diff --git a/plugins/signals-node/api-report.md b/plugins/signals-node/api-report.md
index cbf4142daf..52d7e37dac 100644
--- a/plugins/signals-node/api-report.md
+++ b/plugins/signals-node/api-report.md
@@ -22,9 +22,9 @@ export type SignalPayload = {
 };
 
 // @public (undocumented)
-export interface SignalService {
+export type SignalService = {
   publish(signal: SignalPayload): Promise<void>;
-}
+};
 
 // @public (undocumented)
 export const signalService: ServiceRef<SignalService, 'plugin'>;
diff --git a/plugins/signals-node/src/SignalService.ts b/plugins/signals-node/src/SignalService.ts
index 7d021ccf4e..f08a12661f 100644
--- a/plugins/signals-node/src/SignalService.ts
+++ b/plugins/signals-node/src/SignalService.ts
@@ -16,9 +16,9 @@
 import { SignalPayload } from './types';
 
 /** @public */
-export interface SignalService {
+export type SignalService = {
   /**
    * Publishes a message to user refs to specific topic
    */
   publish(signal: SignalPayload): Promise<void>;
-}
+};
diff --git a/plugins/signals-react/api-report.md b/plugins/signals-react/api-report.md
index ef4bc1b7fc..438b3e95cd 100644
--- a/plugins/signals-react/api-report.md
+++ b/plugins/signals-react/api-report.md
@@ -7,23 +7,18 @@ import { ApiRef } from '@backstage/core-plugin-api';
 import { JsonObject } from '@backstage/types';
 
 // @public (undocumented)
-export interface SignalApi {
-  // (undocumented)
+export type SignalApi = {
   subscribe(
     channel: string,
     onMessage: (message: JsonObject) => void,
-  ): SignalSubscriber;
-}
+  ): {
+    unsubscribe: () => void;
+  };
+};
 
 // @public (undocumented)
 export const signalApiRef: ApiRef<SignalApi>;
 
-// @public (undocumented)
-export interface SignalSubscriber {
-  // (undocumented)
-  unsubscribe(): void;
-}
-
 // @public (undocumented)
 export const useSignal: (channel: string) => {
   lastSignal: JsonObject | null;
diff --git a/plugins/signals-react/src/api/SignalApi.ts b/plugins/signals-react/src/api/SignalApi.ts
index b67b2ea0dc..b37b3ae2f5 100644
--- a/plugins/signals-react/src/api/SignalApi.ts
+++ b/plugins/signals-react/src/api/SignalApi.ts
@@ -22,14 +22,9 @@ export const signalApiRef = createApiRef<SignalApi>({
 });
 
 /** @public */
-export interface SignalSubscriber {
-  unsubscribe(): void;
-}
-
-/** @public */
-export interface SignalApi {
+export type SignalApi = {
   subscribe(
     channel: string,
     onMessage: (message: JsonObject) => void,
-  ): SignalSubscriber;
-}
+  ): { unsubscribe: () => void };
+};
diff --git a/plugins/signals/src/api/SignalClient.ts b/plugins/signals/src/api/SignalClient.ts
index d6c4634264..ee4ed8756b 100644
--- a/plugins/signals/src/api/SignalClient.ts
+++ b/plugins/signals/src/api/SignalClient.ts
@@ -146,6 +146,20 @@ export class SignalClient implements SignalApi {
     url.protocol = url.protocol === 'http:' ? 'ws:' : 'wss:';
     this.ws = new WebSocket(url.toString(), token);
 
+    this.ws.onmessage = (data: MessageEvent) => {
+      this.handleMessage(data);
+    };
+
+    this.ws.onerror = () => {
+      this.reconnect();
+    };
+
+    this.ws.onclose = (ev: CloseEvent) => {
+      if (ev.code !== WS_CLOSE_NORMAL && ev.code !== WS_CLOSE_GOING_AWAY) {
+        this.reconnect();
+      }
+    };
+
     // Wait until connection is open
     let connectSleep = 0;
     while (
@@ -160,20 +174,6 @@ export class SignalClient implements SignalApi {
     if (!this.ws || this.ws.readyState !== WebSocket.OPEN) {
       throw new Error('Connect timeout');
     }
-
-    this.ws.onmessage = (data: MessageEvent) => {
-      this.handleMessage(data);
-    };
-
-    this.ws.onerror = () => {
-      this.reconnect();
-    };
-
-    this.ws.onclose = (ev: CloseEvent) => {
-      if (ev.code !== WS_CLOSE_NORMAL && ev.code !== WS_CLOSE_GOING_AWAY) {
-        this.reconnect();
-      }
-    };
   }
 
   private handleMessage(data: MessageEvent) {