diff --git a/public/src/sockets.js b/public/src/sockets.js
index 9e840ec513..1a87e57646 100644
--- a/public/src/sockets.js
+++ b/public/src/sockets.js
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
 const io = require('socket.io-client');
 // eslint-disable-next-line no-redeclare
 const $ = require('jquery');
+// eslint-disable-next-line import/no-unresolved
+const { alert } = require('alerts');
 
 app = window.app || {};
 
@@ -113,23 +115,6 @@ app = window.app || {};
 			console.warn('[socket.io] ', data.eventName, 'is now deprecated in favour of', data.replacement);
 		});
 
-		socket.removeAllListeners('event:nodebb.ready');
-		socket.on('event:nodebb.ready', function (data) {
-			if ((data.hostname === app.upstreamHost) && (!app.cacheBuster || app.cacheBuster !== data['cache-buster'])) {
-				app.cacheBuster = data['cache-buster'];
-				require(['alerts'], function (alerts) {
-					alerts.alert({
-						alert_id: 'forum_updated',
-						title: '[[global:updated.title]]',
-						message: '[[global:updated.message]]',
-						clickfn: function () {
-							window.location.reload();
-						},
-						type: 'warning',
-					});
-				});
-			}
-		});
 		socket.on('event:livereload', function () {
 			if (app.user.isAdmin && !ajaxify.currentPage.match(/admin/)) {
 				window.location.reload();
@@ -156,7 +141,7 @@ app = window.app || {};
 		});
 	}
 
-	function onConnect() {
+	async function onConnect() {
 		if (!reconnecting) {
 			hooks.fire('action:connected');
 		} else {
@@ -171,7 +156,19 @@ app = window.app || {};
 
 			reJoinCurrentRoom();
 
-			socket.emit('meta.reconnected');
+			const { 'cache-buster': hash, hostname } = await socket.emit('meta.reconnected');
+			if ((hostname === app.upstreamHost) && (!app.cacheBuster || app.cacheBuster !== hash)) {
+				app.cacheBuster = hash;
+				alert({
+					alert_id: 'forum_updated',
+					title: '[[global:updated.title]]',
+					message: '[[global:updated.message]]',
+					clickfn: function () {
+						window.location.reload();
+					},
+					type: 'warning',
+				});
+			}
 
 			hooks.fire('action:reconnected');
 
diff --git a/src/socket.io/meta.js b/src/socket.io/meta.js
index e62ae0e356..f150102f13 100644
--- a/src/socket.io/meta.js
+++ b/src/socket.io/meta.js
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 'use strict';
 
+const os = require('os');
 
 const user = require('../user');
+const meta = require('../meta');
 const topics = require('../topics');
 
 const SocketMeta = module.exports;
@@ -13,7 +15,10 @@ SocketMeta.reconnected = function (socket, data, callback) {
 		topics.pushUnreadCount(socket.uid);
 		user.notifications.pushCount(socket.uid);
 	}
-	callback();
+	callback(null, {
+		'cache-buster': meta.config['cache-buster'],
+		hostname: os.hostname(),
+	});
 };
 
 /* Rooms */
diff --git a/src/webserver.js b/src/webserver.js
index 824aaa71bd..8885849c7a 100644
--- a/src/webserver.js
+++ b/src/webserver.js
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@
 const fs = require('fs');
 const util = require('util');
 const path = require('path');
-const os = require('os');
 const nconf = require('nconf');
 const express = require('express');
 const chalk = require('chalk');
@@ -85,10 +84,7 @@ exports.listen = async function () {
 	await initializeNodeBB();
 	winston.info('🎉 NodeBB Ready');
 
-	require('./socket.io').server.emit('event:nodebb.ready', {
-		'cache-buster': meta.config['cache-buster'],
-		hostname: os.hostname(),
-	});
+	require('./socket.io').server.emit('event:nodebb.ready', {});
 
 	plugins.hooks.fire('action:nodebb.ready');