diff --git a/cmd/tsconnect/src/app/index.ts b/cmd/tsconnect/src/app/index.ts
index bdbcaf3e5..aec47dbea 100644
--- a/cmd/tsconnect/src/app/index.ts
+++ b/cmd/tsconnect/src/app/index.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import "../wasm_exec"
 import wasmUrl from "./main.wasm"
 import { sessionStateStorage } from "../lib/js-state-store"
 import { renderApp } from "./app"
+import { startIPN } from "../lib/start-ipn"
 
 async function main() {
   const app = await renderApp()
@@ -13,23 +14,25 @@ async function main() {
     fetch(`./dist/${wasmUrl}`),
     go.importObject
   )
-  // The Go process should never exit, if it does then it's an unhandled panic.
-  go.run(wasmInstance.instance).then(() =>
-    app.handleGoPanic("Unexpected shutdown")
-  )
 
   const params = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search)
   const authKey = params.get("authkey") ?? undefined
 
-  const ipn = newIPN({
-    // Persist IPN state in sessionStorage in development, so that we don't need
-    // to re-authorize every time we reload the page.
-    stateStorage: DEBUG ? sessionStateStorage : undefined,
-    // authKey allows for an auth key to be
-    // specified as a url param which automatically
-    // authorizes the client for use.
-    authKey: DEBUG ? authKey : undefined,
-  })
+  // The Go process should never exit, if it does then it's an unhandled panic.
+  const ipn = await startIPN(
+    go,
+    wasmInstance.instance,
+    {
+      // Persist IPN state in sessionStorage in development, so that we don't
+      // need to re-authorize every time we reload the page.
+      stateStorage: DEBUG ? sessionStateStorage : undefined,
+      // authKey allows for an auth key to be
+      // specified as a url param which automatically
+      // authorizes the client for use.
+      authKey: DEBUG ? authKey : undefined,
+    },
+    (reason) => app.handleGoPanic(reason)
+  )
   app.runWithIPN(ipn)
 }
 
diff --git a/cmd/tsconnect/src/lib/start-ipn.ts b/cmd/tsconnect/src/lib/start-ipn.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a9b7666ba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/tsconnect/src/lib/start-ipn.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+// Copyright (c) Tailscale Inc & contributors
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+
+/**
+ * Starts a Go runtime and returns the single IPN it owns.
+ *
+ * The runtime does not publish its bridge on a global. It reads the name of a
+ * callback from its environment and invokes it once the bridge is ready, so
+ * this resolves on an explicit signal rather than on the Go scheduler having
+ * run far enough. The name is generated per runtime, so several runtimes can
+ * start in one page without racing each other.
+ */
+export async function startIPN(
+  go: Go,
+  instance: WebAssembly.Instance,
+  config: IPNConfig,
+  onExit: (reason: string) => void
+): Promise<IPN> {
+  const name = `__tsconnectInit_${Math.random().toString(36).slice(2)}`
+  const globals = globalThis as Record<string, unknown>
+
+  const ready = new Promise<(config: IPNConfig) => Promise<IPN>>(
+    (resolve) => {
+      globals[name] = (newIPN: (config: IPNConfig) => Promise<IPN>) => {
+        delete globals[name]
+        resolve(newIPN)
+      }
+    }
+  )
+
+  go.env[INIT_CALLBACK_ENV] = name
+  const exited = go.run(instance).then(() => {
+    delete globals[name]
+    onExit("Unexpected shutdown")
+    throw new Error("Go runtime exited before the IPN was ready")
+  })
+
+  const newIPN = await Promise.race([ready, exited])
+  return newIPN(config)
+}
+
+/** Must match initCallbackEnv in wasm_js.go. */
+const INIT_CALLBACK_ENV = "TSCONNECT_INIT_CALLBACK"
diff --git a/cmd/tsconnect/src/pkg/pkg.ts b/cmd/tsconnect/src/pkg/pkg.ts
index a44c57150..b28bb2bc3 100644
--- a/cmd/tsconnect/src/pkg/pkg.ts
+++ b/cmd/tsconnect/src/pkg/pkg.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 /// <reference path="../types/wasm_js.d.ts" />
 
 import "../wasm_exec"
+import { startIPN } from "../lib/start-ipn"
 import wasmURL from "./main.wasm"
 
 /**
@@ -30,11 +31,7 @@ export async function createIPN(config: IPNPackageConfig): Promise<IPN> {
     go.importObject
   )
   // The Go process should never exit, if it does then it's an unhandled panic.
-  go.run(wasmInstance.instance).then(() =>
-    config.panicHandler("Unexpected shutdown")
-  )
-
-  return newIPN(config)
+  return startIPN(go, wasmInstance.instance, config, config.panicHandler)
 }
 
 export { runSSHSession } from "../lib/ssh"
diff --git a/cmd/tsconnect/src/types/wasm_js.d.ts b/cmd/tsconnect/src/types/wasm_js.d.ts
index 938ec759c..629cf2869 100644
--- a/cmd/tsconnect/src/types/wasm_js.d.ts
+++ b/cmd/tsconnect/src/types/wasm_js.d.ts
@@ -7,8 +7,6 @@
  */
 
 declare global {
-  function newIPN(config: IPNConfig): IPN
-
   interface IPN {
     run(callbacks: IPNCallbacks): void
     login(): void