diff --git a/include/villas/nodes/webrtc/signaling_client.hpp b/include/villas/nodes/webrtc/signaling_client.hpp
index 7dc21cae6..608b45aab 100644
--- a/include/villas/nodes/webrtc/signaling_client.hpp
+++ b/include/villas/nodes/webrtc/signaling_client.hpp
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ public:
 	void connect();
 	void disconnect();
 
-	void sendMessage(const SignalingMessage &msg);
+	void sendMessage(SignalingMessage);
 
 	void onMessage(std::function<void(SignalingMessage)> callback)
 	{
diff --git a/include/villas/nodes/webrtc/signaling_message.hpp b/include/villas/nodes/webrtc/signaling_message.hpp
index db4279995..ac9b93539 100644
--- a/include/villas/nodes/webrtc/signaling_message.hpp
+++ b/include/villas/nodes/webrtc/signaling_message.hpp
@@ -44,10 +44,10 @@ struct ControlMessage {
 	json_t * toJSON() const;
 };
 
-class SignalingMessage : public std::variant<std::monostate, RelayMessage, ControlMessage, rtc::Description, rtc::Candidate> {
-public:
-	using variant::variant;
-	SignalingMessage(json_t *j);
+struct SignalingMessage {
+	std::variant<std::monostate, RelayMessage, ControlMessage, rtc::Description, rtc::Candidate> message;
+
+	static SignalingMessage fromJSON(json_t *j);
 	json_t * toJSON() const;
 	std::string toString() const;
 };
diff --git a/lib/nodes/webrtc/peer_connection.cpp b/lib/nodes/webrtc/peer_connection.cpp
index 77e5cd56f..df9e575f8 100644
--- a/lib/nodes/webrtc/peer_connection.cpp
+++ b/lib/nodes/webrtc/peer_connection.cpp
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ void PeerConnection::onLocalDescription(rtc::Description desc)
 
 	auto lock = std::unique_lock { mutex };
 
-	client->sendMessage(desc);
+	client->sendMessage({ desc });
 }
 
 void PeerConnection::onLocalCandidate(rtc::Candidate cand)
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ void PeerConnection::onLocalCandidate(rtc::Candidate cand)
 
 	auto lock = std::unique_lock { mutex };
 
-	client->sendMessage(cand);
+	client->sendMessage({ cand });
 }
 
 void PeerConnection::onConnectionStateChange(rtc::PeerConnection::State state)
@@ -327,7 +327,7 @@ void PeerConnection::onSignalingMessage(SignalingMessage msg)
 		[&](auto other){
 			logger->warn("unknown signaling message");
 		}
-	}, msg);
+	}, msg.message);
 }
 
 void PeerConnection::onDataChannel(std::shared_ptr<rtc::DataChannel> dc)
diff --git a/lib/nodes/webrtc/signaling_client.cpp b/lib/nodes/webrtc/signaling_client.cpp
index a2cfd2d68..e5864df3b 100644
--- a/lib/nodes/webrtc/signaling_client.cpp
+++ b/lib/nodes/webrtc/signaling_client.cpp
@@ -206,14 +206,14 @@ int SignalingClient::receive(void *in, size_t len)
 
 	logger->debug("Signaling message received: {:.{}}", (char *)in, len);
 
-	cbMessage(SignalingMessage { json });
+	cbMessage(SignalingMessage::fromJSON(json));
 
 	json_decref(json);
 
 	return 0;
 }
 
-void SignalingClient::sendMessage(const SignalingMessage &msg)
+void SignalingClient::sendMessage(SignalingMessage msg)
 {
 	outgoingMessages.push(msg);
 
diff --git a/lib/nodes/webrtc/signaling_message.cpp b/lib/nodes/webrtc/signaling_message.cpp
index 38150f699..fa2380bf6 100644
--- a/lib/nodes/webrtc/signaling_message.cpp
+++ b/lib/nodes/webrtc/signaling_message.cpp
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ json_t * SignalingMessage::toJSON() const
 		[](auto &other){
 			return (json_t *) { nullptr };
 		}
-	}, *this);
+	}, message);
 }
 
 std::string SignalingMessage::toString() const
@@ -160,11 +160,13 @@ std::string SignalingMessage::toString() const
 		[](auto other){
 			return fmt::format("invalid signaling message");
 		}
-	}, *this);
+	}, message);
 }
 
-SignalingMessage::SignalingMessage(json_t *json)
+SignalingMessage SignalingMessage::fromJSON(json_t *json)
 {
+	auto self = SignalingMessage { std::monostate() };
+
 	// relay message
 	json_t *rlys = nullptr;
 	// control message
@@ -193,15 +195,17 @@ SignalingMessage::SignalingMessage(json_t *json)
 		throw RuntimeError("Failed to decode signaling message");
 
 	if (rlys) {
-		emplace<RelayMessage>(rlys);
+		self.message.emplace<RelayMessage>(rlys);
 	}
 	else if (ctrl) {
-		emplace<ControlMessage>(ctrl);
+		self.message.emplace<ControlMessage>(ctrl);
 	}
 	else if (cand) {
-		emplace<rtc::Candidate>(cand, mid);
+		self.message.emplace<rtc::Candidate>(cand, mid);
 	}
 	else if (desc) {
-		emplace<rtc::Description>(desc, typ);
+		self.message.emplace<rtc::Description>(desc, typ);
 	}
+
+	return self;
 }