diff --git a/packages/extension-ui/src/messaging.ts b/packages/extension-ui/src/messaging.ts
index d6b659a2..124d5e0d 100644
--- a/packages/extension-ui/src/messaging.ts
+++ b/packages/extension-ui/src/messaging.ts
@@ -6,19 +6,45 @@ import { AuthorizeRequest, MessageTypes, SigningRequest } from '@polkadot/extens
 import { KeyringJson } from '@polkadot/ui-keyring/types';
 import { KeypairType } from '@polkadot/util-crypto/types';
 
+import extension from 'extensionizer';
+import { PORT_POPUP } from '@polkadot/extension/defaults';
+
+type Handlers = {
+  [index: number]: {
+    resolve: (data: any) => void,
+    reject: (error: Error) => void
+  }
+};
+
+const port = extension.runtime.connect({ name: PORT_POPUP });
+const handlers: Handlers = {};
 let idCounter = 0;
 
+// setup a listener for messages, any incoming resolves the promise
+port.onMessage.addListener((data) => {
+  const handler = handlers[data.id];
+
+  if (!handler) {
+    console.error(`Uknown response: ${JSON.stringify(data)}`);
+    return;
+  }
+
+  delete handlers[data.id];
+
+  if (data.error) {
+    handler.reject(new Error(data.error));
+  } else {
+    handler.resolve(data.response);
+  }
+});
+
 function sendMessage (message: MessageTypes, request: any = {}): Promise<any> {
   return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
     const id = ++idCounter;
 
-    chrome.runtime.sendMessage({ id, message, request }, ({ error, response }) => {
-      if (error) {
-        reject(new Error(error));
-      } else {
-        resolve(response);
-      }
-    });
+    handlers[id] = { resolve, reject };
+
+    port.postMessage({ id, message, request });
   });
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/extension/src/background/handlers/index.ts b/packages/extension/src/background/handlers/index.ts
index 6d974767..3064d822 100644
--- a/packages/extension/src/background/handlers/index.ts
+++ b/packages/extension/src/background/handlers/index.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 
 import { MessageRequest } from '../types';
 
+import { PORT_POPUP } from '../../defaults';
 import Extension from './Extension';
 import State from './State';
 import Tabs from './Tabs';
@@ -12,27 +13,34 @@ const state = new State();
 const extension = new Extension(state);
 const tabs = new Tabs(state);
 
-export default function handler ({ id, message, request }: MessageRequest, { tab }: chrome.runtime.MessageSender, sendResponse: (response?: any) => void): boolean {
-  const source = `${tab ? tab.url : 'extension'}: ${id}: ${message}`;
+export default function handler ({ id, message, request }: MessageRequest, port: chrome.runtime.Port): boolean {
+  const isPopup = port.name === PORT_POPUP;
+  const sender = port.sender as chrome.runtime.MessageSender;
+  const from = isPopup
+    ? 'popup'
+    : sender.tab
+      ? sender.tab.url
+      : '<unknown>';
+  const source = `${from}: ${id}: ${message}`;
 
   console.log(` [in] ${source}`); // :: ${JSON.stringify(request)}`);
 
-  const promise = tab
-    ? tabs.handle(message, request, tab.url)
-    : extension.handle(message, request);
+  const promise = isPopup
+    ? extension.handle(message, request)
+    : tabs.handle(message, request, from);
 
   promise
     .then((response) => {
       console.log(`[out] ${source}`); // :: ${JSON.stringify(response)}`);
 
-      sendResponse({ id, response });
+      port.postMessage({ id, response });
     })
     .catch((error) => {
       console.log(`[err] ${source}:: ${error.message}`);
 
-      sendResponse({ id, error: error.message });
+      port.postMessage({ id, error: error.message });
     });
 
-  // return true to indicate we are sending the respionse async
+  // return true to indicate we are sending the response async
   return true;
 }
diff --git a/packages/extension/src/background/index.ts b/packages/extension/src/background/index.ts
index d6bbfbfc..0ac43ef3 100644
--- a/packages/extension/src/background/index.ts
+++ b/packages/extension/src/background/index.ts
@@ -7,14 +7,27 @@ import extension from 'extensionizer';
 // Runs in the extension background, handling all keyring access
 
 import keyring from '@polkadot/ui-keyring';
+import { assert } from '@polkadot/util';
 import { cryptoWaitReady } from '@polkadot/util-crypto';
 
+import { PORT_CONTENT, PORT_POPUP } from '../defaults';
 import ChromeStore from './ChromeStore';
 import handlers from './handlers';
 
+// setup the notification
 extension.browserAction.setBadgeBackgroundColor({ color: '#ff0000' });
-extension.runtime.onMessage.addListener(handlers);
 
+// listen to all messages and handle appropriately
+extension.runtime.onConnect.addListener((port) => {
+  // shouldn't happen, however... only listen to what we know about
+  assert([PORT_CONTENT, PORT_POPUP].includes(port.name), `Unknown connection from ${port.name}`);
+
+  // message and disconnect handlers
+  port.onMessage.addListener((data) => handlers(data, port));
+  port.onDisconnect.addListener(() => console.log(`Disconnected from ${port.name}`));
+});
+
+// initial setup
 cryptoWaitReady()
   .then(() => {
     console.log('crypto initialized');
diff --git a/packages/extension/src/content.ts b/packages/extension/src/content.ts
index 45006394..9e8466df 100644
--- a/packages/extension/src/content.ts
+++ b/packages/extension/src/content.ts
@@ -4,27 +4,24 @@
 
 import extension from 'extensionizer';
 
-function sendResponse (data: any): void {
-  window.postMessage({ ...data, origin: 'content' }, '*');
-}
+import { PORT_CONTENT } from './defaults';
 
-// Handle all messages, passing messages to the extension
+// connect to the extension
+const port = extension.runtime.connect({ name: PORT_CONTENT });
+
+// send any messages from the extension back to the page
+port.onMessage.addListener((data) => {
+  window.postMessage({ ...data, origin: 'content' }, '*');
+});
+
+// all messages from the page, pass them to the extension
 window.addEventListener('message', ({ data, source }) => {
   // only allow messages from our window, by the inject
   if (source !== window || data.origin !== 'page') {
     return;
   }
 
-  // pass the detail as-is as a message to the extension
-  extension.runtime.sendMessage(data, (response) => {
-    if (!response) {
-      // no data, send diconnected/unknown error
-      sendResponse({ id: data.id, error: 'Unknown response' });
-    } else {
-      // handle the response, passing as a custom event
-      sendResponse(response);
-    }
-  });
+  port.postMessage(data);
 });
 
 // inject our data injector
diff --git a/packages/extension/src/defaults.ts b/packages/extension/src/defaults.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..72ff7366
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/extension/src/defaults.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+// Copyright 2019 @polkadot/extension authors & contributors
+// This software may be modified and distributed under the terms
+// of the Apache-2.0 license. See the LICENSE file for details.
+
+const PORT_CONTENT = 'content';
+const PORT_POPUP = 'popup';
+
+export {
+  PORT_CONTENT,
+  PORT_POPUP
+};
diff --git a/packages/extension/src/page/index.ts b/packages/extension/src/page/index.ts
index f29e48b7..bf7f8890 100644
--- a/packages/extension/src/page/index.ts
+++ b/packages/extension/src/page/index.ts
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ import Injected from './Injected';
 //  - this injector, reads listends on the events, maps it to the original
 //  - resolves/rejects the promise with the result
 
-type Callbacks = {
+type Handlers = {
   [index: number]: {
     resolve: (data: any) => void,
     reject: (error: Error) => void
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ type Callbacks = {
 
 // small helper with the typescript types, just cast window
 const windowInject = window as InjectedWindow;
-const callbacks: Callbacks = {};
+const handlers: Handlers = {};
 let idCounter = 0;
 
 // a generic message sender that creates an event, returning a promise that will
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ function sendMessage (message: MessageTypes, request: any = null): Promise<any>
   return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
     const id = ++idCounter;
 
-    callbacks[id] = { resolve, reject };
+    handlers[id] = { resolve, reject };
 
     window.postMessage({ id, message, origin: 'page', request }, '*');
   });
@@ -52,19 +52,19 @@ window.addEventListener('message', ({ data, source }) => {
     return;
   }
 
-  const promise = callbacks[data.id];
+  const handler = handlers[data.id];
 
-  if (!promise) {
+  if (!handler) {
     console.error(`Uknown response: ${JSON.stringify(data)}`);
     return;
   }
 
-  delete callbacks[data.id];
+  delete handlers[data.id];
 
   if (data.error) {
-    promise.reject(new Error(data.error));
+    handler.reject(new Error(data.error));
   } else {
-    promise.resolve(data.response);
+    handler.resolve(data.response);
   }
 });