diff --git a/crates/vm/src/signal.rs b/crates/vm/src/signal.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,10 @@
use crate::{PyObjectRef, PyResult, VirtualMachine};
-use alloc::fmt;
-use core::cell::{Cell, RefCell};
-use core::sync::atomic::{AtomicBool, Ordering};
use std::sync::mpsc;

#[cfg(windows)]
@@ -22,10 +25,6 @@ pub(crate) static TRIGGERS: [AtomicBool; NSIG] = [ATOMIC_FALSE; NSIG];
#[cfg(windows)]
static SIGINT_EVENT: AtomicIsize = AtomicIsize::new(0);

-pub(crate) fn new_signal_handlers() -> Box<RefCell<[Option<PyObjectRef>; NSIG]>> {
-    Box::new(const { RefCell::new([const { None }; NSIG]) })
-}
-
thread_local! {
    /// Prevent recursive signal handler invocation. When a Python signal
    /// handler is running, new signals are deferred until it completes.
@@ -190,3 +189,25 @@ pub fn get_sigint_event() -> Option<isize> {
    let handle = SIGINT_EVENT.load(Ordering::Acquire);
    if handle == 0 { None } else { Some(handle) }
}
diff --git a/crates/vm/src/stdlib/_signal.rs b/crates/vm/src/stdlib/_signal.rs
@@ -6,7 +6,10 @@ pub(crate) use _signal::module_def;
pub(crate) mod _signal {
    #![allow(unreachable_pub)]

-    use crate::{Py, PyObjectRef, PyResult, VirtualMachine, signal};
    use core::{
        ops::Range,
        sync::atomic::{self, Ordering},
@@ -193,7 +196,7 @@ pub(crate) mod _signal {
                };

                vm.signal_handlers
-                    .get_or_init(signal::new_signal_handlers)
                    .borrow_mut()[signum as usize] = py_handler;
            }

@@ -247,15 +250,15 @@ pub(crate) mod _signal {
        unsafe { host_signal::install_handler(signalnum, sig_handler) }
            .map_err(|_| vm.new_os_error("Failed to set signal"))?;

-        let signal_handlers = vm.signal_handlers.get_or_init(signal::new_signal_handlers);
        let old_handler = signal_handlers.borrow_mut()[signalnum as usize].replace(handler);
        Ok(old_handler)
    }

    #[pyfunction]
    fn getsignal(signalnum: i32, vm: &VirtualMachine) -> PyResult {
        signal::assert_in_range(signalnum, vm)?;
-        let signal_handlers = vm.signal_handlers.get_or_init(signal::new_signal_handlers);
        let handler = signal_handlers.borrow()[signalnum as usize]
            .clone()
            .unwrap_or_else(|| vm.ctx.none());

diff --git a/crates/vm/src/stdlib/posix.rs b/crates/vm/src/stdlib/posix.rs
@@ -670,7 +670,7 @@ pub mod module {
        // Initialize signal handlers for the child's main thread.
        // When forked from a worker thread, the OnceCell is empty.
        vm.signal_handlers
-            .get_or_init(crate::signal::new_signal_handlers);

        // Phase 4: Run Python-level at-fork callbacks.
        let after_forkers_child: Vec<PyObjectRef> = vm.state.after_forkers_child.lock().clone();