diff --git a/internal/app/finalise.go b/internal/app/finalise.go
index d245942..39e1649 100644
--- a/internal/app/finalise.go
+++ b/internal/app/finalise.go
@@ -52,8 +52,6 @@ type outcome struct {
 	// initial [hst.Config] gob stream for state data;
 	// this is prepared ahead of time as config is clobbered during seal creation
 	ct io.WriterTo
-	// dump dbus proxy message buffer
-	dbusMsg func()
 
 	user hsuUser
 	sys  *system.I
@@ -548,13 +546,11 @@ func (k *outcome) finalise(ctx context.Context, msg container.Msg, config *hst.C
 		sessionPath, systemPath := share.instance().Append("bus"), share.instance().Append("system_bus_socket")
 
 		// configure dbus proxy
-		if f, err := k.sys.ProxyDBus(
+		if err := k.sys.ProxyDBus(
 			config.SessionBus, config.SystemBus,
 			sessionPath, systemPath,
 		); err != nil {
 			return err
-		} else {
-			k.dbusMsg = f
 		}
 
 		// share proxy sockets
diff --git a/internal/app/process.go b/internal/app/process.go
index 1687c86..29181ea 100644
--- a/internal/app/process.go
+++ b/internal/app/process.go
@@ -134,9 +134,6 @@ func (ms mainState) beforeExit(isFault bool) {
 				perror(err, "close wayland security context")
 			}
 		}
-		if ms.k.dbusMsg != nil {
-			ms.k.dbusMsg()
-		}
 	}
 
 	if ms.uintptr&mainNeedsRevert != 0 {
diff --git a/system/dbus.go b/system/dbus.go
index 9e1b92d..81236b4 100644
--- a/system/dbus.go
+++ b/system/dbus.go
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ var (
 
 // MustProxyDBus calls ProxyDBus and panics if an error is returned.
 func (sys *I) MustProxyDBus(sessionPath *container.Absolute, session *dbus.Config, systemPath *container.Absolute, system *dbus.Config) *I {
-	if _, err := sys.ProxyDBus(session, system, sessionPath, systemPath); err != nil {
+	if err := sys.ProxyDBus(session, system, sessionPath, systemPath); err != nil {
 		panic(err.Error())
 	} else {
 		return sys
@@ -31,12 +31,12 @@ func (sys *I) MustProxyDBus(sessionPath *container.Absolute, session *dbus.Confi
 
 // ProxyDBus finalises configuration ahead of time and starts xdg-dbus-proxy via [dbus] and terminates it on revert.
 // This [Op] is always [Process] scoped.
-func (sys *I) ProxyDBus(session, system *dbus.Config, sessionPath, systemPath *container.Absolute) (func(), error) {
+func (sys *I) ProxyDBus(session, system *dbus.Config, sessionPath, systemPath *container.Absolute) error {
 	d := new(dbusProxyOp)
 
 	// session bus is required as otherwise this is effectively a very expensive noop
 	if session == nil {
-		return nil, newOpErrorMessage("dbus", ErrDBusConfig,
+		return newOpErrorMessage("dbus", ErrDBusConfig,
 			"attempted to create message bus proxy args without session bus config", false)
 	}
 
@@ -49,10 +49,10 @@ func (sys *I) ProxyDBus(session, system *dbus.Config, sessionPath, systemPath *c
 	d.out = &linePrefixWriter{println: log.Println, prefix: "(dbus) ", buf: new(strings.Builder)}
 	if final, err := sys.dbusFinalise(sessionBus, systemBus, session, system); err != nil {
 		if errors.Is(err, syscall.EINVAL) {
-			return nil, newOpErrorMessage("dbus", err,
+			return newOpErrorMessage("dbus", err,
 				"message bus proxy configuration contains NUL byte", false)
 		}
-		return nil, newOpErrorMessage("dbus", err,
+		return newOpErrorMessage("dbus", err,
 			fmt.Sprintf("cannot finalise message bus proxy: %v", err), false)
 	} else {
 		if sys.msg.IsVerbose() {
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ func (sys *I) ProxyDBus(session, system *dbus.Config, sessionPath, systemPath *c
 	}
 
 	sys.ops = append(sys.ops, d)
-	return d.out.Dump, nil
+	return nil
 }
 
 // dbusProxyOp implements [I.ProxyDBus].
@@ -108,6 +108,10 @@ func (d *dbusProxyOp) revert(sys *I, _ *Criteria) error {
 	exitMessage := "message bus proxy exit"
 	defer func() { sys.msg.Verbose(exitMessage) }()
 
+	if d.out != nil {
+		d.out.Dump()
+	}
+
 	err := sys.dbusProxyWait(d.proxy)
 	if errors.Is(err, context.Canceled) {
 		exitMessage = "message bus proxy canceled upstream"
diff --git a/system/dbus_test.go b/system/dbus_test.go
index f20f984..0f3033a 100644
--- a/system/dbus_test.go
+++ b/system/dbus_test.go
@@ -82,10 +82,8 @@ func TestDBusProxyOp(t *testing.T) {
 				Op: "dbus", Err: ErrDBusConfig,
 				Msg: "attempted to create message bus proxy args without session bus config",
 			}
-			if f, err := sys.ProxyDBus(nil, new(dbus.Config), nil, nil); !reflect.DeepEqual(err, wantErr) {
+			if err := sys.ProxyDBus(nil, new(dbus.Config), nil, nil); !reflect.DeepEqual(err, wantErr) {
 				t.Errorf("ProxyDBus: error = %v, want %v", err, wantErr)
-			} else if f != nil {
-				t.Errorf("ProxyDBus: f = %p", f)
 			}
 		}, nil, stub.Expect{}},
 
@@ -120,7 +118,7 @@ func TestDBusProxyOp(t *testing.T) {
 				Op: "dbus", Err: stub.UniqueError(0),
 				Msg: "cannot finalise message bus proxy: unique error 0 injected by the test suite",
 			}
-			if f, err := sys.ProxyDBus(
+			if err := sys.ProxyDBus(
 				&dbus.Config{
 					// use impossible value here as an implicit assert that it goes through the stub
 					Talk: []string{"session\x00"}, Filter: true,
@@ -131,8 +129,6 @@ func TestDBusProxyOp(t *testing.T) {
 				m("/tmp/hakurei.0/99dd71ee2146369514e0d10783368f8f/bus"),
 				m("/tmp/hakurei.0/99dd71ee2146369514e0d10783368f8f/system_bus_socket")); !reflect.DeepEqual(err, wantErr) {
 				t.Errorf("ProxyDBus: error = %v", err)
-			} else if f != nil {
-				t.Errorf("ProxyDBus: f = %p", f)
 			}
 		}, nil, stub.Expect{Calls: []stub.Call{
 			call("dbusAddress", stub.ExpectArgs{}, [2]string{"unix:path=/run/user/1000/bus", "unix:path=/run/dbus/system_bus_socket"}, nil),