diff --git a/core/index.js b/core/index.js
index ceb0e650d2..c1c95ff1ad 100644
--- a/core/index.js
+++ b/core/index.js
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 // ## Server Loader
 // Passes options through the boot process to get a server instance back
-var server = require('./server');
+const server = require('./server');
+const common = require('./server/lib/common');
+const GhostServer = require('./server/ghost-server');
 
 // Set the default environment to be `development`
 process.env.NODE_ENV = process.env.NODE_ENV || 'development';
@@ -8,7 +10,17 @@ process.env.NODE_ENV = process.env.NODE_ENV || 'development';
 function makeGhost(options) {
     options = options || {};
 
-    return server(options);
+    return server(options)
+        .catch((err) => {
+            if (!common.errors.utils.isIgnitionError(err)) {
+                err = new common.errors.GhostError({message: err.message, err: err});
+            }
+
+            return GhostServer.announceServerStopped(err)
+                .finally(() => {
+                    throw err;
+                });
+        });
 }
 
 module.exports = makeGhost;
diff --git a/core/server/ghost-server.js b/core/server/ghost-server.js
index 2481f63a2a..5e9562de12 100644
--- a/core/server/ghost-server.js
+++ b/core/server/ghost-server.js
@@ -94,9 +94,12 @@ GhostServer.prototype.start = function (externalApp) {
         self.httpServer.on('connection', self.connection.bind(self));
         self.httpServer.on('listening', function () {
             debug('...Started');
-
             self.logStartMessages();
-            resolve(self);
+
+            return GhostServer.announceServerStart()
+                .finally(() => {
+                    resolve(self);
+                });
         });
     });
 };
@@ -312,7 +315,19 @@ const connectToBootstrapSocket = (message) => {
     });
 };
 
+/**
+ * @NOTE announceServerStartCalled:
+ *
+ * - backwards compatible logic, because people complained that not all themes were loaded when using Ghost as NPM module
+ * - we told them to call `announceServerStart`, which is not required anymore, because we restructured the code
+ */
+let announceServerStartCalled = false;
 module.exports.announceServerStart = function announceServerStart() {
+    if (announceServerStartCalled || config.get('maintenance:enabled')) {
+        return Promise.resolve();
+    }
+    announceServerStartCalled = true;
+
     common.events.emit('server.start');
 
     // CASE: IPC communication to the CLI via child process.
@@ -332,7 +347,19 @@ module.exports.announceServerStart = function announceServerStart() {
     return Promise.resolve();
 };
 
+/**
+ * @NOTE announceServerStopCalled:
+ *
+ * - backwards compatible logic, because people complained that not all themes were loaded when using Ghost as NPM module
+ * - we told them to call `announceServerStart`, which is not required anymore, because we restructured code
+ */
+let announceServerStopCalled = false;
 module.exports.announceServerStopped = function announceServerStopped(error) {
+    if (announceServerStopCalled) {
+        return Promise.resolve();
+    }
+    announceServerStopCalled = true;
+
     // CASE: IPC communication to the CLI via child process.
     if (process.send) {
         process.send({
diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
index 1157b0bd4a..a25ece9f1a 100644
--- a/index.js
+++ b/index.js
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 
 var startTime = Date.now(),
     debug = require('ghost-ignition').debug('boot:index'),
-    ghost, express, common, urlService, parentApp, config, GhostServer;
+    ghost, express, common, urlService, parentApp;
 
 debug('First requires...');
 
@@ -12,8 +12,6 @@ ghost = require('./core');
 debug('Required ghost');
 
 express = require('express');
-GhostServer = require('./core/server/ghost-server');
-config = require('./core/server/config');
 common = require('./core/server/lib/common');
 urlService = require('./core/server/services/url');
 parentApp = express();
@@ -28,21 +26,10 @@ ghost().then(function (ghostServer) {
     return ghostServer.start(parentApp)
         .then(function afterStart() {
             common.logging.info('Ghost boot', (Date.now() - startTime) / 1000 + 's');
-
-            if (!config.get('maintenance:enabled')) {
-                return GhostServer.announceServerStart();
-            }
         });
 }).catch(function (err) {
-    if (!common.errors.utils.isIgnitionError(err)) {
-        err = new common.errors.GhostError({message: err.message, err: err});
-    }
-
-    return GhostServer.announceServerStopped(err)
-        .finally(() => {
-            common.logging.error(err);
-            setTimeout(() => {
-                process.exit(-1);
-            }, 100);
-        });
+    common.logging.error(err);
+    setTimeout(() => {
+        process.exit(-1);
+    }, 100);
 });