diff --git a/src/madness/world/safempi.h b/src/madness/world/safempi.h
index c48e310f37e..7f8c12dabda 100644
--- a/src/madness/world/safempi.h
+++ b/src/madness/world/safempi.h
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@
 #include <madness/world/worldmutex.h>
 #include <madness/world/type_traits.h>
 #include <iostream>
+#include <csignal>
 #include <cstring>
 #include <memory>
 #include <sstream>
@@ -792,7 +793,15 @@ namespace SafeMPI {
             // if SIGABRT has a handler, call std::abort to allow it be caught,
             // else call MPI_Abort which does not seem to call abort at all,
             // instead sends SIGTERM followed by SIGKILL
-            MPI_Abort(pimpl->comm, code);
+            // if have a custom signal handler for SIGABRT (i.e. we are running under a
+            // debugger) then call abort()
+            struct sigaction sa;
+            auto rc = sigaction(SIGABRT, NULL, &sa);
+            if (rc == 0 && sa.sa_handler != SIG_DFL) {
+              abort();
+            } else {
+              MPI_Abort(pimpl->comm, code);
+            }
         }
 
         void Barrier() const {
diff --git a/src/madness/world/test_world.cc b/src/madness/world/test_world.cc
index 00a8eff2271..775561abd39 100644
--- a/src/madness/world/test_world.cc
+++ b/src/madness/world/test_world.cc
@@ -505,9 +505,9 @@ void test6(World& world) {
       world.gop.fence();
 
 #ifdef MADNESS_WORLDOBJECT_FUTURE_TRACE
-      MADNESS_CHECK(a.trace_status_nfuture_registered() == a.trace_futures() ? nproc : 0);
+      MADNESS_CHECK(a.trace_status_nfuture_registered() == (a.trace_futures() ? nproc : 0));
       MADNESS_CHECK(decltype(a)::trace_status_nfuture_assigned(a.id()) ==
-                    decltype(a)::trace_futures(a.id()) ? nproc : 0);
+                    (decltype(a)::trace_futures(a.id()) ? nproc : 0));
 #endif
 
       // stress the large message protocol ... off by default
diff --git a/src/madness/world/world_object.h b/src/madness/world/world_object.h
index 6d72998a713..a19607bf65e 100644
--- a/src/madness/world/world_object.h
+++ b/src/madness/world/world_object.h
@@ -638,7 +638,7 @@ namespace madness {
             typename taskT::futureT result;
             detail::info<memfnT> info(objid, me, memfn, result.remote_ref(world), attr);
             world.am.send(dest, & objT::template spawn_remote_task_handler<taskT>,
-                    new_am_arg(info, a1, a2, a3, a4, a5, a6, a7, a8, a9));
+                    new_am_arg(info, a1, a2, a3, a4, a5, a6, a7, a8, a9), RMI::ATTR_UNORDERED);
 
             return result;
         }
diff --git a/src/madness/world/world_task_queue.h b/src/madness/world/world_task_queue.h
index 00e245ab195..a0252d7a4a8 100644
--- a/src/madness/world/world_task_queue.h
+++ b/src/madness/world/world_task_queue.h
@@ -433,7 +433,7 @@ namespace madness {
             typedef detail::TaskHandlerInfo<typename taskT::futureT::remote_refT, typename taskT::functionT> infoT;
             world.am.send(where, & WorldTaskQueue::template remote_task_handler<taskT>,
                     new_am_arg(infoT(result.remote_ref(world), fn, attr),
-                    a1, a2, a3, a4, a5, a6, a7, a8, a9));
+                    a1, a2, a3, a4, a5, a6, a7, a8, a9), RMI::ATTR_UNORDERED);
 
             return result;
         }
diff --git a/src/madness/world/worldgop.h b/src/madness/world/worldgop.h
index 00fbd65ee4a..134074b3417 100644
--- a/src/madness/world/worldgop.h
+++ b/src/madness/world/worldgop.h
@@ -410,9 +410,9 @@ namespace madness {
                 // Send active message to children
                 if(child1 != -1) {
                     AmArg* const args1 = copy_am_arg(*args0);
-                    world_.am.send(child1, handler, args1);
+                    world_.am.send(child1, handler, args1, RMI::ATTR_UNORDERED);
                 }
-                world_.am.send(child0, handler, args0);
+                world_.am.send(child0, handler, args0, RMI::ATTR_UNORDERED);
             }
         }
 
@@ -445,9 +445,9 @@ namespace madness {
                 // Send active message to children
                 if(child1 != -1) {
                     AmArg* const args1 = copy_am_arg(*args0);
-                    world_.am.send(child1, handler, args1);
+                    world_.am.send(child1, handler, args1, RMI::ATTR_UNORDERED);
                 }
-                world_.am.send(child0, handler, args0);
+                world_.am.send(child0, handler, args0, RMI::ATTR_UNORDERED);
             }
         }