diff --git a/src/org/rascalmpl/library/util/Webclient.java b/src/org/rascalmpl/library/util/Webclient.java
index 2ade187855..ea0ba1c453 100644
--- a/src/org/rascalmpl/library/util/Webclient.java
+++ b/src/org/rascalmpl/library/util/Webclient.java
@@ -219,19 +219,33 @@ private class WriterBodyPublisher implements BodyPublisher {
 
         @Override
         public void subscribe(Subscriber<? super ByteBuffer> subscriber) {
-            final var publisher = new OutputStreamPublisher(subscriber);
-
-            // without this asynchronous task, the publisher subscription
-            // will not have completed before the first write comes.
-            // it remains a question if we have a race here.
-            executor.submit(() -> { 
-                try (OutputStreamWriter w = new OutputStreamWriter(publisher)) {
-                    writerConsumer.accept(w);
+            // we have to wait till we get a callback from the subscription after
+            // we confirm it's subscription
+            subscriber.onSubscribe(new Subscription() {
+                @Override
+                public void request(long n) {
+                    if (n <= 0) {
+                        subscriber.onError(new RuntimeException("invalid request"));
+                        return;
+                    }
+                    // without this asynchronous task, the publisher subscription
+                    // will not have completed before the first write comes.
+                    // it remains a question if we have a race here.
+                    executor.submit(() -> { 
+                        try (OutputStreamWriter w = new OutputStreamWriter(new OutputStreamPublisher(subscriber))) {
+                            writerConsumer.accept(w);
+                        }
+                        catch (IOException e) {
+                            throw RuntimeExceptionFactory.io(e);
+                        }
+                    }, true);
                 }
-                catch (IOException e) {
-                    throw RuntimeExceptionFactory.io(e);
+
+                @Override
+                public void cancel() {
+                    subscriber.onComplete();
                 }
-            }, true);
+            });
         }
 
         @Override
@@ -273,65 +287,29 @@ public OutputStreamPublisher(Subscriber<? super ByteBuffer> subscriber) {
             super(new PublishingStream(subscriber));  
         }  
         /**  
-         * The buffed outputstream will take care to collect the bytes untill there's a decent chunk to forward to the consumers  
+         * The buffed outputstream will take care to collect the bytes untill there's a decent chunk to forward to the subscriber  
          */  
-        private static class PublishingStream extends OutputStream implements Subscription {  
+        private static class PublishingStream extends OutputStream {  
             private final Subscriber<? super ByteBuffer> subscriber;  
-            CountDownLatch latch = new CountDownLatch(1);
 
             public PublishingStream(Subscriber<? super ByteBuffer> subscriber) {
                 this.subscriber = subscriber;
-                subscriber.onSubscribe(this);
-            }
-
-            /**
-             * If we don't wait for the first call to `request` the HttpClient
-             * framework is (sometimes) not ready to accept the first call to `onNext`
-             * and throws NPEs. This semaphor avoids the situation alltogether.
-             */
-            private void waitForFirstRequest() {
-                try {
-                    // await is very fast after the count has gone to 0.
-                    latch.await();
-                }
-                catch (InterruptedException e) {
-                    // do nothing
-                }
             }
 
             @Override  
             public void write(int b) throws IOException {      
-                waitForFirstRequest();
                 subscriber.onNext(ByteBuffer.wrap(new byte[] { (byte)(b & 0xFF) }));         
             }  
 
             @Override  
             public void write(byte[] b, int off, int len) throws IOException {  
-                waitForFirstRequest();
                 subscriber.onNext(ByteBuffer.wrap(b, off, len).asReadOnlyBuffer());   
             }  
 
             @Override  
             public void close() throws IOException {  
-                waitForFirstRequest();
                 subscriber.onComplete();  
             }
-
-            @Override
-            public void request(long n) {
-                // open the stream
-                latch.countDown();
-            }
-
-            @Override
-            public void cancel() {
-                try {
-                    close();
-                }
-                catch (IOException e) {
-                    // ignore
-                }
-            }  
         }  
     }