diff --git a/src/runtime2/scheduler.rs b/src/runtime2/scheduler.rs
index 4aea4d03e2928f658de0827159de084f48b5e5dc..491e9f411457e73f065101ee360593593b2cdc71 100644
--- a/src/runtime2/scheduler.rs
+++ b/src/runtime2/scheduler.rs
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ impl Scheduler {
                 CompScheduling::Sleep => { self.mark_component_as_sleeping(comp_key, component); },
                 CompScheduling::Exit => {
                     component.component.on_shutdown(&scheduler_ctx);
-                    self.mark_component_as_exiting(&scheduler_ctx, component);
+                    self.mark_component_as_exiting(&scheduler_ctx, comp_key, component);
                 }
             }
         }
@@ -120,16 +120,14 @@ impl Scheduler {
     /// Marks the component as exiting by removing the reference it holds to
     /// itself. Afterward the component will enter "normal" sleeping mode (if it
     /// has not yet been destroyed)
-    fn mark_component_as_exiting(&self, sched_ctx: &SchedulerCtx, component: &mut RuntimeComp) {
+    fn mark_component_as_exiting(&self, sched_ctx: &SchedulerCtx, comp_key: CompKey, component: &mut RuntimeComp) {
         // If we didn't yet decrement our reference count, do so now
-        let comp_key = unsafe{ component.ctx.id.upgrade() };
-
         if !component.exiting {
             component.exiting = true;
 
-            let old_count = component.public.num_handles.fetch_sub(1, Ordering::AcqRel);
-            let new_count = old_count - 1;
-            if new_count == 0 {
+            let maybe_comp_key = component.ctx.remove_self_reference();
+            if let Some(_comp_key) = maybe_comp_key {
+                debug_assert_eq!(_comp_key.0, comp_key.0);
                 sched_ctx.runtime.destroy_component(comp_key);
                 return;
             }