diff --git a/TODO.md b/TODO.md
index 251f1c91..20bda35d 100644
--- a/TODO.md
+++ b/TODO.md
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@
 - fix: on startup, if a room's last event is a membership change,
   it won't be visible in timeline no matter what the user config is
 - fix: there are rooms without messages on first sync
-- fix binding loops?
 
 - update docstrings 
 - update flatpak nio required version
diff --git a/src/gui/ModelStore.qml b/src/gui/ModelStore.qml
index d9fe1c34..14884197 100644
--- a/src/gui/ModelStore.qml
+++ b/src/gui/ModelStore.qml
@@ -6,6 +6,11 @@ import "PythonBridge"
 
 QtObject {
     property QtObject privates: QtObject {
+        onEnsureModelExists:
+            py.callCoro("models.ensure_exists_from_qml", [modelId])
+
+        signal ensureModelExists(var modelId)
+
         readonly property var store: ({})
 
         readonly property PythonBridge py: PythonBridge {}
@@ -39,7 +44,8 @@ QtObject {
         if (modelId.length === 1) modelId = modelId[0]
 
         if (! privates.store[modelId]) {
-            privates.py.callCoro("models.ensure_exists_from_qml", [modelId])
+            // Using a signal somehow avoids a binding loop
+            privates.ensureModelExists(modelId)
 
             privates.store[modelId] =
                 privates.model.createObject(this, {modelId})
diff --git a/src/gui/PythonBridge/PythonBridge.qml b/src/gui/PythonBridge/PythonBridge.qml
index c2a51d42..9a09fd4a 100644
--- a/src/gui/PythonBridge/PythonBridge.qml
+++ b/src/gui/PythonBridge/PythonBridge.qml
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ Python {
 
         Globals.pendingCoroutines[uuid] = {future, onSuccess, onError}
         Globals.pendingCoroutinesChanged()
+        // if (name  === "models.ensure_exists_from_qml") { print("r");  return}
 
         call("BRIDGE.call_backend_coro", [name, uuid, args], pyFuture => {
             future.privates.pythonFuture = pyFuture