diff --git a/source/extensions/common/wasm/wasm.cc b/source/extensions/common/wasm/wasm.cc
index 70e8327181cf..66f761174bbd 100644
--- a/source/extensions/common/wasm/wasm.cc
+++ b/source/extensions/common/wasm/wasm.cc
@@ -807,7 +807,6 @@ bool Context::isSsl() { return decoder_callbacks_->connection()->ssl() != nullpt
 // Calls into the WASM code.
 //
 void Context::onStart() {
-  wasm_->wasmVm()->start(this);
   if (wasm_->onStart_) {
     wasm_->onStart_(this);
   }
@@ -1032,6 +1031,8 @@ bool Wasm::initialize(const std::string& code, absl::string_view name, bool allo
   auto ok = wasm_vm_->initialize(code, name, allow_precompiled);
   if (!ok)
     return false;
+  general_context_ = createContext();
+  wasm_vm_->start(general_context_.get());
   code_ = code;
   allow_precompiled_ = allow_precompiled;
   getFunctions();
@@ -1255,6 +1256,7 @@ std::shared_ptr<Wasm> createThreadLocalWasm(Wasm& base_wasm, absl::string_view c
     wasm->configure(base_wasm.initial_configuration());
   }
   wasm->configure(configuration);
+  wasm->start();
   if (!wasm->id().empty())
     local_wasms[wasm->id()] = wasm;
   return wasm;
diff --git a/source/extensions/common/wasm/wavm/wavm.cc b/source/extensions/common/wasm/wavm/wavm.cc
index 4d283a94d5f3..c07f5fb41c57 100644
--- a/source/extensions/common/wasm/wavm/wavm.cc
+++ b/source/extensions/common/wasm/wavm/wavm.cc
@@ -437,7 +437,7 @@ void getFunctionWavmReturn(WasmVm* vm, absl::string_view functionName,
     throw WasmVmException(fmt::format("Bad function signature for: {}", functionName));
   }
   *function = [wavm, f](Context* context, Args... args) -> R {
-    UntaggedValue values[] = { args...};
+    UntaggedValue values[] = {args...};
     CALL_WITH_CONTEXT_RETURN(invokeFunctionUnchecked(wavm->context(), f, &values[0]), context,
                              uint32_t, i32);
   };
@@ -461,7 +461,7 @@ void getFunctionWavmReturn(WasmVm* vm, absl::string_view functionName,
     throw WasmVmException(fmt::format("Bad function signature for: {}", functionName));
   }
   *function = [wavm, f](Context* context, Args... args) -> R {
-    UntaggedValue values[] = { args...};
+    UntaggedValue values[] = {args...};
     CALL_WITH_CONTEXT(invokeFunctionUnchecked(wavm->context(), f, &values[0]), context);
   };
 }
diff --git a/source/extensions/wasm/config.cc b/source/extensions/wasm/config.cc
index 601c4208acba..4ad78eda3482 100644
--- a/source/extensions/wasm/config.cc
+++ b/source/extensions/wasm/config.cc
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ Server::WasmSharedPtr WasmFactory::createWasm(const envoy::config::wasm::v2::Was
                                context.dispatcher(), context.api());
   if (config.singleton()) {
     // Return the WASM VM which will be stored as a singleton by the Server.
+    base_wasm->start();
     return base_wasm;
   }
   auto configuration = std::make_shared<std::string>(config.configuration());
diff --git a/test/extensions/filters/http/wasm/wasm_filter_test.cc b/test/extensions/filters/http/wasm/wasm_filter_test.cc
index e54b0462209a..5f88754cf1cf 100644
--- a/test/extensions/filters/http/wasm/wasm_filter_test.cc
+++ b/test/extensions/filters/http/wasm/wasm_filter_test.cc
@@ -58,15 +58,16 @@ class WasmHttpFilterTest : public testing::Test {
   }
 
   void setupFilter() {
-    wasm_->setGeneralContext(std::make_unique<TestFilter>(wasm_.get()));
-    filter_ = std::make_unique<TestFilter>(wasm_.get());
+    filter_ = std::make_shared<TestFilter>(wasm_.get());
+    wasm_->setGeneralContext(
+        std::static_pointer_cast<Envoy::Extensions::Common::Wasm::Context>(filter_));
   }
 
   NiceMock<ThreadLocal::MockInstance> tls_;
   NiceMock<Event::MockDispatcher> dispatcher_;
   Upstream::MockClusterManager cluster_manager_;
   std::shared_ptr<Wasm> wasm_;
-  std::unique_ptr<TestFilter> filter_;
+  std::shared_ptr<TestFilter> filter_;
   Http::MockStreamDecoderFilterCallbacks decoder_callbacks_;
   Http::MockStreamEncoderFilterCallbacks encoder_callbacks_;
   envoy::api::v2::core::Metadata metadata_;
diff --git a/test/extensions/wasm/wasm_test.cc b/test/extensions/wasm/wasm_test.cc
index c484463e841b..d9ab163599f1 100644
--- a/test/extensions/wasm/wasm_test.cc
+++ b/test/extensions/wasm/wasm_test.cc
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ TEST(WasmTest, DivByZero) {
   wasm->setGeneralContext(std::move(context));
   wasm->wasmVm()->start(wasm->generalContext());
   EXPECT_THROW_WITH_REGEX(wasm->generalContext()->onLog(), Extensions::Common::Wasm::WasmException,
-                         "wavm.integerDivideByZeroOrOverflow.*");
+                          "wavm.integerDivideByZeroOrOverflow.*");
 }
 
 } // namespace Wasm