diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index e8535e2..a4dd2ff 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -41,3 +41,7 @@ jspm_packages
 
 # vim swap files
 *.swp
+
+# vscode
+*.code-workspace
+.vscode
diff --git a/boot.js b/boot.js
index 4c21653..991fe8f 100644
--- a/boot.js
+++ b/boot.js
@@ -96,6 +96,7 @@ function Boot (server, opts, done) {
   this._server = server
   this._current = []
   this._error = null
+  this._isOnCloseHandlerKey = Symbol('isOnCloseHandler')
 
   this.setMaxListeners(0)
 
@@ -121,7 +122,6 @@ function Boot (server, opts, done) {
     // nooping this, we want to emit start only once
     this._closeQ.drain = noop
   }
-  this._thereIsCloseCb = false
 
   this._doStart = null
   const main = new Plugin(this, (s, opts, done) => {
@@ -210,6 +210,9 @@ Boot.prototype.after = function (func) {
 }
 
 Boot.prototype.onClose = function (func) {
+  // this is used to distinguish between onClose and close handlers
+  // because they share the same queue but must be called with different signatures
+  func[this._isOnCloseHandlerKey] = true
   this._closeQ.unshift(func, callback.bind(this))
 
   function callback (err) {
@@ -240,7 +243,6 @@ Boot.prototype.close = function (func) {
   this.ready(() => {
     this._error = null
     this._closeQ.push(func)
-    this._thereIsCloseCb = true
     process.nextTick(this._closeQ.resume.bind(this._closeQ))
   })
 
@@ -305,21 +307,25 @@ function callWithCbOrNextTick (func, cb, context) {
 
 function closeWithCbOrNextTick (func, cb, context) {
   context = this._server
-  if (this._closeQ.length() === 0 && this._thereIsCloseCb) {
-    if (func.length === 0 || func.length === 1) {
+  var isOnCloseHandler = func[this._isOnCloseHandlerKey]
+  if (func.length === 0 || func.length === 1) {
+    if (isOnCloseHandler) {
+      func(context)
+    } else {
       func(this._error)
-      process.nextTick(cb)
-    } else if (func.length === 2) {
-      func(this._error, cb)
+    }
+    process.nextTick(cb)
+  } else if (func.length === 2) {
+    if (isOnCloseHandler) {
+      func(context, cb)
     } else {
-      func(this._error, context, cb)
+      func(this._error, cb)
     }
   } else {
-    if (func.length === 0 || func.length === 1) {
-      func(context)
-      process.nextTick(cb)
-    } else {
+    if (isOnCloseHandler) {
       func(context, cb)
+    } else {
+      func(this._error, context, cb)
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/example.js b/example.js
index c3c8b12..32ff2a6 100644
--- a/example.js
+++ b/example.js
@@ -4,7 +4,11 @@ const avvio = require('.')()
 
 avvio
   .use(first, { hello: 'world' })
-  .after((cb) => {
+  .after((err, cb) => {
+    if (err) {
+      console.log('something bad happened')
+      console.log(err)
+    }
     console.log('after first and second')
     cb()
   })
@@ -22,7 +26,8 @@ avvio
 
 function first (instance, opts, cb) {
   console.log('first loaded', opts)
-  instance.use(second, cb)
+  instance.use(second)
+  cb()
 }
 
 function second (instance, opts, cb) {
diff --git a/test/close.test.js b/test/close.test.js
index 7449026..9b8e49a 100644
--- a/test/close.test.js
+++ b/test/close.test.js
@@ -186,6 +186,32 @@ test('onClose should handle errors', (t) => {
   })
 })
 
+test('#54 close handlers should receive same parameters when queue is not empty', (t) => {
+  t.plan(6)
+
+  const context = { test: true }
+  const app = boot(context)
+
+  app.use(function (server, opts, done) {
+    done()
+  })
+  app.on('start', () => {
+    app.close((err, done) => {
+      t.is(err, null)
+      t.pass('Closed in the correct order')
+      setImmediate(done)
+    })
+    app.close(err => {
+      t.is(err, null)
+      t.pass('Closed in the correct order')
+    })
+    app.close(err => {
+      t.is(err, null)
+      t.pass('Closed in the correct order')
+    })
+  })
+})
+
 test('onClose should handle errors / 2', (t) => {
   t.plan(4)