diff --git a/src/gs-application.c b/src/gs-application.c
index a4b455006107006fbfcb6e29a42ddfee83ba894b..7655edb0a5889c70c44ff1066142cff23e2ce244 100644
--- a/src/gs-application.c
+++ b/src/gs-application.c
@@ -1290,6 +1290,13 @@ gs_application_handle_local_options (GApplication *app, GVariantDict *options)
 						NULL);
 	}
 	if (g_variant_dict_contains (options, "quit")) {
+		GsApplication *self = GS_APPLICATION (app);
+		if (!g_application_get_is_remote (app) && (self->shell == NULL || !gs_shell_is_running (self->shell))) {
+			g_application_quit (app);
+			g_debug ("Early exit due to --quit option");
+			/* early exit, to not continue with setup, plugin initialization and so on */
+			return 0;
+		}
 		/* The 'quit' command-line option shuts down everything,
 		 * including the backend service */
 		g_action_group_activate_action (G_ACTION_GROUP (app),
diff --git a/src/gs-details-page.c b/src/gs-details-page.c
index eabffb0470e881464b0e432c50aede3d4569fa65..63a21c8a0b2024026a677fb2e78afd42857bad91 100644
--- a/src/gs-details-page.c
+++ b/src/gs-details-page.c
@@ -1857,11 +1857,13 @@ gs_details_page_app_refine_cb (GObject *source,
 static void
 _set_app (GsDetailsPage *self, GsApp *app)
 {
-	GsJobManager *job_manager = gs_plugin_loader_get_job_manager (self->plugin_loader);
+	GsJobManager *job_manager;
 
 	if (self->app == app)
 		return;
 
+	job_manager = gs_plugin_loader_get_job_manager (self->plugin_loader);
+
 	/* do not show all the reviews by default */
 	self->show_all_reviews = FALSE;
 
diff --git a/src/gs-shell.c b/src/gs-shell.c
index 7a6fa362e361a022ddb3dd1f4862a793262f6538..2d9dea1922e085027b76de6f967291a1629f910b 100644
--- a/src/gs-shell.c
+++ b/src/gs-shell.c
@@ -2196,6 +2196,23 @@ details_page_app_clicked_cb (GsDetailsPage *page,
 	gs_shell_show_app (shell, app);
 }
 
+/**
+ * gs_shell_is_running:
+ * @self: a #GsShell
+ *
+ * Check whether the @self has been already set up, which roughly means
+ * the gs_shell_setup() has been called.
+ *
+ * Returns: whether the @self has been already set up
+ *
+ * Since: 48
+ **/
+gboolean
+gs_shell_is_running (GsShell *self)
+{
+	return self->plugin_loader != NULL;
+}
+
 void
 gs_shell_setup (GsShell *shell, GsPluginLoader *plugin_loader, GCancellable *cancellable)
 {
diff --git a/src/gs-shell.h b/src/gs-shell.h
index 896910a45bed8ed4bd98b30699655d1739895f94..0b0c41ec083a8e79c50901f4f1cef46b42d0f69d 100644
--- a/src/gs-shell.h
+++ b/src/gs-shell.h
@@ -79,6 +79,7 @@ void		 gs_shell_show_extras_search	(GsShell	*shell,
 						 const gchar	*ident);
 void		 gs_shell_show_uri		(GsShell	*shell,
 						 const gchar	*url);
+gboolean	 gs_shell_is_running		(GsShell	*self);
 void		 gs_shell_setup			(GsShell	*shell,
 						 GsPluginLoader	*plugin_loader,
 						 GCancellable	*cancellable);