diff --git a/lib/roles/cgi/cgi-server.c b/lib/roles/cgi/cgi-server.c
index 0adf2c95d..60b956f0b 100644
--- a/lib/roles/cgi/cgi-server.c
+++ b/lib/roles/cgi/cgi-server.c
@@ -35,6 +35,9 @@
 
 static const char *hex = "0123456789ABCDEF";
 
+void
+lws_cgi_sul_cb(lws_sorted_usec_list_t *sul);
+
 static int
 urlencode(const char *in, int inlen, char *out, int outlen)
 {
@@ -145,6 +148,11 @@ lws_cgi(struct lws *wsi, const char * const *exec_array,
 	cgi->cgi_list = pt->http.cgi_list;
 	pt->http.cgi_list = cgi;
 
+	/* if it's not already running, start the cleanup timer */
+	if (!pt->sul_cgi.list.owner)
+		lws_sul_schedule(pt->context, (int)(pt - pt->context->pt), &pt->sul_cgi,
+				 lws_cgi_sul_cb, 3 * LWS_US_PER_SEC);
+
 	sum += lws_snprintf(sum, lws_ptr_diff_size_t(sumend, sum), "%s ", exec_array[0]);
 
 	if (0) {
@@ -1095,4 +1103,7 @@ lws_cgi_remove_and_kill(struct lws *wsi)
 	/* we have a cgi going, we must kill it */
 	wsi->http.cgi->being_closed = 1;
 	lws_cgi_kill(wsi);
+
+	if (!pt->http.cgi_list)
+		lws_sul_cancel(&pt->sul_cgi);
 }
diff --git a/lib/roles/cgi/ops-cgi.c b/lib/roles/cgi/ops-cgi.c
index 346de4f4e..1b1c00145 100644
--- a/lib/roles/cgi/ops-cgi.c
+++ b/lib/roles/cgi/ops-cgi.c
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ rops_destroy_role_cgi(struct lws *wsi)
 	return 0;
 }
 
-static void
+void
 lws_cgi_sul_cb(lws_sorted_usec_list_t *sul)
 {
 	struct lws_context_per_thread *pt = lws_container_of(sul,
@@ -113,8 +113,9 @@ lws_cgi_sul_cb(lws_sorted_usec_list_t *sul)
 
 	lws_cgi_kill_terminated(pt);
 
-	lws_sul_schedule(pt->context, (int)(pt - pt->context->pt), &pt->sul_cgi,
-			 lws_cgi_sul_cb, 3 * LWS_US_PER_SEC);
+	if (pt->http.cgi_list)
+		lws_sul_schedule(pt->context, (int)(pt - pt->context->pt),
+				 &pt->sul_cgi, lws_cgi_sul_cb, 3 * LWS_US_PER_SEC);
 }
 
 static int
@@ -122,11 +123,8 @@ rops_pt_init_destroy_cgi(struct lws_context *context,
 		    const struct lws_context_creation_info *info,
 		    struct lws_context_per_thread *pt, int destroy)
 {
-	if (!destroy) {
-		lws_sul_schedule(context, (int)(pt - context->pt), &pt->sul_cgi,
-				 lws_cgi_sul_cb, 3 * LWS_US_PER_SEC);
-	} else
-		lws_sul_cancel(&pt->sul_cgi);
+
+	lws_sul_cancel(&pt->sul_cgi);
 
 	return 0;
 }