diff --git a/gio/gactiongroupexporter.c b/gio/gactiongroupexporter.c
index 136928cb7..ef8f18a65 100644
--- a/gio/gactiongroupexporter.c
+++ b/gio/gactiongroupexporter.c
@@ -216,6 +216,7 @@ typedef struct
 {
   GActionGroup    *action_group;
   GDBusConnection *connection;
+  GMainContext    *context;
   gchar           *object_path;
   GHashTable      *pending_changes;
   GSource         *pending_source;
@@ -329,7 +330,7 @@ g_action_group_exporter_set_events (GActionGroupExporter *exporter,
       source = g_idle_source_new ();
       exporter->pending_source = source;
       g_source_set_callback (source, g_action_group_exporter_dispatch_events, exporter, NULL);
-      g_source_attach (source, NULL);
+      g_source_attach (source, exporter->context);
       g_source_unref (source);
     }
 
@@ -566,6 +567,7 @@ g_action_group_exporter_free (gpointer user_data)
   if (exporter->pending_source)
     g_source_destroy (exporter->pending_source);
 
+  g_main_context_unref (exporter->context);
   g_object_unref (exporter->connection);
   g_object_unref (exporter->action_group);
   g_free (exporter->object_path);
@@ -585,7 +587,7 @@ g_action_group_exporter_free (gpointer user_data)
  * The implemented D-Bus API should be considered private.  It is
  * subject to change in the future.
  *
- * A given * object path can only have one action group exported on it.
+ * A given object path can only have one action group exported on it.
  * If this constraint is violated, the export will fail and 0 will be
  * returned (with @error set accordingly).
  *
@@ -593,6 +595,15 @@ g_action_group_exporter_free (gpointer user_data)
  * g_dbus_connection_unexport_action_group() with the return value of
  * this function.
  *
+ * The thread default main context is taken at the time of this call.
+ * All incoming action activations and state change requests are
+ * reported from this context.  Any changes on the action group that
+ * cause it to emit signals must also come from this same context.
+ * Since incoming action activations and state change requests are
+ * rather likely to cause changes on the action group, this effectively
+ * limits a given action group to being exported from only one main
+ * context.
+ *
  * Returns: the ID of the export (never zero), or 0 in case of failure
  *
  * Since: 2.32
@@ -633,6 +644,7 @@ g_dbus_connection_export_action_group (GDBusConnection  *connection,
       return 0;
     }
 
+  exporter->context = g_main_context_ref_thread_default ();
   exporter->pending_changes = g_hash_table_new_full (g_str_hash, g_str_equal, g_free, NULL);
   exporter->pending_source = NULL;
   exporter->action_group = g_object_ref (action_group);
diff --git a/gio/tests/actions.c b/gio/tests/actions.c
index c9244382f..63ffe4855 100644
--- a/gio/tests/actions.c
+++ b/gio/tests/actions.c
@@ -624,33 +624,22 @@ test_dbus_export (void)
   g_object_unref (bus);
 }
 
-static gpointer
-do_activate (gpointer data)
-{
-  GSimpleActionGroup *group = data;
-  gint i;
-  GAction *action;
-
-  for (i = 0; i < 1000000; i++)
-    {
-      action = g_simple_action_group_lookup (group, "a");
-      g_simple_action_set_enabled (G_SIMPLE_ACTION (action),
-                                   !g_action_get_enabled (action));
-    }
-
-  return NULL;
-}
-
 static gpointer
 do_export (gpointer data)
 {
   GActionGroup *group = data;
+  GMainContext *ctx;
   gint i;
   GError *error = NULL;
   guint id;
   GDBusConnection *bus;
+  GAction *action;
   gchar *path;
 
+  ctx = g_main_context_new ();
+
+  g_main_context_push_thread_default (ctx);
+
   bus = g_bus_get_sync (G_BUS_TYPE_SESSION, NULL, NULL);
   path = g_strdup_printf("/%p", data);
 
@@ -658,12 +647,23 @@ do_export (gpointer data)
     {
       id = g_dbus_connection_export_action_group (bus, path, G_ACTION_GROUP (group), &error);
       g_assert_no_error (error);
+
+      action = g_simple_action_group_lookup (G_SIMPLE_ACTION_GROUP (group), "a");
+      g_simple_action_set_enabled (G_SIMPLE_ACTION (action),
+                                   !g_action_get_enabled (action));
+
       g_dbus_connection_unexport_action_group (bus, id);
+
+      while (g_main_context_iteration (ctx, FALSE));
     }
 
   g_free (path);
   g_object_unref (bus);
 
+  g_main_context_pop_thread_default (ctx);
+
+  g_main_context_unref (ctx);
+
   return NULL;
 }
 
@@ -671,7 +671,6 @@ static void
 test_dbus_threaded (void)
 {
   GSimpleActionGroup *group[10];
-  GThread *call[10];
   GThread *export[10];
   static GActionEntry entries[] = {
     { "a",  activate_action, NULL, NULL, NULL },
@@ -683,15 +682,11 @@ test_dbus_threaded (void)
     {
       group[i] = g_simple_action_group_new ();
       g_simple_action_group_add_entries (group[i], entries, G_N_ELEMENTS (entries), NULL);
-      call[i] = g_thread_new ("call", do_activate, group[i]);
       export[i] = g_thread_new ("export", do_export, group[i]);
     }
 
   for (i = 0; i < 10; i++)
-    {
-      g_thread_join (call[i]);
-      g_thread_join (export[i]);
-    }
+    g_thread_join (export[i]);
 
   for (i = 0; i < 10; i++)
     g_object_unref (group[i]);