diff --git a/js/ui/main.js b/js/ui/main.js
index 936d74ee4..015b4b620 100644
--- a/js/ui/main.js
+++ b/js/ui/main.js
@@ -98,21 +98,19 @@ function start() {
 
     Gio.DesktopAppInfo.set_desktop_env('GNOME');
 
+    sessionMode = new SessionMode.SessionMode();
+
+    // start session after we know what mode we're running in
+    let signalId = sessionMode.connect('updated', function() {
+                                           sessionMode.disconnect(signalId);
+                                           startSession();
+                                       });
+}
+
+function startSession() {
     shellDBusService = new ShellDBus.GnomeShell();
     shellMountOpDBusService = new ShellMountOperation.GnomeShellMountOpHandler();
 
-    sessionMode = new SessionMode.SessionMode();
-    sessionMode.connect('sessions-loaded', _sessionsLoaded);
-    sessionMode.init();
-}
-
-function _sessionsLoaded() {
-    sessionMode.connect('updated', _sessionUpdated);
-    _initializeUI();
-    _sessionUpdated();
-}
-
-function _initializeUI() {
     // Ensure ShellWindowTracker and ShellAppUsage are initialized; this will
     // also initialize ShellAppSystem first.  ShellAppSystem
     // needs to load all the .desktop files, and ShellWindowTracker
diff --git a/js/ui/sessionMode.js b/js/ui/sessionMode.js
index 7d6b2e4f6..e926ba2e7 100644
--- a/js/ui/sessionMode.js
+++ b/js/ui/sessionMode.js
@@ -158,7 +158,12 @@ function listModes() {
 const SessionMode = new Lang.Class({
     Name: 'SessionMode',
 
-    init: function() {
+    _init: function() {
+        global.connect('notify::session-mode', Lang.bind(this, this._sync));
+        this._modes = _modes;
+        this._modeStack = [DEFAULT_MODE];
+        this._sync();
+
         _getModes(Lang.bind(this, function(modes) {
             this._modes = modes;
             let primary = modes[global.session_mode] &&
@@ -166,8 +171,6 @@ const SessionMode = new Lang.Class({
             let mode = primary ? global.session_mode : 'user';
             this._modeStack = [mode];
             this._sync();
-
-            this.emit('sessions-loaded');
         }));
     },