diff --git a/src/client/libmobject-store.c b/src/client/libmobject-store.c
index 0e038a0659b5dab997c9a9c4b50ae2eb1097a0ca..8cb77d30c456e68e8343300313e258b8a0e2543e 100644
--- a/src/client/libmobject-store.c
+++ b/src/client/libmobject-store.c
@@ -36,6 +36,8 @@ typedef struct mobject_store_handle
     int connected;
 } mobject_store_handle_t;
 
+static void mobject_store_register(margo_instance_id mid);
+static int mobject_store_shutdown_servers(mobject_store_handle_t *cluster_handle);
 
 int mobject_store_create(mobject_store_t *cluster, const char * const id)
 {
@@ -79,7 +81,7 @@ int mobject_store_create(mobject_store_t *cluster, const char * const id)
 int mobject_store_connect(mobject_store_t cluster)
 {
     mobject_store_handle_t *cluster_handle = (mobject_store_handle_t *)cluster;
-    char *srv_addr;
+    char *svr_addr_str;
     char proto[24] = {0};
     int i;
     int ret;
@@ -90,8 +92,8 @@ int mobject_store_connect(mobject_store_t cluster)
     /* figure out protocol to connect with using address information 
      * associated with the SSG group ID
      */
-    srv_addr = ssg_group_id_get_addr_str(cluster_handle->gid);
-    if (!srv_addr)
+    svr_addr_str = ssg_group_id_get_addr_str(cluster_handle->gid);
+    if (!svr_addr_str)
     {
         fprintf(stderr, "Error: Unable to obtain cluster group server address\n");
         ssg_group_id_free(cluster_handle->gid);
@@ -99,8 +101,8 @@ int mobject_store_connect(mobject_store_t cluster)
         return -1;
     }
     /* we only need to the proto portion of the address to initialize */
-    for(i=0; i<24 && srv_addr[i] != '\0' && srv_addr[i] != ':'; i++)
-        proto[i] = srv_addr[i];
+    for(i=0; i<24 && svr_addr_str[i] != '\0' && svr_addr_str[i] != ':'; i++)
+        proto[i] = svr_addr_str[i];
 
     /* intialize margo */
     /* XXX: probably want to expose some way of tweaking threading parameters */
@@ -108,19 +110,23 @@ int mobject_store_connect(mobject_store_t cluster)
     if (cluster_handle->mid == MARGO_INSTANCE_NULL)
     {
         fprintf(stderr, "Error: Unable to initialize margo\n");
-        free(srv_addr);
+        free(svr_addr_str);
         ssg_group_id_free(cluster_handle->gid);
         free(cluster_handle);
         return -1;
     }
 
+    /* register mobject RPCs for this cluster */
+    mobject_store_register(cluster_handle->mid);
+
     /* initialize ssg */
+    /* XXX: we need to think about how to do this once per-client... clients could connect to mult. clusters */
     ret = ssg_init(cluster_handle->mid);
     if (ret != SSG_SUCCESS)
     {
         fprintf(stderr, "Error: Unable to initialize SSG\n");
         margo_finalize(cluster_handle->mid);
-        free(srv_addr);
+        free(svr_addr_str);
         ssg_group_id_free(cluster_handle->gid);
         free(cluster_handle);
         return -1;
@@ -133,14 +139,14 @@ int mobject_store_connect(mobject_store_t cluster)
         fprintf(stderr, "Error: Unable to attach to the mobject cluster group\n");
         ssg_finalize();
         margo_finalize(cluster_handle->mid);
-        free(srv_addr);
+        free(svr_addr_str);
         ssg_group_id_free(cluster_handle->gid);
         free(cluster_handle);
         return -1;
     }
     cluster_handle->connected = 1;
 
-    free(srv_addr);
+    free(svr_addr_str);
 
     return 0;
 }
@@ -149,11 +155,26 @@ void mobject_store_shutdown(mobject_store_t cluster)
 {
     mobject_store_handle_t *cluster_handle =
         (mobject_store_handle_t *)cluster;
+    char *svr_kill_env_str;
+    int ret;
+
     assert(cluster_handle != NULL);
 
     if (!cluster_handle->connected)
         return;
 
+    svr_kill_env_str = getenv("MOBJECT_SHUTDOWN_KILL_SERVERS");
+    if (svr_kill_env_str && !strcmp(svr_kill_env_str, "true"))
+    {
+        /* kill server cluster if requested */
+        ret = mobject_store_shutdown_servers(cluster_handle);
+        if (ret != 0)
+        {
+            fprintf(stderr, "Warning: Unable to send shutdown signal \
+                to mobject server cluster\n");
+        }
+    }
+
     ssg_group_detach(cluster_handle->gid);
     ssg_finalize();
     margo_finalize(cluster_handle->mid);
@@ -163,21 +184,6 @@ void mobject_store_shutdown(mobject_store_t cluster)
     return;
 }
 
-void mobject_store_register(margo_instance_id mid)
-{
-	static int registered = 0;
-	
-	if(!registered) {
-		mobject_write_op_rpc_id = 
-		MARGO_REGISTER(mid, "mobject_write_op", write_op_in_t, write_op_out_t, NULL);
-		mobject_read_op_rpc_id = 
-		MARGO_REGISTER(mid, "mobject_read_op",  read_op_in_t,  read_op_out_t, NULL);
-		mobject_shutdown_rpc_id =
-		MARGO_REGISTER(mid, "mobject_shutdown", void, void, NULL);
-		registered = 1;
-	}
-}
-
 int mobject_store_write_op_operate(mobject_store_write_op_t write_op,
                                    mobject_store_ioctx_t io,
                                    const char *oid,
@@ -231,3 +237,54 @@ int mobject_store_read_op_operate(mobject_store_read_op_t read_op,
     
     return 0;
 }
+
+/* internal helper routines */
+
+// register mobject RPCs
+static void mobject_store_register(margo_instance_id mid)
+{
+    /* XXX i think ultimately these need to be stored in per-mid containers instead of global... */
+    mobject_write_op_rpc_id = 
+    MARGO_REGISTER(mid, "mobject_write_op", write_op_in_t, write_op_out_t, NULL);
+    mobject_read_op_rpc_id = 
+    MARGO_REGISTER(mid, "mobject_read_op",  read_op_in_t,  read_op_out_t, NULL);
+    mobject_shutdown_rpc_id =
+    MARGO_REGISTER(mid, "mobject_shutdown", void, void, NULL);
+}
+
+// send a shutdown signal to a server cluster
+static int mobject_store_shutdown_servers(mobject_store_handle_t *cluster_handle)
+{
+    hg_addr_t svr_addr;
+    hg_handle_t h;
+    hg_return_t ret;
+
+    /* get the address of the first server */
+    svr_addr = ssg_get_addr(cluster_handle->gid, 0);
+    if (svr_addr == HG_ADDR_NULL)
+    {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Error: Unable to obtain address for mobject server\n");
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    ret = margo_create(cluster_handle->mid, svr_addr, mobject_shutdown_rpc_id, &h);
+    if (ret != HG_SUCCESS)
+    {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Error: Unable to create margo handle\n");
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    /* send shutdown signal */
+    ret = margo_forward(h, NULL);
+    if (ret != HG_SUCCESS)
+    {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Error: Unable to forward margo handle\n");
+        margo_destroy(h);
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    margo_destroy(h);
+
+    return 0;
+}
+
diff --git a/src/server/mobject-server.c b/src/server/mobject-server.c
index b9fb6ae35e9ae40397d9a21b3ed5f508171fe8e7..63fb6642b9ca7dc8a535bf09649a6bb9214786b2 100644
--- a/src/server/mobject-server.c
+++ b/src/server/mobject-server.c
@@ -264,14 +264,13 @@ static void mobject_shutdown_ult(hg_handle_t h)
 
     margo_instance_id mid = margo_hg_handle_get_instance(h);
 
-    printf("Got shutdown signal!\n");
-
     ret = margo_respond(h, NULL);
     assert(ret == HG_SUCCESS);
 
     ret = margo_destroy(h);
     assert(ret == HG_SUCCESS);
 
+    /* TODO: propagate shutdown to other servers */
     mobject_server_shutdown(mid);
 
     return;