diff --git a/llm_server/routes/openai/chat_completions.py b/llm_server/routes/openai/chat_completions.py
index 4018fee..426fd98 100644
--- a/llm_server/routes/openai/chat_completions.py
+++ b/llm_server/routes/openai/chat_completions.py
@@ -102,8 +102,12 @@ def openai_chat_completions(model_name=None):
                 pubsub = redis.pubsub()
                 pubsub.subscribe(event_id)
                 for item in pubsub.listen():
-                    if item['type'] == 'message' and item['data'].decode('utf-8') == 'begin':
-                        break
+                    if item['type'] == 'message':
+                        msg = item['data'].decode('utf-8')
+                        if msg == 'begin':
+                            break
+                        elif msg == 'offline':
+                            return return_invalid_model_err(handler.request_json_body['model'])
                     time.sleep(0.1)
 
                 # Double check the model is still online
diff --git a/llm_server/routes/openai/completions.py b/llm_server/routes/openai/completions.py
index 4dda2f2..2cd8578 100644
--- a/llm_server/routes/openai/completions.py
+++ b/llm_server/routes/openai/completions.py
@@ -127,8 +127,12 @@ def openai_completions(model_name=None):
                 pubsub = redis.pubsub()
                 pubsub.subscribe(event_id)
                 for item in pubsub.listen():
-                    if item['type'] == 'message' and item['data'].decode('utf-8') == 'begin':
-                        break
+                    if item['type'] == 'message':
+                        msg = item['data'].decode('utf-8')
+                        if msg == 'begin':
+                            break
+                        elif msg == 'offline':
+                            return return_invalid_model_err(handler.request_json_body['model'])
                     time.sleep(0.1)
 
                 # Double check the model is still online
diff --git a/llm_server/routes/v1/generate_stream.py b/llm_server/routes/v1/generate_stream.py
index b918106..79be511 100644
--- a/llm_server/routes/v1/generate_stream.py
+++ b/llm_server/routes/v1/generate_stream.py
@@ -143,8 +143,12 @@ def do_stream(ws, model_name):
                 pubsub = redis.pubsub()
                 pubsub.subscribe(event_id)
                 for item in pubsub.listen():
-                    if item['type'] == 'message' and item['data'].decode('utf-8') == 'begin':
-                        break
+                    if item['type'] == 'message':
+                        msg = item['data'].decode('utf-8')
+                        if msg == 'begin':
+                            break
+                        elif msg == 'offline':
+                            return messages.BACKEND_OFFLINE, 404  # TODO: format this error
                     time.sleep(0.1)
 
                 # Double check the model is still online
diff --git a/llm_server/workers/inferencer.py b/llm_server/workers/inferencer.py
index 0a9d871..d65d125 100644
--- a/llm_server/workers/inferencer.py
+++ b/llm_server/workers/inferencer.py
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ import threading
 import time
 import traceback
 
-from llm_server import messages
 from llm_server.cluster.cluster_config import cluster_config
 from llm_server.custom_redis import redis
 from llm_server.llm.generator import generator
@@ -14,10 +13,11 @@ def worker(backend_url):
     while True:
         (request_json_body, client_ip, token, parameters), event_id, selected_model = queue.get()
         backend_info = cluster_config.get_backend(backend_url)
+        pubsub = redis.pubsub()
+        pubsub.subscribe(event_id)
 
         if not backend_info['online']:
-            event = DataEvent(event_id)
-            event.set((False, None, messages.BACKEND_OFFLINE))
+            redis.publish(event_id, 'offline')
             return
 
         if not selected_model:
@@ -34,8 +34,6 @@ def worker(backend_url):
                 # is finished. Since a lot of ratelimiting and stats are
                 # based off the number of active workers, we must keep
                 # the generation based off the workers.
-                pubsub = redis.pubsub()
-                pubsub.subscribe(event_id)
                 redis.publish(event_id, 'begin')
                 for item in pubsub.listen():
                     if item['type'] == 'message' and item['data'].decode('utf-8') == 'finished':