diff --git a/softmmu/main.c b/softmmu/main.c
index 639c67ff48..0c4384e980 100644
--- a/softmmu/main.c
+++ b/softmmu/main.c
@@ -39,16 +39,18 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 #endif
 #endif /* CONFIG_SDL */
 
-#ifdef CONFIG_COCOA
-#undef main
-#define main qemu_main
-#endif /* CONFIG_COCOA */
-
+#ifndef CONFIG_COCOA
 int main(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
 {
+    /*
+     * ui/cocoa.m relies on this being the exact content of main(),
+     * because it has to run everything after qemu_init in a secondary
+     * thread.
+     */
     qemu_init(argc, argv, envp);
     qemu_main_loop();
     qemu_cleanup();
 
     return 0;
 }
+#endif /* CONFIG_COCOA */
diff --git a/ui/cocoa.m b/ui/cocoa.m
index 027c3053f7..2e5130d805 100644
--- a/ui/cocoa.m
+++ b/ui/cocoa.m
@@ -100,14 +100,13 @@ static int last_buttons;
 static int cursor_hide = 1;
 static int left_command_key_enabled = 1;
 static bool swap_opt_cmd;
+static bool full_screen;
+static bool full_grab;
+static bool have_cocoa_ui;
 
-static int gArgc;
-static char **gArgv;
 static bool stretch_video;
 static NSTextField *pauseLabel;
 
-static QemuSemaphore display_init_sem;
-static QemuSemaphore app_started_sem;
 static bool allow_events;
 
 static NSInteger cbchangecount = -1;
@@ -115,6 +114,7 @@ static QemuClipboardInfo *cbinfo;
 static QemuClipboardPeer cbpeer;
 static QemuCocoaPasteboardTypeOwner *cbowner;
 static QemuEvent cbevent;
+static QemuThread main_thread;
 
 // Utility functions to run specified code block with iothread lock held
 typedef void (^CodeBlock)(void);
@@ -150,39 +150,28 @@ static bool bool_with_iothread_lock(BoolCodeBlock block)
 /*
  * The startup process for the OSX/Cocoa UI is complicated, because
  * OSX insists that the UI runs on the initial main thread, and so we
- * need to start a second thread which runs the vl.c qemu_main():
+ * need to start a second thread which runs qemu_main_loop():
  *
  * Initial thread:                    2nd thread:
  * in main():
- *  create qemu-main thread
- *  wait on display_init semaphore
- *                                    call qemu_main()
- *                                    ...
- *                                    in cocoa_display_init():
- *                                     post the display_init semaphore
- *                                     wait on app_started semaphore
+ *  qemu_init()
  *  create application, menus, etc
  *  enter OSX run loop
  * in applicationDidFinishLaunching:
- *  post app_started semaphore
- *                                     tell main thread to fullscreen if needed
- *                                    [...]
- *                                    run qemu main-loop
- *
- * We do this in two stages so that we don't do the creation of the
- * GUI application menus and so on for command line options like --help
- * where we want to just print text to stdout and exit immediately.
+ *  fullscreen if needed
+ *  create main loop thread
+ *                                    call qemu_main_loop()
  */
 
-static void *call_qemu_main(void *opaque)
+static void *call_qemu_main_loop(void *opaque)
 {
-    int status;
-
-    COCOA_DEBUG("Second thread: calling qemu_main()\n");
-    status = qemu_main(gArgc, gArgv, *_NSGetEnviron());
-    COCOA_DEBUG("Second thread: qemu_main() returned, exiting\n");
+    COCOA_DEBUG("Second thread: calling qemu_main_loop()\n");
+    qemu_mutex_lock_iothread();
+    qemu_main_loop();
+    COCOA_DEBUG("Second thread: qemu_main_loop() returned, exiting\n");
+    qemu_cleanup();
     [cbowner release];
-    exit(status);
+    exit(0);
 }
 
 // Mac to QKeyCode conversion
@@ -823,9 +812,7 @@ static CGEventRef handleTapEvent(CGEventTapProxy proxy, CGEventType type, CGEven
         /*
          * Just let OSX have all events that arrive before
          * applicationDidFinishLaunching.
-         * This avoids a deadlock on the iothread lock, which cocoa_display_init()
-         * will not drop until after the app_started_sem is posted. (In theory
-         * there should not be any such events, but OSX Catalina now emits some.)
+         * This may not be needed anymore?
          */
         return false;
     }
@@ -1323,8 +1310,22 @@ static CGEventRef handleTapEvent(CGEventTapProxy proxy, CGEventType type, CGEven
 {
     COCOA_DEBUG("QemuCocoaAppController: applicationDidFinishLaunching\n");
     allow_events = true;
-    /* Tell cocoa_display_init to proceed */
-    qemu_sem_post(&app_started_sem);
+
+    // register vga output callbacks
+    register_displaychangelistener(&dcl);
+
+    qemu_clipboard_peer_register(&cbpeer);
+    qemu_mutex_unlock_iothread();
+    qemu_thread_create(&main_thread, "qemu_main_loop", call_qemu_main_loop,
+                       NULL, QEMU_THREAD_DETACHED);
+
+    if (full_screen) {
+        [NSApp activateIgnoringOtherApps: YES];
+        [self toggleFullScreen: nil];
+    }
+    if (full_grab) {
+        [self setFullGrab: nil];
+    }
 }
 
 - (void)applicationWillTerminate:(NSNotification *)aNotification
@@ -1941,22 +1942,18 @@ static void cocoa_clipboard_request(QemuClipboardInfo *info,
     }
 }
 
-int main (int argc, char **argv) {
-    QemuThread thread;
-
+int main(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
+{
     COCOA_DEBUG("Entered main()\n");
-    gArgc = argc;
-    gArgv = argv;
+    qemu_event_init(&cbevent, false);
 
-    qemu_sem_init(&display_init_sem, 0);
-    qemu_sem_init(&app_started_sem, 0);
-
-    qemu_thread_create(&thread, "qemu_main", call_qemu_main,
-                       NULL, QEMU_THREAD_DETACHED);
-
-    COCOA_DEBUG("Main thread: waiting for display_init_sem\n");
-    qemu_sem_wait(&display_init_sem);
-    COCOA_DEBUG("Main thread: initializing app\n");
+    /* Takes iothread lock, released in applicationDidFinishLaunching:.  */
+    qemu_init(argc, argv, envp);
+    if (!have_cocoa_ui) {
+         qemu_main_loop();
+         qemu_cleanup();
+         return 0;
+    }
 
     NSAutoreleasePool * pool = [[NSAutoreleasePool alloc] init];
 
@@ -1978,6 +1975,7 @@ int main (int argc, char **argv) {
      */
     add_console_menu_entries();
     addRemovableDevicesMenuItems();
+    cbowner = [[QemuCocoaPasteboardTypeOwner alloc] init];
 
     // Create an Application controller
     QemuCocoaAppController *appController = [[QemuCocoaAppController alloc] init];
@@ -2071,24 +2069,13 @@ static void cocoa_refresh(DisplayChangeListener *dcl)
 static void cocoa_display_init(DisplayState *ds, DisplayOptions *opts)
 {
     COCOA_DEBUG("qemu_cocoa: cocoa_display_init\n");
+    have_cocoa_ui = 1;
 
-    /* Tell main thread to go ahead and create the app and enter the run loop */
-    qemu_sem_post(&display_init_sem);
-    qemu_sem_wait(&app_started_sem);
-    COCOA_DEBUG("cocoa_display_init: app start completed\n");
-
-    QemuCocoaAppController *controller = (QemuCocoaAppController *)[[NSApplication sharedApplication] delegate];
-    /* if fullscreen mode is to be used */
     if (opts->has_full_screen && opts->full_screen) {
-        dispatch_async(dispatch_get_main_queue(), ^{
-            [NSApp activateIgnoringOtherApps: YES];
-            [controller toggleFullScreen: nil];
-        });
+        full_screen = 1;
     }
     if (opts->u.cocoa.has_full_grab && opts->u.cocoa.full_grab) {
-        dispatch_async(dispatch_get_main_queue(), ^{
-            [controller setFullGrab: nil];
-        });
+        full_grab = 1;
     }
 
     if (opts->has_show_cursor && opts->show_cursor) {
@@ -2101,13 +2088,6 @@ static void cocoa_display_init(DisplayState *ds, DisplayOptions *opts)
     if (opts->u.cocoa.has_left_command_key && !opts->u.cocoa.left_command_key) {
         left_command_key_enabled = 0;
     }
-
-    // register vga output callbacks
-    register_displaychangelistener(&dcl);
-
-    qemu_event_init(&cbevent, false);
-    cbowner = [[QemuCocoaPasteboardTypeOwner alloc] init];
-    qemu_clipboard_peer_register(&cbpeer);
 }
 
 static QemuDisplay qemu_display_cocoa = {
