diff --git a/spring-messaging/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/tcp/reactor/AbstractPromiseToListenableFutureAdapter.java b/spring-messaging/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/tcp/reactor/AbstractPromiseToListenableFutureAdapter.java
index 935128ae76..e635e310ab 100644
--- a/spring-messaging/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/tcp/reactor/AbstractPromiseToListenableFutureAdapter.java
+++ b/spring-messaging/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/tcp/reactor/AbstractPromiseToListenableFutureAdapter.java
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ abstract class AbstractPromiseToListenableFutureAdapter<S, T> implements Listena
 	@Override
 	public T get(long timeout, TimeUnit unit) throws InterruptedException, ExecutionException, TimeoutException {
 		S result = this.promise.await(timeout, unit);
-		if (result == null) {
+		if (!this.promise.isComplete()) {
 			throw new TimeoutException();
 		}
 		return adapt(result);
diff --git a/spring-messaging/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/tcp/reactor/Reactor2TcpClient.java b/spring-messaging/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/tcp/reactor/Reactor2TcpClient.java
index f454243ba2..c9601e4479 100644
--- a/spring-messaging/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/tcp/reactor/Reactor2TcpClient.java
+++ b/spring-messaging/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/tcp/reactor/Reactor2TcpClient.java
@@ -21,8 +21,11 @@ import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Properties;
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicBoolean;
 
 import io.netty.channel.nio.NioEventLoopGroup;
+import io.netty.util.concurrent.Future;
+import io.netty.util.concurrent.FutureListener;
 import org.reactivestreams.Publisher;
 import reactor.Environment;
 import reactor.core.config.ConfigurationReader;
@@ -79,6 +82,10 @@ public class Reactor2TcpClient<P> implements TcpOperations<P> {
 	private final List<TcpClient<Message<P>, Message<P>>> tcpClients =
 			new ArrayList<TcpClient<Message<P>, Message<P>>>();
 
+	private final NioEventLoopGroup eventLoopGroup;
+
+	private boolean stopping;
+
 
 	/**
 	 * A constructor that creates a {@link TcpClientSpec TcpClientSpec} factory
@@ -95,7 +102,7 @@ public class Reactor2TcpClient<P> implements TcpOperations<P> {
 	 */
 	public Reactor2TcpClient(final String host, final int port, final Codec<Buffer, Message<P>, Message<P>> codec) {
 
-		final NioEventLoopGroup eventLoopGroup = initEventLoopGroup();
+		this.eventLoopGroup = initEventLoopGroup();
 
 		this.tcpClientSpecFactory = new TcpClientFactory<Message<P>, Message<P>>() {
 
@@ -110,7 +117,7 @@ public class Reactor2TcpClient<P> implements TcpOperations<P> {
 		};
 	}
 
-	private NioEventLoopGroup initEventLoopGroup() {
+	private static NioEventLoopGroup initEventLoopGroup() {
 		int ioThreadCount;
 		try {
 			ioThreadCount = Integer.parseInt(System.getProperty("reactor.tcp.ioThreadCount"));
@@ -139,13 +146,27 @@ public class Reactor2TcpClient<P> implements TcpOperations<P> {
 	public Reactor2TcpClient(TcpClientFactory<Message<P>, Message<P>> tcpClientSpecFactory) {
 		Assert.notNull(tcpClientSpecFactory, "'tcpClientClientFactory' must not be null");
 		this.tcpClientSpecFactory = tcpClientSpecFactory;
+		this.eventLoopGroup = null;
 	}
 
 
 	@Override
 	public ListenableFuture<Void> connect(final TcpConnectionHandler<P> connectionHandler) {
 		Assert.notNull(connectionHandler, "'connectionHandler' must not be null");
-		Promise<Void> promise = createTcpClient().start(new MessageChannelStreamHandler<P>(connectionHandler));
+
+		TcpClient<Message<P>, Message<P>> tcpClient;
+		synchronized (this.tcpClients) {
+			if (this.stopping) {
+				IllegalStateException ex = new IllegalStateException("Shutting down.");
+				connectionHandler.afterConnectFailure(ex);
+				return new PassThroughPromiseToListenableFutureAdapter<Void>(Promises.<Void>error(ex));
+			}
+			tcpClient = NetStreams.tcpClient(REACTOR_TCP_CLIENT_TYPE, this.tcpClientSpecFactory);
+			this.tcpClients.add(tcpClient);
+		}
+
+		Promise<Void> promise = tcpClient.start(new MessageChannelStreamHandler<P>(connectionHandler));
+
 		return new PassThroughPromiseToListenableFutureAdapter<Void>(
 				promise.onError(new Consumer<Throwable>() {
 					@Override
@@ -161,43 +182,62 @@ public class Reactor2TcpClient<P> implements TcpOperations<P> {
 		Assert.notNull(connectionHandler, "'connectionHandler' must not be null");
 		Assert.notNull(strategy, "'reconnectStrategy' must not be null");
 
-		Stream<Tuple2<InetSocketAddress, Integer>> stream = createTcpClient().start(
+		TcpClient<Message<P>, Message<P>> tcpClient;
+		synchronized (this.tcpClients) {
+			if (this.stopping) {
+				IllegalStateException ex = new IllegalStateException("Shutting down.");
+				connectionHandler.afterConnectFailure(ex);
+				return new PassThroughPromiseToListenableFutureAdapter<Void>(Promises.<Void>error(ex));
+			}
+			tcpClient = NetStreams.tcpClient(REACTOR_TCP_CLIENT_TYPE, this.tcpClientSpecFactory);
+			this.tcpClients.add(tcpClient);
+		}
+
+		Stream<Tuple2<InetSocketAddress, Integer>> stream = tcpClient.start(
 				new MessageChannelStreamHandler<P>(connectionHandler),
 				new ReactorReconnectAdapter(strategy));
 
 		return new PassThroughPromiseToListenableFutureAdapter<Void>(stream.next().after());
 	}
 
-	private TcpClient<Message<P>, Message<P>> createTcpClient() {
-		Class<NettyTcpClient> type = REACTOR_TCP_CLIENT_TYPE;
-		TcpClient<Message<P>, Message<P>> tcpClient = NetStreams.tcpClient(type, this.tcpClientSpecFactory);
-		synchronized (this.tcpClients) {
-			this.tcpClients.add(tcpClient);
-		}
-		return tcpClient;
-	}
-
 	@Override
 	public ListenableFuture<Void> shutdown() {
-		final List<TcpClient<Message<P>, Message<P>>> readOnlyClients;
 		synchronized (this.tcpClients) {
-			readOnlyClients = new ArrayList<TcpClient<Message<P>, Message<P>>>(this.tcpClients);
+			this.stopping = true;
 		}
-		Promise<Void> promise = Streams.from(readOnlyClients)
+		Promise<Void> promise = Streams.from(this.tcpClients)
 				.flatMap(new Function<TcpClient<Message<P>, Message<P>>, Promise<Void>>() {
 					@Override
 					public Promise<Void> apply(final TcpClient<Message<P>, Message<P>> client) {
 						return client.shutdown().onComplete(new Consumer<Promise<Void>>() {
 							@Override
 							public void accept(Promise<Void> voidPromise) {
-								synchronized (tcpClients) {
-									tcpClients.remove(client);
-								}
+								tcpClients.remove(client);
 							}
 						});
 					}
 				})
 				.next();
+		if (this.eventLoopGroup != null) {
+			final Promise<Void> eventLoopPromise = Promises.prepare();
+			promise.onComplete(new Consumer<Promise<Void>>() {
+				@Override
+				public void accept(Promise<Void> voidPromise) {
+					eventLoopGroup.shutdownGracefully().addListener(new FutureListener<Object>() {
+						@Override
+						public void operationComplete(Future<Object> future) throws Exception {
+							if (future.isSuccess()) {
+								eventLoopPromise.onComplete();
+							}
+							else {
+								eventLoopPromise.onError(future.cause());
+							}
+						}
+					});
+				}
+			});
+			promise = eventLoopPromise;
+		}
 		return new PassThroughPromiseToListenableFutureAdapter<Void>(promise);
 	}