diff --git a/src/App.zig b/src/App.zig
index 4b88c30e7..bdf5cb77b 100644
--- a/src/App.zig
+++ b/src/App.zig
@@ -199,8 +199,7 @@ fn drainMailbox(self: *App, rt_app: *apprt.App) !void {
         switch (message) {
             .reload_config => try self.reloadConfig(rt_app),
             .new_window => |msg| try self.newWindow(rt_app, msg),
-            .close => |surface| try self.closeSurface(rt_app, surface),
-            .focus => |surface| try self.focusSurface(rt_app, surface),
+            .close => |surface| try self.closeSurface(surface),
             .quit => try self.setQuit(),
             .surface_message => |msg| try self.surfaceMessage(msg.surface, msg.message),
             .redraw_surface => |surface| try self.redrawSurface(rt_app, surface),
@@ -208,7 +207,7 @@ fn drainMailbox(self: *App, rt_app: *apprt.App) !void {
     }
 }
 
-fn reloadConfig(self: *App, rt_app: *apprt.App) !void {
+pub fn reloadConfig(self: *App, rt_app: *apprt.App) !void {
     log.debug("reloading configuration", .{});
     if (try rt_app.reloadConfig()) |new| {
         log.debug("new configuration received, applying", .{});
@@ -216,16 +215,12 @@ fn reloadConfig(self: *App, rt_app: *apprt.App) !void {
     }
 }
 
-fn closeSurface(self: *App, rt_app: *apprt.App, surface: *Surface) !void {
-    _ = rt_app;
-
+pub fn closeSurface(self: *App, surface: *Surface) !void {
     if (!self.hasSurface(surface)) return;
     surface.close();
 }
 
-fn focusSurface(self: *App, rt_app: *apprt.App, surface: *Surface) !void {
-    _ = rt_app;
-
+pub fn focusSurface(self: *App, surface: *Surface) void {
     if (!self.hasSurface(surface)) return;
     self.focused_surface = surface;
 }
@@ -236,7 +231,7 @@ fn redrawSurface(self: *App, rt_app: *apprt.App, surface: *apprt.Surface) !void
 }
 
 /// Create a new window
-fn newWindow(self: *App, rt_app: *apprt.App, msg: Message.NewWindow) !void {
+pub fn newWindow(self: *App, rt_app: *apprt.App, msg: Message.NewWindow) !void {
     if (!@hasDecl(apprt.App, "newWindow")) {
         log.warn("newWindow is not supported by this runtime", .{});
         return;
@@ -253,7 +248,7 @@ fn newWindow(self: *App, rt_app: *apprt.App, msg: Message.NewWindow) !void {
 }
 
 /// Start quitting
-fn setQuit(self: *App) !void {
+pub fn setQuit(self: *App) !void {
     if (self.quit) return;
     self.quit = true;
 }
@@ -292,11 +287,6 @@ pub const Message = union(enum) {
     /// should close.
     close: *Surface,
 
-    /// The last focused surface. The app keeps track of this to
-    /// enable "inheriting" various configurations from the last
-    /// surface.
-    focus: *Surface,
-
     /// Quit
     quit: void,
 
diff --git a/src/Surface.zig b/src/Surface.zig
index 922175e2d..6392e855f 100644
--- a/src/Surface.zig
+++ b/src/Surface.zig
@@ -42,10 +42,11 @@ const Renderer = renderer.Renderer;
 /// Allocator
 alloc: Allocator,
 
-/// The mailbox for sending messages to the main app thread.
-app_mailbox: App.Mailbox,
+/// The app that this surface is attached to.
+app: *App,
 
-/// The windowing system surface
+/// The windowing system surface and app.
+rt_app: *apprt.runtime.App,
 rt_surface: *apprt.runtime.Surface,
 
 /// The font structures
@@ -180,7 +181,7 @@ pub fn init(
     alloc: Allocator,
     config: *const configpkg.Config,
     app: *App,
-    app_mailbox: App.Mailbox,
+    rt_app: *apprt.runtime.App,
     rt_surface: *apprt.runtime.Surface,
 ) !void {
     // Initialize our renderer with our initialized surface.
@@ -351,6 +352,7 @@ pub fn init(
     };
 
     // Create our terminal grid with the initial size
+    const app_mailbox: App.Mailbox = .{ .rt_app = rt_app, .mailbox = &app.mailbox };
     var renderer_impl = try Renderer.init(alloc, .{
         .config = try Renderer.DerivedConfig.init(alloc, config),
         .font_group = font_group,
@@ -409,7 +411,8 @@ pub fn init(
 
     self.* = .{
         .alloc = alloc,
-        .app_mailbox = app_mailbox,
+        .app = app,
+        .rt_app = rt_app,
         .rt_surface = rt_surface,
         .font_lib = font_lib,
         .font_group = font_group,
@@ -1019,11 +1022,7 @@ pub fn focusCallback(self: *Surface, focused: bool) !void {
     }, .{ .forever = {} });
 
     // Notify our app if we gained focus.
-    if (focused) {
-        _ = self.app_mailbox.push(.{
-            .focus = self,
-        }, .{ .forever = {} });
-    }
+    if (focused) self.app.focusSurface(self);
 
     // Schedule render which also drains our mailbox
     try self.queueRender();
@@ -1871,11 +1870,7 @@ pub fn performBindingAction(self: *Surface, action: input.Binding.Action) !void
         .unbind => unreachable,
         .ignore => {},
 
-        .reload_config => {
-            _ = self.app_mailbox.push(.{
-                .reload_config = {},
-            }, .{ .instant = {} });
-        },
+        .reload_config => try self.app.reloadConfig(self.rt_app),
 
         .csi => |data| {
             // We need to send the CSI sequence as a single write request.
@@ -2072,13 +2067,7 @@ pub fn performBindingAction(self: *Surface, action: input.Binding.Action) !void
             try self.io_thread.wakeup.notify();
         },
 
-        .new_window => {
-            _ = self.app_mailbox.push(.{
-                .new_window = .{
-                    .parent = self,
-                },
-            }, .{ .instant = {} });
-        },
+        .new_window => try self.app.newWindow(self.rt_app, .{ .parent = self }),
 
         .new_tab => {
             if (@hasDecl(apprt.Surface, "newTab")) {
@@ -2130,15 +2119,9 @@ pub fn performBindingAction(self: *Surface, action: input.Binding.Action) !void
 
         .close_surface => self.close(),
 
-        .close_window => {
-            _ = self.app_mailbox.push(.{ .close = self }, .{ .instant = {} });
-        },
+        .close_window => try self.app.closeSurface(self),
 
-        .quit => {
-            _ = self.app_mailbox.push(.{
-                .quit = {},
-            }, .{ .instant = {} });
-        },
+        .quit => try self.app.setQuit(),
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/apprt/embedded.zig b/src/apprt/embedded.zig
index e3b8df6e0..f35765275 100644
--- a/src/apprt/embedded.zig
+++ b/src/apprt/embedded.zig
@@ -231,7 +231,7 @@ pub const Surface = struct {
             app.core_app.alloc,
             &config,
             app.core_app,
-            .{ .rt_app = app, .mailbox = &app.core_app.mailbox },
+            app,
             self,
         );
         errdefer self.core_surface.deinit();
diff --git a/src/apprt/glfw.zig b/src/apprt/glfw.zig
index c3c07af07..47b37ec9a 100644
--- a/src/apprt/glfw.zig
+++ b/src/apprt/glfw.zig
@@ -378,7 +378,7 @@ pub const Surface = struct {
             app.app.alloc,
             &config,
             app.app,
-            .{ .rt_app = app, .mailbox = &app.app.mailbox },
+            app,
             self,
         );
         errdefer self.core_surface.deinit();
diff --git a/src/apprt/gtk.zig b/src/apprt/gtk.zig
index 54e805dd1..580970711 100644
--- a/src/apprt/gtk.zig
+++ b/src/apprt/gtk.zig
@@ -852,7 +852,7 @@ pub const Surface = struct {
             self.app.core_app.alloc,
             &config,
             self.app.core_app,
-            .{ .rt_app = self.app, .mailbox = &self.app.core_app.mailbox },
+            self.app,
             self,
         );
         errdefer self.core_surface.deinit();