diff --git a/packages/graphql-language-service-interface/src/GraphQLLanguageService.ts b/packages/graphql-language-service-interface/src/GraphQLLanguageService.ts
index a2904c9f815..8221a79a9e6 100644
--- a/packages/graphql-language-service-interface/src/GraphQLLanguageService.ts
+++ b/packages/graphql-language-service-interface/src/GraphQLLanguageService.ts
@@ -125,6 +125,9 @@ export class GraphQLLanguageService {
     // schema/fragment definitions, even the project configuration.
     let queryHasExtensions = false;
     const projectConfig = this.getConfigForURI(uri);
+    if (!projectConfig) {
+      return [];
+    }
     const { schema: schemaPath, name: projectName, extensions } = projectConfig;
 
     try {
@@ -208,9 +211,10 @@ export class GraphQLLanguageService {
       }
       /* eslint-enable no-implicit-coercion */
     }
-    const schema = await this._graphQLCache
-      .getSchema(projectName, queryHasExtensions)
-      .catch(() => null);
+    const schema = await this._graphQLCache.getSchema(
+      projectName,
+      queryHasExtensions,
+    );
 
     if (!schema) {
       return [];
diff --git a/packages/graphql-language-service-server/src/startServer.ts b/packages/graphql-language-service-server/src/startServer.ts
index 1a4016d129d..325cae2deed 100644
--- a/packages/graphql-language-service-server/src/startServer.ts
+++ b/packages/graphql-language-service-server/src/startServer.ts
@@ -44,10 +44,10 @@ import {
 import { Logger } from './Logger';
 import { parseDocument } from './parseDocument';
 
-type Options = {
-  // port for the LSP server to run on
+export type ServerOptions = {
+  // port for the LSP server to run on. required if using method socket
   port?: number;
-  // socket, streams, or node (ipc). if socket, port is required
+  // socket, streams, or node (ipc)
   method?: 'socket' | 'stream' | 'node';
   // the directory where graphql-config is found
   configDir?: string;
@@ -58,17 +58,17 @@ type Options = {
   config?: GraphQLConfig;
   parser?: typeof parseDocument;
 };
-('graphql-language-service-types');
 
 /**
  * startServer - initialize LSP server with options
  *
- * @param options {Options} server initialization methods
+ * @param options {ServerOptions} server initialization methods
  * @returns {Promise<void>}
  */
-export default async function startServer(options: Options): Promise<void> {
+export default async function startServer(
+  options: ServerOptions,
+): Promise<void> {
   const logger = new Logger();
-
   if (options && options.method) {
     let reader;
     let writer;
@@ -94,15 +94,14 @@ export default async function startServer(options: Options): Promise<void> {
               socket.close();
               process.exit(0);
             });
-            const connection = createMessageConnection(reader, writer, logger);
-            addHandlers(
-              connection,
+            const serverWithHandlers = initializeHandlers({
+              reader,
+              writer,
               logger,
-              options.configDir,
-              options?.extensions ?? [],
-              options.config,
-            );
-            connection.listen();
+              options,
+            });
+
+            serverWithHandlers.listen();
           })
           .listen(port);
         return;
@@ -116,17 +115,49 @@ export default async function startServer(options: Options): Promise<void> {
         writer = new IPCMessageWriter(process);
         break;
     }
+
+    try {
+      const serverWithHandlers = initializeHandlers({
+        reader,
+        writer,
+        logger,
+        options,
+      });
+      return serverWithHandlers.listen();
+    } catch (err) {
+      logger.error('There was a Graphql LSP handler exception:');
+      logger.error(err);
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+function initializeHandlers({
+  reader,
+  writer,
+  logger,
+  options = {},
+}: {
+  reader: SocketMessageReader | StreamMessageReader | IPCMessageReader;
+  writer: SocketMessageWriter | StreamMessageWriter | IPCMessageWriter;
+  logger: Logger;
+  options: ServerOptions;
+}): MessageConnection {
+  try {
     const connection = createMessageConnection(reader, writer, logger);
     addHandlers(
       connection,
       logger,
       options.configDir,
-      options?.extensions ?? [],
+      options?.extensions || [],
       options.config,
       options.parser,
       options.fileExtensions,
     );
-    connection.listen();
+    return connection;
+  } catch (err) {
+    logger.error('There was an error initializing the server connection');
+    logger.error(err);
+    process.exit(1);
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/graphql-language-service/src/cli.ts b/packages/graphql-language-service/src/cli.ts
index 3e2501628b1..dbb14569111 100644
--- a/packages/graphql-language-service/src/cli.ts
+++ b/packages/graphql-language-service/src/cli.ts
@@ -83,6 +83,7 @@ const { argv } = yargs
       'Can be one of: stream, node, socket.\n' +
       'Will default to use a node IPC channel for communication.\n',
     type: 'string',
+    default: 'node',
   })
   .option('p', {
     alias: 'port',
diff --git a/packages/graphql-language-service/tsconfig.json b/packages/graphql-language-service/tsconfig.json
index fbcb4047799..480002d421b 100644
--- a/packages/graphql-language-service/tsconfig.json
+++ b/packages/graphql-language-service/tsconfig.json
@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@
   "compilerOptions": {
     "composite": true,
     "rootDir": "./src",
-    "outDir": "./dist"
+    "outDir": "./dist",
+    "target": "ES2017"
   },
   "references": [
     {