diff --git a/src/core/commands/start-ipfs.js b/src/core/commands/start-ipfs.js
index 2069ee5f..79768c74 100644
--- a/src/core/commands/start-ipfs.js
+++ b/src/core/commands/start-ipfs.js
@@ -4,6 +4,22 @@ const IpfsApi = require('ipfs-http-client')
 const ipfsdCtrl = require('ipfsd-ctl')
 const which = require('which-promise')
 const promisify = require('util').promisify
+const request = require('ipfs-registry-mirror-common/utils/retry-request')
+const timeout = require('ipfs-registry-mirror-common/utils/timeout-promise')
+
+const cleanUpOps = []
+
+const cleanUp = () => {
+  Promise.all(
+    cleanUpOps.map(op => op())
+  )
+    .then(() => {
+      process.exit(0)
+    })
+}
+
+process.on('SIGTERM', cleanUp)
+process.on('SIGINT', cleanUp)
 
 const spawn = (createArgs, spawnArgs = { init: true }) => {
   return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
@@ -72,4 +88,50 @@ const startIpfs = async (config) => {
   }
 }
 
-module.exports = startIpfs
+const createIpfs = options => {
+  return async () => {
+    const ipfs = await startIpfs(options)
+
+    cleanUpOps.push(() => {
+      return new Promise((resolve) => {
+        if (options.ipfs.node !== 'proc') {
+          return resolve()
+        }
+
+        ipfs.stop(() => {
+          console.info('😈 IPFS node stopped') // eslint-disable-line no-console
+
+          resolve()
+        })
+      })
+    })
+
+    console.info('🗂️  Loading registry index from', options.registry) // eslint-disable-line no-console
+
+    try {
+      const mirror = await request(Object.assign({}, options.request, {
+        uri: options.registry,
+        json: true
+      }))
+
+      console.info('☎️  Dialling registry mirror', mirror.ipfs.addresses.join(',')) // eslint-disable-line no-console
+
+      await timeout(
+        Promise.race(
+          mirror.ipfs.addresses.map(addr => {
+            return ipfs.api.swarm.connect(mirror.ipfs.addresses[0])
+          })
+        ),
+        options.registryConnectTimeout
+      )
+
+      console.info('📱️ Connected to registry') // eslint-disable-line no-console
+    } catch (error) {
+      console.info('📴 Not connected to registry') // eslint-disable-line no-console
+    }
+
+    return ipfs
+  }
+}
+
+module.exports = createIpfs
diff --git a/src/core/commands/start-server.js b/src/core/commands/start-server.js
index 8bb1f58e..87b996be 100644
--- a/src/core/commands/start-server.js
+++ b/src/core/commands/start-server.js
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ const favicon = require('ipfs-registry-mirror-common/handlers/favicon')
 const root = require('../handlers/root')
 const tarball = require('../handlers/tarball')
 const manifest = require('../handlers/manifest')
-const getIpfs = require('../middleware/get-ipfs')
+const startIpfs = require('./start-ipfs')
 
 const startServer = (config) => {
   const app = express()
@@ -19,11 +19,11 @@ const startServer = (config) => {
   app.get('/favicon.ico', favicon(config, app))
   app.get('/favicon.png', favicon(config, app))
 
-  app.get('/', getIpfs(config), root(config, app))
+  app.get('/', root(config, app))
 
   // intercept requests for tarballs and manifests
-  app.get('/*.tgz', getIpfs(config), tarball(config, app))
-  app.get('/*', getIpfs(config), manifest(config, app))
+  app.get('/*.tgz', tarball(config, app))
+  app.get('/*', manifest(config, app))
 
   // everything else should just proxy for the registry
   const registry = proxy(config.registry, {
@@ -36,6 +36,8 @@ const startServer = (config) => {
 
   app.use(errorLog)
 
+  app.locals.ipfs = startIpfs(config)
+
   return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
     const callback = once((error) => {
       if (error) {
diff --git a/src/core/commands/update.js b/src/core/commands/update.js
index 93c827fe..0dd0b863 100644
--- a/src/core/commands/update.js
+++ b/src/core/commands/update.js
@@ -1,97 +1,43 @@
 'use strict'
 
+const request = require('ipfs-registry-mirror-common/utils/retry-request')
 const config = require('../config')
 const startIpfs = require('./start-ipfs')
-const request = require('ipfs-registry-mirror-common/utils/retry-request')
-const timeout = require('ipfs-registry-mirror-common/utils/timeout-promise')
-
-const cleanUpOps = []
-
-const cleanUp = () => {
-  Promise.all(
-    cleanUpOps.map(op => op())
-  )
-    .then(() => {
-      process.exit(0)
-    })
-}
-
-process.on('SIGTERM', cleanUp)
-process.on('SIGINT', cleanUp)
 
 module.exports = async (options) => {
   options = config(options)
 
-  const ipfs = await startIpfs(options)
-
-  cleanUpOps.push(() => {
-    return new Promise((resolve) => {
-      if (options.ipfs.node !== 'proc') {
-        return resolve()
-      }
-
-      ipfs.stop(() => {
-        console.info('👿 IPFS node stopped') // eslint-disable-line no-console
-        resolve()
-      })
-    })
-  })
-
-  console.info('🗂️  Loading registry index from', options.registry) // eslint-disable-line no-console
+  const ipfs = await startIpfs(options)()
 
   const mirror = await request(Object.assign({}, options.request, {
     uri: options.registry,
     json: true
   }))
 
-  console.info('☎️  Dialling registry mirror', mirror.ipfs.addresses.join(',')) // eslint-disable-line no-console
+  const tempPath = `${options.ipfs.prefix}-${Date.now()}`
 
-  let connected
+  console.info('📠 Copying registry index', mirror.root, 'to', tempPath) // eslint-disable-line no-console
 
-  await timeout(
-    Promise.race(
-      mirror.ipfs.addresses.map(addr => {
-        return ipfs.api.swarm.connect(mirror.ipfs.addresses[0])
-      })
-    ),
-    options.registryConnectTimeout
-  )
-    .then(() => {
-      connected = true
-    })
-    .catch(() => {
-      connected = false
+  try {
+    await ipfs.api.files.rm(tempPath, {
+      recursive: true
     })
+  } catch (e) {
+    // ignore
+  }
 
-  if (connected) {
-    const tempPath = `${options.ipfs.prefix}-${Date.now()}`
-
-    console.info('📠 Copying registry index', mirror.root, 'to', tempPath) // eslint-disable-line no-console
-
-    try {
-      await ipfs.api.files.rm(tempPath, {
-        recursive: true
-      })
-    } catch (e) {
-      // ignore
-    }
-
-    await ipfs.api.files.cp(mirror.root, tempPath)
-
-    console.info('💌 Copied registry index', mirror.root, 'to', tempPath) // eslint-disable-line no-console
-
-    console.info('🗑️  Replacing old registry index if it exists') // eslint-disable-line no-console
+  await ipfs.api.files.cp(mirror.root, tempPath)
 
-    try {
-      await ipfs.api.files.rm(options.ipfs.prefix, {
-        recursive: true
-      })
-    } catch (e) {
-      // ignore
-    }
+  console.info('💌 Copied registry index', mirror.root, 'to', tempPath) // eslint-disable-line no-console
+  console.info('🗑️  Replacing old registry index if it exists') // eslint-disable-line no-console
 
-    await ipfs.api.files.mv(tempPath, options.ipfs.prefix)
+  try {
+    await ipfs.api.files.rm(options.ipfs.prefix, {
+      recursive: true
+    })
+  } catch (e) {
+    // ignore
   }
 
-  await cleanUp()
+  await ipfs.api.files.mv(tempPath, options.ipfs.prefix)
 }
diff --git a/src/core/handlers/manifest.js b/src/core/handlers/manifest.js
index c9eafcc5..71a5455e 100644
--- a/src/core/handlers/manifest.js
+++ b/src/core/handlers/manifest.js
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ module.exports = (config, app) => {
 
     log(`Loading manifest for ${moduleName}`)
 
-    const ipfs = await request.app.locals.ipfs
+    const ipfs = await request.app.locals.ipfs()
 
     try {
       const manifest = await loadManifest(config, ipfs.api, moduleName)
diff --git a/src/core/handlers/tarball.js b/src/core/handlers/tarball.js
index cf1e21a1..9d3ec7ff 100644
--- a/src/core/handlers/tarball.js
+++ b/src/core/handlers/tarball.js
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ module.exports = (config, app) => {
 
     log(`Loading ${file}`)
 
-    const ipfs = await request.app.locals.ipfs
+    const ipfs = await request.app.locals.ipfs()
 
     try {
       const readStream = await loadTarball(config, ipfs.api, file)
diff --git a/src/core/middleware/get-ipfs.js b/src/core/middleware/get-ipfs.js
deleted file mode 100644
index d3ef41ca..00000000
--- a/src/core/middleware/get-ipfs.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,71 +0,0 @@
-'use strict'
-
-const startIpfs = require('../commands/start-ipfs')
-const request = require('ipfs-registry-mirror-common/utils/retry-request')
-const timeout = require('ipfs-registry-mirror-common/utils/timeout-promise')
-
-const cleanUpOps = []
-
-const cleanUp = () => {
-  Promise.all(
-    cleanUpOps.map(op => op())
-  )
-    .then(() => {
-      process.exit(0)
-    })
-}
-
-process.on('SIGTERM', cleanUp)
-process.on('SIGINT', cleanUp)
-
-module.exports = (options) => {
-  return (req, res, next) => {
-    if (req.app.locals.ipfs) {
-      return next()
-    }
-
-    const createIpfs = async () => {
-      const ipfs = await startIpfs(options)
-
-      cleanUpOps.push(() => {
-        return new Promise((resolve) => {
-          if (options.ipfs.node !== 'proc') {
-            return resolve()
-          }
-
-          ipfs.stop(() => {
-            console.info('😈 IPFS node stopped') // eslint-disable-line no-console
-
-            resolve()
-          })
-        })
-      })
-
-      console.info('🗂️  Loading registry index from', options.registry) // eslint-disable-line no-console
-
-      try {
-        const mirror = await request(Object.assign({}, options.request, {
-          uri: options.registry,
-          json: true
-        }))
-
-        console.info('☎️  Dialling registry mirror', mirror.ipfs.addresses.join(',')) // eslint-disable-line no-console
-
-        await timeout(
-          ipfs.api.swarm.connect(mirror.ipfs.addresses[0]),
-          options.registryConnectTimeout
-        )
-
-        console.info('📱️ Connected to registry') // eslint-disable-line no-console
-      } catch (error) {
-        console.info('📴 Not connected to registry') // eslint-disable-line no-console
-      }
-
-      return ipfs
-    }
-
-    req.app.locals.ipfs = createIpfs()
-
-    next()
-  }
-}