diff --git a/jetty-server/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/server/handler/ContextHandler.java b/jetty-server/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/server/handler/ContextHandler.java
index 85532a004ac..125356e7de1 100644
--- a/jetty-server/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/server/handler/ContextHandler.java
+++ b/jetty-server/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/server/handler/ContextHandler.java
@@ -776,6 +776,8 @@ public class ContextHandler extends ScopedHandler implements Attributes, Gracefu
         }
         finally
         {
+            if (_availability==Availability.STARTING)
+                _availability=Availability.UNAVAILABLE;
             exitScope(null);
             __context.set(old_context);
             // reset the classloader
diff --git a/jetty-server/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/server/handler/HotSwapHandler.java b/jetty-server/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/server/handler/HotSwapHandler.java
index f1854501774..6dff88c98c7 100644
--- a/jetty-server/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/server/handler/HotSwapHandler.java
+++ b/jetty-server/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/server/handler/HotSwapHandler.java
@@ -62,8 +62,10 @@ public class HotSwapHandler extends AbstractHandlerContainer
     @Override
     public Handler[] getHandlers()
     {
-        return new Handler[]
-        { _handler };
+        Handler handler=_handler;
+        if (handler==null)
+            return new Handler[0];
+        return new Handler[] { handler };
     }
 
     /* ------------------------------------------------------------ */
@@ -73,14 +75,13 @@ public class HotSwapHandler extends AbstractHandlerContainer
      */
     public void setHandler(Handler handler)
     {
-        if (handler == null)
-            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Parameter handler is null.");
         try
         {
+            Server server = getServer();
+            if (handler!=null)
+                handler.setServer(server);
             updateBean(_handler,handler,true);
             _handler=handler;
-            Server server = getServer();
-            handler.setServer(server);
 
         }
         catch (Exception e)
@@ -116,9 +117,10 @@ public class HotSwapHandler extends AbstractHandlerContainer
     @Override
     public void handle(String target, Request baseRequest, HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response) throws IOException, ServletException
     {
-        if (_handler != null && isStarted())
+        Handler handler=_handler;
+        if (handler != null && isStarted() && handler.isStarted())
         {
-            _handler.handle(target,baseRequest,request,response);
+            handler.handle(target,baseRequest,request,response);
         }
     }
 
@@ -126,7 +128,9 @@ public class HotSwapHandler extends AbstractHandlerContainer
     @Override
     protected void expandChildren(List<Handler> list, Class<?> byClass)
     {
-        expandHandler(_handler,list,byClass);
+        Handler handler=_handler;
+        if (handler!=null)
+            expandHandler(handler,list,byClass);
     }
 
     /* ------------------------------------------------------------ */
diff --git a/jetty-util/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/util/component/ContainerLifeCycle.java b/jetty-util/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/util/component/ContainerLifeCycle.java
index 2457a9043ec..2e1311821fa 100644
--- a/jetty-util/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/util/component/ContainerLifeCycle.java
+++ b/jetty-util/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/util/component/ContainerLifeCycle.java
@@ -538,7 +538,9 @@ public class ContainerLifeCycle extends AbstractLifeCycle implements Container,
             {
                 try
                 {
-                    stop((LifeCycle)bean._bean);
+                    LifeCycle lc=(LifeCycle)bean._bean;
+                    if (lc.isRunning())
+                        stop(lc);
                 }
                 catch(RuntimeException | Error e)
                 {
diff --git a/jetty-webapp/src/test/java/org/eclipse/jetty/webapp/WebAppContextTest.java b/jetty-webapp/src/test/java/org/eclipse/jetty/webapp/WebAppContextTest.java
index 391aaade1da..5ea461a921b 100644
--- a/jetty-webapp/src/test/java/org/eclipse/jetty/webapp/WebAppContextTest.java
+++ b/jetty-webapp/src/test/java/org/eclipse/jetty/webapp/WebAppContextTest.java
@@ -25,10 +25,14 @@ import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;
 
 import java.io.File;
 import java.io.IOException;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Arrays;
+import java.util.List;
 
 import javax.servlet.GenericServlet;
 import javax.servlet.ServletContext;
+import javax.servlet.ServletContextEvent;
+import javax.servlet.ServletContextListener;
 import javax.servlet.ServletException;
 import javax.servlet.ServletRequest;
 import javax.servlet.ServletResponse;
@@ -37,9 +41,11 @@ import org.eclipse.jetty.server.LocalConnector;
 import org.eclipse.jetty.server.Server;
 import org.eclipse.jetty.server.handler.ContextHandlerCollection;
 import org.eclipse.jetty.server.handler.HandlerList;
+import org.eclipse.jetty.servlet.ServletContextHandler;
 import org.eclipse.jetty.util.log.Log;
 import org.eclipse.jetty.util.resource.Resource;
 import org.eclipse.jetty.util.resource.ResourceCollection;
+import org.hamcrest.Matchers;
 import org.junit.Assert;
 import org.junit.Test;
 
@@ -237,4 +243,80 @@ public class WebAppContextTest
             this.getServletContext().getContext("/B/s");
         }
     }
+    
+    @Test
+    public void testServletContextListener() throws Exception
+    {
+        Server server = new Server();
+        ServletContextHandler context = new ServletContextHandler(
+                ServletContextHandler.SESSIONS);
+        context.setContextPath("/");
+        context.setResourceBase(System.getProperty("java.io.tmpdir"));
+        server.setHandler(context);
+
+        final List<String> history=new ArrayList<>();
+        
+        context.addEventListener(new ServletContextListener()
+        {
+            @Override
+            public void contextInitialized(ServletContextEvent servletContextEvent)
+            {
+                history.add("I1");
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void contextDestroyed(ServletContextEvent servletContextEvent)
+            {
+                history.add("D1");
+            }
+        });
+        context.addEventListener(new ServletContextListener()
+        {
+            @Override
+            public void contextInitialized(ServletContextEvent servletContextEvent)
+            {
+                history.add("I2");
+                throw new RuntimeException("Listener2 broken");
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void contextDestroyed(ServletContextEvent servletContextEvent)
+            {
+                history.add("D2");
+            }
+        });
+        context.addEventListener(new ServletContextListener()
+        {
+            @Override
+            public void contextInitialized(ServletContextEvent servletContextEvent)
+            {
+                history.add("I3");
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void contextDestroyed(ServletContextEvent servletContextEvent)
+            {
+                history.add("D3");
+            }
+        });
+        
+        try
+        {
+            server.start();
+        }
+        catch(Exception e)
+        {
+            // System.err.println(e);
+        }
+        finally
+        {
+            server.stop();
+        }
+          
+        // TODO should be either:
+        // Assert.assertThat(history,Matchers.contains("I1","I2","D1"));
+        // or
+        // Assert.assertThat(history,Matchers.contains("I1","I2","D3","D3","D1"));
+        Assert.assertThat(history,Matchers.contains("I1","I2","D3","D2","D1"));
+    }
 }