diff --git a/gateway.go b/gateway.go
index 801cc3369..1a15cc699 100644
--- a/gateway.go
+++ b/gateway.go
@@ -11,7 +11,8 @@ import (
 
 // Stores system configuration, populated from CLI or test runner
 type GatewayConfig struct {
-	StorageDriver StorageDriver
+	StorageDriver     StorageDriver
+	requestBucketChan chan BucketRequest
 }
 
 // Message for requesting a bucket
@@ -38,7 +39,7 @@ type StorageDriver func(bucket string, input chan ObjectRequest)
 type fakeContext struct{}
 
 type GatewayGetHandler struct {
-	requestBucketChan chan BucketRequest
+	config GatewayConfig
 }
 
 // GET requests server
@@ -48,7 +49,7 @@ func (handler GatewayGetHandler) ServeHTTP(w http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Requ
 	path := vars["path"]
 	context := fakeContext{}
 	callback := make(chan Bucket)
-	handler.requestBucketChan <- BucketRequest{
+	handler.config.requestBucketChan <- BucketRequest{
 		name:     bucketName,
 		context:  context,
 		callback: callback,
@@ -65,7 +66,7 @@ func (handler GatewayGetHandler) ServeHTTP(w http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Requ
 }
 
 type GatewayPutHandler struct {
-	requestBucketChan chan BucketRequest
+	config GatewayConfig
 }
 
 func (handler GatewayPutHandler) ServeHTTP(w http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Request) {
@@ -75,7 +76,7 @@ func (handler GatewayPutHandler) ServeHTTP(w http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Requ
 	object, _ := ioutil.ReadAll(req.Body)
 	context := fakeContext{}
 	callback := make(chan Bucket)
-	handler.requestBucketChan <- BucketRequest{
+	handler.config.requestBucketChan <- BucketRequest{
 		name:     bucketName,
 		context:  context,
 		callback: callback,
@@ -85,17 +86,17 @@ func (handler GatewayPutHandler) ServeHTTP(w http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Requ
 }
 
 func RegisterGatewayHandlers(router *mux.Router, config GatewayConfig) {
-	requestBucketChan := make(chan BucketRequest)
-	go SynchronizedBucketService(requestBucketChan, config)
-	getHandler := GatewayGetHandler{requestBucketChan: requestBucketChan}
-	putHandler := GatewayPutHandler{requestBucketChan: requestBucketChan}
+	config.requestBucketChan = make(chan BucketRequest)
+	go SynchronizedBucketService(config)
+	getHandler := GatewayGetHandler{config}
+	putHandler := GatewayPutHandler{config}
 	router.Handle("/{bucket}/{path:.*}", getHandler).Methods("GET")
 	router.Handle("/{bucket}/{path:.*}", putHandler).Methods("PUT")
 }
 
-func SynchronizedBucketService(input chan BucketRequest, config GatewayConfig) {
+func SynchronizedBucketService(config GatewayConfig) {
 	buckets := make(map[string]*SynchronizedBucket)
-	for request := range input {
+	for request := range config.requestBucketChan {
 		if buckets[request.name] == nil {
 			bucketChannel := make(chan ObjectRequest)
 			go config.StorageDriver(request.name, bucketChannel)
diff --git a/gateway_test.go b/gateway_test.go
index 8786ac7eb..aea5e188a 100644
--- a/gateway_test.go
+++ b/gateway_test.go
@@ -57,15 +57,18 @@ func (s *MySuite) TestPrintsGateway(c *C) {
 type TestContext struct{}
 
 func (s *MySuite) TestBucketCreation(c *C) {
-	requestBucketChan := make(chan BucketRequest)
-	defer close(requestBucketChan)
-	go SynchronizedBucketService(requestBucketChan, GatewayConfig{StorageDriver: InMemoryStorageDriver})
+	config := GatewayConfig{
+		StorageDriver:     InMemoryStorageDriver,
+		requestBucketChan: make(chan BucketRequest),
+	}
+	defer close(config.requestBucketChan)
+	go SynchronizedBucketService(config)
 	context := TestContext{}
 
 	// get new bucket A
 	var bucketA1 Bucket
 	callback := make(chan Bucket)
-	requestBucketChan <- BucketRequest{
+	config.requestBucketChan <- BucketRequest{
 		name:     "bucketA",
 		context:  context,
 		callback: callback,
@@ -76,7 +79,7 @@ func (s *MySuite) TestBucketCreation(c *C) {
 	// get bucket A again
 	var bucketA2 Bucket
 	callback = make(chan Bucket)
-	requestBucketChan <- BucketRequest{
+	config.requestBucketChan <- BucketRequest{
 		name:     "bucketA",
 		context:  context,
 		callback: callback,
@@ -88,7 +91,7 @@ func (s *MySuite) TestBucketCreation(c *C) {
 	// get new bucket B
 	var bucketB Bucket
 	callback = make(chan Bucket)
-	requestBucketChan <- BucketRequest{
+	config.requestBucketChan <- BucketRequest{
 		name:     "bucketB",
 		context:  context,
 		callback: callback,
@@ -99,14 +102,17 @@ func (s *MySuite) TestBucketCreation(c *C) {
 
 func (s *MySuite) TestInMemoryBucketOperations(c *C) {
 	// Test in memory bucket operations
-	requestBucketChan := make(chan BucketRequest)
-	defer close(requestBucketChan)
-	go SynchronizedBucketService(requestBucketChan, GatewayConfig{StorageDriver: InMemoryStorageDriver})
+	config := GatewayConfig{
+		StorageDriver:     InMemoryStorageDriver,
+		requestBucketChan: make(chan BucketRequest),
+	}
+	defer close(config.requestBucketChan)
+	go SynchronizedBucketService(config)
 	context := TestContext{}
 
 	// get bucket
 	callback := make(chan Bucket)
-	requestBucketChan <- BucketRequest{
+	config.requestBucketChan <- BucketRequest{
 		name:     "bucket",
 		context:  context,
 		callback: callback,