diff --git a/packages/host/src/server.ts b/packages/host/src/server.ts
index e117c4de..1fc01afe 100644
--- a/packages/host/src/server.ts
+++ b/packages/host/src/server.ts
@@ -1318,6 +1318,23 @@ export class FactorioServer extends events.EventEmitter<FactorioServerEvents> {
 	}
 
 
+	// Not using events.once here to avoid throwing on error events, which are
+	// not emitted when the process exits while stopping.
+	async _waitForRconReadyOrExit() {
+		await new Promise<void>(resolve => {
+			const onRconReady = () => {
+				this.off("exit", onExit);
+				resolve();
+			};
+			const onExit = () => {
+				this.off("rcon-ready", onRconReady);
+				resolve();
+			};
+			this.once("rcon-ready", onRconReady);
+			this.once("exit", onExit);
+		});
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * Send message over RCON
 	 *
@@ -1333,7 +1350,7 @@ export class FactorioServer extends events.EventEmitter<FactorioServerEvents> {
 	async sendRcon(message: string, expectEmpty?: boolean) {
 		this._check(["running", "stopping"]);
 		if (!this._rconReady) {
-			await events.once(this, "rcon-ready");
+			await this._waitForRconReadyOrExit();
 		}
 		if (!this._rconClient) {
 			throw new Error("RCON connection lost");
@@ -1404,20 +1421,7 @@ export class FactorioServer extends events.EventEmitter<FactorioServerEvents> {
 		// If RCON is not yet fully connected that operation needs to
 		// complete before the RCON connection can be used
 		if (!this._rconReady) {
-			// Not using events.once here to avoid throwing on error events.
-			// The process may also exit before RCON connects.
-			await new Promise<void>(resolve => {
-				const onRconReady = () => {
-					this.off("exit", onExit);
-					resolve();
-				};
-				const onExit = () => {
-					this.off("rcon-ready", onRconReady);
-					resolve();
-				};
-				this.once("rcon-ready", onRconReady);
-				this.once("exit", onExit);
-			});
+			await this._waitForRconReadyOrExit();
 		}
 
 		// 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 abff051c..c98aff21 100644
--- a/test/host/server_stop.js
+++ b/test/host/server_stop.js
@@ -22,14 +22,14 @@ function createStartedServer() {
 	return server;
 }
 
-// Fail instead of hanging if stop() never resolves.
-async function waitForStop(stopped) {
+// Fail instead of hanging if the call never settles.
+async function withTimeout(promise, message) {
 	let timeoutId;
 	const timeout = new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
-		timeoutId = setTimeout(() => reject(new Error("stop() did not resolve")), 500);
+		timeoutId = setTimeout(() => reject(new Error(message)), 500);
 	});
 	try {
-		await Promise.race([stopped, timeout]);
+		return await Promise.race([promise, timeout]);
 	} finally {
 		clearTimeout(timeoutId);
 	}
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ describe("host/src/server", function() {
 			const server = createStartedServer();
 			const stopped = server.stop();
 			server._server.emit("exit", 1, null);
-			await waitForStop(stopped);
+			await withTimeout(stopped, "stop() did not resolve");
 			assert.equal(server._state, "init");
 			assert.equal(server.listenerCount("rcon-ready"), 0);
 		});
@@ -56,7 +56,22 @@ describe("host/src/server", function() {
 			const fakeProcess = server._server;
 			assert.equal(fakeProcess.killed, true);
 			fakeProcess.emit("exit", 0, null);
-			await waitForStop(stopped);
+			await withTimeout(stopped, "stop() did not resolve");
+		});
+	});
+
+	describe("FactorioServer.sendRcon()", function() {
+		it("throws if the process exits before RCON is ready", async function() {
+			const server = createStartedServer();
+			const sent = server.sendRcon("/version");
+			// kill() sets the state before killing, which suppresses the error event.
+			server._state = "stopping";
+			server._server.emit("exit", null, "SIGKILL");
+			await assert.rejects(
+				withTimeout(sent, "sendRcon() did not settle"),
+				new Error("RCON connection lost"),
+			);
+			assert.equal(server.listenerCount("rcon-ready"), 0);
 		});
 	});
 });