diff --git a/base-hw/src/base/signal/signal.cc b/base-hw/src/base/signal/signal.cc
index 8b8a611ee3..a04b27102b 100644
--- a/base-hw/src/base/signal/signal.cc
+++ b/base-hw/src/base/signal/signal.cc
@@ -92,15 +92,16 @@ Signal_receiver::Signal_receiver()
 	while (1) {
 		try {
 			_cap = s->alloc_receiver();
-			break;
+			return;
 		} catch (Signal_session::Out_of_metadata)
 		{
 			/* upgrade session quota and try again, but only once */
 			if (session_upgraded) {
-				PDBG("Failed to alloc signal receiver");
-				break;
+				PERR("failed to alloc signal receiver");
+				_cap = Signal_receiver_capability();
+				return;
 			}
-			PINF("upgrading quota donation for Signal session");
+			PINF("upgrading quota donation for SIGNAL session");
 			env()->parent()->upgrade(s->cap(), "ram_quota=4K");
 			session_upgraded = 1;
 		}
@@ -149,20 +150,21 @@ Signal_context_capability Signal_receiver::manage(Signal_context * const c)
 	while (1) {
 		try {
 			c->_cap = s->alloc_context(_cap, (unsigned)c);
-			break;
+			c->_receiver = this;
+			_contexts.insert(&c->_receiver_le);
+			return c->_cap;
 		} catch (Signal_session::Out_of_metadata)
 		{
 			/* upgrade session quota and try again, but only once */
-			PINF("upgrading quota donation for Signal session");
-			if (session_upgraded) return Signal_context_capability();
+			if (session_upgraded) {
+				PERR("failed to alloc signal context");
+				return Signal_context_capability();
+			}
+			PINF("upgrading quota donation for SIGNAL session");
 			env()->parent()->upgrade(s->cap(), "ram_quota=4K");
 			session_upgraded = 1;
 		}
 	}
-	/* assign the context to us */
-	c->_receiver = this;
-	_contexts.insert(&c->_receiver_le);
-	return c->_cap;
 }
 
 
diff --git a/base-hw/src/core/include/signal_root.h b/base-hw/src/core/include/signal_root.h
index b8426a58e3..3bfa4f36ac 100644
--- a/base-hw/src/core/include/signal_root.h
+++ b/base-hw/src/core/include/signal_root.h
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 
 /* Genode includes */
 #include <root/component.h>
+#include <kernel/syscalls.h>
 
 /* core includes */
 #include <signal_session_component.h>
@@ -75,6 +76,22 @@ namespace Genode
 			{
 				size_t ram_quota =
 					Arg_string::find_arg(args, "ram_quota").long_value(0);
+
+				/*
+				 * FIXME
+				 * We check these assertions because space for initial SLAB
+				 * blocks can be scaled pragmatically only via
+				 * RECEIVERS_SLAB_BLOCK_SIZE and CONTEXTS_SLAB_BLOCK_SIZE
+				 * (array size can't come from a function)
+				 */
+				if (Signal_session_component::RECEIVERS_SB_SIZE <
+				    32 * Kernel::signal_receiver_size() ||
+				    Signal_session_component::CONTEXTS_SB_SIZE  <
+				    32 * Kernel::signal_context_size())
+				{
+					PERR("Undersized SLAB blocks");
+					throw Root::Exception();
+				}
 				return new (md_alloc())
 					Signal_session_component(md_alloc(), ram_quota);
 			}
diff --git a/base-hw/src/core/include/signal_session_component.h b/base-hw/src/core/include/signal_session_component.h
index e11129d445..84c2c8030e 100644
--- a/base-hw/src/core/include/signal_session_component.h
+++ b/base-hw/src/core/include/signal_session_component.h
@@ -27,9 +27,20 @@ namespace Genode
 	 */
 	class Signal_session_component : public Rpc_object<Signal_session>
 	{
-		Allocator_guard _md_alloc; /* Metadata allocator */
-		Slab _receivers_slab; /* SLAB to allocate receiver kernel-objects */
-		Slab _contexts_slab; /* SLAB to allocate context kernel-objects */
+		public:
+
+			enum {
+				RECEIVERS_SB_SIZE = 4096,
+				CONTEXTS_SB_SIZE  = 4096,
+			};
+
+		private:
+
+			Allocator_guard _md_alloc;
+			Slab            _receivers_slab;
+			Slab            _contexts_slab;
+			char            _initial_receivers_sb [RECEIVERS_SB_SIZE];
+			char            _initial_contexts_sb  [CONTEXTS_SB_SIZE];
 
 		public:
 
diff --git a/base-hw/src/core/signal_session_component.cc b/base-hw/src/core/signal_session_component.cc
index 90bbf539e2..370f0cb2ac 100644
--- a/base-hw/src/core/signal_session_component.cc
+++ b/base-hw/src/core/signal_session_component.cc
@@ -20,22 +20,14 @@
 
 using namespace Genode;
 
-enum {
-	RECEIVER_SLAB_CHUNK_SIZE = 32,
-	CONTEXT_SLAB_CHUNK_SIZE = 32,
-};
-
 
 Signal_session_component::Signal_session_component(Allocator * const md,
                                                    size_t const ram_quota) :
 	_md_alloc(md, ram_quota),
-	_receivers_slab(Kernel::signal_receiver_size(),
-	                RECEIVER_SLAB_CHUNK_SIZE * Kernel::signal_receiver_size(),
-	                0, &_md_alloc),
-
-	_contexts_slab(Kernel::signal_context_size(),
-	               CONTEXT_SLAB_CHUNK_SIZE * Kernel::signal_context_size(),
-	               0, &_md_alloc)
+	_receivers_slab(Kernel::signal_receiver_size(), RECEIVERS_SB_SIZE,
+	                (Slab_block *)&_initial_receivers_sb, &_md_alloc),
+	_contexts_slab(Kernel::signal_context_size(), CONTEXTS_SB_SIZE,
+	               (Slab_block *)&_initial_contexts_sb, &_md_alloc)
 { }
 
 
diff --git a/base/include/signal_session/connection.h b/base/include/signal_session/connection.h
index a669c56859..db0971b001 100644
--- a/base/include/signal_session/connection.h
+++ b/base/include/signal_session/connection.h
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ namespace Genode {
 	{
 		Signal_connection()
 		:
-			Connection<Signal_session>(session("ram_quota=8K")),
+			Connection<Signal_session>(session("ram_quota=12K")),
 			Signal_session_client(cap())
 		{ }
 	};