diff --git a/src/traffic_server/traffic_server.cc b/src/traffic_server/traffic_server.cc
index 6153edd22a1..80f5aebbe1d 100644
--- a/src/traffic_server/traffic_server.cc
+++ b/src/traffic_server/traffic_server.cc
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@
 
 #include <syslog.h>
 #include <algorithm>
+#include <atomic>
 #include <list>
 #include <string>
 
@@ -173,6 +174,9 @@ static int poll_timeout         = -1; // No value set.
 static int cmd_disable_freelist = 0;
 static bool signal_received[NSIG];
 
+static std::atomic<bool> ports_are_open       = false;
+static std::atomic<bool> cache_is_initialized = false;
+
 // 1: delay listen, wait for cache.
 // 0: Do not delay, start listen ASAP.
 // -1: cache is already initialized, don't delay.
@@ -709,7 +713,8 @@ CB_After_Cache_Init()
   APIHook *hook;
   int start;
 
-  start = ink_atomic_swap(&delay_listen_for_cache_p, -1);
+  start                = ink_atomic_swap(&delay_listen_for_cache_p, -1);
+  cache_is_initialized = true;
 
 #if TS_ENABLE_FIPS == 0
   // Check for cache BC after the cache is initialized and before listen, if possible.
@@ -726,6 +731,7 @@ CB_After_Cache_Init()
   if (1 == start) {
     Debug("http_listen", "Delayed listen enable, cache initialization finished");
     start_HttpProxyServer();
+    ports_are_open = true;
   }
 
   time_t cache_ready_at = time(nullptr);
@@ -737,6 +743,9 @@ CB_After_Cache_Init()
     hook->invoke(TS_EVENT_LIFECYCLE_CACHE_READY, nullptr);
     hook = hook->next();
   }
+  if (ports_are_open) {
+    Note("traffic server initialized");
+  }
 }
 
 void
@@ -2094,7 +2103,9 @@ main(int /* argc ATS_UNUSED */, const char **argv)
       if (delay_p && ink_atomic_cas(&delay_listen_for_cache_p, 0, 1)) {
         Debug("http_listen", "Delaying listen, waiting for cache initialization");
       } else {
+        Debug("http_listen", "Not delaying listen");
         start_HttpProxyServer(); // PORTS_READY_HOOK called from in here
+        ports_are_open = true;
       }
     }
     // Plugins can register their own configuration names so now after they've done that
@@ -2125,6 +2136,9 @@ main(int /* argc ATS_UNUSED */, const char **argv)
 
     ink_set_thread_name("[TS_MAIN]");
 
+    if (ports_are_open && cache_is_initialized) {
+      Note("traffic server initialized");
+    }
     Note("traffic server running");
 
 #if TS_HAS_TESTS
diff --git a/tests/gold_tests/autest-site/trafficserver.test.ext b/tests/gold_tests/autest-site/trafficserver.test.ext
index 779f183e373..4c974c9a35e 100755
--- a/tests/gold_tests/autest-site/trafficserver.test.ext
+++ b/tests/gold_tests/autest-site/trafficserver.test.ext
@@ -281,10 +281,9 @@ def MakeATSProcess(obj, name, command='traffic_server', select_ports=True, enabl
     get_port(p, "manager_port")
     get_port(p, "admin_port")
 
-    if enable_tls:
-        p.Ready = When.PortsOpen([p.Variables.port, p.Variables.ssl_port])
-    else:
-        p.Ready = When.PortOpen(p.Variables.port)
+    # The following message was added so that tests and users can know when
+    # Traffic Server is ready to both receive and optimize traffic.
+    p.Ready = When.FileContains(p.Disk.diags_log.AbsPath, "NOTE: traffic server initialized")
 
     if select_ports:
         # default config
diff --git a/tests/gold_tests/autest-site/when.test.ext b/tests/gold_tests/autest-site/when.test.ext
index d44c9ba09cc..b93e8980232 100644
--- a/tests/gold_tests/autest-site/when.test.ext
+++ b/tests/gold_tests/autest-site/when.test.ext
@@ -19,14 +19,33 @@ When extensions.
 
 from autest.api import AddWhenFunction
 import hosts.output as host
+import os
 
 
 def FileContains(haystack, needle):
+    """
+    Return whether the file haystack contains the string needle.
+
+    Args:
+        haystack (str): The path to the file to be inspected.
+        needle (str): The content to look for in haystack.
+
+    Returns:
+        True if the haystack exists as a file and contains needle, False
+        otherwise.
+    """
+    if not os.path.exists(haystack):
+        host.WriteDebug(
+            ['FileContains', 'when'],
+            "Testing for file content '{0}' in file '{1}': file does not exist".format(
+                needle, haystack))
+        return False
+
     with open(haystack) as f:
         result = needle in f.read()
 
         host.WriteDebug(
-            ['FileExists', 'when'],
+            ['FileContains', 'when'],
             "Testing for file content '{0}' in '{1}' : {2}".format(
                 needle, haystack, result))