diff --git a/packages/client/bin/cli.ts b/packages/client/bin/cli.ts
index 00648129ff..1133c0f351 100755
--- a/packages/client/bin/cli.ts
+++ b/packages/client/bin/cli.ts
@@ -785,22 +785,42 @@ async function run() {
     config.logger.info(`Reading custom genesis state accounts=${numAccounts}`)
   }
 
-  const client = await startClient(config, customGenesisState)
-  const servers =
-    args.rpc === true || args.rpcEngine === true ? startRPCServers(client, args as RPCArgs) : []
-  if (
-    client.config.chainCommon.gteHardfork(Hardfork.Paris) === true &&
-    (args.rpcEngine === false || args.rpcEngine === undefined)
-  ) {
-    config.logger.warn(`Engine RPC endpoint not activated on a post-Merge HF setup.`)
-  }
+  // Do not wait for client to be fully started so that we can hookup SIGINT handling
+  // else a SIGINT before may kill the process in unclean manner
+  const clientStartPromise = startClient(config, customGenesisState)
+    .then((client) => {
+      const servers =
+        args.rpc === true || args.rpcEngine === true ? startRPCServers(client, args as RPCArgs) : []
+      if (
+        client.config.chainCommon.gteHardfork(Hardfork.Paris) === true &&
+        (args.rpcEngine === false || args.rpcEngine === undefined)
+      ) {
+        config.logger.warn(`Engine RPC endpoint not activated on a post-Merge HF setup.`)
+      }
+      config.logger.info('Client started successfully')
+      return { client, servers }
+    })
+    .catch((e) => {
+      config.logger.error('Error starting client', e)
+      return null
+    })
+
   process.on('SIGINT', async () => {
-    config.logger.info('Caught interrupt signal. Shutting down...')
-    for (const s of servers) {
-      s.http().close()
+    config.logger.info('Caught interrupt signal. Obtaining client handle for clean shutdown...')
+    config.logger.info('(This might take a little longer if client not yet fully started)')
+    const clientHandle = await clientStartPromise
+    if (clientHandle !== null) {
+      config.logger.info('Shutting down the client and the servers...')
+      const { client, servers } = clientHandle
+      for (const s of servers) {
+        s.http().close()
+      }
+      await client.stop()
+      config.logger.info('Exiting.')
+    } else {
+      config.logger.info('Client did not start properly, exiting ...')
     }
-    await client.stop()
-    config.logger.info('Exiting.')
+
     process.exit()
   })
 }