diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/start/startFrontend.ts b/packages/cli/src/commands/start/startFrontend.ts
index 536b313dfe..2cc951f591 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/start/startFrontend.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/start/startFrontend.ts
@@ -14,11 +14,9 @@
  * limitations under the License.
  */
 
-import fs from 'fs-extra';
 import chalk from 'chalk';
 import uniq from 'lodash/uniq';
 import { serveBundle } from '../../lib/bundler';
-import { loadCliConfig } from '../../lib/config';
 import { PackageGraph } from '@backstage/cli-node';
 import { Lockfile } from '../../lib/versioning';
 import { forbiddenDuplicatesFilter, includedFilter } from '../versions/lint';
@@ -91,41 +89,10 @@ export async function startFrontend(options: StartAppOptions) {
 
   checkReactVersion();
 
-  const configChannel = new MessageChannel();
-
-  const { name } = await fs.readJson(paths.resolveTarget('package.json'));
-  const config = await loadCliConfig({
-    args: options.configPaths,
-    fromPackage: name,
-    withFilteredKeys: true,
-    watch(appConfigs) {
-      configChannel.port1.postMessage(appConfigs);
-    },
-  });
-
-  const appBaseUrl = config.frontendConfig.getString('app.baseUrl');
-  const backendBaseUrl = config.frontendConfig.getString('backend.baseUrl');
-  if (appBaseUrl === backendBaseUrl) {
-    console.log(
-      chalk.yellow(
-        `⚠️   Conflict between app baseUrl and backend baseUrl:
-
-    app.baseUrl:     ${appBaseUrl}
-    backend.baseUrl: ${backendBaseUrl}
-
-    Must have unique hostname and/or ports.
-
-    This can be resolved by changing app.baseUrl and backend.baseUrl to point to their respective local development ports.
-`,
-      ),
-    );
-  }
-
   const waitForExit = await serveBundle({
     entry: options.entry,
     checksEnabled: options.checksEnabled,
-    configChannel,
-    ...config,
+    configPaths: options.configPaths,
   });
 
   await waitForExit();
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/lib/bundler/bundle.ts b/packages/cli/src/lib/bundler/bundle.ts
index b26c2f9f0d..7c45528c5c 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/lib/bundler/bundle.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/lib/bundler/bundle.ts
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ export async function buildBundle(options: BuildOptions) {
     checksEnabled: false,
     isDev: false,
     baseUrl: resolveBaseUrl(options.frontendConfig),
+    getFrontendAppConfigs: () => options.frontendAppConfigs,
   });
 
   const isCi = yn(process.env.CI, { default: false });
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/lib/bundler/server.ts b/packages/cli/src/lib/bundler/server.ts
index bef1a6fd7a..2ac717243f 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/lib/bundler/server.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/lib/bundler/server.ts
@@ -21,27 +21,64 @@ import openBrowser from 'react-dev-utils/openBrowser';
 import { createConfig, resolveBaseUrl } from './config';
 import { ServeOptions } from './types';
 import { resolveBundlingPaths } from './paths';
+import { paths as libPaths } from '../../lib/paths';
+import { loadCliConfig } from '../config';
+import chalk from 'chalk';
 import { AppConfig } from '@backstage/config';
 
 export async function serveBundle(options: ServeOptions) {
-  const url = resolveBaseUrl(options.frontendConfig);
+  const { name } = await fs.readJson(libPaths.resolveTarget('package.json'));
+
+  let server: WebpackDevServer | undefined = undefined;
+  let latestFrontendAppConfigs: AppConfig[] = [];
+
+  const cliConfig = await loadCliConfig({
+    args: options.configPaths,
+    fromPackage: name,
+    withFilteredKeys: true,
+    watch(appConfigs) {
+      latestFrontendAppConfigs = appConfigs;
+      server?.invalidate();
+    },
+  });
+  latestFrontendAppConfigs = cliConfig.frontendAppConfigs;
+
+  const appBaseUrl = cliConfig.frontendConfig.getString('app.baseUrl');
+  const backendBaseUrl = cliConfig.frontendConfig.getString('backend.baseUrl');
+  if (appBaseUrl === backendBaseUrl) {
+    console.log(
+      chalk.yellow(
+        `⚠️   Conflict between app baseUrl and backend baseUrl:
+
+    app.baseUrl:     ${appBaseUrl}
+    backend.baseUrl: ${backendBaseUrl}
+
+    Must have unique hostname and/or ports.
+
+    This can be resolved by changing app.baseUrl and backend.baseUrl to point to their respective local development ports.
+`,
+      ),
+    );
+  }
+
+  const { frontendConfig, fullConfig } = cliConfig;
+  const url = resolveBaseUrl(frontendConfig);
 
   const host =
-    options.frontendConfig.getOptionalString('app.listen.host') || url.hostname;
+    frontendConfig.getOptionalString('app.listen.host') || url.hostname;
   const port =
-    options.frontendConfig.getOptionalNumber('app.listen.port') ||
+    frontendConfig.getOptionalNumber('app.listen.port') ||
     Number(url.port) ||
     (url.protocol === 'https:' ? 443 : 80);
 
-  let latestFrontendAppConfigs = options.frontendAppConfigs;
-
   const paths = resolveBundlingPaths(options);
   const pkgPath = paths.targetPackageJson;
   const pkg = await fs.readJson(pkgPath);
   const config = await createConfig(paths, {
-    ...options,
+    checksEnabled: options.checksEnabled,
     isDev: true,
     baseUrl: url,
+    frontendConfig,
     getFrontendAppConfigs: () => {
       return latestFrontendAppConfigs;
     },
@@ -49,7 +86,7 @@ export async function serveBundle(options: ServeOptions) {
 
   const compiler = webpack(config);
 
-  const server = new WebpackDevServer(
+  server = new WebpackDevServer(
     {
       hot: !process.env.CI,
       devMiddleware: {
@@ -73,8 +110,8 @@ export async function serveBundle(options: ServeOptions) {
       https:
         url.protocol === 'https:'
           ? {
-              cert: options.fullConfig.getString('app.https.certificate.cert'),
-              key: options.fullConfig.getString('app.https.certificate.key'),
+              cert: fullConfig.getString('app.https.certificate.cert'),
+              key: fullConfig.getString('app.https.certificate.key'),
             }
           : false,
       host,
@@ -90,7 +127,7 @@ export async function serveBundle(options: ServeOptions) {
   );
 
   await new Promise<void>((resolve, reject) => {
-    server.startCallback((err?: Error) => {
+    server?.startCallback((err?: Error) => {
       if (err) {
         reject(err);
         return;
@@ -101,17 +138,10 @@ export async function serveBundle(options: ServeOptions) {
     });
   });
 
-  options.configChannel.port2.onmessage = ({
-    data,
-  }: MessageEvent<AppConfig[]>) => {
-    latestFrontendAppConfigs = data;
-    server.invalidate();
-  };
-
   const waitForExit = async () => {
     for (const signal of ['SIGINT', 'SIGTERM'] as const) {
       process.on(signal, () => {
-        server.close();
+        server?.close();
         // exit instead of resolve. The process is shutting down and resolving a promise here logs an error
         process.exit();
       });
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/lib/bundler/types.ts b/packages/cli/src/lib/bundler/types.ts
index 90fff4f3c1..f96e4255f1 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/lib/bundler/types.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/lib/bundler/types.ts
@@ -29,10 +29,7 @@ export type BundlingOptions = {
 
 export type ServeOptions = BundlingPathsOptions & {
   checksEnabled: boolean;
-  frontendConfig: Config;
-  frontendAppConfigs: AppConfig[];
-  fullConfig: Config;
-  configChannel: MessageChannel;
+  configPaths: string[];
 };
 
 export type BuildOptions = BundlingPathsOptions & {