@@ -349,12 +349,14 @@
 
 ;; The watchdog is to keep an eye on things like db sync etc.
 ;;
 (define *watchdog* (make-thread common:watchdog "Watchdog thread"))
 
-(thread-start! *watchdog*)
-(BB> "thread-start! watchdog")
+(if (not (args:get-arg "-server"))
+    (thread-start! *watchdog*)) ;; if starting a server; wait till we get to running state before kicking off watchdog
+;;(BB> "thread-start! watchdog")
+
 (if (args:get-arg "-log")
     (let ((oup (open-output-file (args:get-arg "-log"))))
       (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "Sending log output to " (args:get-arg "-log"))
       (set! *default-log-port* oup)))
 
@@ -1990,12 +1992,19 @@
 ;; Exit and clean up
 ;;======================================================================
 
 (if (not *didsomething*)
     (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* help))
-(BB> "thread-join! watchdog")
-(thread-join! *watchdog*)
+;;(BB> "thread-join! watchdog")
+
+;; join the watchdog thread if it has been thread-start!ed  (it may not have been started in the case of a server that never enters running state)
+;;   (symbols returned by thread-state: created ready running blocked suspended sleeping terminated dead)
+(if (thread? *watchdog*)
+    (case (thread-state *watchdog*)
+      ((ready running blocked sleeping terminated dead)
+       (thread-join! *watchdog*))))
+
 (set! *time-to-exit* #t)
 
 (if (not (eq? *globalexitstatus* 0))
     (if (or (args:get-arg "-run")(args:get-arg "-runtests")(args:get-arg "-runall"))
         (begin