diff --git a/src/node/build/build.ts b/src/node/build/build.ts
index c8ede08e..f6467fb4 100644
--- a/src/node/build/build.ts
+++ b/src/node/build/build.ts
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ export async function build(
   const unlinkVue = linkVue()
 
   if (shouldUseParallel(siteConfig)) {
-    await launchWorkers(siteConfig.concurrency, {
+    launchWorkers(siteConfig.concurrency, {
       config: siteConfig,
       options: buildOptions
     })
@@ -189,7 +189,7 @@ export async function build(
   await generateSitemap(siteConfig)
   await siteConfig.buildEnd?.(siteConfig)
   clearCache()
-  await stopWorkers('build complete')
+  stopWorkers('build complete')
   const timeEnd = performance.now()
   const duration = humanizeDuration(timeEnd - timeStart, {
     maxDecimalPoints: 2
diff --git a/src/node/build/bundle.ts b/src/node/build/bundle.ts
index db4c28b1..f381785f 100644
--- a/src/node/build/bundle.ts
+++ b/src/node/build/bundle.ts
@@ -24,13 +24,12 @@ async function bundleWorkload(
   ssr: boolean,
   plugins: PluginOption[]
 ) {
-  return build(
-    await resolveViteConfig(ssr, {
-      config: this.config,
-      options: this.options,
-      plugins
-    })
-  ) as Promise<Rollup.RollupOutput>
+  const config = await resolveViteConfig(ssr, {
+    config: this.config,
+    options: this.options,
+    plugins
+  })
+  return build(config) as Promise<Rollup.RollupOutput>
 }
 
 async function bundleMPA(
diff --git a/src/node/worker.ts b/src/node/worker.ts
index 32c846d4..97045ea6 100644
--- a/src/node/worker.ts
+++ b/src/node/worker.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import c from 'picocolors'
 import Queue from './utils/queue'
 import _debug from 'debug'
 import type { SiteConfig } from 'siteConfig'
+import humanizeDuration from 'humanize-duration'
 
 export type SupportsParallel = 'bundle' | 'render' | 'local-search'
 
@@ -23,17 +24,6 @@ export function shouldUseParallel(config: SiteConfig, task?: SupportsParallel) {
 
 let debug = _debug('vitepress:worker:main')
 const WORKER_MAGIC = 'vitepress:worker'
-
-function debugArgv(...argv: any[]) {
-  if (!debug.enabled) return ''
-  return argv
-    .map((v) => {
-      const t = typeof v
-      if (v?.length !== undefined) return `${t}[${v.length}]`
-      else return t
-    })
-    .join(', ')
-}
 /*=============================== Main Thread ===============================*/
 interface WorkerTask {
   name: string
@@ -43,36 +33,41 @@ interface WorkerTask {
 }
 
 // Owned by main thread, will be distributed to workers
-const taskQueue = new Queue<WorkerTask>()
+let taskQueue: Queue<WorkerTask> | null = null
 
 function dispatchWork(name: string, ...argv: any[]): Promise<any> {
   if (workerMeta) {
     return workerMeta.dispatchWork(name, ...argv)
+  } else if (taskQueue) {
+    const { promise, resolve, reject } = deferPromise()
+    taskQueue.enqueue({ name, argv, resolve, reject })
+    return promise
   } else {
-    return new Promise((resolve, reject) =>
-      taskQueue.enqueue({ name, argv, resolve, reject })
-    )
+    throw new Error(`trying to dispatch ${name} before launching workers.`)
   }
 }
 
-type WorkerWithHooks = Worker & {
+type WorkerInstance = Worker & {
+  workerId: string
   hooks: {
     // Update worker's context
     updateContext: (ctx: Object | null) => void
   }
 }
 
-const workers: Array<WorkerWithHooks> = []
+const workers: Array<WorkerInstance> = []
 
 export async function launchWorkers(numWorkers: number, context: Object) {
+  debug(`launching ${numWorkers} workers`)
+  taskQueue = new Queue<WorkerTask>()
   const allInitialized: Array<Promise<void>> = []
   const ctx = new RpcContext()
-  const getNextTask = () => taskQueue.dequeue()
+  const getNextTask = () => taskQueue?.dequeue() ?? null
   for (let i = 0; i < numWorkers; i++) {
     const workerId = (i + 1).toString().padStart(2, '0')
     const { promise, resolve } = deferPromise()
-    const initWorkerHooks = (hooks: WorkerWithHooks['hooks']) => {
-      worker.hooks = hooks
+    const initWorkerHooks = (hooks: WorkerInstance['hooks']) => {
+      Object.assign(worker, { workerId, hooks })
       resolve()
     }
     const debug = _debug(`vitepress:worker:${workerId.padEnd(4)}`)
@@ -80,6 +75,7 @@ export async function launchWorkers(numWorkers: number, context: Object) {
       workerMeta: {
         workerId,
         dispatchWork,
+        // Save some RPC overhead when debugger is not active
         debug: debug.enabled ? debug : null,
         task,
         updateCurrentTask
@@ -90,7 +86,7 @@ export async function launchWorkers(numWorkers: number, context: Object) {
     })
     const worker = new Worker(new URL(import.meta.url), {
       workerData: { [WORKER_MAGIC]: payload }
-    }) as WorkerWithHooks
+    }) as WorkerInstance
     ctx.bind(worker)
     workers.push(worker)
     allInitialized.push(promise)
@@ -105,14 +101,17 @@ export function updateContext(context: Object) {
 
 // Wait for workers to drain the taskQueue and exit.
 export async function stopWorkers(reason: string = 'exit') {
-  const allClosed = workers.map(
-    (w) => new Promise((res) => w.once('exit', res))
+  debug('stopping workers:', reason)
+  const allClosed = workers.map((w) =>
+    new Promise<void>((res) => w.once('exit', () => res())).then(() =>
+      debug(`worker:${w.workerId} confirmed exit`)
+    )
   )
-  taskQueue.close()
-  debug('waiting for workers, exiting because', reason)
+  taskQueue?.close()
+  taskQueue = null
   const success = await Promise.any([
     Promise.all(allClosed).then(() => true),
-    new Promise<false>((res) => setTimeout(() => res(false), 1000))
+    new Promise<false>((res) => setTimeout(() => res(false), 2000))
   ])
   if (!success) {
     console.warn('forcefully terminating workers')
@@ -141,11 +140,10 @@ export function registerWorkload<T extends Object, K extends any[], V>(
   main: (this: T, ...args: K) => V,
   init?: (this: T, ...args: void[]) => void
 ) {
+  // Only register workload in worker threads
   if (!isMainThread) {
-    // Only register workload in worker threads
-    if (registry.has(name)) {
+    if (registry.has(name))
       throw new Error(`Workload "${name}" already registered.`)
-    }
     registry.set(name, { main, init })
   }
   return (...args: Parameters<typeof main>) =>
@@ -170,6 +168,7 @@ async function workerMainLoop() {
   workerMeta = _workerMeta!
   if (workerMeta.debug) debug = workerMeta.debug
   else debug = (() => {}) as any as typeof debug
+  debug(`started`)
   // Upon worker initialization, report back the hooks that main thread can use
   // to reach this worker.
   await initWorkerHooks({
@@ -179,21 +178,24 @@ async function workerMainLoop() {
     }
   })
 
+  let workTime = 0
   while (true) {
     const task = await getNextTask()
     if (task === null) break
     const { name, argv, resolve, reject } = task
-    debug('got task', name, '(', debugArgv(...argv), ')')
     if (!registry.has(name)) throw new Error(`No task "${name}" registered.`)
     const el = registry.get(name)!
     const { main, init } = el
+    const timeStart = performance.now()
     if (init) {
       try {
         await init.apply(context)
       } catch (e) {
         console.error(c.red(`worker: failed to init workload "${name}":`), e)
+        reject(e)
+      } finally {
+        el.init = undefined
       }
-      el.init = undefined
     }
     try {
       resolve(await main.apply(context, argv))
@@ -203,9 +205,16 @@ async function workerMainLoop() {
         e
       )
       reject(e)
+    } finally {
+      workTime += performance.now() - timeStart
     }
   }
   ctx.reset()
+  const duration = humanizeDuration(workTime, {
+    maxDecimalPoints: 2
+  })
+  await debug(`stopped - total workload: ${duration}`)
 }
 
-if (!isMainThread && WORKER_MAGIC in workerData) workerMainLoop()
+if (!isMainThread && workerData?.[WORKER_MAGIC])
+  workerMainLoop().then(() => process.exit())