diff --git a/playground/TestPlatform.Playground/Program.cs b/playground/TestPlatform.Playground/Program.cs
index 81a3d588e4..400e16c928 100644
--- a/playground/TestPlatform.Playground/Program.cs
+++ b/playground/TestPlatform.Playground/Program.cs
@@ -9,6 +9,9 @@
 using System.Linq;
 using System.Reflection;
 using System.Threading;
+#pragma warning disable IDE0005 // Using directive is unnecessary.
+using System.Threading.Tasks;
+#pragma warning restore IDE0005 // Using directive is unnecessary.
 
 using Microsoft.TestPlatform.VsTestConsole.TranslationLayer;
 using Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestPlatform.ObjectModel;
@@ -20,7 +23,7 @@ namespace TestPlatform.Playground;
 
 internal class Program
 {
-    static void Main()
+    static async Task Main()
     {
         // This project references TranslationLayer, vstest.console, TestHostProvider, testhost and MSTest1 projects, to make sure
         // we build all the dependencies of that are used to run tests via VSTestConsoleWrapper. It then copies the components from
@@ -141,15 +144,17 @@ static void Main()
 #pragma warning restore CS0618 // Type or member is obsolete
         var discoveryHandler = new PlaygroundTestDiscoveryHandler(detailedOutput);
         var sw = Stopwatch.StartNew();
+
         // Discovery
-        r.DiscoverTests(sources, sourceSettings, options, sessionHandler.TestSessionInfo, discoveryHandler);
+        await r.DiscoverTestsAsync(sources, sourceSettings, options, sessionHandler.TestSessionInfo, discoveryHandler);
+        // r.DiscoverTests(sources, sourceSettings, options, sessionHandler.TestSessionInfo, discoveryHandler);
         var discoveryDuration = sw.ElapsedMilliseconds;
         Console.WriteLine($"Discovery done in {discoveryDuration} ms");
         sw.Restart();
         // Run with test cases and custom testhost launcher
         //r.RunTestsWithCustomTestHost(discoveryHandler.TestCases, sourceSettings, options, sessionHandler.TestSessionInfo, new TestRunHandler(detailedOutput), new DebuggerTestHostLauncher());
         //// Run with test cases and without custom testhost launcher
-        r.RunTests(discoveryHandler.TestCases, sourceSettings, options, sessionHandler.TestSessionInfo, new TestRunHandler(detailedOutput));
+        await r.RunTestsAsync(discoveryHandler.TestCases, sourceSettings, options, sessionHandler.TestSessionInfo, new TestRunHandler(detailedOutput));
         //// Run with sources and custom testhost launcher and debugging
         //r.RunTestsWithCustomTestHost(sources, sourceSettings, options, sessionHandler.TestSessionInfo, new TestRunHandler(detailedOutput), new DebuggerTestHostLauncher());
         //// Run with sources
diff --git a/playground/TestPlatform.Playground/Properties/launchSettings.json b/playground/TestPlatform.Playground/Properties/launchSettings.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..fb22884caf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/playground/TestPlatform.Playground/Properties/launchSettings.json
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+{
+  "profiles": {
+    "TestPlatform.Playground": {
+      "commandName": "Project",
+      "environmentVariables": {
+        "DOTNET_ThreadPool_ForceMinWorkerThreads": "1",
+        "DOTNET_ThreadPool_ForceMaxWorkerThreads": "1"
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/playground/TestPlatform.Playground/TestPlatform.Playground.csproj b/playground/TestPlatform.Playground/TestPlatform.Playground.csproj
index 7259dc0728..510dfd4e73 100644
--- a/playground/TestPlatform.Playground/TestPlatform.Playground.csproj
+++ b/playground/TestPlatform.Playground/TestPlatform.Playground.csproj
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@
     <ProjectReference Include="$(RepoRoot)src\DataCollectors\DumpMinitool.arm64\DumpMinitool.arm64.csproj" SetTargetFramework="TargetFramework=$(NetFrameworkMinimum)" />
 
     <!-- Event log collector only works on .NET Framework, and so we build it only for that. -->
-    <ProjectReference Include="$(RepoRoot)src\DataCollectors\Microsoft.TestPlatform.Extensions.EventLogCollector\Microsoft.TestPlatform.Extensions.EventLogCollector.csproj"  SetTargetFramework="TargetFramework=$(NetFrameworkRunnerTargetFramework)"  />
+    <ProjectReference Include="$(RepoRoot)src\DataCollectors\Microsoft.TestPlatform.Extensions.EventLogCollector\Microsoft.TestPlatform.Extensions.EventLogCollector.csproj" SetTargetFramework="TargetFramework=$(NetFrameworkRunnerTargetFramework)" />
 
     <ProjectReference Include="$(RepoRoot)src\datacollector\datacollector.csproj" />
     <ProjectReference Include="$(RepoRoot)src\Microsoft.TestPlatform.Extensions.BlameDataCollector\Microsoft.TestPlatform.Extensions.BlameDataCollector.csproj" />
diff --git a/src/Microsoft.TestPlatform.VsTestConsole.TranslationLayer/Interfaces/ITranslationLayerRequestSenderAsync.cs b/src/Microsoft.TestPlatform.VsTestConsole.TranslationLayer/Interfaces/ITranslationLayerRequestSenderAsync.cs
index 161ecb31bb..9ab845dcfd 100644
--- a/src/Microsoft.TestPlatform.VsTestConsole.TranslationLayer/Interfaces/ITranslationLayerRequestSenderAsync.cs
+++ b/src/Microsoft.TestPlatform.VsTestConsole.TranslationLayer/Interfaces/ITranslationLayerRequestSenderAsync.cs
@@ -17,6 +17,9 @@ namespace Microsoft.TestPlatform.VsTestConsole.TranslationLayer.Interfaces;
 /// </summary>
 internal interface ITranslationLayerRequestSenderAsync : IDisposable
 {
+
+    int StartServer();
+
     /// <summary>
     /// Asynchronous equivalent of <see cref="
     ///     ITranslationLayerRequestSender.InitializeCommunication"/>
@@ -24,7 +27,7 @@ internal interface ITranslationLayerRequestSenderAsync : IDisposable
     ///     ITranslationLayerRequestSender.WaitForRequestHandlerConnection(
     ///     int)"/>.
     /// </summary>
-    Task<int> InitializeCommunicationAsync(int clientConnectionTimeout);
+    Task InitializeCommunicationAsync(int clientConnectionTimeout);
 
     /// <summary>
     /// Asynchronous equivalent of ITranslationLayerRequestSender.DiscoverTests/>.
diff --git a/src/Microsoft.TestPlatform.VsTestConsole.TranslationLayer/VsTestConsoleProcessManager.cs b/src/Microsoft.TestPlatform.VsTestConsole.TranslationLayer/VsTestConsoleProcessManager.cs
index 9a7cb250f4..77de94124c 100644
--- a/src/Microsoft.TestPlatform.VsTestConsole.TranslationLayer/VsTestConsoleProcessManager.cs
+++ b/src/Microsoft.TestPlatform.VsTestConsole.TranslationLayer/VsTestConsoleProcessManager.cs
@@ -160,10 +160,10 @@ public void StartProcess(ConsoleParameters consoleParameters)
         _process!.EnableRaisingEvents = true;
         _process.Exited += Process_Exited;
 
-        _process.OutputDataReceived += Process_OutputDataReceived;
-        _process.ErrorDataReceived += Process_ErrorDataReceived;
-        _process.BeginOutputReadLine();
-        _process.BeginErrorReadLine();
+        // _process.OutputDataReceived += Process_OutputDataReceived;
+        // _process.ErrorDataReceived += Process_ErrorDataReceived;
+        // _process.BeginOutputReadLine();
+        // _process.BeginErrorReadLine();
         _processExitedEvent.Reset();
     }
 
diff --git a/src/Microsoft.TestPlatform.VsTestConsole.TranslationLayer/VsTestConsoleRequestSender.cs b/src/Microsoft.TestPlatform.VsTestConsole.TranslationLayer/VsTestConsoleRequestSender.cs
index 4c623ed472..95221a8e6a 100644
--- a/src/Microsoft.TestPlatform.VsTestConsole.TranslationLayer/VsTestConsoleRequestSender.cs
+++ b/src/Microsoft.TestPlatform.VsTestConsole.TranslationLayer/VsTestConsoleRequestSender.cs
@@ -120,36 +120,34 @@ public bool WaitForRequestHandlerConnection(int clientConnectionTimeout)
         return waitSuccess && _handShakeSuccessful;
     }
 
+    public int StartServer()
+    {
+        return _communicationManager.HostServer(new IPEndPoint(IPAddress.Loopback, 0)).Port;
+    }
+
     /// <inheritdoc/>
-    public async Task<int> InitializeCommunicationAsync(int clientConnectionTimeout)
+    public async Task InitializeCommunicationAsync(int clientConnectionTimeout)
     {
         EqtTrace.Info($"VsTestConsoleRequestSender.InitializeCommunicationAsync: Started with client connection timeout {clientConnectionTimeout} milliseconds.");
 
         _processExitCancellationTokenSource = new CancellationTokenSource();
+
         _handShakeSuccessful = false;
         _handShakeComplete.Reset();
-        int port = -1;
+
         try
         {
-            port = _communicationManager.HostServer(new IPEndPoint(IPAddress.Loopback, 0)).Port;
-            var timeoutSource = new CancellationTokenSource(clientConnectionTimeout);
-            await Task.Run(() =>
-                _communicationManager.AcceptClientAsync(), timeoutSource.Token).ConfigureAwait(false);
+            // todo: report standard error on timeout
+            await Task.WhenAny(_communicationManager.AcceptClientAsync(), Task.Delay(clientConnectionTimeout)).ConfigureAwait(false);
 
-            _handShakeSuccessful = await HandShakeWithVsTestConsoleAsync().ConfigureAwait(false);
-            _handShakeComplete.Set();
+            await HandShakeWithVsTestConsoleAsync().ConfigureAwait(false);
+
+            _handShakeSuccessful = true;
         }
-        catch (Exception ex)
+        finally
         {
-            EqtTrace.Error(
-                "VsTestConsoleRequestSender.InitializeCommunicationAsync: Error initializing communication with VstestConsole: {0}",
-                ex);
             _handShakeComplete.Set();
         }
-
-        EqtTrace.Info("VsTestConsoleRequestSender.InitializeCommunicationAsync: Ended.");
-
-        return _handShakeSuccessful ? port : -1;
     }
 
     /// <inheritdoc/>
diff --git a/src/Microsoft.TestPlatform.VsTestConsole.TranslationLayer/VsTestConsoleWrapper.cs b/src/Microsoft.TestPlatform.VsTestConsole.TranslationLayer/VsTestConsoleWrapper.cs
index e3b99521c7..4e5c77ccb7 100644
--- a/src/Microsoft.TestPlatform.VsTestConsole.TranslationLayer/VsTestConsoleWrapper.cs
+++ b/src/Microsoft.TestPlatform.VsTestConsole.TranslationLayer/VsTestConsoleWrapper.cs
@@ -659,7 +659,7 @@ public async Task StartSessionAsync()
 
         var timeout = EnvironmentHelper.GetConnectionTimeout();
         // Start communication
-        var port = await _requestSender.InitializeCommunicationAsync(timeout * 1000).ConfigureAwait(false);
+        var port = _requestSender.StartServer();
 
         if (port > 0)
         {
@@ -681,6 +681,8 @@ public async Task StartSessionAsync()
             _requestSender.Close();
             throw new TransationLayerException("Error hosting communication channel and connecting to console");
         }
+
+        await _requestSender.InitializeCommunicationAsync(timeout * 1000).ConfigureAwait(false);
     }
 
     /// <inheritdoc/>