diff --git a/include/swaybar/ipc.h b/include/swaybar/ipc.h
index f3881bd0..278baef0 100644
--- a/include/swaybar/ipc.h
+++ b/include/swaybar/ipc.h
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
 #ifndef _SWAYBAR_IPC_H
 #define _SWAYBAR_IPC_H
+#include <stdbool.h>
 #include "swaybar/bar.h"
 
 void ipc_initialize(struct swaybar *bar, const char *bar_id);
-void handle_ipc_event(struct swaybar *bar);
+bool handle_ipc_event(struct swaybar *bar);
 void ipc_get_workspaces(struct swaybar *bar);
 
 #endif
diff --git a/swaybar/bar.c b/swaybar/bar.c
index 68dea408..90fd5ad4 100644
--- a/swaybar/bar.c
+++ b/swaybar/bar.c
@@ -143,11 +143,17 @@ static void display_in(int fd, short mask, void *_bar) {
 
 static void ipc_in(int fd, short mask, void *_bar) {
 	struct swaybar *bar = (struct swaybar *)_bar;
-	handle_ipc_event(bar);
+	if (handle_ipc_event(bar)) {
+		struct swaybar_output *output;
+		wl_list_for_each(output, &bar->outputs, link) {
+			render_frame(bar, output);
+		}
+	}
 }
 
 void bar_run(struct swaybar *bar) {
 	add_event(wl_display_get_fd(bar->display), POLLIN, display_in, bar);
+	add_event(bar->ipc_event_socketfd, POLLIN, ipc_in, bar);
 	while (1) {
 		event_loop_poll();
 	}
diff --git a/swaybar/ipc.c b/swaybar/ipc.c
index 6b832070..75f17953 100644
--- a/swaybar/ipc.c
+++ b/swaybar/ipc.c
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 #include <string.h>
 #include <strings.h>
 #include <json-c/json.h>
+#include <wlr/util/log.h>
 #include "swaybar/config.h"
 #include "swaybar/ipc.h"
 #include "ipc-client.h"
@@ -288,10 +289,51 @@ void ipc_initialize(struct swaybar *bar, const char *bar_id) {
 	ipc_parse_config(bar->config, res);
 	free(res);
 	ipc_get_outputs(bar);
-	// TODO: subscribe to stuff
+
+	const char *subscribe = "[ \"workspace\", \"mode\" ]";
+	len = strlen(subscribe);
+	free(ipc_single_command(bar->ipc_event_socketfd,
+			IPC_SUBSCRIBE, subscribe, &len));
 }
 
-void handle_ipc_event(struct swaybar *bar) {
+bool handle_ipc_event(struct swaybar *bar) {
 	struct ipc_response *resp = ipc_recv_response(bar->ipc_event_socketfd);
+	if (!resp) {
+		return false;
+	}
+	switch (resp->type) {
+	case IPC_EVENT_WORKSPACE:
+		ipc_get_workspaces(bar);
+		break;
+	case IPC_EVENT_MODE: {
+		json_object *result = json_tokener_parse(resp->payload);
+		if (!result) {
+			free_ipc_response(resp);
+			wlr_log(L_ERROR, "failed to parse payload as json");
+			return false;
+		}
+		json_object *json_change;
+		if (json_object_object_get_ex(result, "change", &json_change)) {
+			const char *change = json_object_get_string(json_change);
+			free(bar->config->mode);
+			if (strcmp(change, "default") == 0) {
+				bar->config->mode = NULL;
+			} else {
+				bar->config->mode = strdup(change);
+			}
+		} else {
+			wlr_log(L_ERROR, "failed to parse response");
+			json_object_put(result);
+			free_ipc_response(resp);
+			return false;
+		}
+		json_object_put(result);
+		break;
+	}
+	default:
+		free_ipc_response(resp);
+		return false;
+	}
 	free_ipc_response(resp);
+	return true;
 }