diff --git a/labgrid/remote/coordinator.py b/labgrid/remote/coordinator.py
index 5bddb089e..a63a21482 100644
--- a/labgrid/remote/coordinator.py
+++ b/labgrid/remote/coordinator.py
@@ -401,6 +401,8 @@ async def ExporterStream(self, request_iterator, context):
         command_queue = asyncio.Queue()
         pending_commands = []
 
+        startup_done = asyncio.Event()
+
         out_msg = labgrid_coordinator_pb2.ExporterOutMessage()
         out_msg.hello.version = labgrid_version()
         yield out_msg
@@ -420,10 +422,15 @@ async def request_task():
                     elif kind == "startup":
                         version = in_msg.startup.version
                         name = in_msg.startup.name
+                        if existing := self.get_exporter_by_name(name):
+                            raise ExporterError(
+                                f"exporter with name '{name}' is already connected from {existing.peer}"
+                            )
                         session = self.exporters[peer] = ExporterSession(self, peer, name, command_queue, version)
                         logging.debug("Exporters: %s", self.exporters)
                         logging.debug("Received startup from %s with %s", name, version)
                         asyncio.current_task().set_name(f"exporter-{peer}-rx/started-{name}")
+                        startup_done.set()
                     elif kind == "resource":
                         logging.debug("Received resource from %s with %s", name, in_msg.resource)
                         action, _ = session.set_resource(
@@ -439,10 +446,32 @@ async def request_task():
                 logging.debug("exporter request_task done: %s", context.done())
             except Exception:
                 logging.exception("error in exporter message handler")
+                raise
 
         asyncio.current_task().set_name(f"exporter-{peer}-tx")
         running_request_task = self.loop.create_task(request_task(), name=f"exporter-{peer}-rx/init")
 
+        startup_done_task = self.loop.create_task(startup_done.wait())
+        done, _ = await asyncio.wait(
+            {startup_done_task, running_request_task},
+            timeout=3,
+            return_when=asyncio.FIRST_COMPLETED,
+        )
+        # clean up event task
+        startup_done.set()
+        await startup_done_task
+        if running_request_task in done:
+            # we probably had an exception during startup
+            try:
+                await running_request_task
+            except ExporterError as e:
+                await context.abort(grpc.StatusCode.ALREADY_EXISTS, f"startup failed: {e}")
+                raise
+        elif startup_done_task in done:
+            await startup_done_task
+        else:
+            raise ExporterError(f"exporter connection from {peer} timed out during startup")
+
         try:
             async for cmd in queue_as_aiter(command_queue):
                 logging.debug("exporter cmd %s", cmd)