diff --git a/include/tscore/TSSystemState.h b/include/tscore/TSSystemState.h
index cc5bf3d1229..50b86a919a5 100644
--- a/include/tscore/TSSystemState.h
+++ b/include/tscore/TSSystemState.h
@@ -32,12 +32,19 @@ class TSSystemState
 {
 private:
   struct Data {
-    bool ssl_handshaking_stopped;
-    bool event_system_shut_down;
-    bool draining;
+    bool initializing            = true;
+    bool ssl_handshaking_stopped = false;
+    bool event_system_shut_down  = false;
+    bool draining                = false;
   };
 
 public:
+  static bool
+  is_initializing()
+  {
+    return unlikely(_instance().initializing);
+  }
+
   static bool
   is_ssl_handshaking_stopped()
   {
@@ -58,6 +65,14 @@ class TSSystemState
     return unlikely(_instance().draining);
   }
 
+  static void
+  initialization_done()
+  {
+    ink_assert(_instance().initializing);
+
+    _instance().initializing = false;
+  }
+
   static void
   stop_ssl_handshaking()
   {
diff --git a/iocore/net/SSLSNIConfig.cc b/iocore/net/SSLSNIConfig.cc
index ae8227545b7..309c01d5470 100644
--- a/iocore/net/SSLSNIConfig.cc
+++ b/iocore/net/SSLSNIConfig.cc
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
 #include "tscpp/util/TextView.h"
 #include "tscore/I_Layout.h"
 #include <sstream>
+#include <utility>
 #include <pcre.h>
 
 static constexpr int OVECSIZE{30};
@@ -166,13 +167,19 @@ SNIConfigParams::Initialize()
     return 1;
   }
 
-  ts::Errata zret = Y_sni.loader(sni_filename);
+  YamlSNIConfig Y_sni_tmp;
+  ts::Errata zret = Y_sni_tmp.loader(sni_filename);
   if (!zret.isOK()) {
     std::stringstream errMsg;
     errMsg << zret;
-    Error("%s failed to load: %s", sni_filename, errMsg.str().c_str());
+    if (TSSystemState::is_initializing()) {
+      Emergency("%s failed to load: %s", sni_filename, errMsg.str().c_str());
+    } else {
+      Error("%s failed to load: %s", sni_filename, errMsg.str().c_str());
+    }
     return 1;
   }
+  Y_sni = std::move(Y_sni_tmp);
 
   loadSNIConfig();
   Note("%s finished loading", sni_filename);
diff --git a/src/traffic_server/traffic_server.cc b/src/traffic_server/traffic_server.cc
index 7f50493ad79..c9520300f7d 100644
--- a/src/traffic_server/traffic_server.cc
+++ b/src/traffic_server/traffic_server.cc
@@ -2224,6 +2224,8 @@ main(int /* argc ATS_UNUSED */, const char **argv)
   }
 #endif
 
+  TSSystemState::initialization_done();
+
   while (!TSSystemState::is_event_system_shut_down()) {
     sleep(1);
   }