diff --git a/extensions/systemd/systemd.js b/extensions/systemd/systemd.js
index f20eac74f..15ed96403 100644
--- a/extensions/systemd/systemd.js
+++ b/extensions/systemd/systemd.js
@@ -10,6 +10,10 @@ class SystemdProcessManager extends cli.ProcessManager {
         return `ghost_${this.instance.name}`;
     }
 
+    get logSuggestion() {
+        return 'journalctl -n 50';
+    }
+
     start() {
         this._precheck();
 
diff --git a/lib/commands/restart.js b/lib/commands/restart.js
index f1f28258a..3bff7be9a 100644
--- a/lib/commands/restart.js
+++ b/lib/commands/restart.js
@@ -4,6 +4,12 @@ const Command = require('../command');
 class RestartCommand extends Command {
     run() {
         const instance = this.system.getInstance();
+        const restart = (() => {
+            return instance.process.restart(process.cwd(), this.system.environment)
+                .then(() => {
+                    return instance.process.ensureStarted(process.cwd(), this.system.environment);
+                });
+        });
 
         if (!instance.running()) {
             return Promise.reject(new Error('Ghost instance is not currently running.'));
@@ -11,7 +17,7 @@ class RestartCommand extends Command {
 
         instance.loadRunningEnvironment(true);
 
-        return this.ui.run(instance.process.restart(process.cwd(), this.system.environment), 'Restarting Ghost');
+        return this.ui.run(restart, 'Restarting Ghost');
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/lib/commands/run.js b/lib/commands/run.js
index 485e7235c..27f4a5648 100644
--- a/lib/commands/run.js
+++ b/lib/commands/run.js
@@ -71,7 +71,11 @@ class RunCommand extends Command {
                 return;
             }
 
-            instance.process.error(message.error);
+            // Ghost error log happens AFTER this event
+            // REMOVE WHEN ghost is released and we bump the cli engine?
+            setTimeout(() => {
+                instance.process.error(message.error);
+            }, 1000);
         });
     }
 
diff --git a/lib/commands/start.js b/lib/commands/start.js
index f37606369..8ef325201 100644
--- a/lib/commands/start.js
+++ b/lib/commands/start.js
@@ -37,10 +37,16 @@ class StartCommand extends Command {
 
             const start = () => {
                 return Promise.resolve(processInstance.start(process.cwd(), this.system.environment))
-                    .then(() => { instance.running(this.system.environment); });
+                    .then(() => {
+                        return processInstance.ensureStarted(process.cwd(), this.system.environment);
+                    })
+                    .then(() => {
+                        instance.running(this.system.environment);
+                    });
             };
 
             return this.ui.run(start, 'Starting Ghost', runOptions).then(() => {
+                // @TODO: shouldn't this happen before start?
                 // If process manager doesn't support enable behavior OR it's already enabled, don't try to enable
                 if (!ProcessManager.supportsEnableBehavior(processInstance) || processInstance.isEnabled()) {
                     argv.enable = false;
diff --git a/lib/process-manager.js b/lib/process-manager.js
index a9abab0a2..405303024 100644
--- a/lib/process-manager.js
+++ b/lib/process-manager.js
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 'use strict';
+const net = require('net');
 const every = require('lodash/every');
+const errors = require('./errors');
 const requiredMethods = [
     'start',
     'stop',
@@ -25,6 +27,10 @@ class ProcessManager {
         this.instance = instance;
     }
 
+    get logSuggestion() {
+        return 'ghost log';
+    }
+
     /**
      * Method called to start the Ghost process
      *
@@ -60,6 +66,68 @@ class ProcessManager {
         // Base Implementation
     }
 
+    /**
+     * General implementation of figuring out if the Ghost blog has started successfully.
+     * Port long polling.
+     *
+     * @returns {Promise<any>}
+     */
+    ensureStarted(cwd, env, options) {
+        options = options || {};
+
+        const intervalTimeoutInMS = options.intervalTimeoutInMS || 1000;
+        const maxTries = options.maxTries || 20;
+
+        let tries = 0;
+        let retryOnConnect = options.hasOwnProperty('retryOnConnect') ? options.retryOnConnect : true;
+
+        return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+            const interval = setInterval(() => {
+                const ghostSocket = net.connect(this.instance.config.get('server.port'));
+
+                ghostSocket.on('connect', (() => {
+                    /**
+                     * Try it one more time to connect to Ghost.
+                     * By that, we ensure Ghost does not fall over after Ghost's express server has started.
+                     */
+                    if (retryOnConnect) {
+                        clearInterval(interval);
+                        ghostSocket.destroy();
+
+                        return this.ensureStarted(cwd, env, {
+                            intervalTimeoutInMS: 2 * 1000,
+                            maxTries: 3,
+                            retryOnConnect: false
+                        }).then(resolve).catch(reject);
+                    }
+
+                    clearInterval(interval);
+                    ghostSocket.destroy();
+                    resolve();
+                }));
+
+                ghostSocket.on('error', ((err) => {
+                    if (tries > maxTries) {
+                        clearInterval(interval);
+                        ghostSocket.destroy();
+
+                        // Force stop, otherwise extensions will restart Ghost and `ghost ls` will show it's running.
+                        return Promise.resolve(this.stop(cwd, env))
+                            .then(() => {
+                                return reject(new errors.GhostError({
+                                    message: 'Ghost did not start.',
+                                    suggestion: this.logSuggestion,
+                                    err: err
+                                }));
+                            });
+                    }
+
+                    tries = tries + 1;
+                }));
+            }, intervalTimeoutInMS);
+        });
+    }
+
     /**
      * This function checks if this process manager can be used on this system
      *
diff --git a/lib/utils/local-process.js b/lib/utils/local-process.js
index 0a1a72d3f..39247763f 100644
--- a/lib/utils/local-process.js
+++ b/lib/utils/local-process.js
@@ -98,6 +98,10 @@ class LocalProcess extends ProcessManager {
         });
     }
 
+    ensureStarted() {
+        return Promise.resolve();
+    }
+
     /**
      * Called by the `ghost run` sub-process, this notifies the parent process that
      * Ghost has started