diff --git a/context.go b/context.go
index 7259265..ed9f712 100644
--- a/context.go
+++ b/context.go
@@ -8,43 +8,35 @@ import (
 
 //Function to load an extension from bytes
 type ExtensionLoadFunc func(*Context, []byte) (Extension, error)
-// Information about a loaded extension
+
+// Information about a registered extension
 type ExtensionInfo struct {
   Load ExtensionLoadFunc
   Type ExtType
   Data interface{}
 }
 
-// Information about a loaded node type
+// Information about a registered node type
 type NodeInfo struct {
   Type NodeType
   Extensions []ExtType
 }
 
-// A Context is all the data needed to run a graphvent
+// A Context stores all the data to run a graphvent process
 type Context struct {
   // DB is the database connection used to load and write nodes
   DB * badger.DB
-  // Log is an interface used to record events happening
+  // Logging interface
   Log Logger
-  // A mapping between type hashes and their corresponding extension definitions
+  // Map between database extension hashes and the registered info
   Extensions map[uint64]ExtensionInfo
-  // A mapping between type hashes and their corresponding node definitions
+  // Map between database type hashes and the registered info
   Types map[uint64]NodeInfo
-  // All loaded Nodes
+  // Routing map to all the nodes local to this context
   Nodes map[NodeID]*Node
 }
 
-func (ctx *Context) ExtByType(ext_type ExtType) *ExtensionInfo {
-  type_hash := ext_type.Hash()
-  ext, ok := ctx.Extensions[type_hash]
-  if ok == true {
-    return &ext
-  } else {
-    return nil
-  }
-}
-
+// Register a NodeType to the context, with the list of extensions it requires
 func (ctx *Context) RegisterNodeType(node_type NodeType, extensions []ExtType) error {
   type_hash := node_type.Hash()
   _, exists := ctx.Types[type_hash]
@@ -94,6 +86,7 @@ func (ctx *Context) RegisterExtension(ext_type ExtType, load_fn ExtensionLoadFun
   return nil
 }
 
+// Route a Signal to dest. Currently only local context routing is supported
 func (ctx *Context) Send(source NodeID, dest NodeID, signal Signal) error {
   target, exists := ctx.Nodes[dest]
   if exists == false {
@@ -110,7 +103,7 @@ func (ctx *Context) Send(source NodeID, dest NodeID, signal Signal) error {
   return nil
 }
 
-// Create a new Context with all the library content added
+// Create a new Context with the base library content added
 func NewContext(db * badger.DB, log Logger) (*Context, error) {
   ctx := &Context{
     DB: db,
diff --git a/node.go b/node.go
index c35e96a..0244499 100644
--- a/node.go
+++ b/node.go
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 package graphvent
 
 import (
-  "sync"
   "time"
   "reflect"
   "github.com/google/uuid"
@@ -10,17 +9,15 @@ import (
   "encoding/binary"
   "encoding/json"
   "crypto/sha512"
-  "crypto/ecdsa"
-  "crypto/elliptic"
+  "sync/atomic"
 )
 
-// IDs are how nodes are uniquely identified, and can be serialized for the database
+// A NodeID uniquely identifies a Node
 type NodeID uuid.UUID
 func (id NodeID) MarshalJSON() ([]byte, error) {
   str := id.String()
   return json.Marshal(&str)
 }
-
 func (id *NodeID) UnmarshalJSON(bytes []byte) error {
   var id_str string
   err := json.Unmarshal(bytes, &id_str)
@@ -32,6 +29,7 @@ func (id *NodeID) UnmarshalJSON(bytes []byte) error {
   return err
 }
 
+// Base NodeID, used as a special value
 var ZeroUUID = uuid.UUID{}
 var ZeroID = NodeID(ZeroUUID)
 
@@ -44,12 +42,14 @@ func (id NodeID) String() string {
   return (uuid.UUID)(id).String()
 }
 
+// Create an ID from a fixed length byte array
 // Ignore the error since we're enforcing 16 byte length at compile time
 func IDFromBytes(bytes [16]byte) NodeID {
   id, _ := uuid.FromBytes(bytes[:])
   return NodeID(id)
 }
 
+// Parse an ID from a string
 func ParseID(str string) (NodeID, error) {
   id_uuid, err := uuid.Parse(str)
   if err != nil {
@@ -58,45 +58,43 @@ func ParseID(str string) (NodeID, error) {
   return NodeID(id_uuid), nil
 }
 
-func KeyID(pub *ecdsa.PublicKey) NodeID {
-  ser := elliptic.Marshal(pub.Curve, pub.X, pub.Y)
-  str := uuid.NewHash(sha512.New(), ZeroUUID, ser, 3)
-  return NodeID(str)
-}
-
 // Generate a random NodeID
 func RandID() NodeID {
   return NodeID(uuid.New())
 }
 
+// A Serializable has a type that can be used to map to it, and a function to serialize the current state
 type Serializable[I comparable] interface {
   Type() I
   Serialize() ([]byte, error)
 }
 
+// Extensions are data attached to nodes that process signals
 type Extension interface {
   Serializable[ExtType]
   Process(context *Context, source NodeID, node *Node, signal Signal)
 }
 
+// A QueuedSignal is a Signal that has been Queued to trigger at a set time
 type QueuedSignal struct {
   Signal Signal
   Time time.Time
 }
 
+// Default message channel size for nodes
 const NODE_MSG_CHAN_DEFAULT = 1024
-// Nodes represent an addressible group of extensions
+// Nodes represent a group of extensions that can be collectively addressed
 type Node struct {
   ID NodeID
   Type NodeType
-  Lock sync.RWMutex
   Extensions map[ExtType]Extension
 
+  // Channel for this node to receive messages from the Context
   MsgChan chan Msg
+  // Channel for this node to process delayed signals
   TimeoutChan <-chan time.Time
 
-  LoopLock sync.Mutex
-  Active bool
+  Active atomic.Bool
 
   SignalQueue []QueuedSignal
   NextSignal *QueuedSignal
@@ -146,10 +144,10 @@ type Msg struct {
 
 // Main Loop for Threads, starts a write context, so cannot be called from a write or read context
 func NodeLoop(ctx *Context, node *Node) error {
-  node.LoopLock.Lock()
-  defer node.LoopLock.Unlock()
-
-  node.Active = true
+  started := node.Active.CompareAndSwap(false, true)
+  if started == false {
+    return fmt.Errorf("%s is already started, will not start again", node.ID)
+  }
   for true {
     var signal Signal
     var source NodeID
@@ -176,6 +174,11 @@ func NodeLoop(ctx *Context, node *Node) error {
     }
     node.Process(ctx, source, signal)
   }
+
+  stopped := node.Active.CompareAndSwap(true, false)
+  if stopped == false {
+    panic("BAD_STATE: stopping already stopped node")
+  }
   return nil
 }
 
@@ -194,8 +197,9 @@ func GetCtx[T Extension, C any](ctx *Context) (C, error) {
   var zero T
   var zero_ctx C
   ext_type := zero.Type()
-  ext_info := ctx.ExtByType(ext_type)
-  if ext_info == nil {
+  type_hash := ext_type.Hash()
+  ext_info, ok := ctx.Extensions[type_hash]
+  if ok == false {
     return zero_ctx, fmt.Errorf("%s is not an extension in ctx", ext_type)
   }
 
diff --git a/policy.go b/policy.go
index 5c80318..f2e098d 100644
--- a/policy.go
+++ b/policy.go
@@ -267,7 +267,10 @@ func LoadACLExt(ctx *Context, data []byte) (Extension, error) {
 
   policies := make([]Policy, len(j.Policies))
   i := 0
-  acl_ctx := ctx.ExtByType(ACLExtType).Data.(*ACLExtContext)
+  acl_ctx, err := GetCtx[*ACLExt, *ACLExtContext](ctx)
+  if err != nil {
+    return nil, err
+  }
   for name, ser := range(j.Policies) {
     policy_def, exists := acl_ctx.Types[PolicyType(name)]
     if exists == false {