diff --git a/pkg/tasks/tasks.go b/pkg/tasks/tasks.go
index 4d9fe67e3..4a987039c 100644
--- a/pkg/tasks/tasks.go
+++ b/pkg/tasks/tasks.go
@@ -19,18 +19,14 @@ const THROTTLE_TIME = time.Millisecond * 30
 // we use this to check if the system is under stress right now. Hopefully this makes sense on other machines
 const COMMAND_START_THRESHOLD = time.Millisecond * 10
 
-type Task struct {
-	stop          chan struct{}
-	stopped       bool
-	stopMutex     sync.Mutex
-	notifyStopped chan struct{}
-	Log           *logrus.Entry
-	f             func(chan struct{}) error
-}
-
 type ViewBufferManager struct {
-	writer       io.Writer
-	currentTask  *Task
+	// this blocks until the task has been properly stopped
+	stopCurrentTask func()
+
+	// this is what we write the output of the task to. It's typically a view
+	writer io.Writer
+
+	// this is for when we wait to get
 	waitingMutex sync.Mutex
 	taskIDMutex  sync.Mutex
 	Log          *logrus.Entry
@@ -80,8 +76,15 @@ func (m *ViewBufferManager) ReadLines(n int) {
 	})
 }
 
+// note: onDone may be called twice
 func (m *ViewBufferManager) NewCmdTask(start func() (*exec.Cmd, io.Reader), prefix string, linesToRead int, onDone func()) func(chan struct{}) error {
 	return func(stop chan struct{}) error {
+		var once sync.Once
+		var onDoneWrapper func()
+		if onDone != nil {
+			onDoneWrapper = func() { once.Do(onDone) }
+		}
+
 		if m.throttle {
 			m.Log.Info("throttling task")
 			time.Sleep(THROTTLE_TIME)
@@ -110,8 +113,9 @@ func (m *ViewBufferManager) NewCmdTask(start func() (*exec.Cmd, io.Reader), pref
 				}
 			}
 
-			if onDone != nil {
-				onDone()
+			// for pty's we need to call onDone here so that cmd.Wait() doesn't block forever
+			if onDoneWrapper != nil {
+				onDoneWrapper()
 			}
 		})
 
@@ -122,34 +126,42 @@ func (m *ViewBufferManager) NewCmdTask(start func() (*exec.Cmd, io.Reader), pref
 
 		done := make(chan struct{})
 
+		scanner := bufio.NewScanner(r)
+		scanner.Split(bufio.ScanLines)
+
+		loaded := false
+
 		go utils.Safe(func() {
-			scanner := bufio.NewScanner(r)
-			scanner.Split(bufio.ScanLines)
-
-			loaded := false
-
-			go utils.Safe(func() {
-				ticker := time.NewTicker(time.Millisecond * 200)
-				defer ticker.Stop()
-				select {
-				case <-ticker.C:
-					loadingMutex.Lock()
-					if !loaded {
-						m.beforeStart()
-						_, _ = m.writer.Write([]byte("loading..."))
-						m.refreshView()
-					}
-					loadingMutex.Unlock()
-				case <-stop:
-					return
+			ticker := time.NewTicker(time.Millisecond * 200)
+			defer ticker.Stop()
+			select {
+			case <-stop:
+				return
+			case <-ticker.C:
+				loadingMutex.Lock()
+				if !loaded {
+					m.beforeStart()
+					_, _ = m.writer.Write([]byte("loading..."))
+					m.refreshView()
 				}
-			})
+				loadingMutex.Unlock()
+			}
+		})
 
+		go utils.Safe(func() {
 		outer:
 			for {
 				select {
+				case <-stop:
+					break outer
 				case linesToRead := <-m.readLines:
 					for i := 0; i < linesToRead; i++ {
+						select {
+						case <-stop:
+							break outer
+						default:
+						}
+
 						ok := scanner.Scan()
 						loadingMutex.Lock()
 						if !loaded {
@@ -161,11 +173,6 @@ func (m *ViewBufferManager) NewCmdTask(start func() (*exec.Cmd, io.Reader), pref
 						}
 						loadingMutex.Unlock()
 
-						select {
-						case <-stop:
-							break outer
-						default:
-						}
 						if !ok {
 							// if we're here then there's nothing left to scan from the source
 							// so we're at the EOF and can flush the stale content
@@ -175,8 +182,6 @@ func (m *ViewBufferManager) NewCmdTask(start func() (*exec.Cmd, io.Reader), pref
 						_, _ = m.writer.Write(append(scanner.Bytes(), '\n'))
 					}
 					m.refreshView()
-				case <-stop:
-					break outer
 				}
 			}
 
@@ -189,8 +194,9 @@ func (m *ViewBufferManager) NewCmdTask(start func() (*exec.Cmd, io.Reader), pref
 				}
 			}
 
-			if onDone != nil {
-				onDone()
+			// calling onDoneWrapper here again in case the program ended on its own accord
+			if onDoneWrapper != nil {
+				onDoneWrapper()
 			}
 
 			close(done)
@@ -206,14 +212,14 @@ func (m *ViewBufferManager) NewCmdTask(start func() (*exec.Cmd, io.Reader), pref
 
 // Close closes the task manager, killing whatever task may currently be running
 func (t *ViewBufferManager) Close() {
-	if t.currentTask == nil {
+	if t.stopCurrentTask == nil {
 		return
 	}
 
 	c := make(chan struct{})
 
 	go utils.Safe(func() {
-		t.currentTask.Stop()
+		t.stopCurrentTask()
 		c <- struct{}{}
 	})
 
@@ -249,19 +255,20 @@ func (m *ViewBufferManager) NewTask(f func(stop chan struct{}) error, key string
 			return
 		}
 
+		if m.stopCurrentTask != nil {
+			m.stopCurrentTask()
+		}
+
 		stop := make(chan struct{})
 		notifyStopped := make(chan struct{})
 
-		if m.currentTask != nil {
-			m.currentTask.Stop()
+		var once sync.Once
+		onStop := func() {
+			close(stop)
+			<-notifyStopped
 		}
 
-		m.currentTask = &Task{
-			stop:          stop,
-			notifyStopped: notifyStopped,
-			Log:           m.Log,
-			f:             f,
-		}
+		m.stopCurrentTask = func() { once.Do(onStop) }
 
 		go utils.Safe(func() {
 			if err := f(stop); err != nil {
@@ -274,14 +281,3 @@ func (m *ViewBufferManager) NewTask(f func(stop chan struct{}) error, key string
 
 	return nil
 }
-
-func (t *Task) Stop() {
-	t.stopMutex.Lock()
-	defer t.stopMutex.Unlock()
-	if t.stopped {
-		return
-	}
-	close(t.stop)
-	<-t.notifyStopped
-	t.stopped = true
-}
diff --git a/pkg/tasks/tasks_test.go b/pkg/tasks/tasks_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d580c95f5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/tasks/tasks_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,136 @@
+package tasks
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"io"
+	"os/exec"
+	"sync"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/jesseduffield/lazygit/pkg/secureexec"
+	"github.com/jesseduffield/lazygit/pkg/utils"
+)
+
+func getCounter() (func(), func() int) {
+	counter := 0
+	return func() { counter++ }, func() int { return counter }
+}
+
+func TestNewCmdTaskInstantStop(t *testing.T) {
+	writer := bytes.NewBuffer(nil)
+	beforeStart, getBeforeStartCallCount := getCounter()
+	refreshView, getRefreshViewCallCount := getCounter()
+	onEndOfInput, getOnEndOfInputCallCount := getCounter()
+	onNewKey, getOnNewKeyCallCount := getCounter()
+	onDone, getOnDoneCallCount := getCounter()
+
+	manager := NewViewBufferManager(
+		utils.NewDummyLog(),
+		writer,
+		beforeStart,
+		refreshView,
+		onEndOfInput,
+		onNewKey,
+	)
+
+	stop := make(chan struct{})
+	reader := bytes.NewBufferString("test")
+	start := func() (*exec.Cmd, io.Reader) {
+		// not actually starting this because it's not necessary
+		cmd := secureexec.Command("blah blah")
+
+		close(stop)
+
+		return cmd, reader
+	}
+
+	fn := manager.NewCmdTask(start, "prefix\n", 20, onDone)
+
+	_ = fn(stop)
+
+	callCountExpectations := []struct {
+		expected int
+		actual   int
+		name     string
+	}{
+		{0, getBeforeStartCallCount(), "beforeStart"},
+		{1, getRefreshViewCallCount(), "refreshView"},
+		{0, getOnEndOfInputCallCount(), "onEndOfInput"},
+		{0, getOnNewKeyCallCount(), "onNewKey"},
+		{1, getOnDoneCallCount(), "onDone"},
+	}
+	for _, expectation := range callCountExpectations {
+		if expectation.actual != expectation.expected {
+			t.Errorf("expected %s to be called %d times, got %d", expectation.name, expectation.expected, expectation.actual)
+		}
+	}
+
+	expectedContent := ""
+	actualContent := writer.String()
+	if actualContent != expectedContent {
+		t.Errorf("expected writer to receive the following content: \n%s\n. But instead it recevied: %s", expectedContent, actualContent)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestNewCmdTask(t *testing.T) {
+	writer := bytes.NewBuffer(nil)
+	beforeStart, getBeforeStartCallCount := getCounter()
+	refreshView, getRefreshViewCallCount := getCounter()
+	onEndOfInput, getOnEndOfInputCallCount := getCounter()
+	onNewKey, getOnNewKeyCallCount := getCounter()
+	onDone, getOnDoneCallCount := getCounter()
+
+	manager := NewViewBufferManager(
+		utils.NewDummyLog(),
+		writer,
+		beforeStart,
+		refreshView,
+		onEndOfInput,
+		onNewKey,
+	)
+
+	stop := make(chan struct{})
+	reader := bytes.NewBufferString("test")
+	start := func() (*exec.Cmd, io.Reader) {
+		// not actually starting this because it's not necessary
+		cmd := secureexec.Command("blah blah")
+
+		return cmd, reader
+	}
+
+	fn := manager.NewCmdTask(start, "prefix\n", 20, onDone)
+	wg := sync.WaitGroup{}
+	wg.Add(1)
+	go func() {
+		time.Sleep(100 * time.Millisecond)
+		close(stop)
+		wg.Done()
+	}()
+	_ = fn(stop)
+
+	wg.Wait()
+
+	callCountExpectations := []struct {
+		expected int
+		actual   int
+		name     string
+	}{
+		{1, getBeforeStartCallCount(), "beforeStart"},
+		{1, getRefreshViewCallCount(), "refreshView"},
+		{1, getOnEndOfInputCallCount(), "onEndOfInput"},
+		{0, getOnNewKeyCallCount(), "onNewKey"},
+		{1, getOnDoneCallCount(), "onDone"},
+	}
+	for _, expectation := range callCountExpectations {
+		if expectation.actual != expectation.expected {
+			t.Errorf("expected %s to be called %d times, got %d", expectation.name, expectation.expected, expectation.actual)
+		}
+	}
+
+	expectedContent := "prefix\ntest\n"
+	actualContent := writer.String()
+	if actualContent != expectedContent {
+		t.Errorf("expected writer to receive the following content: \n%s\n. But instead it recevied: %s", expectedContent, actualContent)
+	}
+}