diff --git a/awesome.c b/awesome.c
index b8699db6d..ce987c5f5 100644
--- a/awesome.c
+++ b/awesome.c
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
 #include <signal.h>
 
 #include <glib.h>
+#include <ev.h>
 
 #include <xcb/xcb.h>
 #include <xcb/shape.h>
@@ -261,7 +262,7 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
 {
     char buf[1024];
     const char *confpath = NULL;
-    int r, xfd, csfd, dbusfd, i, screen_nbr, opt;
+    int r, xfd, csfd, i, screen_nbr, opt;
     ssize_t cmdlen = 1;
     const xcb_query_extension_reply_t *shape_query, *randr_query;
     fd_set rd;
@@ -474,8 +475,7 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
             warn("error binding UNIX domain socket: %s", strerror(errno));
     }
 
-    if(!a_dbus_init(&dbusfd))
-        dbusfd = -1;
+    a_dbus_init();
 
     /* register function for signals */
     signal(SIGINT, &exit_on_signal);
@@ -492,8 +492,6 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
         FD_ZERO(&rd);
         if(csfd >= 0)
             FD_SET(csfd, &rd);
-        if(dbusfd >= 0)
-            FD_SET(dbusfd, &rd);
         FD_SET(xfd, &rd);
         if(timerisset(&globalconf.timer))
         {
@@ -509,7 +507,7 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
             else
                 timersub(&hook_nextrun, &now, &select_timeout);
         }
-        if(select(MAX(MAX(xfd, csfd), dbusfd) + 1, &rd,
+        if(select(MAX(xfd, csfd) + 1, &rd,
                   NULL, NULL,
                   timerisset(&globalconf.timer) ? &select_timeout : NULL) == -1)
         {
@@ -533,9 +531,6 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
                 luaA_docmd(buf);
             }
 
-        if(dbusfd >= 0 && FD_ISSET(dbusfd, &rd))
-            a_dbus_process_requests(&dbusfd);
-
         /* Two level polling:
          * We need to first check we have an event to handle
          * and if so, we handle them all in a round.
diff --git a/dbus.c b/dbus.c
index 96f424024..3fb383700 100644
--- a/dbus.c
+++ b/dbus.c
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 
 #ifdef WITH_DBUS
 
+#include <ev.h>
 #include <dbus/dbus.h>
 
 #include "dbus.h"
@@ -32,6 +33,7 @@ extern awesome_t globalconf;
 
 static DBusError err;
 static DBusConnection *dbus_connection = NULL;
+ev_io dbusio = { .fd = -1 };
 
 /** Check a dbus object path format and its number of element.
  * \param path The path.
@@ -98,13 +100,13 @@ a_dbus_process_widget_set(DBusMessage *req)
     p_delete(&path);
 }
 
-void
-a_dbus_process_requests(int *fd)
+static void
+a_dbus_process_requests(EV_P_ ev_io *w, int revents)
 {
     DBusMessage *msg;
     int nmsg = 0;
 
-    if(!dbus_connection && !a_dbus_init(fd))
+    if(!dbus_connection && !a_dbus_init())
         return;
 
     while(true)
@@ -134,9 +136,10 @@ a_dbus_process_requests(int *fd)
 }
 
 bool
-a_dbus_init(int *fd)
+a_dbus_init(void)
 {
     bool ret;
+    int fd;
 
     dbus_error_init(&err);
 
@@ -167,13 +170,16 @@ a_dbus_init(int *fd)
         return false;
     }
 
-    if(!dbus_connection_get_unix_fd(dbus_connection, fd))
+    if(!dbus_connection_get_unix_fd(dbus_connection, &fd))
     {
         warn("cannot get DBus connection file descriptor");
         a_dbus_cleanup();
         return false;
     }
 
+    ev_io_init(&dbusio, a_dbus_process_requests, fd, EV_READ);
+    ev_io_start(EV_DEFAULT_UC_ &dbusio);
+    ev_unref(EV_DEFAULT_UC);
     return true;
 }
 
@@ -185,6 +191,12 @@ a_dbus_cleanup(void)
 
     dbus_error_free(&err);
 
+    if (dbusio.fd >= 0) {
+        ev_ref(EV_DEFAULT_UC);
+        ev_io_stop(EV_DEFAULT_UC_ &dbusio);
+        dbusio.fd = -1;
+    }
+
     /* This is a shared connection owned by libdbus
      * Do not close it, only unref
      */
@@ -196,16 +208,9 @@ a_dbus_cleanup(void)
 
 #include "dbus.h"
 
-void
-a_dbus_process_requests(int *fd __attribute__((unused)))
-{
-    /* empty */
-}
-
 bool
-a_dbus_init(int *fd)
+a_dbus_init(void)
 {
-    *fd = -1;
     return false;
 }
 
diff --git a/dbus.h b/dbus.h
index ce4a0b55a..d826ddcb7 100644
--- a/dbus.h
+++ b/dbus.h
@@ -24,8 +24,7 @@
 
 #include <stdbool.h>
 
-void a_dbus_process_requests(int *);
-bool a_dbus_init(int *);
+bool a_dbus_init(void);
 void a_dbus_cleanup(void);
 
 #endif