diff --git a/cmd/api_serve.go b/cmd/api_serve.go
index 22af04a8..d3ccdf77 100644
--- a/cmd/api_serve.go
+++ b/cmd/api_serve.go
@@ -65,6 +65,8 @@ func aptlyAPIServe(cmd *commander.Command, args []string) error {
 	signal.Notify(sigchan, syscall.SIGINT, syscall.SIGTERM)
 	go (func() {
 		if _, ok := <-sigchan; ok {
+			fmt.Printf("\nShutdown signal received, waiting for background tasks...\n")
+			context.TaskList().Wait()
 			server.Shutdown(stdcontext.Background())
 		}
 	})()
diff --git a/context/context.go b/context/context.go
index 30e84d42..7e468b0f 100644
--- a/context/context.go
+++ b/context/context.go
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import (
 	"runtime/pprof"
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
+	"syscall"
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/aptly-dev/aptly/aptly"
@@ -359,10 +360,7 @@ func (context *AptlyContext) ReOpenDatabase() error {
 
 // NewCollectionFactory builds factory producing all kinds of collections
 func (context *AptlyContext) NewCollectionFactory() *deb.CollectionFactory {
-	context.Lock()
-	defer context.Unlock()
-
-	db, err := context._database()
+	db, err := context.Database()
 	if err != nil {
 		Fatal(err)
 	}
@@ -560,7 +558,7 @@ func (context *AptlyContext) GoContextHandleSignals() {
 
 	// Catch ^C
 	sigch := make(chan os.Signal, 1)
-	signal.Notify(sigch, os.Interrupt)
+	signal.Notify(sigch, syscall.SIGINT, syscall.SIGTERM)
 
 	var cancel gocontext.CancelFunc
 
diff --git a/http/download.go b/http/download.go
index 5bb9d050..be7b2c78 100644
--- a/http/download.go
+++ b/http/download.go
@@ -133,6 +133,8 @@ func retryableError(err error) bool {
 	}
 
 	switch err {
+	case context.Canceled:
+		return false
 	case io.EOF:
 		return true
 	case io.ErrUnexpectedEOF:
diff --git a/http/download_test.go b/http/download_test.go
index 9cde0716..d0feccf3 100644
--- a/http/download_test.go
+++ b/http/download_test.go
@@ -154,3 +154,13 @@ func (s *DownloaderSuite) TestGetLengthConnectError(c *C) {
 
 	c.Assert(err, ErrorMatches, ".*no such host")
 }
+
+func (s *DownloaderSuite) TestContextCancel(c *C) {
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(s.ctx)
+	s.ctx = ctx
+
+	cancel()
+	_, err := s.d.GetLength(s.ctx, "http://nosuch.host.invalid./")
+
+	c.Assert(err, ErrorMatches, ".*context canceled.*")
+}