diff --git a/bin/nuxt-dev b/bin/nuxt-dev
index 7e03ce816c..6e742db0ec 100755
--- a/bin/nuxt-dev
+++ b/bin/nuxt-dev
@@ -49,86 +49,53 @@ if (argv.help) {
   process.exit(0)
 }
 
+const config = () => {
+  // Force development mode for add hot reloading and watching changes
+  return Object.assign(loadNuxtConfig(argv), { dev: true })
+}
+
+const errorHandler = (err, instance) => {
+  instance && instance.builder.watchServer()
+  consola.error(err)
+}
+
 // Start dev
-let dev = startDev()
+(function startDev(oldInstance) {
+  let nuxt, builder
 
-function startDev(oldInstance) {
-  // Error handler
-  const onError = (err, instance) => {
-    consola.error(err)
-    return Promise.resolve(instance) // Wait for next reload
-  }
-
-  // Load options
-  let options = {}
   try {
-    options = loadAndAugmentNuxtConfig()
-  } catch (err) {
-    return onError(err, oldInstance)
-  }
-
-  // Create nuxt and builder instance
-  let nuxt
-  let builder
-  let instance
-  try {
-    nuxt = new Nuxt(options)
+    nuxt = new Nuxt(config())
     builder = new Builder(nuxt)
-    instance = { nuxt, builder }
-  } catch (err) {
-    return onError(err, oldInstance)
-  }
-
-  nuxt.hook('watch:fileChanged', (fname) => {
-    consola.debug(`[${fname}] changed`)
-
-    dev = dev.then((instance) => {
-      consola.debug('Rebuilding the app...')
-      return startDev(instance)
+    nuxt.hook('watch:fileChanged', (builder, fname) => {
+      consola.debug(`[${fname}] changed, Rebuilding the app...`)
+      startDev({ nuxt: builder.nuxt, builder })
     })
-  })
+  } catch (err) {
+    return errorHandler(err, oldInstance)
+  }
 
   // Get latest environment variables
   const { port, host } = nuxt.options.server
 
   return (
     Promise.resolve()
-      .then(() => {
-        if (oldInstance && oldInstance.builder) {
-          return oldInstance.builder.unwatch()
-        } else {
-          return nuxt.listen(port, host)
-        }
-      })
+      .then(() => oldInstance && oldInstance.nuxt.clearHook('watch:fileChanged'))
+      .then(() => oldInstance && oldInstance.builder.unwatch())
       // Start build
       .then(() => builder.build())
-      // Close old nuxt after successful build
-      .then(
-        () =>
-          oldInstance && oldInstance.nuxt
-            ? oldInstance.nuxt.close()
-            : Promise.resolve()
-      )
-      // Start listening
-      .then(() => {
-        if (oldInstance) {
-          return nuxt.listen(port, host)
-        } else {
-          return Promise.resolve()
-        }
+      // Close old nuxt no mater if build successfully
+      .catch((err) => {
+        oldInstance && oldInstance.nuxt.close()
+        // Jump to eventHandler
+        throw err
       })
-      // Pass new nuxt to watch chain
-      .then(() => instance)
+      .then(() => oldInstance && oldInstance.nuxt.close())
+      // Start listening
+      .then(() => nuxt.listen(port, host))
+      // Show ready message first time, others will be shown through WebpackBar
+      .then(() => !oldInstance && nuxt.showReady(false))
+      .then(() => builder.watchServer())
       // Handle errors
-      .catch(err => onError(err, instance))
+      .catch(err => errorHandler(err, {builder, nuxt}))
   )
-}
-
-function loadAndAugmentNuxtConfig() {
-  const options = loadNuxtConfig(argv)
-
-  // Force development mode for add hot reloading and watching changes
-  options.dev = true
-
-  return options
-}
+})()
diff --git a/lib/builder/builder.js b/lib/builder/builder.js
index b3808135fd..1442466cb9 100644
--- a/lib/builder/builder.js
+++ b/lib/builder/builder.js
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ export default class Builder {
     consola.info({
       message: 'Building project',
       badge: true,
-      clear: true
+      clear: !this.options.dev
     })
 
     // Wait for nuxt ready
@@ -589,11 +589,11 @@ export default class Builder {
       this.nuxt.renderer.webpackHotMiddleware = this.webpackHotMiddleware
     }
 
-    // Start watching files
-    this.watchFiles()
+    // Start watching client files
+    this.watchClient()
   }
 
-  watchFiles() {
+  watchClient() {
     const src = this.options.srcDir
     let patterns = [
       r(src, this.options.dir.layouts),
@@ -611,9 +611,7 @@ export default class Builder {
     }
     patterns = _.map(patterns, upath.normalizeSafe)
 
-    const options = Object.assign({}, this.options.watchers.chokidar, {
-      ignoreInitial: true
-    })
+    const options = this.options.watchers.chokidar
     /* istanbul ignore next */
     const refreshFiles = _.debounce(() => this.generateRoutesAndFiles(), 200)
 
@@ -632,22 +630,21 @@ export default class Builder {
     this.watchers.custom = chokidar
       .watch(customPatterns, options)
       .on('change', refreshFiles)
+  }
 
-    // Watch for nuxt.config.js and user-defined changes
-    const restartServer = _.debounce((fname) => {
-      this.nuxt.callHook('watch:fileChanged', fname)
-    })
-
+  watchServer() {
     const nuxtRestartWatch = _.concat(
       this.options.serverMiddleware.map(this.nuxt.resolveAlias),
       this.options.watch.map(this.nuxt.resolveAlias),
       path.join(this.options.rootDir, 'nuxt.config.js')
     )
+
     this.watchers.restart = chokidar
-      .watch(nuxtRestartWatch, options)
+      .watch(nuxtRestartWatch, this.options.watchers.chokidar)
       .on('change', (_path) => {
-        const parsedPath = path.parse(_path)
-        restartServer(`${parsedPath.name}${parsedPath.ext}`)
+        this.watchers.restart.close()
+        const {name, ext} = path.parse(_path)
+        this.nuxt.callHook('watch:fileChanged', this, `${name}${ext}`)
       })
   }
 
diff --git a/lib/builder/webpack/base.js b/lib/builder/webpack/base.js
index 032f418628..2606d55d05 100644
--- a/lib/builder/webpack/base.js
+++ b/lib/builder/webpack/base.js
@@ -235,7 +235,7 @@ export default class WebpackBaseConfig {
           const hasErrors = Object.values(states).some(state => state.stats.hasErrors())
 
           if (!hasErrors) {
-            this.nuxt.showReady()
+            this.nuxt.showReady(false)
           }
         }
       }
diff --git a/lib/common/nuxt.config.js b/lib/common/nuxt.config.js
index 96cad179ca..7da19fbf20 100644
--- a/lib/common/nuxt.config.js
+++ b/lib/common/nuxt.config.js
@@ -214,7 +214,9 @@ export default {
   watch: [],
   watchers: {
     webpack: {},
-    chokidar: {}
+    chokidar: {
+      ignoreInitial: true
+    }
   },
   editor: undefined,
   hooks: null,
diff --git a/lib/core/nuxt.js b/lib/core/nuxt.js
index c1c90f6065..0338450e6d 100644
--- a/lib/core/nuxt.js
+++ b/lib/core/nuxt.js
@@ -99,6 +99,12 @@ export default class Nuxt {
     }
   }
 
+  clearHook(name) {
+    if (name) {
+      delete this._hooks[name]
+    }
+  }
+
   addObjectHooks(hooksObj) {
     Object.keys(hooksObj).forEach((name) => {
       let hooks = hooksObj[name]
@@ -144,7 +150,7 @@ export default class Nuxt {
             () =>
               new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
                 // Destroy server by forcing every connection to be closed
-                server.destroy((err) => {
+                server.listening && server.destroy((err) => {
                   consola.debug('server closed')
                   /* istanbul ignore if */
                   if (err) {