diff --git a/.changeset/moody-oranges-report.md b/.changeset/moody-oranges-report.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1c26f969c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/moody-oranges-report.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@chugsplash/plugins': patch
+---
+
+Improve the hardhat node task
diff --git a/packages/plugins/src/env.ts b/packages/plugins/src/env.ts
index 7d43ffaae..9c501c59f 100644
--- a/packages/plugins/src/env.ts
+++ b/packages/plugins/src/env.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,27 @@
 /**
- * Removes all command line args in the `process.argv` array that begin with '--'. This is necessary
- * to prevent an error that occurs when running the executor from within a Hardhat plugin task. This
- * error occurs because the BaseServiceV2 (inherited by the executor) parses these command line
- * arguments and throws an error when it sees arguments that it does not recognize.
+ * Removes command line args in the `process.argv` array beginning with the first argument that
+ * starts with '--'. This is necessary to prevent an error that occurs when running the executor
+ * from within a Hardhat plugin task. This error occurs because the BaseServiceV2 (inherited by the
+ * executor) parses these command line arguments and throws an error when it sees an unrecognized
+ * argument that begins with '--'.
+ *
+ * @returns An array containing the removed command line args.
  */
-export const removeFlagsFromCommandLineArgs = (): void => {
-  process.argv = process.argv.filter((arg) => !arg.startsWith('--'))
+export const removeFlagsFromCommandLineArgs = (): string[] => {
+  const indexToRemove = process.argv.findIndex((arg) => arg.startsWith('--'))
+  if (indexToRemove === -1) {
+    return []
+  }
+  const removed = process.argv.slice(indexToRemove)
+  process.argv = process.argv.slice(0, indexToRemove)
+  return removed
+}
+
+/**
+ * Adds the given array of arguments to `process.argv`.
+ *
+ * @param args The command line arguments to add.
+ */
+export const addCommandLineArgs = (args: string[]) => {
+  process.argv = process.argv.concat(args)
 }
diff --git a/packages/plugins/src/executor.ts b/packages/plugins/src/executor.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7338cf2ec
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/plugins/src/executor.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+import { ChugSplashExecutor } from '@chugsplash/executor'
+
+import { addCommandLineArgs, removeFlagsFromCommandLineArgs } from './env'
+
+export const instantiateExecutor = (): ChugSplashExecutor => {
+  // We must remove the command line arguments that begin with '--' from the process.argv array,
+  // or else the BaseServiceV2 (inherited by the executor) will throw an error when we instantiate
+  // it.
+  const removed = removeFlagsFromCommandLineArgs()
+
+  // Instantiate the executor.
+  const executor = new ChugSplashExecutor()
+
+  // Add the command line args back to the array.
+  addCommandLineArgs(removed)
+
+  return executor
+}
diff --git a/packages/plugins/src/hardhat/deployments.ts b/packages/plugins/src/hardhat/deployments.ts
index ac1a7a29f..969fa90ff 100644
--- a/packages/plugins/src/hardhat/deployments.ts
+++ b/packages/plugins/src/hardhat/deployments.ts
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ import {
   monitorTask,
   TASK_CHUGSPLASH_VERIFY_BUNDLE,
 } from './tasks'
-import { removeFlagsFromCommandLineArgs } from '../env'
+import { instantiateExecutor } from '../executor'
 
 /**
  * TODO
@@ -46,17 +46,15 @@ export const deployAllChugSplashConfigs = async (
   hre: any,
   silent: boolean,
   ipfsUrl: string,
-  noCompile: boolean
+  noCompile: boolean,
+  spinner: ora.Ora = ora({ isSilent: true })
 ) => {
   const remoteExecution = (await getChainId(hre.ethers.provider)) !== 31337
   const fileNames = fs.readdirSync(hre.config.paths.chugsplash)
 
   let executor: ChugSplashExecutor
   if (!remoteExecution) {
-    // We must remove the command line arguments that begin with '--' from the process.argv array,
-    // or else the BaseServiceV2 (inherited by the executor) will throw an error.
-    removeFlagsFromCommandLineArgs()
-    executor = new ChugSplashExecutor()
+    executor = instantiateExecutor()
   }
 
   for (const fileName of fileNames) {
@@ -73,7 +71,8 @@ export const deployAllChugSplashConfigs = async (
       remoteExecution,
       ipfsUrl,
       noCompile,
-      executor
+      executor,
+      spinner
     )
   }
 }
@@ -106,7 +105,7 @@ export const deployChugSplashConfig = async (
     parsedConfig.options.projectName
   )
 
-  spinner.succeed('Parsed ChugSplash config file.')
+  spinner.succeed(`Parsed ${parsedConfig.options.projectName}.`)
 
   if (projectPreviouslyRegistered === false) {
     spinner.start(`Registering ${parsedConfig.options.projectName}...`)
@@ -228,7 +227,7 @@ export const deployChugSplashConfig = async (
       {
         privateKey:
           '0xac0974bec39a17e36ba4a6b4d238ff944bacb478cbed5efcae784d7bf4f2ff80',
-        logLevel: silent ? 'info' : 'error',
+        logLevel: 'error',
       },
       provider,
       canonicalConfig
diff --git a/packages/plugins/src/hardhat/tasks.ts b/packages/plugins/src/hardhat/tasks.ts
index 3179c76fa..d3b2605e8 100644
--- a/packages/plugins/src/hardhat/tasks.ts
+++ b/packages/plugins/src/hardhat/tasks.ts
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ import {
   successfulProposalMessage,
 } from '../messages'
 import { monitorRemoteExecution, postExecutionActions } from './execution'
-import { removeFlagsFromCommandLineArgs } from '../env'
+import { instantiateExecutor } from '../executor'
 
 // Load environment variables from .env
 dotenv.config()
@@ -183,10 +183,7 @@ export const chugsplashDeployTask = async (
 
   let executor: ChugSplashExecutor
   if (!remoteExecution) {
-    // We must remove the command line arguments that begin with '--' from the process.argv array,
-    // or else the BaseServiceV2 (inherited by the executor) will throw an error.
-    removeFlagsFromCommandLineArgs()
-    executor = new ChugSplashExecutor()
+    executor = instantiateExecutor()
   }
 
   spinner.succeed('ChugSplash is ready to go.')
@@ -280,7 +277,6 @@ export const chugsplashProposeTask = async (
   const signer = provider.getSigner()
 
   const spinner = ora({ isSilent: silent })
-
   spinner.start('Booting up ChugSplash...')
 
   await deployChugSplashPredeploys(provider, provider.getSigner())
@@ -960,12 +956,8 @@ task(TASK_CHUGSPLASH_FUND)
   .addPositionalParam('configPath', 'Path to the ChugSplash config file')
   .setAction(chugsplashFundTask)
 
-// TODO: change 'any' type
 task(TASK_NODE)
-  .addFlag(
-    'setupInternals',
-    'Setup the internal ChugSplash contracts. Skip executing all contracts defined in ChugSplash config files.'
-  )
+  .addFlag('deployAll', 'Deploy all ChugSplash config files on startup')
   .addFlag(
     'disableChugsplash',
     "Completely disable all of ChugSplash's activity."
@@ -975,7 +967,7 @@ task(TASK_NODE)
   .setAction(
     async (
       args: {
-        setupInternals: boolean
+        deployAll: boolean
         disableChugsplash: boolean
         hide: boolean
         noCompile: boolean
@@ -983,14 +975,24 @@ task(TASK_NODE)
       hre: HardhatRuntimeEnvironment,
       runSuper
     ) => {
-      const { setupInternals, disableChugsplash, hide, noCompile } = args
+      const { deployAll, disableChugsplash, hide, noCompile } = args
+
       if (!disableChugsplash) {
+        const spinner = ora({ isSilent: hide })
+        spinner.start('Booting up ChugSplash...')
+
         await deployChugSplashPredeploys(
           hre.ethers.provider,
           hre.ethers.provider.getSigner()
         )
-        if (!setupInternals) {
-          await deployAllChugSplashConfigs(hre, hide, '', noCompile)
+
+        spinner.succeed('ChugSplash has been initialized.')
+
+        if (deployAll) {
+          if (!noCompile) {
+            await cleanThenCompile(hre)
+          }
+          await deployAllChugSplashConfigs(hre, hide, '', true, spinner)
         }
         await writeHardhatSnapshotId(hre)
       }
@@ -1024,7 +1026,10 @@ task(TASK_TEST)
             hre.ethers.provider,
             hre.ethers.provider.getSigner()
           )
-          await deployAllChugSplashConfigs(hre, !show, '', noCompile)
+          if (!noCompile) {
+            await cleanThenCompile(hre)
+          }
+          await deployAllChugSplashConfigs(hre, !show, '', true)
         } finally {
           await writeHardhatSnapshotId(hre)
         }
@@ -1035,25 +1040,28 @@ task(TASK_TEST)
 
 task(TASK_RUN)
   .addFlag(
-    'enableChugsplash',
+    'deployAll',
     'Deploy all ChugSplash configs before executing your script.'
   )
   .setAction(
     async (
       args: {
-        enableChugsplash: boolean
+        deployAll: boolean
         noCompile: boolean
       },
       hre: any,
       runSuper
     ) => {
-      const { enableChugsplash, noCompile } = args
-      if (enableChugsplash) {
+      const { deployAll, noCompile } = args
+      if (deployAll) {
         await deployChugSplashPredeploys(
           hre.ethers.provider,
           hre.ethers.provider.getSigner()
         )
-        await deployAllChugSplashConfigs(hre, true, '', noCompile)
+        if (!noCompile) {
+          await cleanThenCompile(hre)
+        }
+        await deployAllChugSplashConfigs(hre, true, '', true)
       }
       await runSuper(args)
     }