diff --git a/rdp-proxy/manager.py b/rdp-proxy/manager.py
index 36972aa..8404d65 100644
--- a/rdp-proxy/manager.py
+++ b/rdp-proxy/manager.py
@@ -182,11 +182,12 @@ class Handler(BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
 
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
-    if not RDP_HOST:
-        log.warning("RDP_HOST not set — connect calls will fail")
-    if _load_state():
-        log.info("restoring state: reconnecting xfreerdp")
+    if RDP_HOST:
+        log.info("pre-connecting xfreerdp at startup")
         _should_be_connected = True
+        _save_state()
         _launch()
+    else:
+        log.warning("RDP_HOST not set — skipping pre-connect")
     log.info("manager started on :7001")
     HTTPServer(("0.0.0.0", 7001), Handler).serve_forever()