diff --git a/cmd/tailscaled/depaware.txt b/cmd/tailscaled/depaware.txt
index c7d571f1e..6ca10f80c 100644
--- a/cmd/tailscaled/depaware.txt
+++ b/cmd/tailscaled/depaware.txt
@@ -367,7 +367,7 @@ tailscale.com/cmd/tailscaled dependencies: (generated by github.com/tailscale/de
      💣 tailscale.com/net/tshttpproxy                                from tailscale.com/feature/useproxy
         tailscale.com/net/tstun                                      from tailscale.com/cmd/tailscaled+
         tailscale.com/net/udprelay                                   from tailscale.com/feature/relayserver
-        tailscale.com/net/udprelay/endpoint                          from tailscale.com/feature/relayserver+
+        tailscale.com/net/udprelay/endpoint                          from tailscale.com/net/udprelay+
         tailscale.com/net/udprelay/status                            from tailscale.com/client/local+
         tailscale.com/omit                                           from tailscale.com/ipn/conffile
         tailscale.com/paths                                          from tailscale.com/client/local+
diff --git a/feature/relayserver/relayserver.go b/feature/relayserver/relayserver.go
index 95bf29a11..df2fb4cb7 100644
--- a/feature/relayserver/relayserver.go
+++ b/feature/relayserver/relayserver.go
@@ -21,10 +21,8 @@ import (
 	"tailscale.com/ipn/ipnext"
 	"tailscale.com/ipn/localapi"
 	"tailscale.com/net/udprelay"
-	"tailscale.com/net/udprelay/endpoint"
 	"tailscale.com/net/udprelay/status"
 	"tailscale.com/tailcfg"
-	"tailscale.com/types/key"
 	"tailscale.com/types/logger"
 	"tailscale.com/types/ptr"
 	"tailscale.com/util/eventbus"
@@ -91,13 +89,6 @@ type extension struct {
 	hasNodeAttrDisableRelayServer bool                             // tailcfg.NodeAttrDisableRelayServer
 }
 
-// relayServer is the interface of [udprelay.Server].
-type relayServer interface {
-	AllocateEndpoint(discoA key.DiscoPublic, discoB key.DiscoPublic) (endpoint.ServerEndpoint, error)
-	Close() error
-	GetSessions() []status.ServerSession
-}
-
 // Name implements [ipnext.Extension].
 func (e *extension) Name() string {
 	return featureName
@@ -182,7 +173,11 @@ func (e *extension) consumeEventbusTopics(ec *eventbus.Client, port int) func(*e
 	debugSessionsCh := e.debugSessionsCh
 
 	return func(ec *eventbus.Client) {
-		var rs relayServer // lazily initialized
+		rs, err := udprelay.NewServer(e.logf, port, overrideAddrs())
+		if err != nil {
+			e.logf("error initializing server: %v", err)
+		}
+
 		defer func() {
 			if rs != nil {
 				rs.Close()
@@ -194,7 +189,6 @@ func (e *extension) consumeEventbusTopics(ec *eventbus.Client, port int) func(*e
 				return
 			case respCh := <-debugSessionsCh:
 				if rs == nil {
-					// Don't initialize the server simply for a debug request.
 					respCh <- nil
 					continue
 				}
@@ -202,7 +196,8 @@ func (e *extension) consumeEventbusTopics(ec *eventbus.Client, port int) func(*e
 				respCh <- sessions
 			case req := <-reqSub.Events():
 				if rs == nil {
-					var err error
+					// The server may have previously failed to initialize if
+					// the configured port was in use, try again.
 					rs, err = udprelay.NewServer(e.logf, port, overrideAddrs())
 					if err != nil {
 						e.logf("error initializing server: %v", err)
diff --git a/feature/relayserver/relayserver_test.go b/feature/relayserver/relayserver_test.go
index 89c004dc7..65c503524 100644
--- a/feature/relayserver/relayserver_test.go
+++ b/feature/relayserver/relayserver_test.go
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 
 	"tailscale.com/ipn"
 	"tailscale.com/tsd"
+	"tailscale.com/types/logger"
 	"tailscale.com/types/ptr"
 	"tailscale.com/util/eventbus"
 )
@@ -96,6 +97,7 @@ func Test_extension_profileStateChanged(t *testing.T) {
 			sys := tsd.NewSystem()
 			bus := sys.Bus.Get()
 			e := &extension{
+				logf: logger.Discard,
 				port: tt.fields.port,
 				bus:  bus,
 			}
@@ -154,6 +156,7 @@ func Test_extension_handleBusLifetimeLocked(t *testing.T) {
 	for _, tt := range tests {
 		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
 			e := &extension{
+				logf:                          logger.Discard,
 				bus:                           eventbus.New(),
 				shutdown:                      tt.shutdown,
 				port:                          tt.port,
diff --git a/net/udprelay/server.go b/net/udprelay/server.go
index 424c7a617..83831dd69 100644
--- a/net/udprelay/server.go
+++ b/net/udprelay/server.go
@@ -536,6 +536,7 @@ func (s *Server) listenOn(port int) error {
 			s.uc6 = bc
 			s.uc6Port = uint16(portUint)
 		}
+		s.logf("listening on %s:%d", network, portUint)
 	}
 	return nil
 }