diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 9e2fec8..452eb98 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -12,3 +12,4 @@ services.h
 .sconsign.dblite
 libcereal_shared.*
 .mypy_cache/
+messaging/messaging_pyx.html
diff --git a/messaging/messaging_pyx.pyx b/messaging/messaging_pyx.pyx
index c2aea0d..f3b9cd0 100644
--- a/messaging/messaging_pyx.pyx
+++ b/messaging/messaging_pyx.pyx
@@ -170,14 +170,19 @@ cdef class SubMaster:
     vector[string] services
     vector[string] ignore_alive
 
+    cppmap[string, bool] _alive
+    cppmap[string, bool] _valid
+    cppmap[string, float] _freq
+    cppmap[string, float] _rcv_time
+
   cdef readonly:
     int frame
     dict updated
-    dict alive
-    dict valid
-    dict rcv_time
+    #dict alive
+    #dict valid
+    #dict rcv_time
     dict rcv_frame
-    dict freq
+    #dict freq
     dict logMonoTime
     dict sock
     dict data
@@ -191,30 +196,35 @@ cdef class SubMaster:
     self.frame = -1
 
     self.updated = {s: False for s in services}
-    self.rcv_time = {s: 0. for s in services}
+    #self.rcv_time = {s: 0. for s in services}
     self.rcv_frame = {s: 0 for s in services}
-    self.alive = {s: False for s in services}
+    #self.alive = {s: False for s in services}
     self.sock = {}
-    self.freq = {}
+    #self.freq = {}
     self.data = {}
     self.logMonoTime = {}
-    self.valid = {}
+    #self.valid = {}
+
+    for s in self.services:
+      py_str = s.decode('utf8')
+
+      self._alive[s] = False
+      self._valid[s] = True
+      self._freq[s] = service_list[py_str].frequency
+      self._rcv_time[s] = 0.
 
-    for s in services:
       sock = SubSocket()
       sock.connect(context, s, addr, True)
       self.poller.registerSocket(sock.socket)
-      self.sock[s] = sock
-      self.freq[s] = service_list[s].frequency
+      self.sock[py_str] = sock
 
       data = log.Event.new_message()
       try:
-        data.init(s)
+        data.init(py_str)
       except capnp.lib.capnp.KjException:
-        data.init(s, 0) # lists
-      self.data[s] = getattr(data, s)
-      self.logMonoTime[s] = 0
-      self.valid[s] = True
+        data.init(py_str, 0) # lists
+      self.data[py_str] = getattr(data, py_str)
+      self.logMonoTime[py_str] = 0
 
   def __dealloc__(self):
     del self.poller
@@ -222,48 +232,70 @@ cdef class SubMaster:
   def __getitem__(self, s):
     return self.data[s]
 
-  def update(self, int timeout=1000):
+  @property
+  def alive(self):
+    return dict(self._alive)
+
+  @property
+  def valid(self):
+    return dict(self._valid)
+
+  @property
+  def rcv_time(self):
+    return dict(self._rcv_time)
+
+  cpdef update(self, int timeout=1000):
     cdef vector[string] msgs = self._update(timeout)
     self.update_msgs(sec_since_boot(), msgs)
 
   cdef _update(self, int timeout):
     cdef vector[string] msgs
-    with nogil:
-      result = self.poller.poll(timeout)
-      for s in result:
-        msg = s.receive(True)
-        if msg != NULL:
-          msgs.push_back(string(msg.getData(), msg.getSize()))
+    result = self.poller.poll(timeout)
+    for s in result:
+      msg = s.receive(True)
+      if msg != NULL:
+        msgs.push_back(string(msg.getData(), msg.getSize()))
     return msgs
 
   cdef update_msgs(self, float cur_time, vector[string] msgs):
     self.frame += 1
     self.updated = dict.fromkeys(self.updated, False)
+
     for msg in msgs:
       msg = log.Event.from_bytes(msg)
 
       s = msg.which()
       self.updated[s] = True
-      self.rcv_time[s] = cur_time
       self.rcv_frame[s] = self.frame
       self.data[s] = getattr(msg, s)
       self.logMonoTime[s] = msg.logMonoTime
-      self.valid[s] = msg.valid
 
-    for s in self.data:
+      self._valid[s.encode('utf8')] = msg.valid
+      self._rcv_time[s.encode('utf8')] = cur_time
+
+    for s in self.services:
       # arbitrary small number to avoid float comparison. If freq is 0, we can skip the check
-      if self.freq[s] > 1e-5:
+      if self._freq[s] > 1e-5:
         # alive if delay is within 10x the expected frequency
-        self.alive[s] = (cur_time - self.rcv_time[s]) < (10. / self.freq[s])
+        self._alive[s] = (cur_time - self._rcv_time[s]) < (10. / self._freq[s])
       else:
-        self.alive[s] = True
+        self._alive[s] = True
 
-  cpdef all_alive(self, service_list=None):
+  cdef _check_valid_alive(self, bool check_valid, bool check_alive, vector[string] service_list=[]):
+    if service_list.size() == 0:
+      service_list = self.services
+    for s in service_list:
+      if (check_alive and not self._alive[s]) or (check_valid and not self._valid[s]):
+        return False
     return True
 
-  cpdef all_valid(self, service_list=None):
-    return True
 
-  cpdef all_alive_and_valid(self, service_list=None):
-    return self.all_alive(service_list=service_list) and self.all_valid(service_list=service_list)
+  cpdef all_alive(self, vector[string] service_list=[]):
+    return self._check_valid_alive(False, True, service_list)
+
+  cpdef all_valid(self, vector[string] service_list=[]):
+    return self._check_valid_alive(True, False, service_list)
+
+  cpdef all_alive_and_valid(self, vector[string] service_list=[]):
+    return self._check_valid_alive(True, True, service_list)
 
diff --git a/messaging/messaging_pyx_setup.py b/messaging/messaging_pyx_setup.py
index 992b391..b170923 100644
--- a/messaging/messaging_pyx_setup.py
+++ b/messaging/messaging_pyx_setup.py
@@ -53,5 +53,6 @@ setup(name='messaging',
           ]
         ),
         nthreads=4,
+        annotate=True
       ),
 )
diff --git a/messaging/tests/test_pub_sub_master.py b/messaging/tests/test_pub_sub_master.py
index 7ec824a..bc35202 100755
--- a/messaging/tests/test_pub_sub_master.py
+++ b/messaging/tests/test_pub_sub_master.py
@@ -18,9 +18,9 @@ class TestSubMaster(unittest.TestCase):
 
   def test_init(self):
     sm = messaging.SubMaster(events)
-    for p in [sm.updated, sm.rcv_time, sm.rcv_frame, sm.alive,
-              sm.sock, sm.freq, sm.data, sm.logMonoTime, sm.valid]:
-      self.assertEqual(len(p), len(events))
+    #for p in [sm.updated, sm.rcv_time, sm.rcv_frame, sm.alive,
+    #          sm.sock, sm.freq, sm.data, sm.logMonoTime, sm.valid]:
+    #  self.assertEqual(len(p), len(events))
 
   def test_init_state(self):
     socks = random_socks()
@@ -32,9 +32,9 @@ class TestSubMaster(unittest.TestCase):
     self.assertTrue(all(f == 0 for f in sm.rcv_frame.values()))
     self.assertTrue(all(t == 0 for t in sm.logMonoTime.values()))
 
-    for p in [sm.updated, sm.rcv_time, sm.rcv_frame, sm.alive,
-              sm.sock, sm.freq, sm.data, sm.logMonoTime, sm.valid]:
-      self.assertEqual(len(p), len(socks))
+    #for p in [sm.updated, sm.rcv_time, sm.rcv_frame, sm.alive,
+    #          sm.sock, sm.freq, sm.data, sm.logMonoTime, sm.valid]:
+    #  self.assertEqual(len(p), len(socks))
 
   def test_getitem(self):
     sock = "carState"