diff --git a/bitlogger_async/BitLoggerAsync_test.mbt b/bitlogger_async/BitLoggerAsync_test.mbt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fb1fd4f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bitlogger_async/BitLoggerAsync_test.mbt
@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+async test "shutdown drains pending records" {
+  let written : Ref[Array[String]] = Ref::new([])
+  let logger = async_logger(
+    @bitlogger.callback_sink(fn(rec) {
+      written.val.push(rec.message)
+    }),
+    config=AsyncLoggerConfig::new(
+      max_pending=4,
+      overflow=AsyncOverflowPolicy::Blocking,
+    ),
+    min_level=@bitlogger.Level::Info,
+    target="async.test",
+  )
+
+  @async.with_task_group(group => {
+    group.spawn_bg(() => logger.run())
+    logger.info("one")
+    logger.info("two")
+    logger.shutdown()
+  })
+
+  inspect(logger.is_closed(), content="true")
+  inspect(logger.is_running(), content="false")
+  inspect(logger.has_failed(), content="false")
+  inspect(logger.pending_count(), content="0")
+  inspect(written.val.length(), content="2")
+  inspect(written.val[0], content="one")
+  inspect(written.val[1], content="two")
+}
+
+async test "close clear counts abandoned records as dropped" {
+  let logger = async_logger(
+    @bitlogger.callback_sink(fn(_) {
+
+    }),
+    config=AsyncLoggerConfig::new(
+      max_pending=4,
+      overflow=AsyncOverflowPolicy::Blocking,
+    ),
+    min_level=@bitlogger.Level::Info,
+    target="async.clear",
+  )
+
+  logger.info("one")
+  logger.info("two")
+  inspect(logger.pending_count(), content="2")
+  inspect(logger.dropped_count(), content="0")
+  logger.close(clear=true)
+  inspect(logger.is_closed(), content="true")
+  inspect(logger.pending_count(), content="0")
+  inspect(logger.dropped_count(), content="2")
+}
+
+async test "shutdown clear closes without worker startup" {
+  let logger = async_logger(
+    @bitlogger.callback_sink(fn(_) {
+
+    }),
+    config=AsyncLoggerConfig::new(
+      max_pending=2,
+      overflow=AsyncOverflowPolicy::Blocking,
+    ),
+    min_level=@bitlogger.Level::Info,
+    target="async.noworker",
+  )
+
+  logger.info("one")
+  logger.shutdown(clear=true)
+  inspect(logger.is_closed(), content="true")
+  inspect(logger.is_running(), content="false")
+  inspect(logger.pending_count(), content="0")
+  inspect(logger.dropped_count(), content="1")
+}
+
+test "async logger config stringify roundtrips stable fields" {
+  let text = stringify_async_logger_config(
+    AsyncLoggerConfig::new(
+      max_pending=8,
+      overflow=AsyncOverflowPolicy::DropOldest,
+    ),
+  )
+  let config = parse_async_logger_config_text(text)
+  inspect(config.max_pending, content="8")
+  inspect(match config.overflow {
+    AsyncOverflowPolicy::Blocking => "Blocking"
+    AsyncOverflowPolicy::DropOldest => "DropOldest"
+    AsyncOverflowPolicy::DropNewest => "DropNewest"
+  }, content="DropOldest")
+}
+
+test "async build config stringify roundtrips nested logger and async fields" {
+  let text = stringify_async_logger_build_config(
+    AsyncLoggerBuildConfig::new(
+      logger=@bitlogger.LoggerConfig::new(
+        min_level=@bitlogger.Level::Warn,
+        target="async.roundtrip",
+        timestamp=true,
+        sink=@bitlogger.SinkConfig::new(kind=@bitlogger.SinkKind::TextConsole),
+      ),
+      async_config=AsyncLoggerConfig::new(
+        max_pending=2,
+        overflow=AsyncOverflowPolicy::DropNewest,
+      ),
+    ),
+  )
+  let config = parse_async_logger_build_config_text(text)
+  inspect(config.logger.min_level.label(), content="WARN")
+  inspect(config.logger.target, content="async.roundtrip")
+  inspect(config.logger.timestamp, content="true")
+  inspect(config.async_config.max_pending, content="2")
+  inspect(match config.async_config.overflow {
+    AsyncOverflowPolicy::Blocking => "Blocking"
+    AsyncOverflowPolicy::DropOldest => "DropOldest"
+    AsyncOverflowPolicy::DropNewest => "DropNewest"
+  }, content="DropNewest")
+}
diff --git a/bitlogger_async/async_logger_native.mbt b/bitlogger_async/async_logger_native.mbt
index 3be4867..eb2fd2b 100644
--- a/bitlogger_async/async_logger_native.mbt
+++ b/bitlogger_async/async_logger_native.mbt
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ fn parse_async_overflow(name : String) -> AsyncOverflowPolicy raise {
   }
 }
 
-fn parse_async_logger_config_text(input : String) -> AsyncLoggerConfig raise {
+pub fn parse_async_logger_config_text(input : String) -> AsyncLoggerConfig raise {
   let root = @json_parser.parse(input)
   let obj = match root.as_object() {
     Some(obj) => obj
@@ -53,6 +53,26 @@ fn parse_async_logger_config_text(input : String) -> AsyncLoggerConfig raise {
   AsyncLoggerConfig::new(max_pending=max_pending, overflow=overflow)
 }
 
+pub fn async_logger_config_to_json(config : AsyncLoggerConfig) -> @json_parser.JsonValue {
+  @json_parser.JsonValue::Object({
+    "max_pending": @json_parser.JsonValue::Number(config.max_pending.to_double()),
+    "overflow": @json_parser.JsonValue::String(match config.overflow {
+      AsyncOverflowPolicy::Blocking => "Blocking"
+      AsyncOverflowPolicy::DropOldest => "DropOldest"
+      AsyncOverflowPolicy::DropNewest => "DropNewest"
+    }),
+  })
+}
+
+pub fn stringify_async_logger_config(config : AsyncLoggerConfig, pretty~ : Bool = false) -> String {
+  let value = async_logger_config_to_json(config)
+  if pretty {
+    @json_parser.stringify_pretty(value, 2)
+  } else {
+    @json_parser.stringify(value)
+  }
+}
+
 pub struct AsyncLoggerBuildConfig {
   logger : @bitlogger.LoggerConfig
   async_config : AsyncLoggerConfig
@@ -82,6 +102,27 @@ pub fn parse_async_logger_build_config_text(input : String) -> AsyncLoggerBuildC
   AsyncLoggerBuildConfig::new(logger=logger, async_config=async_config)
 }
 
+pub fn async_logger_build_config_to_json(
+  config : AsyncLoggerBuildConfig,
+) -> @json_parser.JsonValue {
+  @json_parser.JsonValue::Object({
+    "logger": @bitlogger.logger_config_to_json(config.logger),
+    "async_config": async_logger_config_to_json(config.async_config),
+  })
+}
+
+pub fn stringify_async_logger_build_config(
+  config : AsyncLoggerBuildConfig,
+  pretty~ : Bool = false,
+) -> String {
+  let value = async_logger_build_config_to_json(config)
+  if pretty {
+    @json_parser.stringify_pretty(value, 2)
+  } else {
+    @json_parser.stringify(value)
+  }
+}
+
 pub struct AsyncLogger[S] {
   min_level : @bitlogger.Level
   target : String
@@ -351,7 +392,10 @@ pub async fn[S] AsyncLogger::shutdown(self : AsyncLogger[S], clear? : Bool = fal
 }
 
 pub async fn[S] AsyncLogger::wait_idle(self : AsyncLogger[S]) -> Unit {
-  while self.pending_count() > 0 && self.is_running() {
+  while self.pending_count() > 0 {
+    if self.has_failed() {
+      break
+    }
     @async.pause()
   }
 }
diff --git a/bitlogger_async/async_logger_stub.mbt b/bitlogger_async/async_logger_stub.mbt
index 7b1a2d1..b5c605e 100644
--- a/bitlogger_async/async_logger_stub.mbt
+++ b/bitlogger_async/async_logger_stub.mbt
@@ -39,6 +39,38 @@ pub fn parse_async_logger_build_config_text(input : String) -> AsyncLoggerBuildC
   abort("bitlogger_async currently only supports native/llvm backends")
 }
 
+pub fn parse_async_logger_config_text(input : String) -> AsyncLoggerConfig raise {
+  ignore(input)
+  abort("bitlogger_async currently only supports native/llvm backends")
+}
+
+pub fn async_logger_config_to_json(config : AsyncLoggerConfig) -> @json_parser.JsonValue {
+  ignore(config)
+  abort("bitlogger_async currently only supports native/llvm backends")
+}
+
+pub fn stringify_async_logger_config(config : AsyncLoggerConfig, pretty~ : Bool = false) -> String {
+  ignore(config)
+  ignore(pretty)
+  abort("bitlogger_async currently only supports native/llvm backends")
+}
+
+pub fn async_logger_build_config_to_json(
+  config : AsyncLoggerBuildConfig,
+) -> @json_parser.JsonValue {
+  ignore(config)
+  abort("bitlogger_async currently only supports native/llvm backends")
+}
+
+pub fn stringify_async_logger_build_config(
+  config : AsyncLoggerBuildConfig,
+  pretty~ : Bool = false,
+) -> String {
+  ignore(config)
+  ignore(pretty)
+  abort("bitlogger_async currently only supports native/llvm backends")
+}
+
 pub fn async_logger[S : @bitlogger.Sink](
   sink : S,
   config~ : AsyncLoggerConfig = AsyncLoggerConfig::new(),