diff --git a/src/main.rs b/src/main.rs
index 76e474b1..e2729177 100644
--- a/src/main.rs
+++ b/src/main.rs
@@ -8,18 +8,60 @@ mod db;
 mod error;
 mod event_related;
 mod globals;
+mod overlord;
 mod settings;
 mod ui;
 
+use crate::comms::BusMessage;
+use crate::error::Error;
+use crate::globals::GLOBALS;
+use std::ops::DerefMut;
+use std::{mem, thread};
+
 fn main() {
     tracing_subscriber::fmt::init();
 
-    // TBD: start async code
+    // Start async code
+    // We do this on a separate thread because egui is most portable by
+    // being on the main thread.
+    let async_thread = thread::spawn(|| {
+        let rt = tokio::runtime::Runtime::new().unwrap();
+        rt.block_on(tokio_main());
+    });
 
     if let Err(e) = ui::run() {
         tracing::error!("{}", e);
     }
 
-    // TBD: Tell the async parties to close down
-    // TBD: wait for the async parties to close down
+    // Tell the async parties to close down
+    if let Err(e) = initiate_shutdown() {
+        tracing::error!("{}", e);
+    }
+
+    // Wait for the async thread to complete
+    async_thread.join().unwrap();
+}
+
+async fn tokio_main() {
+    // Steal `from_minions` from the GLOBALS, and give it to a new Overlord
+    let from_minions = {
+        let mut mutex_option = GLOBALS.from_minions.lock().await;
+        mem::replace(mutex_option.deref_mut(), None)
+    }
+    .unwrap();
+
+    // Run the overlord
+    let mut overlord = crate::overlord::Overlord::new(from_minions);
+    overlord.run().await;
+}
+
+// Any task can call this to shutdown
+pub fn initiate_shutdown() -> Result<(), Error> {
+    let to_overlord = GLOBALS.to_overlord.clone();
+    to_overlord.send(BusMessage {
+        target: "all".to_string(),
+        kind: "shutdown".to_string(),
+        json_payload: serde_json::to_string("").unwrap(),
+    })?;
+    Ok(())
 }
diff --git a/src/overlord/mod.rs b/src/overlord/mod.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6f8bba6c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/overlord/mod.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,159 @@
+mod relay_picker;
+
+use crate::comms::BusMessage;
+use crate::db::{DbEvent, DbPerson, DbRelay};
+use crate::error::Error;
+use crate::globals::GLOBALS;
+use crate::settings::Settings;
+use nostr_proto::{Event, Unixtime};
+use tokio::select;
+use tokio::sync::broadcast::Sender;
+use tokio::sync::mpsc::UnboundedReceiver;
+use tracing::{error, info};
+
+pub struct Overlord {
+    settings: Settings,
+    to_minions: Sender<BusMessage>,
+    #[allow(dead_code)]
+    from_minions: UnboundedReceiver<BusMessage>,
+}
+
+impl Overlord {
+    pub fn new(from_minions: UnboundedReceiver<BusMessage>) -> Overlord {
+        let to_minions = GLOBALS.to_minions.clone();
+        Overlord {
+            settings: Settings::default(),
+            to_minions,
+            from_minions,
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub async fn run(&mut self) {
+        if let Err(e) = self.run_inner().await {
+            error!("{}", e);
+        }
+
+        // Send shutdown message to all minions (and ui)
+        // If this fails, it's probably because there are no more listeners
+        // so just ignore it and keep shutting down.
+        let _ = self.to_minions.send(BusMessage {
+            target: "all".to_string(),
+            kind: "shutdown".to_string(),
+            json_payload: serde_json::to_string("shutdown").unwrap(),
+        });
+
+        // Wait on all minions to finish. When there are no more senders
+        // sending to `from_minions` then they are all completed.
+        // In that case this call will return an error, but we don't care we
+        // just finish.
+        let _ = self.from_minions.recv();
+    }
+
+    pub async fn run_inner(&mut self) -> Result<(), Error> {
+        // Setup the database (possibly create, possibly upgrade)
+        crate::db::setup_database().await?;
+
+        // Load settings
+        self.settings = Settings::load().await?;
+
+        // FIXME - if this needs doing, it should be done dynamically as
+        //         new people are encountered, not batch-style on startup.
+        // Create a person record for every person seen, possibly autofollow
+        DbPerson::populate_new_people(self.settings.autofollow != 0).await?;
+
+        // FIXME - if this needs doing, it should be done dynamically as
+        //         new people are encountered, not batch-style on startup.
+        // Create a relay record for every relay in person_relay map (these get
+        // updated from events without necessarily updating our relays list)
+        DbRelay::populate_new_relays().await?;
+
+        // Load feed-related events from database and process (TextNote, EventDeletion, Reaction)
+        {
+            let now = Unixtime::now().unwrap();
+            let then = now.0 - self.settings.feed_chunk as i64;
+            let db_events = DbEvent::fetch(Some(&format!(
+                " (kind=1 OR kind=5 OR kind=7) AND created_at > {} ORDER BY created_at ASC",
+                then
+            )))
+            .await?;
+
+            // Map db events into Events
+            let mut events: Vec<Event> = Vec::with_capacity(db_events.len());
+            for dbevent in db_events.iter() {
+                let e = serde_json::from_str(&dbevent.raw)?;
+                events.push(e);
+            }
+
+            // Process these events
+            let mut count = 0;
+            for event in events.iter() {
+                count += 1;
+                crate::globals::add_event(event).await?;
+            }
+            info!("Loaded {} events from the database", count);
+        }
+
+        'mainloop: loop {
+            match self.loop_handler().await {
+                Ok(keepgoing) => {
+                    if !keepgoing {
+                        break 'mainloop;
+                    }
+                }
+                Err(e) => {
+                    // Log them and keep looping
+                    error!("{}", e);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    #[allow(unused_assignments)]
+    async fn loop_handler(&mut self) -> Result<bool, Error> {
+        let mut keepgoing: bool = true;
+
+        select! {
+            bus_message = self.from_minions.recv() => {
+                let bus_message = match bus_message {
+                    Some(bm) => bm,
+                    None => {
+                        // All senders dropped, or one of them closed.
+                        return Ok(false);
+                    }
+                };
+                keepgoing = self.handle_bus_message(bus_message).await?;
+            },
+        }
+
+        Ok(keepgoing)
+    }
+
+    async fn handle_bus_message(&mut self, bus_message: BusMessage) -> Result<bool, Error> {
+        #[allow(clippy::single_match)] // because temporarily so
+        match &*bus_message.target {
+            "all" => match &*bus_message.kind {
+                "shutdown" => {
+                    info!("Overlord shutting down");
+                    return Ok(false);
+                }
+                "settings_changed" => {
+                    self.settings = serde_json::from_str(&bus_message.json_payload)?;
+                    // We need to inform the minions
+                    self.to_minions.send(BusMessage {
+                        target: "all".to_string(),
+                        kind: "settings_changed".to_string(),
+                        json_payload: bus_message.json_payload.clone(),
+                    })?;
+                }
+                _ => {}
+            },
+            //"overlord" => match &*bus_message.kind {
+            //}
+            _ => {}
+        }
+
+        Ok(true)
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/overlord/relay_picker.rs b/src/overlord/relay_picker.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3f8241eb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/overlord/relay_picker.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,110 @@
+use crate::db::{DbPersonRelay, DbRelay};
+use crate::error::Error;
+use nostr_proto::PublicKeyHex;
+use tracing::info;
+
+/// See RelayPicker::best()
+#[allow(dead_code)]
+pub struct RelayPicker {
+    pub relays: Vec<DbRelay>,
+    pub pubkeys: Vec<PublicKeyHex>,
+    pub person_relays: Vec<DbPersonRelay>,
+}
+
+impl RelayPicker {
+    #[allow(dead_code)]
+    pub fn is_degenerate(&self) -> bool {
+        self.relays.is_empty() || self.pubkeys.is_empty() || self.person_relays.is_empty()
+    }
+
+    /// This function takes a RelayPicker which consists of a list of relays,
+    /// a list of public keys, and a mapping between them.  It outputs a
+    /// BestRelay structure which includes the best relay to listen to and
+    /// the public keys such a relay will cover. It also outpus a new RelayPicker
+    /// that contains only the remaining relays and public keys.
+    #[allow(dead_code)]
+    pub fn best(mut self) -> Result<(BestRelay, RelayPicker), Error> {
+        if self.pubkeys.is_empty() {
+            return Err(Error::General(
+                "best_relay called for zero people".to_owned(),
+            ));
+        }
+        if self.relays.is_empty() {
+            return Err(Error::General(
+                "best_relay called for zero relays".to_owned(),
+            ));
+        }
+
+        info!(
+            "Searching for the best relay among {} for {} people",
+            self.relays.len(),
+            self.pubkeys.len()
+        );
+
+        // Keep score
+        let mut score: Vec<u64> = [0].repeat(self.relays.len());
+
+        // Count how many keys a relay covers, to use as part of it's score
+        for person_relay in self.person_relays.iter() {
+            let i = match self
+                .relays
+                .iter()
+                .position(|relay| relay.url == person_relay.relay)
+            {
+                Some(index) => index,
+                None => continue, // we don't have that relay?
+            };
+            score[i] += 1;
+        }
+
+        // Multiply scores by relay rank
+        #[allow(clippy::needless_range_loop)]
+        for i in 0..self.relays.len() {
+            score[i] *= self.relays[i].rank.unwrap_or(1);
+        }
+
+        let winner_index = score
+            .iter()
+            .enumerate()
+            .max_by(|x: &(usize, &u64), y: &(usize, &u64)| x.1.cmp(y.1))
+            .unwrap()
+            .0;
+
+        let winner = self.relays.swap_remove(winner_index);
+
+        let covered_public_keys: Vec<PublicKeyHex> = self
+            .person_relays
+            .iter()
+            .filter(|x| x.relay == winner.url)
+            .map(|x| PublicKeyHex(x.person.clone()))
+            .collect();
+
+        self.pubkeys.retain(|x| !covered_public_keys.contains(x));
+
+        self.person_relays.retain(|pr| {
+            !covered_public_keys.contains(&PublicKeyHex(pr.person.clone()))
+                && pr.relay != winner.url
+        });
+
+        Ok((
+            BestRelay {
+                relay: winner,
+                pubkeys: covered_public_keys,
+            },
+            self,
+        ))
+    }
+}
+
+/// See RelayPicker::best()
+pub struct BestRelay {
+    pub relay: DbRelay,
+    pub pubkeys: Vec<PublicKeyHex>,
+}
+
+impl BestRelay {
+    #[allow(dead_code)]
+    pub fn is_degenerate(&self) -> bool {
+        self.pubkeys.is_empty() || self.relay.rank == Some(0)
+    }
+}