diff --git a/src/cascadia/TerminalConnection/CTerminalHandoff.cpp b/src/cascadia/TerminalConnection/CTerminalHandoff.cpp
index a6edb23243..01b25c9ffe 100644
--- a/src/cascadia/TerminalConnection/CTerminalHandoff.cpp
+++ b/src/cascadia/TerminalConnection/CTerminalHandoff.cpp
@@ -14,6 +14,13 @@ static DWORD g_cTerminalHandoffRegistration = 0;
 // Mutex so we only do start/stop/establish one at a time.
 static std::shared_mutex _mtx;
 
+// This is the callback that will be called when a connection is received.
+// Call this once during startup and don't ever change it again (race condition).
+void CTerminalHandoff::s_setCallback(NewHandoffFunction callback) noexcept
+{
+    _pfnHandoff = callback;
+}
+
 // Routine Description:
 // - Starts listening for TerminalHandoff requests by registering
 //   our class and interface with COM.
@@ -21,24 +28,19 @@ static std::shared_mutex _mtx;
 // - pfnHandoff - Function to callback when a handoff is received
 // Return Value:
 // - S_OK, E_NOT_VALID_STATE (start called when already started) or relevant COM registration error.
-HRESULT CTerminalHandoff::s_StartListening(NewHandoffFunction pfnHandoff)
+HRESULT CTerminalHandoff::s_StartListening()
 try
 {
     std::unique_lock lock{ _mtx };
 
-    RETURN_HR_IF(E_NOT_VALID_STATE, _pfnHandoff != nullptr);
-
     const auto classFactory = Make<SimpleClassFactory<CTerminalHandoff>>();
-
-    RETURN_IF_NULL_ALLOC(classFactory);
+    RETURN_LAST_ERROR_IF_NULL(classFactory);
 
     ComPtr<IUnknown> unk;
     RETURN_IF_FAILED(classFactory.As(&unk));
 
     RETURN_IF_FAILED(CoRegisterClassObject(__uuidof(CTerminalHandoff), unk.Get(), CLSCTX_LOCAL_SERVER, REGCLS_SINGLEUSE, &g_cTerminalHandoffRegistration));
 
-    _pfnHandoff = pfnHandoff;
-
     return S_OK;
 }
 CATCH_RETURN()
@@ -53,15 +55,6 @@ CATCH_RETURN()
 HRESULT CTerminalHandoff::s_StopListening()
 {
     std::unique_lock lock{ _mtx };
-    return s_StopListeningLocked();
-}
-
-// See s_StopListening()
-HRESULT CTerminalHandoff::s_StopListeningLocked()
-{
-    RETURN_HR_IF_NULL(E_NOT_VALID_STATE, _pfnHandoff);
-
-    _pfnHandoff = nullptr;
 
     if (g_cTerminalHandoffRegistration)
     {
@@ -92,22 +85,15 @@ HRESULT CTerminalHandoff::EstablishPtyHandoff(HANDLE* in, HANDLE* out, HANDLE si
 {
     try
     {
-        std::unique_lock lock{ _mtx };
-
-        // s_StopListeningLocked sets _pfnHandoff to nullptr.
-        // localPfnHandoff is tested for nullness below.
-#pragma warning(suppress : 26429) // Symbol '...' is never tested for nullness, it can be marked as not_null (f.23).
-        auto localPfnHandoff = _pfnHandoff;
-
         // Because we are REGCLS_SINGLEUSE... we need to `CoRevokeClassObject` after we handle this ONE call.
         // COM does not automatically clean that up for us. We must do it.
-        LOG_IF_FAILED(s_StopListeningLocked());
+        LOG_IF_FAILED(s_StopListening());
 
         // Report an error if no one registered a handoff function before calling this.
-        THROW_HR_IF_NULL(E_NOT_VALID_STATE, localPfnHandoff);
+        THROW_HR_IF_NULL(E_NOT_VALID_STATE, _pfnHandoff);
 
         // Call registered handler from when we started listening.
-        THROW_IF_FAILED(localPfnHandoff(in, out, signal, reference, server, client, startupInfo));
+        THROW_IF_FAILED(_pfnHandoff(in, out, signal, reference, server, client, startupInfo));
 
 #pragma warning(suppress : 26477)
         TraceLoggingWrite(
diff --git a/src/cascadia/TerminalConnection/CTerminalHandoff.h b/src/cascadia/TerminalConnection/CTerminalHandoff.h
index 440a2636f2..004b3f5274 100644
--- a/src/cascadia/TerminalConnection/CTerminalHandoff.h
+++ b/src/cascadia/TerminalConnection/CTerminalHandoff.h
@@ -38,11 +38,11 @@ struct __declspec(uuid(__CLSID_CTerminalHandoff))
 
 #pragma endregion
 
-    static HRESULT s_StartListening(NewHandoffFunction pfnHandoff);
-    static HRESULT s_StopListening();
+    static void s_setCallback(NewHandoffFunction callback) noexcept;
+    static HRESULT s_StartListening();
 
 private:
-    static HRESULT s_StopListeningLocked();
+    static HRESULT s_StopListening();
 };
 
 // Disable warnings from the CoCreatableClass macro as the value it provides for
diff --git a/src/cascadia/TerminalConnection/ConptyConnection.cpp b/src/cascadia/TerminalConnection/ConptyConnection.cpp
index 0a0b26aa93..95517373c7 100644
--- a/src/cascadia/TerminalConnection/ConptyConnection.cpp
+++ b/src/cascadia/TerminalConnection/ConptyConnection.cpp
@@ -780,12 +780,12 @@ namespace winrt::Microsoft::Terminal::TerminalConnection::implementation
 
     void ConptyConnection::StartInboundListener()
     {
-        THROW_IF_FAILED(CTerminalHandoff::s_StartListening(&ConptyConnection::NewHandoff));
-    }
+        static const auto init = []() noexcept {
+            CTerminalHandoff::s_setCallback(&ConptyConnection::NewHandoff);
+            return true;
+        }();
 
-    void ConptyConnection::StopInboundListener()
-    {
-        THROW_IF_FAILED(CTerminalHandoff::s_StopListening());
+        CTerminalHandoff::s_StartListening();
     }
 
     // Function Description:
diff --git a/src/cascadia/TerminalConnection/ConptyConnection.h b/src/cascadia/TerminalConnection/ConptyConnection.h
index ca67588f64..69edd7b7a8 100644
--- a/src/cascadia/TerminalConnection/ConptyConnection.h
+++ b/src/cascadia/TerminalConnection/ConptyConnection.h
@@ -36,7 +36,6 @@ namespace winrt::Microsoft::Terminal::TerminalConnection::implementation
         WORD ShowWindow() const noexcept;
 
         static void StartInboundListener();
-        static void StopInboundListener();
 
         static winrt::event_token NewConnection(const NewConnectionHandler& handler);
         static void NewConnection(const winrt::event_token& token);
diff --git a/src/cascadia/TerminalConnection/ConptyConnection.idl b/src/cascadia/TerminalConnection/ConptyConnection.idl
index 09466b9d11..e1ed83cc0c 100644
--- a/src/cascadia/TerminalConnection/ConptyConnection.idl
+++ b/src/cascadia/TerminalConnection/ConptyConnection.idl
@@ -23,7 +23,6 @@ namespace Microsoft.Terminal.TerminalConnection
 
         static event NewConnectionHandler NewConnection;
         static void StartInboundListener();
-        static void StopInboundListener();
 
         static Windows.Foundation.Collections.ValueSet CreateSettings(String cmdline,
                                                                       String startingDirectory,