diff --git a/src/libraries/Common/tests/WasmTestRunner/WasmTestRunner.cs b/src/libraries/Common/tests/WasmTestRunner/WasmTestRunner.cs
index 46a942a0f9cde1..0dfd8efb63eebc 100644
--- a/src/libraries/Common/tests/WasmTestRunner/WasmTestRunner.cs
+++ b/src/libraries/Common/tests/WasmTestRunner/WasmTestRunner.cs
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 
 using System;
 using System.Collections.Generic;
+using System.Threading;
 using System.Threading.Tasks;
 
 using Microsoft.DotNet.XHarness.TestRunners.Xunit;
@@ -58,6 +59,23 @@ public static async Task<int> Main(string[] args)
             IncludedMethods = includedMethods
         };
 
-        return await runner.Run();
+        int result = await runner.Run();
+
+        // if the execution doesn't finish on the main thread, the test runner
+        // doesn't exit correctly and the test time outs
+        await SwitchToMainThreadAsync();
+
+        return result;
+    }
+
+    private static async Task SwitchToMainThreadAsync()
+    {
+        // TODO: is there a better way to do this? this works but it feels very hacky...
+        // it would be best to ensure switching threads in the mono driver so that it works for _all_
+        // WASM programs running on Mono
+        while (Thread.CurrentThread.IsBackground)
+        {
+            await Task.Delay(1);
+        }
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/mono/wasm/runtime/debug.ts b/src/mono/wasm/runtime/debug.ts
index 40ab3a4201743b..006610befbcaa5 100644
--- a/src/mono/wasm/runtime/debug.ts
+++ b/src/mono/wasm/runtime/debug.ts
@@ -480,6 +480,9 @@ export function mono_wasm_trace_logger(log_domain_ptr: CharPtr, log_level_ptr: C
 }
 
 export function setup_proxy_console(id: string, originalConsole: Console, origin: string): void {
+    const originalConsoleLog = originalConsole.log;
+    const originalConsoleError = originalConsole.error;
+
     function proxyConsoleMethod(prefix: string, func: any, asJson: boolean) {
         return function (...args: any[]) {
             try {
@@ -525,21 +528,20 @@ export function setup_proxy_console(id: string, originalConsole: Console, origin
 
     const consoleWebSocket = new WebSocket(consoleUrl);
     consoleWebSocket.onopen = function () {
-        originalConsole.log(`browser: [${id}] Console websocket connected.`);
+        originalConsoleLog(`browser: [${id}] Console websocket connected.`);
     };
     consoleWebSocket.onerror = function (event) {
-        originalConsole.error(`[${id}] websocket error: ${event}`, event);
+        originalConsoleError(`[${id}] websocket error: ${event}`, event);
     };
     consoleWebSocket.onclose = function (event) {
-        originalConsole.error(`[${id}] websocket closed: ${event}`, event);
+        originalConsoleError(`[${id}] websocket closed: ${event}`, event);
     };
 
     const send = (msg: string) => {
         if (consoleWebSocket.readyState === WebSocket.OPEN) {
             consoleWebSocket.send(msg);
-        }
-        else {
-            originalConsole.log(msg);
+        } else {
+            originalConsoleLog(msg);
         }
     };
 
diff --git a/src/mono/wasm/wasm.proj b/src/mono/wasm/wasm.proj
index 994f849f171cf7..25424a6127085a 100644
--- a/src/mono/wasm/wasm.proj
+++ b/src/mono/wasm/wasm.proj
@@ -126,8 +126,7 @@
       <_EmccCommonFlags Condition="'$(WasmEnableSIMD)' == 'true'" Include="-msimd128" />
       <_EmccCommonFlags Condition="'$(MonoWasmThreads)' == 'true'" Include="-s USE_PTHREADS=1" />
       <_EmccLinkFlags Condition="'$(MonoWasmThreads)' == 'true'" Include="-Wno-pthreads-mem-growth" />
-      <_EmccLinkFlags Condition="'$(MonoWasmThreads)' == 'true'" Include="-s PTHREAD_POOL_SIZE=4" />
-      <_EmccLinkFlags Condition="'$(MonoWasmThreads)' == 'true'" Include="-s PTHREAD_POOL_SIZE_STRICT=2" /> <!-- hard error if worker pool is exhausted -->
+      <_EmccLinkFlags Condition="'$(MonoWasmThreads)' == 'true'" Include="-s PTHREAD_POOL_SIZE=32" />
       <!--
       <_EmccLinkFlags Include="-s EXPORT_ES6=1" Condition="'$(WasmEnableES6)' == 'true'" />
       -->