diff --git a/java/java.lsp.server/script/etc/nbcode.conf b/java/java.lsp.server/script/etc/nbcode.conf
index 879725aa40f1..699e4c9a1448 100644
--- a/java/java.lsp.server/script/etc/nbcode.conf
+++ b/java/java.lsp.server/script/etc/nbcode.conf
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ default_cachedir="${DEFAULT_CACHEDIR_ROOT}/dev"
 
 # options used by the launcher by default, can be overridden by explicit
 # command line switches
-default_options="--nogui --nosplash --branding nbcode -J-Xmx1G -J-XX:+UseParallelGC -J-XX:GCTimeRatio=4 -J-XX:AdaptiveSizePolicyWeight=90 -J-Djava.awt.headless=true -J--add-opens=java.base/java.net=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=java.base/java.lang.ref=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=java.base/java.lang=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=java.base/java.security=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=java.base/java.util=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=java.desktop/javax.swing.plaf.basic=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=java.desktop/javax.swing.text=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=java.desktop/javax.swing=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=java.desktop/java.awt=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=java.desktop/java.awt.event=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=java.prefs/java.util.prefs=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=jdk.jshell/jdk.jshell=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-modules=jdk.jshell -J--add-exports=java.desktop/sun.awt=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=java.desktop/java.awt.peer=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=java.desktop/com.sun.beans.editors=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=java.desktop/sun.swing=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=java.desktop/sun.awt.im=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=jdk.internal.jvmstat/sun.jvmstat.monitor=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=java.management/sun.management=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=java.base/sun.reflect.annotation=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.api=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.code=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.comp=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.file=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.jvm=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.main=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.model=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.parser=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.processing=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.tree=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.util=ALL-UNNAMED  -J--add-opens=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.api=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.code=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.comp=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.file=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.jvm=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.main=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.model=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.parser=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.processing=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.tree=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.util=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=jdk.jdeps/com.sun.tools.classfile=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=jdk.jdeps/com.sun.tools.javap=ALL-UNNAMED -J-XX:+IgnoreUnrecognizedVMOptions"
+default_options="--nogui --nosplash --branding nbcode -J-Xmx1G -J-XX:+UseParallelGC -J-XX:GCTimeRatio=4 -J-XX:AdaptiveSizePolicyWeight=90 -J-Djava.awt.headless=true -J-DTopSecurityManager.disable=true -J--add-opens=java.base/java.net=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=java.base/java.lang.ref=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=java.base/java.lang=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=java.base/java.security=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=java.base/java.util=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=java.desktop/javax.swing.plaf.basic=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=java.desktop/javax.swing.text=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=java.desktop/javax.swing=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=java.desktop/java.awt=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=java.desktop/java.awt.event=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=java.prefs/java.util.prefs=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=jdk.jshell/jdk.jshell=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-modules=jdk.jshell -J--add-exports=java.desktop/sun.awt=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=java.desktop/java.awt.peer=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=java.desktop/com.sun.beans.editors=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=java.desktop/sun.swing=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=java.desktop/sun.awt.im=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=jdk.internal.jvmstat/sun.jvmstat.monitor=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=java.management/sun.management=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=java.base/sun.reflect.annotation=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.api=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.code=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.comp=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.file=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.jvm=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.main=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.model=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.parser=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.processing=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.tree=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.util=ALL-UNNAMED  -J--add-opens=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.api=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.code=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.comp=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.file=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.jvm=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.main=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.model=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.parser=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.processing=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.tree=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-opens=jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.util=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=jdk.jdeps/com.sun.tools.classfile=ALL-UNNAMED -J--add-exports=jdk.jdeps/com.sun.tools.javap=ALL-UNNAMED -J-XX:+IgnoreUnrecognizedVMOptions"
 
 # for development purposes you may wish to append: -J-Dnetbeans.logger.console=true -J-ea
 
diff --git a/java/java.lsp.server/vscode/src/extension.ts b/java/java.lsp.server/vscode/src/extension.ts
index 3eb44255a94e..f5a88b2b80e8 100644
--- a/java/java.lsp.server/vscode/src/extension.ts
+++ b/java/java.lsp.server/vscode/src/extension.ts
@@ -1333,6 +1333,10 @@ function getProjectJDKHome() : string {
 function doActivateWithJDK(promise: Promise<NbLanguageClient>, specifiedJDK: string | null, context: ExtensionContext, log : vscode.OutputChannel, notifyKill: boolean,
     setClient : [(c : NbLanguageClient) => void, (err : any) => void]
 ): void {
+    // Records if the server successfully started before close/error.
+    let started : boolean = false;
+    // Error reported by server started from this function execution.
+    let startupError : string = '';
     maintenance = null;
     let restartWithJDKLater : ((time: number, n: boolean) => void) = function restartLater(time: number, n : boolean) {
         handleLog(log, `Restart of Apache Language Server requested in ${(time / 1000)} s.`);
@@ -1508,13 +1512,20 @@ function doActivateWithJDK(promise: Promise<NbLanguageClient>, specifiedJDK: str
         },
         errorHandler: {
             error : function(error: Error, _message: Message, count: number): ErrorHandlerResult {
-                return { action: ErrorAction.Continue, message: error.message };
+                startupError = error.message;
+                return { 
+                    action: started ? ErrorAction.Continue : ErrorAction.Shutdown, 
+                    message: error.message 
+                };
             },
             closed : function(): CloseHandlerResult {
                 handleLog(log, "Connection to Apache NetBeans Language Server closed.");
-                // restart only if the _current_ client has been closed.
-                if (client === promise) {
+                // restart only if the _current_ client has been closed AND the server at least booted.
+                if (started && client === promise) {
                     restartWithJDKLater(10000, false);
+                } else {
+                    // report a final failure upwards.
+                    setClient[1](startupError);
                 }
                 return { action: CloseAction.DoNotRestart };
             }
@@ -1530,6 +1541,7 @@ function doActivateWithJDK(promise: Promise<NbLanguageClient>, specifiedJDK: str
     );
     handleLog(log, 'Language Client: Starting');
     c.start().then(() => {
+        started = true;
         if (enableJava) {
             if (testAdapter) {
                 // we need to create it again anyway, so it load()s the content.