		stripe_start=stripe_size
+		while songs:
+			hits+=len(songs)
+			if not self._append_songs(songs):
+				self._exit()
+				return
+			GLib.idle_add(self._search_entry.progress_pulse)
+			GLib.idle_add(self._hits_label.set_text, ngettext("{hits} hit", "{hits} hits", hits).format(hits=hits))
+			stripe_end=stripe_start+stripe_size
+			songs=self._get_songs(stripe_start, stripe_end)
+			stripe_start=stripe_end
+		if hits > 0:
+			GLib.idle_add(self._action_bar.set_sensitive, True)
+		self._exit()
+
+	def _exit(self):
+		def callback():
+			self._search_entry.set_progress_fraction(0.0)
+			if self._callback is not None:
+				self._callback()
+			return False
+		GLib.idle_add(callback)
+
+	@main_thread_function
+	def _get_songs(self, start, end):
+		if self._stop_flag:
+			return []
+		else:
+			self._client.restrict_tagtypes("track", "title", "artist", "album")
+			songs=self._client.search(self._search_tag, self._search_text, "window", f"{start}:{end}")
+			self._client.tagtypes("all")
+			return songs
+
+	@main_thread_function
+	def _append_songs(self, songs):
+		for song in songs:
+			if self._stop_flag:
+				return False
+			try:
+				int_track=int(song["track"][0])
+			except ValueError:
+				int_track=0
+			self._store.insert_with_valuesv(-1, range(7), [
+					str(song["track"]), str(song["title"]),
+					str(song["artist"]), str(song["album"]),
+					str(song["duration"]), song["file"],
+					int_track
+			])
+		return True
+
 class SearchWindow(Gtk.Box):
 	def __init__(self, client):
 		super().__init__(orientation=Gtk.Orientation.VERTICAL)
 		self._client=client
-		self._stop_flag=False
-		self._done=True
-		self._pending=[]
 
-		# tag switcher
+		# widgets
 		self._tag_combo_box=Gtk.ComboBoxText()
-
-		# search entry
 		self.search_entry=Gtk.SearchEntry()
-
-		# label
 		self._hits_label=Gtk.Label(xalign=1)
 
-		# store
+		# songs window
 		# (track, title, artist, album, duration, file, sort track)
 		self._store=Gtk.ListStore(str, str, str, str, str, str, int)
 		self._store.set_default_sort_func(lambda *args: 0)
-
-		# songs window
 		self._songs_window=SongsWindow(self._client, self._store, 5)
-
-		# action bar
 		self._action_bar=self._songs_window.get_action_bar()
-		self._action_bar.set_sensitive(False)
-
-		# songs view
 		self._songs_view=self._songs_window.get_treeview()
 
 		# columns
 		renderer_text=Gtk.CellRendererText(ellipsize=Pango.EllipsizeMode.END, ellipsize_set=True)
 		renderer_text_ralign=Gtk.CellRendererText(xalign=1.0)
+		column_data=(
+			(_("No"), renderer_text_ralign, False, 0, 6),
+			(_("Title"), renderer_text, True, 1, 1),
+			(_("Artist"), renderer_text, True, 2, 2),
+			(_("Album"), renderer_text, True, 3, 3),
+			(_("Length"), renderer_text_ralign, False, 4, 4),
+		)
+		for title, renderer, expand, text, sort in column_data:
+			column=Gtk.TreeViewColumn(title, renderer, text=text)
+			column.set_sizing(Gtk.TreeViewColumnSizing.AUTOSIZE)
+			column.set_property("resizable", False)
+			column.set_property("expand", expand)
+			column.set_sort_column_id(sort)
+			self._songs_view.append_column(column)
 
-		column_track=Gtk.TreeViewColumn(_("No"), renderer_text_ralign, text=0)
-		column_track.set_sizing(Gtk.TreeViewColumnSizing.AUTOSIZE)
-		column_track.set_property("resizable", False)
-		self._songs_view.append_column(column_track)
-
-		column_title=Gtk.TreeViewColumn(_("Title"), renderer_text, text=1)
-		column_title.set_sizing(Gtk.TreeViewColumnSizing.AUTOSIZE)
-		column_title.set_property("resizable", False)
-		column_title.set_property("expand", True)
-		self._songs_view.append_column(column_title)
-
-		column_artist=Gtk.TreeViewColumn(_("Artist"), renderer_text, text=2)
-		column_artist.set_sizing(Gtk.TreeViewColumnSizing.AUTOSIZE)
-		column_artist.set_property("resizable", False)
-		column_artist.set_property("expand", True)
-		self._songs_view.append_column(column_artist)
-
-		column_album=Gtk.TreeViewColumn(_("Album"), renderer_text, text=3)
-		column_album.set_sizing(Gtk.TreeViewColumnSizing.AUTOSIZE)
-		column_album.set_property("resizable", False)
-		column_album.set_property("expand", True)
-		self._songs_view.append_column(column_album)
-
-		column_time=Gtk.TreeViewColumn(_("Length"), renderer_text, text=4)
-		column_time.set_sizing(Gtk.TreeViewColumnSizing.AUTOSIZE)
-		column_time.set_property("resizable", False)
-		self._songs_view.append_column(column_time)
-
-		column_track.set_sort_column_id(6)
-		column_title.set_sort_column_id(1)
-		column_artist.set_sort_column_id(2)
-		column_album.set_sort_column_id(3)
-		column_time.set_sort_column_id(4)
+		# search thread
+		self._search_thread=SearchThread(self._client, self.search_entry, self._songs_window, self._hits_label, "any")
 
 		# connect
 		self.search_entry.connect("activate", self._search)
@@ -1883,107 +1935,44 @@ class SearchWindow(Gtk.Box):
 		self.pack_start(Gtk.Separator(orientation=Gtk.Orientation.HORIZONTAL), False, False, 0)
 		self.pack_start(self._songs_window, True, True, 0)
 
-	def _clear(self, *args):
-		if self._done:
-			self.search_entry.handler_block(self._search_entry_changed)
-			self._tag_combo_box.handler_block(self._tag_combo_box_changed)
-			self._songs_view.clear()
-			self.search_entry.set_text("")
-			self._tag_combo_box.remove_all()
-			self.search_entry.handler_unblock(self._search_entry_changed)
-			self._tag_combo_box.handler_unblock(self._tag_combo_box_changed)
-		elif not self._clear in self._pending:
-			self._stop_flag=True
-			self._pending.append(self._clear)
-
 	def _on_disconnected(self, *args):
-		self._tag_combo_box.set_sensitive(False)
-		self.search_entry.set_sensitive(False)
-		self._clear()
+		self._search_thread.stop()
 
 	def _on_reconnected(self, *args):
-		if self._done:
+		def callback():
+			self._action_bar.set_sensitive(False)
+			self._songs_view.clear()
+			self._hits_label.set_text("")
+			self.search_entry.handler_block(self._search_entry_changed)
+			self.search_entry.set_text("")
+			self.search_entry.handler_unblock(self._search_entry_changed)
 			self._tag_combo_box.handler_block(self._tag_combo_box_changed)
+			self._tag_combo_box.remove_all()
 			self._tag_combo_box.append_text(_("all tags"))
 			for tag in self._client.tagtypes():
 				if not tag.startswith("MUSICBRAINZ"):
 					self._tag_combo_box.append_text(tag)
 			self._tag_combo_box.set_active(0)
-			self._tag_combo_box.set_sensitive(True)
-			self.search_entry.set_sensitive(True)
 			self._tag_combo_box.handler_unblock(self._tag_combo_box_changed)
-		elif not self._on_reconnected in self._pending:
-			self._stop_flag=True
-			self._pending.append(self._on_reconnected)
+		if self._search_thread.is_alive():
+			self._search_thread.set_callback(callback)
+			self._search_thread.stop()
+		else:
+			callback()
 
 	def _search(self, *args):
-		if self._done:
-			self._done=False
-			self._songs_view.clear()
-			self._hits_label.set_text("")
-			self._action_bar.set_sensitive(False)
-			hits=0
-			if self.search_entry.get_text():
-				if self._tag_combo_box.get_active() == 0:
-					search_tag="any"
-				else:
-					search_tag=self._tag_combo_box.get_active_text()
-				search_text=self.search_entry.get_text()
-				stripe_size=1000
-				self._client.restrict_tagtypes("track", "title", "artist", "album")
-				try:  # client cloud meanwhile disconnect
-					songs=self._client.search(search_tag, search_text, "window", f"0:{stripe_size}")
-				except MPDBase.ConnectionError:
-					self._done_callback()
-					return
-				stripe_start=stripe_size
-				while songs:
-					hits+=len(songs)
-					for song in songs:
-						if self._stop_flag:
-							self._done_callback()
-							return
-						try:
-							int_track=int(song["track"][0])
-						except ValueError:
-							int_track=0
-						self._store.insert_with_valuesv(-1, range(7), [
-								str(song["track"]), str(song["title"]),
-								str(song["artist"]), str(song["album"]),
-								str(song["duration"]), song["file"],
-								int_track
-						])
-					self.search_entry.progress_pulse()
-					self._hits_label.set_text(ngettext("{hits} hit", "{hits} hits", hits).format(hits=hits))
-					while Gtk.events_pending():
-						Gtk.main_iteration_do(True)
-					stripe_end=stripe_start+stripe_size
-					try:  # client cloud meanwhile disconnect
-						songs=self._client.search(search_tag, search_text, "window", f"{stripe_start}:{stripe_end}")
-					except MPDBase.ConnectionError:
-						self._done_callback()
-						return
-					stripe_start+=stripe_size
-				self._client.tagtypes("all")
-			if hits > 0:
-				self._action_bar.set_sensitive(True)
-			self._done_callback()
-		elif not self._search in self._pending:
-			self._stop_flag=True
-			self._pending.append(self._search)
-
-	def _done_callback(self, *args):
-		self.search_entry.set_progress_fraction(0.0)
-		self._stop_flag=False
-		self._done=True
-		pending=self._pending
-		self._pending=[]
-		for p in pending:
-			try:
-				p()
-			except:
-				pass
-		return False
+		def callback():
+			if self._tag_combo_box.get_active() == 0:
+				search_tag="any"
+			else:
+				search_tag=self._tag_combo_box.get_active_text()
+			self._search_thread=SearchThread(self._client, self.search_entry, self._songs_window, self._hits_label, search_tag)
+			self._search_thread.start()
+		if self._search_thread.is_alive():
+			self._search_thread.set_callback(callback)
+			self._search_thread.stop()
+		else:
+			callback()
 
 	def _on_search_entry_focus_event(self, widget, event, focus):
 		app=self.get_toplevel().get_application()