diff --git a/src/library_pthread.js b/src/library_pthread.js
index 6ff921d742fc5..7c5568e82e58f 100644
--- a/src/library_pthread.js
+++ b/src/library_pthread.js
@@ -275,11 +275,6 @@ var LibraryPThread = {
           err('Thread ' + d['threadId'] + ': ' + d['text']);
         } else if (cmd === 'alert') {
           alert('Thread ' + d['threadId'] + ': ' + d['text']);
-        } else if (cmd === 'detachedExit') {
-#if ASSERTIONS
-          assert(worker.pthread);
-#endif
-          PThread.returnWorkerToPool(worker);
         } else if (d.target === 'setimmediate') {
           // Worker wants to postMessage() to itself to implement setImmediate()
           // emulation.
@@ -834,12 +829,6 @@ var LibraryPThread = {
     return 0;
   },
 
-  __pthread_detached_exit: function() {
-    // Called at the end of pthread_exit (which occurs also when leaving the
-    // thread main function) if an only if the thread is in a detached state.
-    postMessage({ 'cmd': 'detachedExit' });
-  },
-
   // Returns 0 on success, or one of the values -ETIMEDOUT, -EWOULDBLOCK or -EINVAL on error.
   emscripten_futex_wait__deps: ['emscripten_main_thread_process_queued_calls'],
   emscripten_futex_wait: function(addr, val, timeout) {
diff --git a/system/lib/pthread/pthread_create.c b/system/lib/pthread/pthread_create.c
index 6edd7da6346f4..1ec0b986b3642 100644
--- a/system/lib/pthread/pthread_create.c
+++ b/system/lib/pthread/pthread_create.c
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 extern int __pthread_create_js(struct pthread *thread, const pthread_attr_t *attr, void *(*start_routine) (void *), void *arg);
 extern void _emscripten_thread_init(int, int, int);
 extern int _emscripten_default_pthread_stack_size();
-extern void __pthread_detached_exit();
+extern void __emscripten_thread_cleanup(pthread_t thread);
 extern void* _emscripten_tls_base();
 extern int8_t __dso_handle;
 
@@ -236,7 +236,7 @@ void _emscripten_thread_exit(void* result) {
   // object and we are done.
   if (state == DT_DETACHED) {
     self->detach_state = DT_EXITED;
-    __pthread_detached_exit();
+    __emscripten_thread_cleanup(self);
   } else {
     self->detach_state = DT_EXITING;
     // wake any threads that might be waiting for us to exit
diff --git a/system/lib/pthread/pthread_join.c b/system/lib/pthread/pthread_join.c
index a8688ebac3ef0..f0c1e19a8c5dd 100644
--- a/system/lib/pthread/pthread_join.c
+++ b/system/lib/pthread/pthread_join.c
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 #include <pthread.h>
 
 extern int __pthread_join_js(pthread_t t, void **res, int tryjoin);
-extern int __emscripten_thread_cleanup(pthread_t t);
+extern void __emscripten_thread_cleanup(pthread_t t);
 
 static int __pthread_join_internal(pthread_t t, void **res) {
   if (t->self != t) {