diff --git a/scripts/test.mjs b/scripts/test.mjs
index 7a00c1151..9fc0ef438 100644
--- a/scripts/test.mjs
+++ b/scripts/test.mjs
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ const nodeArgs = [
   '--test-reporter',
   (process.env['NODE_TEST_REPORTER'] ?? process.env['CI']) ? 'spec' : 'dot',
   '--test-force-exit',
+  '--test-concurrency=1',
   '--test',
   '--test-timeout=60000',
   ...flags,
diff --git a/src/bin/chrome-devtools.ts b/src/bin/chrome-devtools.ts
index 2b9160b06..a34e2f8cd 100644
--- a/src/bin/chrome-devtools.ts
+++ b/src/bin/chrome-devtools.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import process from 'node:process';
 import yargs, {type Options, type PositionalOptions} from 'yargs';
 import {hideBin} from 'yargs/helpers';
 
+import {parseArguments} from '../cli.js';
 import {
   startDaemon,
   stopDaemon,
@@ -18,6 +19,7 @@ import {
   handleResponse,
 } from '../daemon/client.js';
 import {isDaemonRunning} from '../daemon/utils.js';
+import {logDisclaimers} from '../server.js';
 import type {CallToolResult} from '../third_party/index.js';
 import {VERSION} from '../version.js';
 
@@ -31,6 +33,12 @@ if (argv.length === 0 || argv[0] === '--custom-help') {
   process.exit(0);
 }
 
+async function start(args: string[]) {
+  const combinedArgs = [...args, ...defaultArgs];
+  await startDaemon([...args, ...defaultArgs]);
+  logDisclaimers(parseArguments(VERSION, combinedArgs));
+}
+
 const defaultArgs = ['--viaCli', '--experimentalStructuredContent'];
 
 const y = yargs(argv)
@@ -44,7 +52,14 @@ const y = yargs(argv)
 y.command(
   'start',
   'Start or restart chrome-devtools-mcp',
-  y => y.help(false), // Disable help for start command to avoid parsing issues with passed args
+  y =>
+    y
+      .help(false) // Disable help for start command to avoid parsing issues with passed args.
+      .example(
+        '$0 start --port 8080 --url http://localhost:8080',
+        'Start the server on port 8080 with a specific URL',
+      )
+      .strict(false), // Don't validate arguments for start, as they are passed through to the daemon.
   async () => {
     if (isDaemonRunning()) {
       await stopDaemon();
@@ -52,20 +67,27 @@ y.command(
     // Extract args after 'start'
     const startIndex = process.argv.indexOf('start');
     const args = startIndex !== -1 ? process.argv.slice(startIndex + 1) : [];
-    await startDaemon([...args, ...defaultArgs]);
+    await start(args);
+    process.exit(0);
   },
-);
+).strict(); // Re-enable strict validation for other commands; this is applied to the yargs instance itself
 
 y.command('status', 'Checks if chrome-devtools-mcp is running', async () => {
   if (isDaemonRunning()) {
     console.log('chrome-devtools-mcp daemon is running.');
   } else {
-    console.log('chrome-devtools-mcp daemon is not running');
+    console.log('chrome-devtools-mcp daemon is not running.');
   }
+  process.exit(0);
 });
 
 y.command('stop', 'Stop chrome-devtools-mcp if any', async () => {
+  if (!isDaemonRunning()) {
+    process.exit(0);
+    return;
+  }
   await stopDaemon();
+  process.exit(0);
 });
 
 for (const [commandName, commandDef] of Object.entries(commands)) {
@@ -127,7 +149,7 @@ for (const [commandName, commandDef] of Object.entries(commands)) {
     async argv => {
       try {
         if (!isDaemonRunning()) {
-          await startDaemon(defaultArgs);
+          await start([]);
         }
 
         const commandArgs: Record<string, unknown> = {};
diff --git a/src/daemon/client.ts b/src/daemon/client.ts
index de18d26d9..3400268c2 100644
--- a/src/daemon/client.ts
+++ b/src/daemon/client.ts
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ import fs from 'node:fs';
 import net from 'node:net';
 
 import {logger} from '../logger.js';
-import {START_INDICATOR} from '../server.js';
 import type {CallToolResult} from '../third_party/index.js';
 import {PipeTransport} from '../third_party/index.js';
 
@@ -21,12 +20,29 @@ import {
   isDaemonRunning,
 } from './utils.js';
 
+const FILE_TIMEOUT = 10_000;
+
 /**
- * Waits for a file to be created and populated.
+ * Waits for a file to be created and populated (removed = false) or removed (removed = true).
  */
-function waitForFile(filePath: string, timeout = 5000) {
+function waitForFile(filePath: string, removed = false) {
   return new Promise<void>((resolve, reject) => {
-    if (fs.existsSync(filePath) && fs.statSync(filePath).size > 0) {
+    const check = () => {
+      const exists = fs.existsSync(filePath);
+      if (removed) {
+        return !exists;
+      }
+      if (!exists) {
+        return false;
+      }
+      try {
+        return fs.statSync(filePath).size > 0;
+      } catch {
+        return false;
+      }
+    };
+
+    if (check()) {
       resolve();
       return;
     }
@@ -34,14 +50,16 @@ function waitForFile(filePath: string, timeout = 5000) {
     const timer = setTimeout(() => {
       fs.unwatchFile(filePath);
       reject(
-        new Error(`Timeout: file ${filePath} not found within ${timeout}ms`),
+        new Error(
+          `Timeout: file ${filePath} ${removed ? 'not removed' : 'not found'} within ${FILE_TIMEOUT}ms`,
+        ),
       );
-    }, timeout);
+    }, FILE_TIMEOUT);
 
-    fs.watchFile(filePath, {interval: 500}, curr => {
-      if (curr.size > 0) {
+    fs.watchFile(filePath, {interval: 500}, () => {
+      if (check()) {
         clearTimeout(timer);
-        fs.unwatchFile(filePath); // Always clean up your listeners!
+        fs.unwatchFile(filePath);
         resolve();
       }
     });
@@ -54,38 +72,22 @@ export async function startDaemon(mcpArgs: string[] = []) {
     return;
   }
 
+  const pidFilePath = getPidFilePath();
+
+  if (fs.existsSync(pidFilePath)) {
+    fs.unlinkSync(pidFilePath);
+  }
+
   logger('Starting daemon...');
   const child = spawn(process.execPath, [DAEMON_SCRIPT_PATH, ...mcpArgs], {
     detached: true,
-    stdio: ['ignore', 'ignore', 'pipe'],
+    stdio: 'ignore',
+    env: process.env,
     cwd: process.cwd(),
   });
+  child.unref();
 
-  await new Promise<void>((resolve, reject) => {
-    child.on('error', err => {
-      reject(err);
-    });
-    child.on('exit', code => {
-      logger(`Child exited with code ${code}`);
-      reject(new Error(`Daemon process exited prematurely with code ${code}`));
-    });
-
-    waitForFile(getPidFilePath()).then(resolve).catch(reject);
-  });
-
-  logger(`Pid file found ${getPidFilePath()}`);
-
-  child.stderr.pipe(process.stderr);
-  await new Promise<void>(resolve => {
-    child.stderr.on('data', data => {
-      if (data.toString().includes(START_INDICATOR)) {
-        child.stderr.unpipe(process.stderr);
-        child.stderr.destroy();
-        child.unref();
-        resolve();
-      }
-    });
-  });
+  await waitForFile(pidFilePath);
 }
 
 const SEND_COMMAND_TIMEOUT = 60_000; // ms
@@ -135,7 +137,11 @@ export async function stopDaemon() {
     return;
   }
 
+  const pidFilePath = getPidFilePath();
+
   await sendCommand({method: 'stop'});
+
+  await waitForFile(pidFilePath, /*removed=*/ true);
 }
 
 export function handleResponse(
diff --git a/src/main.ts b/src/main.ts
index 4ae3f7586..4f97418d2 100644
--- a/src/main.ts
+++ b/src/main.ts
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import process from 'node:process';
 
 import {cliOptions, parseArguments} from './cli.js';
 import {logger, saveLogsToFile} from './logger.js';
-import {createMcpServer, START_INDICATOR} from './server.js';
+import {createMcpServer, logDisclaimers} from './server.js';
 import {computeFlagUsage} from './telemetry/flagUtils.js';
 import {StdioServerTransport} from './third_party/index.js';
 import {VERSION} from './version.js';
@@ -35,37 +35,12 @@ if (process.env['CHROME_DEVTOOLS_MCP_CRASH_ON_UNCAUGHT'] !== 'true') {
 }
 
 logger(`Starting Chrome DevTools MCP Server v${VERSION}`);
-
-const logDisclaimers = () => {
-  console.error(
-    `chrome-devtools-mcp exposes content of the browser instance to the MCP clients allowing them to inspect,
-debug, and modify any data in the browser or DevTools.
-Avoid sharing sensitive or personal information that you do not want to share with MCP clients.`,
-  );
-
-  if (!args.slim && args.performanceCrux) {
-    console.error(
-      `Performance tools may send trace URLs to the Google CrUX API to fetch real-user experience data. To disable, run with --no-performance-crux.`,
-    );
-  }
-
-  if (!args.slim && args.usageStatistics) {
-    console.error(
-      `
-Google collects usage statistics to improve Chrome DevTools MCP. To opt-out, run with --no-usage-statistics.
-For more details, visit: https://github.com/ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp#usage-statistics`,
-    );
-  }
-
-  console.error(START_INDICATOR);
-};
-
 const {server, clearcutLogger} = await createMcpServer(args, {
   logFile,
 });
 const transport = new StdioServerTransport();
 await server.connect(transport);
 logger('Chrome DevTools MCP Server connected');
-logDisclaimers();
+logDisclaimers(args);
 void clearcutLogger?.logDailyActiveIfNeeded();
 void clearcutLogger?.logServerStart(computeFlagUsage(args, cliOptions));
diff --git a/src/server.ts b/src/server.ts
index def4a83dd..91690a57a 100644
--- a/src/server.ts
+++ b/src/server.ts
@@ -257,4 +257,24 @@ export async function createMcpServer(
   return {server, clearcutLogger};
 }
 
-export const START_INDICATOR = 'Server started.';
+export const logDisclaimers = (args: ReturnType<typeof parseArguments>) => {
+  console.error(
+    `chrome-devtools-mcp exposes content of the browser instance to the MCP clients allowing them to inspect,
+debug, and modify any data in the browser or DevTools.
+Avoid sharing sensitive or personal information that you do not want to share with MCP clients.`,
+  );
+
+  if (!args.slim && args.performanceCrux) {
+    console.error(
+      `Performance tools may send trace URLs to the Google CrUX API to fetch real-user experience data. To disable, run with --no-performance-crux.`,
+    );
+  }
+
+  if (!args.slim && args.usageStatistics) {
+    console.error(
+      `
+Google collects usage statistics to improve Chrome DevTools MCP. To opt-out, run with --no-usage-statistics.
+For more details, visit: https://github.com/ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp#usage-statistics`,
+    );
+  }
+};
diff --git a/tests/daemon/client.test.ts b/tests/daemon/client.test.ts
index 1ec9a7adb..1a11fcff7 100644
--- a/tests/daemon/client.test.ts
+++ b/tests/daemon/client.test.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
  */
 
 import assert from 'node:assert';
-import {describe, it, afterEach} from 'node:test';
+import {describe, it, afterEach, beforeEach} from 'node:test';
 
 import {
   handleResponse,
@@ -16,12 +16,12 @@ import {isDaemonRunning} from '../../src/daemon/utils.js';
 
 describe('daemon client', () => {
   describe('start/stop', () => {
+    beforeEach(async () => {
+      await stopDaemon();
+    });
+
     afterEach(async () => {
-      if (isDaemonRunning()) {
-        await stopDaemon();
-        // Wait a bit for the daemon to fully terminate and clean up its files.
-        await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 1000));
-      }
+      await stopDaemon();
     });
 
     it('should start and stop daemon', async () => {
@@ -31,7 +31,6 @@ describe('daemon client', () => {
       assert.ok(isDaemonRunning(), 'Daemon should be running after start');
 
       await stopDaemon();
-      await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 1000));
       assert.ok(!isDaemonRunning(), 'Daemon should not be running after stop');
     });
 
@@ -54,12 +53,12 @@ describe('daemon client', () => {
   });
 
   describe('parsing', () => {
-    it('handles MCP response with text format', () => {
+    it('handles MCP response with text format', async () => {
       const textResponse = {content: [{type: 'text' as const, text: 'test'}]};
       assert.strictEqual(handleResponse(textResponse, 'text'), 'test');
     });
 
-    it('handles JSON response', () => {
+    it('handles JSON response', async () => {
       const jsonResponse = {
         content: [],
         structuredContent: {
@@ -73,7 +72,7 @@ describe('daemon client', () => {
       );
     });
 
-    it('handles error response when isError is true', () => {
+    it('handles error response when isError is true', async () => {
       const errorResponse = {
         isError: true,
         content: [{type: 'text' as const, text: 'Something went wrong'}],
@@ -84,7 +83,7 @@ describe('daemon client', () => {
       );
     });
 
-    it('handles text response when json format is requested but no structured content', () => {
+    it('handles text response when json format is requested but no structured content', async () => {
       const textResponse = {
         content: [{type: 'text' as const, text: 'Fall through text'}],
       };
@@ -94,7 +93,7 @@ describe('daemon client', () => {
       );
     });
 
-    it('throws error for unsupported content type', () => {
+    it('throws error for unsupported content type', async () => {
       const unsupportedContentResponse = {
         content: [
           {
diff --git a/tests/e2e/chrome-devtools.test.ts b/tests/e2e/chrome-devtools.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..70f7874fd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/e2e/chrome-devtools.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,123 @@
+/**
+ * @license
+ * Copyright 2026 Google LLC
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+ */
+
+import assert from 'node:assert';
+import {spawnSync} from 'node:child_process';
+import path from 'node:path';
+import {describe, it, afterEach, beforeEach} from 'node:test';
+
+const CLI_PATH = path.resolve('build/src/bin/chrome-devtools.js');
+
+describe('chrome-devtools', () => {
+  const START_ARGS = ['--headless', '--isolated'];
+
+  function assertDaemonIsNotRunning() {
+    const result = spawnSync('node', [CLI_PATH, 'status']);
+    assert.strictEqual(
+      result.stdout.toString(),
+      'chrome-devtools-mcp daemon is not running.\n',
+    );
+  }
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    spawnSync('node', [CLI_PATH, 'stop']);
+    assertDaemonIsNotRunning();
+  });
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    spawnSync('node', [CLI_PATH, 'stop']);
+    assertDaemonIsNotRunning();
+  });
+
+  it('reports daemon status correctly', () => {
+    assertDaemonIsNotRunning();
+
+    const startResult = spawnSync('node', [CLI_PATH, 'start', ...START_ARGS]);
+    assert.strictEqual(
+      startResult.status,
+      0,
+      `start command failed: ${startResult.stderr.toString()}`,
+    );
+
+    const result = spawnSync('node', [CLI_PATH, 'status']);
+    assert.strictEqual(
+      result.stdout.toString(),
+      'chrome-devtools-mcp daemon is running.\n',
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('can start and stop the daemon', () => {
+    assertDaemonIsNotRunning();
+
+    const startResult = spawnSync('node', [CLI_PATH, 'start', ...START_ARGS]);
+    assert.strictEqual(
+      startResult.status,
+      0,
+      `start command failed: ${startResult.stderr.toString()}`,
+    );
+
+    let result = spawnSync('node', [CLI_PATH, 'status']);
+    assert.strictEqual(
+      result.stdout.toString(),
+      'chrome-devtools-mcp daemon is running.\n',
+    );
+
+    const stopResult = spawnSync('node', [CLI_PATH, 'stop']);
+    assert.strictEqual(
+      stopResult.status,
+      0,
+      `stop command failed: ${stopResult.stderr.toString()}`,
+    );
+
+    result = spawnSync('node', [CLI_PATH, 'status']);
+    assert.strictEqual(
+      result.stdout.toString(),
+      'chrome-devtools-mcp daemon is not running.\n',
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('can invoke list_pages', async () => {
+    assertDaemonIsNotRunning();
+
+    const startResult = spawnSync('node', [CLI_PATH, 'start', ...START_ARGS]);
+    assert.strictEqual(
+      startResult.status,
+      0,
+      `start command failed: ${startResult.stderr.toString()}`,
+    );
+
+    const listPagesResult = spawnSync('node', [CLI_PATH, 'list_pages']);
+    assert.strictEqual(
+      listPagesResult.status,
+      0,
+      `list_pages command failed: ${listPagesResult.stderr.toString()}`,
+    );
+    assert(
+      listPagesResult.stdout.toString().includes('about:blank'),
+      'list_pages output is unexpected',
+    );
+
+    // Daemon should now be running.
+    const result = spawnSync('node', [CLI_PATH, 'status']);
+    assert.strictEqual(
+      result.stdout.toString(),
+      'chrome-devtools-mcp daemon is running.\n',
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('forwards disclaimers to stderr on start', () => {
+    const result = spawnSync('node', [CLI_PATH, 'start', ...START_ARGS]);
+    assert.strictEqual(
+      result.status,
+      0,
+      `start command failed: ${result.stderr.toString()}`,
+    );
+    assert(
+      result.stderr.toString().includes('chrome-devtools-mcp exposes content'),
+      'Disclaimer not found in stderr on start',
+    );
+  });
+});