diff --git a/packages/playwright-core/src/cli/program.ts b/packages/playwright-core/src/cli/program.ts
index bc9afcb322..80ade0a375 100644
--- a/packages/playwright-core/src/cli/program.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright-core/src/cli/program.ts
@@ -22,7 +22,8 @@ import path from 'path';
 import type { Command } from '../utilsBundle';
 import { program } from '../utilsBundle';
 import { runDriver, runServer, printApiJson, launchBrowserServer } from './driver';
-import { showTraceViewer } from '../server/trace/viewer/traceViewer';
+import type { OpenTraceViewerOptions } from '../server/trace/viewer/traceViewer';
+import { openTraceInBrowser, openTraceViewerApp } from '../server/trace/viewer/traceViewer';
 import * as playwright from '../..';
 import type { BrowserContext } from '../client/browserContext';
 import type { Browser } from '../client/browser';
@@ -297,14 +298,19 @@ program
       if (options.browser === 'wk')
         options.browser = 'webkit';
 
-      const openOptions = {
+      const openOptions: OpenTraceViewerOptions = {
         headless: false,
         host: options.host,
         port: +options.port,
         isServer: !!options.stdin,
-        openInBrowser: options.port !== undefined || options.host !== undefined
       };
-      showTraceViewer(traces, options.browser, openOptions).catch(logErrorAndExit);
+      if (options.port !== undefined || options.host !== undefined) {
+        openTraceInBrowser(traces, openOptions).catch(logErrorAndExit);
+      } else {
+        openTraceViewerApp(traces, options.browser, openOptions).then(page => {
+          page.on('close', () => process.exit(0));
+        }).catch(logErrorAndExit);
+      }
     }).addHelpText('afterAll', `
 Examples:
 
diff --git a/packages/playwright-core/src/server/index.ts b/packages/playwright-core/src/server/index.ts
index 05b4c4e590..602656aeef 100644
--- a/packages/playwright-core/src/server/index.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright-core/src/server/index.ts
@@ -29,5 +29,5 @@ export { createPlaywright } from './playwright';
 
 export type { DispatcherScope } from './dispatchers/dispatcher';
 export type { Playwright } from './playwright';
-export { showTraceViewer, openTraceViewerApp } from './trace/viewer/traceViewer';
+export { openTraceInBrowser, openTraceViewerApp } from './trace/viewer/traceViewer';
 export { serverSideCallMetadata } from './instrumentation';
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/playwright-core/src/server/trace/viewer/traceViewer.ts b/packages/playwright-core/src/server/trace/viewer/traceViewer.ts
index a678522199..07c53db2fc 100644
--- a/packages/playwright-core/src/server/trace/viewer/traceViewer.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright-core/src/server/trace/viewer/traceViewer.ts
@@ -33,25 +33,16 @@ export type Transport = {
   onclose: () => void;
 };
 
-type Options = {
+export type OpenTraceViewerOptions = {
   app?: string;
   headless?: boolean;
   host?: string;
   port?: number;
   isServer?: boolean;
-  openInBrowser?: boolean;
   transport?: Transport;
 };
 
-export async function showTraceViewer(traceUrls: string[], browserName: string, options?: Options): Promise<void> {
-  if (options?.openInBrowser) {
-    await openTraceInBrowser(traceUrls, options);
-    return;
-  }
-  await openTraceViewerApp(traceUrls, browserName, options);
-}
-
-async function startTraceViewerServer(traceUrls: string[], options?: Options): Promise<{ server: HttpServer, url: string }> {
+async function startTraceViewerServer(traceUrls: string[], options?: OpenTraceViewerOptions): Promise<{ server: HttpServer, url: string }> {
   for (const traceUrl of traceUrls) {
     let traceFile = traceUrl;
     // If .json is requested, we'll synthesize it.
@@ -134,7 +125,7 @@ async function startTraceViewerServer(traceUrls: string[], options?: Options): P
   return { server, url };
 }
 
-export async function openTraceViewerApp(traceUrls: string[], browserName: string, options?: Options): Promise<Page> {
+export async function openTraceViewerApp(traceUrls: string[], browserName: string, options?: OpenTraceViewerOptions): Promise<Page> {
   const { url } = await startTraceViewerServer(traceUrls, options);
   const traceViewerPlaywright = createPlaywright({ sdkLanguage: 'javascript', isInternalPlaywright: true });
   const traceViewerBrowser = isUnderTest() ? 'chromium' : browserName;
@@ -171,24 +162,21 @@ export async function openTraceViewerApp(traceUrls: string[], browserName: strin
 
   if (isUnderTest())
     page.on('close', () => context.close(serverSideCallMetadata()).catch(() => {}));
-  else
-    page.on('close', () => process.exit());
 
   await page.mainFrame().goto(serverSideCallMetadata(), url);
   return page;
 }
 
-async function openTraceInBrowser(traceUrls: string[], options?: Options) {
+export async function openTraceInBrowser(traceUrls: string[], options?: OpenTraceViewerOptions) {
   const { url } = await startTraceViewerServer(traceUrls, options);
   // eslint-disable-next-line no-console
   console.log('\nListening on ' + url);
-  await open(url, { wait: true }).catch(() => {});
+  await open(url).catch(() => {});
 }
 
 class StdinServer implements Transport {
   private _pollTimer: NodeJS.Timeout | undefined;
   private _traceUrl: string | undefined;
-  private _page: Page | undefined;
 
   constructor() {
     process.stdin.on('data', data => {
diff --git a/packages/playwright-test/src/runner/uiMode.ts b/packages/playwright-test/src/runner/uiMode.ts
index a07738edb9..88b5648651 100644
--- a/packages/playwright-test/src/runner/uiMode.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright-test/src/runner/uiMode.ts
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
  * limitations under the License.
  */
 
-import { showTraceViewer } from 'playwright-core/lib/server';
+import { openTraceViewerApp, openTraceInBrowser } from 'playwright-core/lib/server';
 import { isUnderTest, ManualPromise } from 'playwright-core/lib/utils';
 import type { FullResult } from '../../reporter';
 import { clearCompilationCache, collectAffectedTestFiles, dependenciesForTestFile } from '../transform/compilationCache';
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ import { chokidar } from '../utilsBundle';
 import type { FSWatcher } from 'chokidar';
 import { open } from 'playwright-core/lib/utilsBundle';
 import ListReporter from '../reporters/list';
-import type { Transport } from 'playwright-core/lib/server/trace/viewer/traceViewer';
+import type { OpenTraceViewerOptions, Transport } from 'playwright-core/lib/server/trace/viewer/traceViewer';
 
 class UIMode {
   private _config: FullConfigInternal;
@@ -82,7 +82,6 @@ class UIMode {
   }
 
   async showUI(options: { host?: string, port?: number }) {
-    const exitPromise = new ManualPromise();
     let queue = Promise.resolve();
 
     this._transport = {
@@ -90,10 +89,6 @@ class UIMode {
         if (method === 'ping')
           return;
 
-        if (method === 'exit') {
-          exitPromise.resolve();
-          return;
-        }
         if (method === 'watch') {
           this._watchFiles(params.fileNames);
           return;
@@ -117,16 +112,22 @@ class UIMode {
         await queue;
       },
 
-      onclose: () => exitPromise.resolve(),
+      onclose: () => { },
     };
-    await showTraceViewer([], 'chromium', {
+    const openOptions: OpenTraceViewerOptions = {
       app: 'uiMode.html',
       headless: isUnderTest() && process.env.PWTEST_HEADED_FOR_TEST !== '1',
       transport: this._transport,
       host: options.host,
       port: options.port,
-      openInBrowser: options.host !== undefined || options.port !== undefined,
-    });
+    };
+    const exitPromise = new ManualPromise<void>();
+    if (options.host !== undefined || options.port !== undefined) {
+      await openTraceInBrowser([], openOptions);
+    } else {
+      const page = await openTraceViewerApp([], 'chromium', openOptions);
+      page.on('close', () => exitPromise.resolve());
+    }
 
     if (!process.env.PWTEST_DEBUG) {
       process.stdout.write = (chunk: string | Buffer) => {
diff --git a/packages/trace-viewer/src/ui/uiModeView.tsx b/packages/trace-viewer/src/ui/uiModeView.tsx
index 5008642e18..4fd760d687 100644
--- a/packages/trace-viewer/src/ui/uiModeView.tsx
+++ b/packages/trace-viewer/src/ui/uiModeView.tsx
@@ -168,7 +168,8 @@ export const UIModeView: React.FC<{}> = ({
 
   return <div className='vbox ui-mode'>
     {isDisconnected && <div className='drop-target'>
-      <div className='title'>Process disconnected</div>
+      <div className='title'>UI Mode disconnected</div>
+      <div><a href='#' onClick={() => window.location.reload()}>Reload the page</a> to reconnect</div>
     </div>}
     <SplitView sidebarSize={250} orientation='horizontal' sidebarIsFirst={true}>
       <div className='vbox'>