diff --git a/src/library_pthread.js b/src/library_pthread.js
index 7065b3617cd3e..30e533b84596b 100644
--- a/src/library_pthread.js
+++ b/src/library_pthread.js
@@ -263,9 +263,9 @@ var LibraryPThread = {
           return;
         }
 
-        if (cmd === 'processQueuedMainThreadWork') {
+        if (cmd === 'processProxyingQueue') {
           // TODO: Must post message to main Emscripten thread in PROXY_TO_WORKER mode.
-          _emscripten_main_thread_process_queued_calls();
+          _emscripten_proxy_execute_queue(d['queue']);
         } else if (cmd === 'spawnThread') {
           spawnThread(d);
         } else if (cmd === 'cleanupThread') {
@@ -1040,29 +1040,6 @@ var LibraryPThread = {
     return {{{ makeDynCall('ii', 'ptr') }}}(arg);
   },
 
-  // This function is called internally to notify target thread ID that it has messages it needs to
-  // process in its message queue inside the Wasm heap. As a helper, the caller must also pass the
-  // ID of the main browser thread to this function, to avoid needlessly ping-ponging between JS and
-  // Wasm boundaries.
-  _emscripten_notify_thread_queue: function(targetThreadId, mainThreadId) {
-    if (targetThreadId == mainThreadId) {
-      postMessage({'cmd' : 'processQueuedMainThreadWork'});
-    } else if (ENVIRONMENT_IS_PTHREAD) {
-      postMessage({'targetThread': targetThreadId, 'cmd': 'processThreadQueue'});
-    } else {
-      var pthread = PThread.pthreads[targetThreadId];
-      var worker = pthread && pthread.worker;
-      if (!worker) {
-#if ASSERTIONS
-        err('Cannot send message to thread with ID ' + targetThreadId + ', unknown thread ID!');
-#endif
-        return /*0*/;
-      }
-      worker.postMessage({'cmd' : 'processThreadQueue'});
-    }
-    return 1;
-  },
-
   _emscripten_notify_proxying_queue: function(targetThreadId, currThreadId, mainThreadId, queue) {
     if (targetThreadId == currThreadId) {
       setTimeout(function() { _emscripten_proxy_execute_queue(queue); });
diff --git a/src/worker.js b/src/worker.js
index 0283ccc3ea41e..a472d0c66b009 100644
--- a/src/worker.js
+++ b/src/worker.js
@@ -285,10 +285,6 @@ self.onmessage = (e) => {
       }
     } else if (e.data.target === 'setimmediate') {
       // no-op
-    } else if (e.data.cmd === 'processThreadQueue') {
-      if (Module['_pthread_self']()) { // If this thread is actually running?
-        Module['_emscripten_current_thread_process_queued_calls']();
-      }
     } else if (e.data.cmd === 'processProxyingQueue') {
       if (Module['_pthread_self']()) { // If this thread is actually running?
         Module['_emscripten_proxy_execute_queue'](e.data.queue);
diff --git a/system/lib/pthread/library_pthread.c b/system/lib/pthread/library_pthread.c
index 6bd077492b70c..9246bacfb2c1d 100644
--- a/system/lib/pthread/library_pthread.c
+++ b/system/lib/pthread/library_pthread.c
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@
 #include <emscripten/stack.h>
 
 #include "threading_internal.h"
+#include "proxying.h"
 
 int emscripten_pthread_attr_gettransferredcanvases(const pthread_attr_t* a, const char** str) {
   *str = a->_a_transferredcanvases;
@@ -177,7 +178,6 @@ void emscripten_async_waitable_close(em_queued_call* call) {
 
 extern EMSCRIPTEN_RESULT _emscripten_set_offscreencanvas_size(const char *target, int width, int height);
 extern double emscripten_receive_on_main_thread_js(int functionIndex, int numCallArgs, double* args);
-extern int _emscripten_notify_thread_queue(pthread_t targetThreadId, pthread_t mainThreadId);
 
 static void _do_call(void* arg) {
   em_queued_call* q = (em_queued_call*)arg;
@@ -321,60 +321,6 @@ static void _do_call(void* arg) {
   }
 }
 
-#define CALL_QUEUE_SIZE 128
-
-// Shared data synchronized by call_queue_lock.
-typedef struct CallQueueEntry {
-  void (*func)(void*);
-  void* arg;
-} CallQueueEntry;
-
-typedef struct CallQueue {
-  void* target_thread;
-  CallQueueEntry* call_queue;
-  int call_queue_head;
-  int call_queue_tail;
-  struct CallQueue* next;
-} CallQueue;
-
-// Currently global to the queue, but this can be improved to be per-queue specific. (TODO: with
-// lockfree list operations on callQueue_head, or removing the list by moving this data to
-// pthread_t)
-static pthread_mutex_t call_queue_lock = PTHREAD_MUTEX_INITIALIZER;
-static CallQueue* callQueue_head = 0;
-
-// Not thread safe, call while having call_queue_lock obtained.
-static CallQueue* GetQueue(void* target) {
-  assert(target);
-  CallQueue* q = callQueue_head;
-  while (q && q->target_thread != target)
-    q = q->next;
-  return q;
-}
-
-// Not thread safe, call while having call_queue_lock obtained.
-static CallQueue* GetOrAllocateQueue(void* target) {
-  CallQueue* q = GetQueue(target);
-  if (q)
-    return q;
-
-  q = (CallQueue*)malloc(sizeof(CallQueue));
-  q->target_thread = target;
-  q->call_queue = 0;
-  q->call_queue_head = 0;
-  q->call_queue_tail = 0;
-  q->next = 0;
-  if (callQueue_head) {
-    CallQueue* last = callQueue_head;
-    while (last->next)
-      last = last->next;
-    last->next = q;
-  } else {
-    callQueue_head = q;
-  }
-  return q;
-}
-
 EMSCRIPTEN_RESULT emscripten_wait_for_call_v(em_queued_call* call, double timeoutMSecs) {
   int r;
 
@@ -410,85 +356,43 @@ pthread_t emscripten_main_browser_thread_id() {
   return &__main_pthread;
 }
 
-int _emscripten_do_dispatch_to_thread(pthread_t target_thread, em_queued_call* call) {
-  assert(call);
-
-  // #if PTHREADS_DEBUG // TODO: Create a debug version of pthreads library
-  //	EM_ASM_INT({dump('thread ' + _pthread_self() + ' (ENVIRONMENT_IS_WORKER: ' +
-  //ENVIRONMENT_IS_WORKER + '), queueing call of function enum=' + $0 + '/ptr=' + $1 + ' on thread '
-  //+ $2 + '\n' + new Error().stack)}, call->functionEnum, call->functionPtr, target_thread);
-  // #endif
-
-  // Can't be a null pointer here, and can't be
-  // EM_CALLBACK_THREAD_CONTEXT_MAIN_BROWSER_THREAD either.
+static pthread_t normalize_thread(pthread_t target_thread) {
   assert(target_thread);
-  if (target_thread == EM_CALLBACK_THREAD_CONTEXT_MAIN_BROWSER_THREAD)
-    target_thread = emscripten_main_browser_thread_id();
-
-  // If we are the target recipient of this message, we can just call the operation directly.
-  if (target_thread == EM_CALLBACK_THREAD_CONTEXT_CALLING_THREAD ||
-      target_thread == pthread_self()) {
-    _do_call(call);
-    return 1;
+  if (target_thread == EM_CALLBACK_THREAD_CONTEXT_MAIN_BROWSER_THREAD) {
+    return emscripten_main_browser_thread_id();
   }
-
-  // Add the operation to the call queue of the main runtime thread.
-  pthread_mutex_lock(&call_queue_lock);
-  CallQueue* q = GetOrAllocateQueue(target_thread);
-  if (!q->call_queue) {
-    // Shared data synchronized by call_queue_lock.
-    q->call_queue = malloc(sizeof(CallQueueEntry) * CALL_QUEUE_SIZE);
+  if (target_thread == EM_CALLBACK_THREAD_CONTEXT_CALLING_THREAD) {
+    return pthread_self();
   }
+  return target_thread;
+}
 
-  int head = q->call_queue_head;
-  int tail = q->call_queue_tail;
-  int new_tail = (tail + 1) % CALL_QUEUE_SIZE;
-
-  while (new_tail == head) { // Queue is full?
-    pthread_mutex_unlock(&call_queue_lock);
-
-    // If queue of the main browser thread is full, then we wait. (never drop messages for the main
-    // browser thread)
-    if (target_thread == emscripten_main_browser_thread_id()) {
-      emscripten_futex_wait((void*)&q->call_queue_head, head, INFINITY);
-      pthread_mutex_lock(&call_queue_lock);
-      head = q->call_queue_head;
-      tail = q->call_queue_tail;
-      new_tail = (tail + 1) % CALL_QUEUE_SIZE;
-    } else {
-      // For the queues of other threads, just drop the message.
-      // #if DEBUG TODO: a debug build of pthreads library?
-      //			EM_ASM(console.error('Pthread queue overflowed, dropping queued
-      //message to thread. ' + new Error().stack));
-      // #endif
-      em_queued_call_free(call);
-      return 0;
-    }
+// Execute `call` and return 1 only if already on the `target_thread`. Otherwise
+// return 0.
+static int maybe_call_on_current_thread(pthread_t target_thread,
+                                        em_queued_call* call) {
+  if (pthread_equal(target_thread, pthread_self())) {
+    _do_call(call);
+    return 1;
   }
+  return 0;
+}
 
-  q->call_queue[tail].func = _do_call;
-  q->call_queue[tail].arg = call;
-
-  // If the call queue was empty, the main runtime thread is likely idle in the browser event loop,
-  // so send a message to it to ensure that it wakes up to start processing the command we have
-  // posted.
-  if (head == tail) {
-    int success = _emscripten_notify_thread_queue(target_thread, emscripten_main_browser_thread_id());
-    // Failed to dispatch the thread, delete the crafted message.
-    if (!success) {
-      em_queued_call_free(call);
-      pthread_mutex_unlock(&call_queue_lock);
-      return 0;
-    }
+// Execute or proxy `call`. Return 1 if the work was executed or otherwise
+// return 0.
+static int do_dispatch_to_thread(pthread_t target_thread,
+                                 em_queued_call* call) {
+  target_thread = normalize_thread(target_thread);
+  if (maybe_call_on_current_thread(target_thread, call)) {
+    return 1;
   }
-
-  q->call_queue_tail = new_tail;
-  pthread_mutex_unlock(&call_queue_lock);
+  emscripten_proxy_async(
+    emscripten_proxy_get_system_queue(), target_thread, _do_call, call);
   return 0;
 }
 
 void emscripten_async_run_in_main_thread(em_queued_call* call) {
-  _emscripten_do_dispatch_to_thread(emscripten_main_browser_thread_id(), call);
+  do_dispatch_to_thread(emscripten_main_browser_thread_id(), call);
 }
 
 void emscripten_sync_run_in_main_thread(em_queued_call* call) {
@@ -589,50 +493,7 @@ void* emscripten_sync_run_in_main_thread_7(int function, void* arg1,
 }
 
 void emscripten_current_thread_process_queued_calls() {
-  // #if PTHREADS_DEBUG == 2
-  //  EM_ASM(console.error('thread ' + _pthread_self() + ':
-  //emscripten_current_thread_process_queued_calls(), ' + new Error().stack));
-  // #endif
-
-  static thread_local bool thread_is_processing_queued_calls = false;
-
-  // It is possible that when processing a queued call, the control flow leads back to calling this
-  // function in a nested fashion! Therefore this scenario must explicitly be detected, and
-  // processing the queue must be avoided if we are nesting, or otherwise the same queued calls
-  // would be processed again and again.
-  if (thread_is_processing_queued_calls)
-    return;
-  // This must be before pthread_mutex_lock(), since pthread_mutex_lock() can call back to this
-  // function.
-  thread_is_processing_queued_calls = true;
-
-  pthread_mutex_lock(&call_queue_lock);
-  CallQueue* q = GetQueue(pthread_self());
-  if (!q) {
-    pthread_mutex_unlock(&call_queue_lock);
-    thread_is_processing_queued_calls = false;
-    return;
-  }
-
-  int head = q->call_queue_head;
-  int tail = q->call_queue_tail;
-  while (head != tail) {
-    // Assume that the call is heavy, so unlock access to the call queue while it is being
-    // performed.
-    pthread_mutex_unlock(&call_queue_lock);
-    q->call_queue[head].func(q->call_queue[head].arg);
-    pthread_mutex_lock(&call_queue_lock);
-
-    head = (head + 1) % CALL_QUEUE_SIZE;
-    q->call_queue_head = head;
-    tail = q->call_queue_tail;
-  }
-  pthread_mutex_unlock(&call_queue_lock);
-
-  // If the queue was full and we had waiters pending to get to put data to queue, wake them up.
-  emscripten_futex_wake((void*)&q->call_queue_head, INT_MAX);
-
-  thread_is_processing_queued_calls = false;
+  emscripten_proxy_execute_queue(emscripten_proxy_get_system_queue());
 }
 
 // At times when we disallow the main thread to process queued calls, this will
@@ -733,17 +594,6 @@ em_queued_call* emscripten_async_waitable_run_in_main_runtime_thread_(
   return q;
 }
 
-typedef struct DispatchToThreadArgs {
-  pthread_t target_thread;
-  em_queued_call* q;
-} DispatchToThreadArgs;
-
-static void dispatch_to_thread_helper(void* user_data) {
-  DispatchToThreadArgs* args = (DispatchToThreadArgs*)user_data;
-  _emscripten_do_dispatch_to_thread(args->target_thread, args->q);
-  free(user_data);
-}
-
 int emscripten_dispatch_to_thread_args(pthread_t target_thread,
                                        EM_FUNC_SIGNATURE sig,
                                        void* func_ptr,
@@ -761,7 +611,7 @@ int emscripten_dispatch_to_thread_args(pthread_t target_thread,
 
   // `q` will not be used after it is called, so let the call clean it up.
   q->calleeDelete = 1;
-  return _emscripten_do_dispatch_to_thread(target_thread, q);
+  return do_dispatch_to_thread(target_thread, q);
 }
 
 int emscripten_dispatch_to_thread_(pthread_t target_thread,
@@ -792,10 +642,7 @@ int emscripten_dispatch_to_thread_async_args(pthread_t target_thread,
     q->calleeDelete = 1;
 
     // Schedule the call to run later on this thread.
-    DispatchToThreadArgs* args = malloc(sizeof(DispatchToThreadArgs));
-    args->target_thread = target_thread;
-    args->q = q;
-    emscripten_set_timeout(dispatch_to_thread_helper, 0, args);
+    emscripten_set_timeout(_do_call, 0, q);
     return 0;
   }
 
diff --git a/system/lib/pthread/proxying.c b/system/lib/pthread/proxying.c
index 6c58a813c4ce3..27c02fecface7 100644
--- a/system/lib/pthread/proxying.c
+++ b/system/lib/pthread/proxying.c
@@ -206,13 +206,26 @@ static task_queue* get_or_add_tasks_for_thread(em_proxying_queue* q,
 EMSCRIPTEN_KEEPALIVE
 void emscripten_proxy_execute_queue(em_proxying_queue* q) {
   assert(q != NULL);
+
+  // Recursion guard to avoid infinite recursion when we arrive here from the
+  // pthread_lock call below that executes the system queue. The per-task_queue
+  // recursion lock can't catch these recursions because it can only be checked
+  // after the lock has been acquired.
+  static _Thread_local int executing_system_queue = 0;
+  int is_system_queue = q == &system_proxying_queue;
+  if (is_system_queue) {
+    if (executing_system_queue) {
+      return;
+    }
+    executing_system_queue = 1;
+  }
+
   pthread_mutex_lock(&q->mutex);
   int tasks_index = get_tasks_index_for_thread(q, pthread_self());
   task_queue* tasks = tasks_index == -1 ? NULL : &q->task_queues[tasks_index];
   if (tasks == NULL || tasks->processing) {
     // No tasks for this thread or they are already being processed.
-    pthread_mutex_unlock(&q->mutex);
-    return;
+    goto end;
   }
   // Found the task queue; process the tasks.
   tasks->processing = 1;
@@ -227,7 +240,12 @@ void emscripten_proxy_execute_queue(em_proxying_queue* q) {
     tasks = &q->task_queues[tasks_index];
   }
   tasks->processing = 0;
+
+end:
   pthread_mutex_unlock(&q->mutex);
+  if (is_system_queue) {
+    executing_system_queue = 0;
+  }
 }
 
 int emscripten_proxy_async(em_proxying_queue* q,
diff --git a/tests/other/metadce/minimal_main_Oz_USE_PTHREADS_PROXY_TO_PTHREAD.funcs b/tests/other/metadce/minimal_main_Oz_USE_PTHREADS_PROXY_TO_PTHREAD.funcs
index 68ca03c8e10c6..32c2fc020b981 100644
--- a/tests/other/metadce/minimal_main_Oz_USE_PTHREADS_PROXY_TO_PTHREAD.funcs
+++ b/tests/other/metadce/minimal_main_Oz_USE_PTHREADS_PROXY_TO_PTHREAD.funcs
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
-$GetQueue
 $__emscripten_stdout_seek
 $__errno_location
+$__memcpy
 $__pthread_mutex_lock
 $__pthread_mutex_trylock
 $__pthread_mutex_unlock
@@ -10,12 +10,11 @@ $__pthread_setcancelstate
 $__set_thread_state
 $__stdio_write
 $__timedwait
-$__wake.2
+$__wake
 $__wasi_syscall_ret
 $__wasm_call_ctors
 $__wasm_init_memory
 $_do_call
-$_emscripten_do_dispatch_to_thread
 $_emscripten_thread_crashed
 $_emscripten_thread_exit
 $_emscripten_thread_free_data
@@ -24,7 +23,7 @@ $_main_thread
 $a_cas
 $a_cas_p.1
 $a_dec
-$a_fetch_add.1
+$a_fetch_add
 $a_inc
 $a_swap
 $add
@@ -32,17 +31,19 @@ $dispose_chunk
 $dlfree
 $dlmalloc
 $dlmemalign
-$em_queued_call_free
+$do_dispatch_to_thread
 $em_queued_call_malloc
 $emscripten_async_run_in_main_thread
 $emscripten_current_thread_process_queued_calls
 $emscripten_futex_wait
 $emscripten_futex_wake
 $emscripten_main_thread_process_queued_calls
+$emscripten_proxy_execute_queue
 $emscripten_proxy_main
 $emscripten_run_in_main_runtime_thread_js
 $emscripten_stack_set_limits
 $emscripten_tls_init
+$get_tasks_index_for_thread
 $init_file_lock
 $init_mparams
 $main
@@ -52,3 +53,4 @@ $sbrk
 $stackAlloc
 $stackRestore
 $stackSave
+$task_queue_is_empty
diff --git a/tests/other/metadce/minimal_main_Oz_USE_PTHREADS_PROXY_TO_PTHREAD.jssize b/tests/other/metadce/minimal_main_Oz_USE_PTHREADS_PROXY_TO_PTHREAD.jssize
index 8f1a099a81831..836e79976f648 100644
--- a/tests/other/metadce/minimal_main_Oz_USE_PTHREADS_PROXY_TO_PTHREAD.jssize
+++ b/tests/other/metadce/minimal_main_Oz_USE_PTHREADS_PROXY_TO_PTHREAD.jssize
@@ -1 +1 @@
-32374
+32066
diff --git a/tests/other/metadce/minimal_main_Oz_USE_PTHREADS_PROXY_TO_PTHREAD.size b/tests/other/metadce/minimal_main_Oz_USE_PTHREADS_PROXY_TO_PTHREAD.size
index 5ffc3a6c69f94..76d6788f69ca1 100644
--- a/tests/other/metadce/minimal_main_Oz_USE_PTHREADS_PROXY_TO_PTHREAD.size
+++ b/tests/other/metadce/minimal_main_Oz_USE_PTHREADS_PROXY_TO_PTHREAD.size
@@ -1 +1 @@
-17053
+18560
diff --git a/tools/deps_info.py b/tools/deps_info.py
index fea8a36ad8d9c..de1bf50916de4 100644
--- a/tools/deps_info.py
+++ b/tools/deps_info.py
@@ -167,7 +167,6 @@
   'localtime': ['malloc'],
   'localtime_r': ['malloc'],
   'mktime': ['malloc'],
-  'pthread_create': ['emscripten_main_thread_process_queued_calls'],
   'recv': ['htons'],
   'recvmsg': ['htons'],
   'accept': ['htons'],