diff --git a/src/jv_alloc.c b/src/jv_alloc.c
index 42a18c59..678335c7 100644
--- a/src/jv_alloc.c
+++ b/src/jv_alloc.c
@@ -45,9 +45,11 @@ static void memory_exhausted() {
 #ifdef HAVE_PTHREAD_KEY_CREATE
 #include <pthread.h>
 
-pthread_key_t nomem_handler_key;
-pthread_once_t mem_once = PTHREAD_ONCE_INIT;
+static pthread_key_t nomem_handler_key;
+static pthread_once_t mem_once = PTHREAD_ONCE_INIT;
 
+/* tsd_fini is called on application exit */
+/* it clears the nomem_handler allocated in the main thread */
 static void tsd_fini(void) {
   struct nomem_handler *nomem_handler;
   nomem_handler = pthread_getspecific(nomem_handler_key);
@@ -57,8 +59,15 @@ static void tsd_fini(void) {
   }
 }
 
+/* The tsd_fini_thread is a destructor set by calling */
+/* pthread_key_create(&nomem_handler_key, tsd_fini_thread) */
+/* It is called when thread ends */
+static void tsd_fini_thread(void *nomem_handler) {
+  free(nomem_handler);
+}
+
 static void tsd_init(void) {
-  if (pthread_key_create(&nomem_handler_key, NULL) != 0) {
+  if (pthread_key_create(&nomem_handler_key, tsd_fini_thread) != 0) {
     fprintf(stderr, "jq: error: cannot create thread specific key");
     abort();
   }
@@ -66,15 +75,23 @@ static void tsd_init(void) {
     fprintf(stderr, "jq: error: cannot set an exit handler");
     abort();
   }
-  struct nomem_handler *nomem_handler = calloc(1, sizeof(struct nomem_handler));
-  if (pthread_setspecific(nomem_handler_key, nomem_handler) != 0) {
-    fprintf(stderr, "jq: error: cannot set thread specific data");
-    abort();
+}
+
+static void tsd_init_nomem_handler(void)
+{
+  if (pthread_getspecific(nomem_handler_key) == NULL) {
+    struct nomem_handler *nomem_handler = calloc(1, sizeof(struct nomem_handler));
+    if (pthread_setspecific(nomem_handler_key, nomem_handler) != 0) {
+      fprintf(stderr, "jq: error: cannot set thread specific data");
+      abort();
+    }
   }
 }
 
 void jv_nomem_handler(jv_nomem_handler_f handler, void *data) {
   pthread_once(&mem_once, tsd_init); // cannot fail
+  tsd_init_nomem_handler();
+
   struct nomem_handler *nomem_handler;
 
   nomem_handler = pthread_getspecific(nomem_handler_key);
@@ -91,6 +108,8 @@ static void memory_exhausted() {
   struct nomem_handler *nomem_handler;
 
   pthread_once(&mem_once, tsd_init);
+  tsd_init_nomem_handler();
+
   nomem_handler = pthread_getspecific(nomem_handler_key);
   if (nomem_handler)
     nomem_handler->handler(nomem_handler->data); // Maybe handler() will longjmp() to safety