diff --git a/src/rt/memory_region.cpp b/src/rt/memory_region.cpp
index 6e651590197..44924218e57 100644
--- a/src/rt/memory_region.cpp
+++ b/src/rt/memory_region.cpp
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 // NB: please do not commit code with this uncommented. It's
 // hugely expensive and should only be used as a last resort.
 //
-// #define TRACK_ALLOCATIONS
+#define TRACK_ALLOCATIONS
 
 #define MAGIC 0xbadc0ffe
 
diff --git a/src/rt/rust_chan.cpp b/src/rt/rust_chan.cpp
index 9253d7d0361..dc6ea0fefdf 100644
--- a/src/rt/rust_chan.cpp
+++ b/src/rt/rust_chan.cpp
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ void rust_chan::disassociate() {
         //     "disassociating chan: 0x%" PRIxPTR " from port: 0x%" PRIxPTR,
         //     this, port->referent());
         --this->ref_count;
-        --this->task->ref_count;
+        task->deref();
         this->task = NULL;
         port->referent()->chans.swap_delete(this);
     }
@@ -109,22 +109,10 @@ void rust_chan::send(void *sptr) {
     return;
 }
 
-rust_chan *rust_chan::clone(maybe_proxy<rust_task> *target) {
+rust_chan *rust_chan::clone(rust_task *target) {
     size_t unit_sz = buffer.unit_sz;
     maybe_proxy<rust_port> *port = this->port;
-    rust_task *target_task = NULL;
-    if (target->is_proxy() == false) {
-        port = this->port;
-        target_task = target->referent();
-    } else {
-        rust_handle<rust_port> *handle =
-            task->sched->kernel->get_port_handle(port->as_referent());
-        maybe_proxy<rust_port> *proxy = new rust_proxy<rust_port> (handle);
-        DLOG(task->sched, mem, "new proxy: " PTR, proxy);
-        port = proxy;
-        target_task = target->as_proxy()->handle()->referent();
-    }
-    return new (target_task->kernel, "cloned chan")
+    return new (target->kernel, "cloned chan")
         rust_chan(kernel, port, unit_sz);
 }
 
diff --git a/src/rt/rust_chan.h b/src/rt/rust_chan.h
index 056d70cebe4..68cdd31b3cc 100644
--- a/src/rt/rust_chan.h
+++ b/src/rt/rust_chan.h
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ public:
 
     void send(void *sptr);
 
-    rust_chan *clone(maybe_proxy<rust_task> *target);
+    rust_chan *clone(rust_task *target);
 
     // Called whenever the channel's ref count drops to zero.
     void destroy();
diff --git a/src/rt/rust_message.cpp b/src/rt/rust_message.cpp
index 59645d6d5bd..f8001a17193 100644
--- a/src/rt/rust_message.cpp
+++ b/src/rt/rust_message.cpp
@@ -61,8 +61,8 @@ void notify_message::process() {
         break;
     case JOIN: {
         if (task->dead() == false) {
-            rust_proxy<rust_task> *proxy = new rust_proxy<rust_task>(_source);
-            task->tasks_waiting_to_join.append(proxy);
+            // FIXME: this should be dead code.
+            assert(false);
         } else {
             send(WAKEUP, "wakeup", _target, _source);
         }
diff --git a/src/rt/rust_scheduler.cpp b/src/rt/rust_scheduler.cpp
index 4f19b0c681b..245ee3d5fce 100644
--- a/src/rt/rust_scheduler.cpp
+++ b/src/rt/rust_scheduler.cpp
@@ -89,14 +89,14 @@ rust_scheduler::reap_dead_tasks(int id) {
         rust_task *task = dead_tasks[i];
         task->lock.lock();
         // Make sure this task isn't still running somewhere else...
-        if (task->ref_count == 0 && task->can_schedule(id)) {
+        if (task->can_schedule(id)) {
             I(this, task->tasks_waiting_to_join.is_empty());
             dead_tasks.remove(task);
             DLOG(this, task,
                 "deleting unreferenced dead task %s @0x%" PRIxPTR,
                 task->name, task);
             task->lock.unlock();
-            delete task;
+            task->deref();
             sync::decrement(kernel->live_tasks);
             kernel->wakeup_schedulers();
             continue;
@@ -174,9 +174,8 @@ rust_scheduler::log_state() {
     if (!dead_tasks.is_empty()) {
         log(NULL, log_note, "dead tasks:");
         for (size_t i = 0; i < dead_tasks.length(); i++) {
-            log(NULL, log_note, "\t task: %s 0x%" PRIxPTR ", ref_count: %d",
-                dead_tasks[i]->name, dead_tasks[i],
-                dead_tasks[i]->ref_count);
+            log(NULL, log_note, "\t task: %s 0x%" PRIxPTR,
+                dead_tasks[i]->name, dead_tasks[i]);
         }
     }
 }
@@ -225,15 +224,13 @@ rust_scheduler::start_main_loop() {
         I(this, scheduled_task->running());
 
         DLOG(this, task,
-            "activating task %s 0x%" PRIxPTR
-            ", sp=0x%" PRIxPTR
-            ", ref_count=%d"
-            ", state: %s",
-            scheduled_task->name,
-            (uintptr_t)scheduled_task,
-            scheduled_task->rust_sp,
-            scheduled_task->ref_count,
-            scheduled_task->state->name);
+             "activating task %s 0x%" PRIxPTR
+             ", sp=0x%" PRIxPTR
+             ", state: %s",
+             scheduled_task->name,
+             (uintptr_t)scheduled_task,
+             scheduled_task->rust_sp,
+             scheduled_task->state->name);
 
         interrupt_flag = 0;
 
diff --git a/src/rt/rust_task.cpp b/src/rt/rust_task.cpp
index 05efc12e4d4..a144879cc04 100644
--- a/src/rt/rust_task.cpp
+++ b/src/rt/rust_task.cpp
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ size_t const callee_save_fp = 0;
 
 rust_task::rust_task(rust_scheduler *sched, rust_task_list *state,
                      rust_task *spawner, const char *name) :
-    maybe_proxy<rust_task>(this),
+    ref_count(1),
     stk(NULL),
     runtime_sp(0),
     rust_sp(0),
@@ -92,10 +92,6 @@ rust_task::rust_task(rust_scheduler *sched, rust_task_list *state,
 
     stk = new_stk(this, 0);
     rust_sp = stk->limit;
-
-    if (spawner == NULL) {
-        ref_count = 0;
-    }
 }
 
 rust_task::~rust_task()
@@ -131,10 +127,6 @@ void task_start_wrapper(spawn_args *a)
 
     LOG(task, task, "task exited with value %d", rval);
 
-
-    LOG(task, task, "task ref_count: %d", task->ref_count);
-    A(task->sched, task->ref_count >= 0,
-      "Task ref_count should not be negative on exit!");
     task->die();
     task->lock.lock();
     task->notify_tasks_waiting_to_join();
@@ -263,17 +255,10 @@ rust_task::notify_tasks_waiting_to_join() {
     while (tasks_waiting_to_join.is_empty() == false) {
         LOG(this, task, "notify_tasks_waiting_to_join: %d",
             tasks_waiting_to_join.size());
-        maybe_proxy<rust_task> *waiting_task = 0;
+        rust_task *waiting_task = 0;
         tasks_waiting_to_join.pop(&waiting_task);
-        if (waiting_task->is_proxy()) {
-            notify_message::send(notify_message::WAKEUP, "wakeup",
-                get_handle(), waiting_task->as_proxy()->handle());
-            delete waiting_task;
-        } else {
-            rust_task *task = waiting_task->referent();
-            if (task->blocked() == true) {
-                task->wakeup(this);
-            }
+        if (waiting_task->blocked() == true) {
+            waiting_task->wakeup(this);
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/rt/rust_task.h b/src/rt/rust_task.h
index 9b1a3a39582..8b55c0028a9 100644
--- a/src/rt/rust_task.h
+++ b/src/rt/rust_task.h
@@ -34,10 +34,19 @@ struct gc_alloc {
     }
 };
 
+
 struct
-rust_task : public maybe_proxy<rust_task>,
-            public kernel_owned<rust_task>
+rust_task : public kernel_owned<rust_task>, rust_cond
 {
+    // This block could be pulled out into something like a
+    // RUST_ATOMIC_REFCOUNTED macro.
+private:
+    intptr_t ref_count;
+public:
+    void ref() { sync::increment(ref_count); }
+    void deref() { if(0 == sync::decrement(ref_count)) { delete this; } }
+
+
     // Fields known to the compiler.
     stk_seg *stk;
     uintptr_t runtime_sp;      // Runtime sp while task running.
@@ -69,7 +78,7 @@ rust_task : public maybe_proxy<rust_task>,
     uintptr_t* rendezvous_ptr;
 
     // List of tasks waiting for this task to finish.
-    array_list<maybe_proxy<rust_task> *> tasks_waiting_to_join;
+    array_list<rust_task *> tasks_waiting_to_join;
 
     rust_handle<rust_task> *handle;
 
diff --git a/src/rt/rust_upcall.cpp b/src/rt/rust_upcall.cpp
index 103aa49a6e9..794bbc9c244 100644
--- a/src/rt/rust_upcall.cpp
+++ b/src/rt/rust_upcall.cpp
@@ -6,12 +6,10 @@
 #define LOG_UPCALL_ENTRY(task)                            \
     LOG(task, upcall,                                     \
         "> UPCALL %s - task: %s 0x%" PRIxPTR              \
-        " retpc: x%" PRIxPTR                              \
-        " ref_count: %d",                                 \
+        " retpc: x%" PRIxPTR,                             \
         __FUNCTION__,                                     \
         (task)->name, (task),                             \
-        __builtin_return_address(0),                      \
-        (task->ref_count));
+        __builtin_return_address(0));
 #else
 #define LOG_UPCALL_ENTRY(task)                            \
     LOG(task, upcall, "> UPCALL task: %s @x%" PRIxPTR,    \
@@ -114,8 +112,8 @@ upcall_del_port(rust_task *task, rust_port *port) {
     I(task->sched, !port->ref_count);
     delete port;
 
-    // FIXME: We shouldn't ever directly manipulate the ref count.
-    --task->ref_count;
+    // FIXME: this should happen in the port.
+    task->deref();
 }
 
 /**
@@ -162,7 +160,7 @@ void upcall_del_chan(rust_task *task, rust_chan *chan) {
  * has its own copy of the channel.
  */
 extern "C" CDECL rust_chan *
-upcall_clone_chan(rust_task *task, maybe_proxy<rust_task> *target,
+upcall_clone_chan(rust_task *task, rust_task *target,
                   rust_chan *chan) {
     LOG_UPCALL_ENTRY(task);
     return chan->clone(target);
@@ -247,18 +245,10 @@ upcall_fail(rust_task *task,
  * Called whenever a task's ref count drops to zero.
  */
 extern "C" CDECL void
-upcall_kill(rust_task *task, maybe_proxy<rust_task> *target) {
+upcall_kill(rust_task *task, rust_task *target) {
     LOG_UPCALL_ENTRY(task);
 
-    if (target->is_proxy()) {
-        notify_message::
-        send(notify_message::KILL, "kill", task->get_handle(),
-             target->as_proxy()->handle());
-        // The proxy ref_count dropped to zero, delete it here.
-        delete target->as_proxy();
-    } else {
-        target->referent()->kill();
-    }
+    target->kill();
 }
 
 /**
@@ -267,9 +257,6 @@ upcall_kill(rust_task *task, maybe_proxy<rust_task> *target) {
 extern "C" CDECL void
 upcall_exit(rust_task *task) {
     LOG_UPCALL_ENTRY(task);
-    LOG(task, task, "task ref_count: %d", task->ref_count);
-    A(task->sched, task->ref_count >= 0,
-      "Task ref_count should not be negative on exit!");
     task->die();
     task->notify_tasks_waiting_to_join();
     task->yield(1);
@@ -544,6 +531,7 @@ upcall_new_task(rust_task *spawner, rust_vec *name) {
     scoped_lock with(spawner->sched->lock);
     rust_task *task =
         spawner->kernel->create_task(spawner, (const char *)name->data);
+    task->ref();
     return task;
 }
 
@@ -559,8 +547,7 @@ extern "C" CDECL void
 upcall_drop_task(rust_task *task, rust_task *target) {
     LOG_UPCALL_ENTRY(task);
     if(target) {
-        //target->deref();
-        --target->ref_count;
+        target->deref();
     }
 }