diff --git a/desktop/app/src/init.tsx b/desktop/app/src/init.tsx
index 98bbd0ea681..9c2e974c8a0 100644
--- a/desktop/app/src/init.tsx
+++ b/desktop/app/src/init.tsx
@@ -20,15 +20,9 @@ import {
 } from 'flipper-server-client';
 import {
   checkPortInUse,
-  FlipperServerImpl,
   getAuthToken,
   getEnvironmentInfo,
-  getGatekeepers,
   hasAuthToken,
-  loadLauncherSettings,
-  loadProcessConfig,
-  loadSettings,
-  sessionId,
   setupPrefetcher,
   startFlipperServer,
   startServer,
@@ -38,11 +32,9 @@ import {
   getLogger,
   isTest,
   Logger,
-  parseEnvironmentVariables,
   setLoggerInstance,
   wrapRequire,
 } from 'flipper-common';
-import constants from './fb-stubs/constants';
 import {initializeElectron} from './electron/initializeElectron';
 import path from 'path';
 import fs from 'fs-extra';
@@ -106,7 +98,6 @@ async function getExternalServer(url: URL) {
 }
 
 async function getFlipperServer(
-  logger: Logger,
   electronIpcClient: ElectronIpcClientRenderer,
 ): Promise<FlipperServer> {
   const execPath =
@@ -114,16 +105,12 @@ async function getFlipperServer(
   const appPath = await electronIpcClient.send('getPath', 'app');
   const staticPath = getStaticPath(appPath);
   const isProduction = !/node_modules[\\/]electron[\\/]/.test(execPath);
-  const env = process.env;
   const environmentInfo = await getEnvironmentInfo(
     staticPath,
     isProduction,
     false,
   );
   const keytar: KeytarModule | undefined = await getKeytarModule(staticPath);
-  const gatekeepers = getGatekeepers(environmentInfo.os.unixname);
-
-  const settings = await loadSettings();
   const port = 52342;
   /**
    * Only attempt to use the auth token if one is available. Otherwise,
@@ -135,22 +122,21 @@ async function getFlipperServer(
   if (await hasAuthToken()) {
     token = await getAuthToken();
   }
-  // check first with the actual TCP socket
+
   const searchParams = new URLSearchParams(token ? {token} : {});
   const TCPconnectionURL = new URL(`ws://localhost:${port}?${searchParams}`);
 
-  /**
-   * Attempt to shutdown a running instance of Flipper server.
-   * @param url The URL used for connection.
-   */
-  async function shutdown(url: URL) {
+  async function shutdown(): Promise<boolean> {
     console.info('[flipper-server] Attempt to shutdown.');
 
-    const server = await getExternalServer(url);
-    await server.exec('shutdown').catch(() => {
-      /** shutdown will ultimately make this request fail, ignore error. */
-      console.info('[flipper-server] Shutdown may have succeeded');
-    });
+    try {
+      const response = await fetch(`http://localhost:${port}/shutdown`);
+      const json = await response.json();
+
+      return json?.success;
+    } catch {}
+
+    return false;
   }
 
   /**
@@ -162,10 +148,11 @@ async function getFlipperServer(
    */
   if (await checkPortInUse(port)) {
     console.warn(`[flipper-server] TCP port ${port} is already in use.`);
-    await shutdown(TCPconnectionURL);
+    const success = await shutdown();
+    console.info(`[flipper-server] Shutdown: ${success}`);
   }
 
-  console.info('flipper-server: not running/listening, start');
+  console.info('[flipper-server] Not running/listening, start');
 
   const {readyForIncomingConnections} = await startServer({
     staticPath,
@@ -197,7 +184,6 @@ async function start() {
   const electronIpcClient = new ElectronIpcClientRenderer();
 
   const flipperServer: FlipperServer = await getFlipperServer(
-    logger,
     electronIpcClient,
   );
   const flipperServerConfig = await flipperServer.exec('get-config');
diff --git a/desktop/flipper-server-core/src/server/startServer.tsx b/desktop/flipper-server-core/src/server/startServer.tsx
index 7d31f25cfb7..d43c26c3a65 100644
--- a/desktop/flipper-server-core/src/server/startServer.tsx
+++ b/desktop/flipper-server-core/src/server/startServer.tsx
@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@ async function startHTTPServer(config: Config): Promise<{
   const socket = attachWS(server, config);
 
   exitHook(() => {
-    console.log('Shutdown server');
+    console.log('[flipper-server] Shutdown HTTP server');
     server.close();
   });
 
diff --git a/desktop/flipper-server/src/index.tsx b/desktop/flipper-server/src/index.tsx
index 646b2af3ce6..6a58f4db16c 100644
--- a/desktop/flipper-server/src/index.tsx
+++ b/desktop/flipper-server/src/index.tsx
@@ -30,12 +30,6 @@ import {isTest} from 'flipper-common';
 import exitHook from 'exit-hook';
 import {getAuthToken} from 'flipper-server-core';
 import {findInstallation} from './findInstallation';
-import ReconnectingWebSocket from 'reconnecting-websocket';
-import {
-  createFlipperServerWithSocket,
-  FlipperServerState,
-} from 'flipper-server-client';
-import WS from 'ws';
 
 const argv = yargs
   .usage('yarn flipper-server [args]')
@@ -104,39 +98,17 @@ const rootPath = argv.bundler
   : path.resolve(__dirname, '..'); // in pre packaged versions of the server, static is copied inside the package
 const staticPath = path.join(rootPath, 'static');
 
-async function connectToRunningServer(url: URL) {
-  console.info(`[flipper-server] Obtain connection to existing server.`);
-  const options = {
-    WebSocket: class WSWithUnixDomainSocketSupport extends WS {
-      constructor(url: string, protocols: string | string[]) {
-        // Flipper exports could be large, and we snd them over the wire
-        // Setting this limit fairly high (1GB) to allow any reasonable Flipper export to be loaded
-        super(url, protocols, {maxPayload: 1024 * 1024 * 1024});
-      }
-    },
-  };
-  const socket = new ReconnectingWebSocket(url.toString(), [], options);
-  const server = await createFlipperServerWithSocket(
-    socket as WebSocket,
-    (_state: FlipperServerState) => {},
-  );
-  return server;
-}
-
-async function shutdown() {
+async function shutdown(): Promise<boolean> {
   console.info('[flipper-server] Attempt to shutdown.');
 
-  const token = await getAuthToken();
+  try {
+    const response = await fetch(`http://localhost:${argv.port}/shutdown`);
+    const json = await response.json();
 
-  const searchParams = new URLSearchParams(token ? {token} : {});
-  const url = new URL(`ws://localhost:${argv.port}?${searchParams}`);
+    return json?.success;
+  } catch {}
 
-  const server = await connectToRunningServer(url);
-  await server.exec('shutdown').catch(() => {
-    /** shutdown will ultimately make this request fail, ignore error. */
-    console.info('[flipper-server] Shutdown may have succeeded');
-  });
-  server.close();
+  return false;
 }
 
 async function start() {
@@ -193,7 +165,8 @@ async function start() {
       console.info(`[flipper-server] Not replacing existing instance, exiting`);
       return;
     }
-    await shutdown();
+    const success = await shutdown();
+    console.info(`[flipper-server] Shutdown: ${success}`);
   }
 
   const t3 = performance.now();
@@ -238,6 +211,7 @@ async function start() {
   const launchedMS = t6 - t5;
 
   exitHook(async () => {
+    console.log('[flipper-server] Shutdown Flipper server');
     await flipperServer.close();
   });