diff --git a/packages/nx/src/project-graph/plugins/internal-api.ts b/packages/nx/src/project-graph/plugins/internal-api.ts
index 2c566bb8270a5..0692d6874848a 100644
--- a/packages/nx/src/project-graph/plugins/internal-api.ts
+++ b/packages/nx/src/project-graph/plugins/internal-api.ts
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@ import {
   isAggregateCreateNodesError,
 } from '../error-types';
 import { IS_WASM } from '../../native';
-import { output } from '../../utils/output';
 
 export class LoadedNxPlugin {
   readonly name: string;
@@ -127,15 +126,6 @@ export type CreateNodesResultWithContext = CreateNodesResult & {
   pluginName: string;
 };
 
-// Short lived cache (cleared between cmd runs)
-// holding resolved nx plugin objects.
-// Allows loaded plugins to not be reloaded when
-// referenced multiple times.
-export const nxPluginCache: Map<
-  unknown,
-  [Promise<LoadedNxPlugin>, () => void]
-> = new Map();
-
 function isIsolationEnabled() {
   // Explicitly enabled, regardless of further conditions
   if (process.env.NX_ISOLATE_PLUGINS === 'true') {
diff --git a/packages/nx/src/project-graph/plugins/isolation/messaging.ts b/packages/nx/src/project-graph/plugins/isolation/messaging.ts
index 4ec68a33a3b17..950957aab51ae 100644
--- a/packages/nx/src/project-graph/plugins/isolation/messaging.ts
+++ b/packages/nx/src/project-graph/plugins/isolation/messaging.ts
@@ -107,14 +107,8 @@ export interface PluginCreateMetadataResult {
       };
 }
 
-export interface PluginWorkerShutdownMessage {
-  type: 'shutdown';
-  payload: {};
-}
-
 export type PluginWorkerMessage =
   | PluginWorkerLoadMessage
-  | PluginWorkerShutdownMessage
   | PluginWorkerCreateNodesMessage
   | PluginCreateDependenciesMessage
   | PluginCreateMetadataMessage;
diff --git a/packages/nx/src/project-graph/plugins/isolation/plugin-pool.ts b/packages/nx/src/project-graph/plugins/isolation/plugin-pool.ts
index c5373e8ebc374..1a3ceed7cc746 100644
--- a/packages/nx/src/project-graph/plugins/isolation/plugin-pool.ts
+++ b/packages/nx/src/project-graph/plugins/isolation/plugin-pool.ts
@@ -7,10 +7,9 @@ import { PluginConfiguration } from '../../../config/nx-json';
 // TODO (@AgentEnder): After scoped verbose logging is implemented, re-add verbose logs here.
 // import { logger } from '../../utils/logger';
 
-import { LoadedNxPlugin, nxPluginCache } from '../internal-api';
+import { LoadedNxPlugin } from '../internal-api';
 import { getPluginOsSocketPath } from '../../../daemon/socket-utils';
 import { consumeMessagesFromSocket } from '../../../utils/consume-messages-from-socket';
-import { signalToCode } from '../../../utils/exit-codes';
 
 import {
   consumeMessage,
@@ -61,7 +60,6 @@ export async function loadRemoteNxPlugin(
 
   const cleanupFunction = () => {
     worker.off('exit', exitHandler);
-    shutdownPluginWorker(socket);
     socket.destroy();
     nxPluginWorkerCache.delete(cacheKey);
   };
@@ -108,10 +106,6 @@ export async function loadRemoteNxPlugin(
   return [pluginPromise, cleanupFunction];
 }
 
-function shutdownPluginWorker(socket: Socket) {
-  sendMessageOverSocket(socket, { type: 'shutdown', payload: {} });
-}
-
 /**
  * Creates a message handler for the given worker.
  * @param worker Instance of plugin-worker
@@ -260,22 +254,6 @@ function createWorkerExitHandler(
   };
 }
 
-let cleanedUp = false;
-const exitHandler = () => {
-  nxPluginCache.clear();
-  for (const fn of cleanupFunctions) {
-    fn();
-  }
-  cleanedUp = true;
-};
-
-process.on('exit', exitHandler);
-process.on('SIGINT', () => {
-  exitHandler();
-  process.exit(signalToCode('SIGINT'));
-});
-process.on('SIGTERM', exitHandler);
-
 function registerPendingPromise(
   tx: string,
   pending: Map<string, PendingPromise>,
diff --git a/packages/nx/src/project-graph/plugins/isolation/plugin-worker.ts b/packages/nx/src/project-graph/plugins/isolation/plugin-worker.ts
index 8021498bd9c9a..b4673afe2d052 100644
--- a/packages/nx/src/project-graph/plugins/isolation/plugin-worker.ts
+++ b/packages/nx/src/project-graph/plugins/isolation/plugin-worker.ts
@@ -58,20 +58,6 @@ const server = createServer((socket) => {
             };
           }
         },
-        shutdown: async () => {
-          // Stops accepting new connections, but existing connections are
-          // not closed immediately.
-          server.close(() => {
-            try {
-              unlinkSync(socketPath);
-            } catch (e) {}
-            process.exit(0);
-          });
-          // Closes existing connection.
-          socket.end();
-          // Destroys the socket once it's fully closed.
-          socket.destroySoon();
-        },
         createNodes: async ({ configFiles, context, tx }) => {
           try {
             const result = await plugin.createNodes[1](configFiles, context);
@@ -129,6 +115,22 @@ const server = createServer((socket) => {
       });
     })
   );
+
+  // There should only ever be one host -> worker connection
+  // since the worker is spawned per host process. As such,
+  // we can safely close the worker when the host disconnects.
+  socket.on('end', () => {
+    // Stops accepting new connections, but existing connections are
+    // not closed immediately.
+    server.close(() => {
+      try {
+        unlinkSync(socketPath);
+      } catch (e) {}
+      process.exit(0);
+    });
+    // Destroys the socket once it's fully closed.
+    socket.destroySoon();
+  });
 });
 
 server.listen(socketPath);