diff --git a/packages/host/src/server.ts b/packages/host/src/server.ts
index b7e426be..0057446d 100644
--- a/packages/host/src/server.ts
+++ b/packages/host/src/server.ts
@@ -1318,11 +1318,11 @@ export class FactorioServer extends events.EventEmitter<FactorioServerEvents> {
 	}
 
 
-	// Not using events.once here to avoid throwing on error events, as they are
-	// not emitted when the process exits while stopping.  Returns the error
+	// Not using events.once here as it rejects on error events, which are not
+	// emitted when the process exits while stopping.  Rejects with the error
 	// emitted with the exit, if there was one, for the caller to report.
 	async _waitForRconReadyOrExit() {
-		return await new Promise<Error | undefined>(resolve => {
+		return await new Promise<void>((resolve, reject) => {
 			let exitError: Error | undefined;
 			const cleanup = () => {
 				this.off("error", onError);
@@ -1334,11 +1334,11 @@ export class FactorioServer extends events.EventEmitter<FactorioServerEvents> {
 			};
 			const onRconReady = () => {
 				cleanup();
-				resolve(undefined);
+				resolve();
 			};
 			const onExit = () => {
 				cleanup();
-				resolve(exitError);
+				reject(exitError ?? new Error("RCON connection lost"));
 			};
 			this.on("error", onError);
 			this.once("rcon-ready", onRconReady);
@@ -1361,11 +1361,8 @@ export class FactorioServer extends events.EventEmitter<FactorioServerEvents> {
 	async sendRcon(message: string, expectEmpty?: boolean) {
 		this._check(["running", "stopping"]);
 		if (!this._rconReady) {
-			// Prefer the reason the server gave for exiting over the flat message below.
-			const exitError = await this._waitForRconReadyOrExit();
-			if (exitError) {
-				throw exitError;
-			}
+			// Rejects with the reason the server gave for exiting, if there was one.
+			await this._waitForRconReadyOrExit();
 		}
 		if (!this._rconClient) {
 			throw new Error("RCON connection lost");
@@ -1437,7 +1434,7 @@ export class FactorioServer extends events.EventEmitter<FactorioServerEvents> {
 		// complete before the RCON connection can be used
 		if (!this._rconReady) {
 			// An exit error is not reported here as stopping is done once the process is gone.
-			await this._waitForRconReadyOrExit();
+			await this._waitForRconReadyOrExit().catch(() => {});
 		}
 
 		// The Factorio server may have decided to get ahead of us and
diff --git a/test/host/server_stop.js b/test/host/server_stop.js
index 26f52936..8cae2ac4 100644
--- a/test/host/server_stop.js
+++ b/test/host/server_stop.js
@@ -61,6 +61,19 @@ describe("host/src/server", function() {
 			assert.equal(server.listenerCount("error"), 1);
 		});
 
+		it("does not reject if the process exits with an error before RCON is ready", async function() {
+			const server = createStartedServer();
+			const stopped = server.stop();
+			// The wait rejects with this error, stopping succeeds regardless.
+			server.emit("error", new lib.EnvironmentError("Factorio server was killed"));
+			server._server.emit("exit", null, "SIGKILL");
+			await assert.doesNotReject(withTimeout(stopped, "stop() did not resolve"));
+			assert.equal(server._state, "init");
+			assert.equal(server.listenerCount("rcon-ready"), 0);
+			assert.equal(server.listenerCount("exit"), 0);
+			assert.equal(server.listenerCount("error"), 1);
+		});
+
 		it("stops the server if RCON becomes ready", async function() {
 			const server = createStartedServer();
 			const stopped = server.stop();