diff --git a/src/threading/ipc_channel.cpp b/src/threading/ipc_channel.cpp
index 113a7f701..1ea61e7ff 100644
--- a/src/threading/ipc_channel.cpp
+++ b/src/threading/ipc_channel.cpp
@@ -202,6 +202,18 @@ static struct timespec *set_timespec(struct timespec *ts, int ms)
 }
 #endif // !defined(_WIN32)
 
+template <typename T>
+static inline void write_once(volatile T *var, const T val)
+{
+	*var = val;
+}
+
+template <typename T>
+static inline T read_once(const volatile T *var)
+{
+	return *var;
+}
+
 IPCChannelEnd IPCChannelEnd::makeA(std::unique_ptr<IPCChannelStuff> stuff)
 {
 	IPCChannelShared *shared = stuff->getShared();
@@ -228,7 +240,7 @@ IPCChannelEnd IPCChannelEnd::makeB(std::unique_ptr<IPCChannelStuff> stuff)
 
 void IPCChannelEnd::sendSmall(const void *data, size_t size) noexcept
 {
-	m_out->size = size;
+	write_once(&m_out->size, size);
 	memcpy(m_out->data, data, size);
 #if defined(_WIN32)
 	post(m_sem_out);
@@ -245,7 +257,7 @@ bool IPCChannelEnd::sendLarge(const void *data, size_t size, int timeout_ms) noe
 	struct timespec timeout;
 	struct timespec *timeoutp = set_timespec(&timeout, timeout_ms);
 #endif
-	m_out->size = size;
+	write_once(&m_out->size, size);
 	do {
 		memcpy(m_out->data, data, IPC_CHANNEL_MSG_SIZE);
 #if defined(_WIN32)
@@ -285,10 +297,11 @@ bool IPCChannelEnd::recv(int timeout_ms) noexcept
 	if (!wait(m_in, timeoutp))
 #endif
 		return false;
-	size_t size = m_in->size;
+	size_t size = read_once(&m_in->size);
+	m_recv_size = size;
 	if (size <= IPC_CHANNEL_MSG_SIZE) {
-		m_recv_size = size;
-		m_recv_data = m_in->data;
+		// m_large_recv.size() is always >= IPC_CHANNEL_MSG_SIZE
+		memcpy(m_large_recv.data(), m_in->data, size);
 	} else {
 		try {
 			m_large_recv.resize(size);
@@ -299,8 +312,6 @@ bool IPCChannelEnd::recv(int timeout_ms) noexcept
 			FATAL_ERROR(errmsg.c_str());
 		}
 		u8 *recv_data = m_large_recv.data();
-		m_recv_size = size;
-		m_recv_data = recv_data;
 		do {
 			memcpy(recv_data, m_in->data, IPC_CHANNEL_MSG_SIZE);
 			size -= IPC_CHANNEL_MSG_SIZE;
diff --git a/src/threading/ipc_channel.h b/src/threading/ipc_channel.h
index b085d286a..8247eddb5 100644
--- a/src/threading/ipc_channel.h
+++ b/src/threading/ipc_channel.h
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ with this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc.,
 	* other posix: uses posix mutex and condition variable
 */
 
-#define IPC_CHANNEL_MSG_SIZE 8192U
+#define IPC_CHANNEL_MSG_SIZE 0x2000U
 
 struct IPCChannelBuffer
 {
@@ -67,8 +67,11 @@ struct IPCChannelBuffer
 	bool posted = false; // protected by mutex
 #endif
 #endif // !defined(_WIN32)
-	size_t size;
-	u8 data[IPC_CHANNEL_MSG_SIZE];
+	// Note: If the other side isn't acting cooperatively, they might write to
+	// this at any times. So we must make sure to copy out the data once, and
+	// only access that copy.
+	size_t size = 0;
+	u8 data[IPC_CHANNEL_MSG_SIZE] = {};
 
 	IPCChannelBuffer();
 	~IPCChannelBuffer();
@@ -121,7 +124,7 @@ public:
 	}
 
 	// Get the content of the last received message
-	inline const void *getRecvData() const noexcept { return m_recv_data; }
+	inline const void *getRecvData() const noexcept { return m_large_recv.data(); }
 	inline size_t getRecvSize() const noexcept { return m_recv_size; }
 
 private:
@@ -155,7 +158,8 @@ private:
 	HANDLE m_sem_in;
 	HANDLE m_sem_out;
 #endif
-	const void *m_recv_data = nullptr;
 	size_t m_recv_size = 0;
-	std::vector<u8> m_large_recv;
+	// we always copy from the shared buffer into this
+	// (this buffer only grows)
+	std::vector<u8> m_large_recv = std::vector<u8>(IPC_CHANNEL_MSG_SIZE);
 };
diff --git a/src/unittest/test_threading.cpp b/src/unittest/test_threading.cpp
index ed56abe61..28bde44ee 100644
--- a/src/unittest/test_threading.cpp
+++ b/src/unittest/test_threading.cpp
@@ -285,8 +285,8 @@ void TestThreading::testIPCChannel()
 		IPCChannelEnd end_b = IPCChannelEnd::makeB(std::make_unique<IPCChannelStuffSingleProcess>(stuff));
 
 		for (;;) {
-			end_b.recv();
-			end_b.send(end_b.getRecvData(), end_b.getRecvSize());
+			UASSERT(end_b.recv());
+			UASSERT(end_b.send(end_b.getRecvData(), end_b.getRecvSize()));
 			if (end_b.getRecvSize() == 0)
 				break;
 		}
@@ -295,12 +295,12 @@ void TestThreading::testIPCChannel()
 	char buf[20000] = {};
 	for (int i = sizeof(buf); i > 0; i -= 1000) {
 		buf[i - 1] = 123;
-		end_a.exchange(buf, i);
+		UASSERT(end_a.exchange(buf, i));
 		UASSERTEQ(int, end_a.getRecvSize(), i);
 		UASSERTEQ(int, ((const char *)end_a.getRecvData())[i - 1], 123);
 	}
 
-	end_a.exchange(buf, 0);
+	UASSERT(end_a.exchange(buf, 0));
 	UASSERTEQ(int, end_a.getRecvSize(), 0);
 
 	thread_b.join();