diff --git a/include/NVMeBasicContext.hpp b/include/NVMeBasicContext.hpp
index ec7a0b1..b17fc05 100644
--- a/include/NVMeBasicContext.hpp
+++ b/include/NVMeBasicContext.hpp
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@
 #include <boost/asio/io_service.hpp>
 #include <boost/asio/posix/stream_descriptor.hpp>
 
+#include <thread>
+
 class NVMeBasicContext : public NVMeContext
 {
   public:
@@ -19,6 +21,22 @@
     NVMeBasicContext(boost::asio::io_service& io, int rootBus, int cmdOut,
                      int streamIn, int streamOut, int cmdIn);
     boost::asio::io_service& io;
+
+    // The IO thread must be destructed after the stream descriptors, so
+    // initialise it first. http://eel.is/c++draft/class.base.init#note-6
+    //
+    // Providing a stop-source to the thread execution function isn't
+    // particularly useful as it will spend most of its time blocked in a system
+    // call - ioctl() for the actual device communication, or read() and write()
+    // on the pipes associated with reqStream and respStream. Rather than trying
+    // to force a stop, rely on read()/write() failures from closed pipes to
+    // coerce it to exit and thus allow completion of the join().
+    std::jthread thread;
+
+    // Destruction of the stream descriptors has the effect of issuing cancel(),
+    // destroying the closure of the callback where we might be carrying
+    // weak_ptrs to `this`.
+    // https://www.boost.org/doc/libs/1_79_0/doc/html/boost_asio/reference/posix__basic_descriptor/_basic_descriptor.html
     boost::asio::posix::stream_descriptor reqStream;
     boost::asio::posix::stream_descriptor respStream;