diff --git a/act/artifactcache/handler.go b/act/artifactcache/handler.go
index ac7355d0..429b661c 100644
--- a/act/artifactcache/handler.go
+++ b/act/artifactcache/handler.go
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import (
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 	"sync/atomic"
+	"syscall"
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/julienschmidt/httprouter"
@@ -27,6 +28,13 @@ const (
 	urlBase = "/_apis/artifactcache"
 )
 
+var fatal = func(logger logrus.FieldLogger, err error) {
+	logger.Errorf("unrecoverable error in the cache: %v", err)
+	if err := syscall.Kill(syscall.Getpid(), syscall.SIGTERM); err != nil {
+		logger.Errorf("unrecoverable error in the cache: failed to send the TERM signal to shutdown the daemon %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
 type Handler interface {
 	ExternalURL() string
 	Close() error
diff --git a/act/artifactcache/handler_test.go b/act/artifactcache/handler_test.go
index 8fc317b8..5970ea1a 100644
--- a/act/artifactcache/handler_test.go
+++ b/act/artifactcache/handler_test.go
@@ -4,11 +4,15 @@ import (
 	"bytes"
 	"crypto/rand"
 	"encoding/json"
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"net/http"
+	"os"
+	"os/signal"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
+	"syscall"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
@@ -1032,3 +1036,42 @@ func TestHandler_ExternalURL(t *testing.T) {
 		assert.True(t, handler.isClosed())
 	})
 }
+
+var (
+	settleTime       = 100 * time.Millisecond
+	fatalWaitingTime = 30 * time.Second
+)
+
+func waitSig(t *testing.T, c <-chan os.Signal, sig os.Signal) {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	// Sleep multiple times to give the kernel more tries to
+	// deliver the signal.
+	start := time.Now()
+	timer := time.NewTimer(settleTime / 10)
+	defer timer.Stop()
+	for time.Since(start) < fatalWaitingTime {
+		select {
+		case s := <-c:
+			if s == sig {
+				return
+			}
+			t.Fatalf("signal was %v, want %v", s, sig)
+		case <-timer.C:
+			timer.Reset(settleTime / 10)
+		}
+	}
+	t.Fatalf("timeout after %v waiting for %v", fatalWaitingTime, sig)
+}
+
+func TestHandler_fatal(t *testing.T) {
+	c := make(chan os.Signal, 1)
+	signal.Notify(c, syscall.SIGTERM)
+	defer signal.Stop(c)
+
+	discard := logrus.New()
+	discard.Out = io.Discard
+	fatal(discard, errors.New("fatal error"))
+
+	waitSig(t, c, syscall.SIGTERM)
+}