diff --git a/packages/@uppy/companion/src/server/emitter/redis-emitter.js b/packages/@uppy/companion/src/server/emitter/redis-emitter.js
index aa62f61baf..0aa145432b 100644
--- a/packages/@uppy/companion/src/server/emitter/redis-emitter.js
+++ b/packages/@uppy/companion/src/server/emitter/redis-emitter.js
@@ -20,54 +20,69 @@ function replacer(key, value) {
 module.exports = (redisClient, redisPubSubScope) => {
   const prefix = redisPubSubScope ? `${redisPubSubScope}:` : ''
   const getPrefixedEventName = (eventName) => `${prefix}${eventName}`
-  const publisher = redisClient.duplicate({ lazyConnect: true })
-  publisher.on('error', err => logger.error('publisher redis error', err.toString()))
-  /** @type {import('ioredis').Redis} */
-  let subscriber
-
-  const connectedPromise = publisher.connect().then(() => {
-    subscriber = publisher.duplicate()
-    subscriber.on('error', err => logger.error('subscriber redis error', err.toString()))
-    return subscriber.connect()
-  })
-
-  const handlersByEvent = new Map()
 
   const errorEmitter = new EventEmitter()
   const handleError = (err) => errorEmitter.emit('error', err)
 
-  connectedPromise.catch((err) => handleError(err))
+  async function makeRedis() {
+    const publisher = redisClient.duplicate({ lazyConnect: true })
+    publisher.on('error', err => logger.error('publisher redis error', err.toString()))
+    const subscriber = publisher.duplicate()
+    subscriber.on('error', err => logger.error('subscriber redis error', err.toString()))
+    await publisher.connect()
+    await subscriber.connect()
+    return { subscriber, publisher }
+  }
+
+  const redisPromise = makeRedis()
+  redisPromise.catch((err) => handleError(err))
 
+  /**
+   * 
+   * @param {(a: Awaited<typeof redisPromise>) => void} fn 
+   */
   async function runWhenConnected (fn) {
     try {
-      await connectedPromise
-      await fn()
+      await fn(await redisPromise)
     } catch (err) {
       handleError(err)
     }
   }
 
+  // because each event can have multiple listeners, we need to keep track of them
+  /** @type {Map<string, Map<() => unknown, () => unknown>>} */
+  const handlersByEventName = new Map()
+
   /**
    * Remove an event listener
    *
    * @param {string} eventName name of the event
    * @param {any} handler the handler of the event to remove
    */
-  function removeListener (eventName, handler) {
-    if (eventName === 'error') return errorEmitter.removeListener('error', handler)
+  async function removeListener (eventName, handler) {
+    if (eventName === 'error') {
+      errorEmitter.removeListener('error', handler)
+      return
+    }
 
-    return runWhenConnected(() => {
-      const handlersByThisEventName = handlersByEvent.get(eventName)
-      if (handlersByThisEventName == null) return undefined
+    const actualHandlerByHandler = handlersByEventName.get(eventName)
+    if (actualHandlerByHandler == null) return
 
-      const actualHandler = handlersByThisEventName.get(handler)
-      if (actualHandler == null) return undefined
+    const actualHandler = actualHandlerByHandler.get(handler)
+    if (actualHandler == null) return
 
-      handlersByThisEventName.delete(handler)
-      if (handlersByThisEventName.size === 0) handlersByEvent.delete(eventName)
+    actualHandlerByHandler.delete(handler)
 
+    const didRemoveLastListener = actualHandlerByHandler.size === 0
+    if (didRemoveLastListener) {
+      handlersByEventName.delete(eventName)
+    }
+
+    await runWhenConnected(async ({ subscriber }) => {
       subscriber.off('pmessage', actualHandler)
-      return subscriber.punsubscribe(getPrefixedEventName(eventName))
+      if (didRemoveLastListener) {
+        await subscriber.punsubscribe(getPrefixedEventName(eventName))
+      }
     })
   }
 
@@ -77,7 +92,13 @@ module.exports = (redisClient, redisPubSubScope) => {
    * @param {*} handler 
    * @param {*} _once 
    */
-  function addListener (eventName, handler, _once = false) {
+  async function addListener (eventName, handler, _once = false) {
+    if (eventName === 'error') {
+      if (_once) errorEmitter.once('error', handler)
+      else errorEmitter.addListener('error', handler)
+      return
+    }
+
     function actualHandler (pattern, channel, message) {
       if (pattern !== getPrefixedEventName(eventName)) {
         return
@@ -91,19 +112,20 @@ module.exports = (redisClient, redisPubSubScope) => {
         handleError(new Error(`Invalid JSON received! Channel: ${eventName} Message: ${message}`))
         return
       }
+
       handler(...args)
     }
 
-    let handlersByThisEventName = handlersByEvent.get(eventName)
-    if (handlersByThisEventName == null) {
-      handlersByThisEventName = new WeakMap()
-      handlersByEvent.set(eventName, handlersByThisEventName)
+    let actualHandlerByHandler = handlersByEventName.get(eventName)
+    if (actualHandlerByHandler == null) {
+      actualHandlerByHandler = new Map()
+      handlersByEventName.set(eventName, actualHandlerByHandler)
     }
-    handlersByThisEventName.set(handler, actualHandler)
+    actualHandlerByHandler.set(handler, actualHandler)
 
-    runWhenConnected(() => {
+    await runWhenConnected(async ({ subscriber }) => {
       subscriber.on('pmessage', actualHandler)
-      return subscriber.psubscribe(getPrefixedEventName(eventName))
+      await subscriber.psubscribe(getPrefixedEventName(eventName))
     })
   }
 
@@ -113,10 +135,8 @@ module.exports = (redisClient, redisPubSubScope) => {
    * @param {string} eventName name of the event
    * @param {any} handler the handler of the event
    */
-  function on (eventName, handler) {
-    if (eventName === 'error') return errorEmitter.on('error', handler)
-
-    return addListener(eventName, handler)
+  async function on (eventName, handler) {
+    await addListener(eventName, handler)
   }
 
   /**
@@ -125,8 +145,8 @@ module.exports = (redisClient, redisPubSubScope) => {
    * @param {string} eventName name of the event
    * @param {any} handler the handler of the event
    */
-  function off (eventName, handler) {
-    return removeListener(eventName, handler)
+  async function off (eventName, handler) {
+    await removeListener(eventName, handler)
   }
 
   /**
@@ -135,10 +155,8 @@ module.exports = (redisClient, redisPubSubScope) => {
    * @param {string} eventName name of the event
    * @param {any} handler the handler of the event
    */
-  function once (eventName, handler) {
-    if (eventName === 'error') return errorEmitter.once('error', handler)
-
-    return addListener(eventName, handler, true)
+  async function once (eventName, handler) {
+    await addListener(eventName, handler, true)
   }
 
   /**
@@ -146,11 +164,10 @@ module.exports = (redisClient, redisPubSubScope) => {
    *
    * @param {string} eventName name of the event
    */
-  function emit (eventName, ...args) {
-    runWhenConnected(
-      () => publisher.publish(getPrefixedEventName(eventName),
-      safeStringify(args, replacer)),
-    )
+  async function emit (eventName, ...args) {
+    await runWhenConnected(async ({ publisher }) => (
+      publisher.publish(getPrefixedEventName(eventName), safeStringify(args, replacer))
+    ))
   }
 
   /**
@@ -158,13 +175,18 @@ module.exports = (redisClient, redisPubSubScope) => {
    *
    * @param {string} eventName name of the event
    */
-  function removeAllListeners (eventName) {
-    if (eventName === 'error') return errorEmitter.removeAllListeners(eventName)
+  async function removeAllListeners (eventName) {
+    if (eventName === 'error') {
+      errorEmitter.removeAllListeners(eventName)
+      return
+    }
 
-    return runWhenConnected(() => {
-      handlersByEvent.delete(eventName)
-      return subscriber.punsubscribe(getPrefixedEventName(eventName))
-    })
+    const actualHandlerByHandler = handlersByEventName.get(eventName)
+    if (actualHandlerByHandler != null) {
+      for (const handler of actualHandlerByHandler.keys()) {
+        await removeListener(eventName, handler)
+      }
+    }
   }
 
   return {