diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 2f45eb8e22..1bddceb8d6 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -84,8 +84,8 @@ Instead of running `pnpm start:base`, you can alternatively use `pnpm start:all`
 | :4205 | `/test` realm for matrix client tests (playwright controlled) | 🚫                  | 🚫                   |
 | :4210 | Development Worker Manager (spins up 1 worker by default)     | ✅                  | 🚫                   |
 | :4211 | Test Worker Manager (spins up 1 worker by default)            | ✅                  | 🚫                   |
-| :4212 | Test Worker Manager for matrix client tests (playwright controlled - 1 worker) | ✅ | 🚫                   |
-| :4213 | Test Worker Manager for matrix client tests - base realm server (playwright controlled - 1 worker) | ✅ | 🚫                   |
+| :4212 | Worker Manager for matrix client tests (playwright controlled - 1 worker) | ✅      | 🚫                   |
+| :4213 | Worker Manager for matrix client tests - base realm server (playwright controlled - 1 worker) | ✅ | 🚫    |
 | :5001 | Mail user interface for viewing emails sent to local SMTP     | ✅                  | 🚫                   |
 | :5435 | Postgres DB                                                   | ✅                  | 🚫                   |
 | :8008 | Matrix synapse server                                         | ✅                  | 🚫                   |
@@ -223,7 +223,7 @@ There is a ember-freestyle component explorer available to assist with developme
 
 1. `cd packages/boxel-ui/test-app`
 2. `pnpm start`
-3. Visit http://localhost:4210/ in your browser
+3. Visit http://localhost:4220/ in your browser
 
 ## Boxel Motion Demo App
 
@@ -290,7 +290,7 @@ To run the `packages/realm-server/` workspace tests start:
 ### Boxel UI
 
 1. `cd packages/boxel-ui/test-app`
-2. `pnpm test` (or `pnpm start` and visit http://localhost:4210/tests to run tests in the browser)
+2. `pnpm test` (or `pnpm start` and visit http://localhost:4220/tests to run tests in the browser)
 
 ### Boxel Motion
 
diff --git a/packages/boxel-ui/test-app/.ember-cli.js b/packages/boxel-ui/test-app/.ember-cli.js
index d81fe1db49..9490e5747d 100644
--- a/packages/boxel-ui/test-app/.ember-cli.js
+++ b/packages/boxel-ui/test-app/.ember-cli.js
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ module.exports = {
 
     Setting `disableAnalytics` to true will prevent any data from being sent.
   */
-  port: 4210,
+  port: 4220,
   testPort: 7356,
   disableAnalytics: false,
 };
diff --git a/packages/realm-server/main.ts b/packages/realm-server/main.ts
index f253e7cacb..684c663618 100644
--- a/packages/realm-server/main.ts
+++ b/packages/realm-server/main.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@ import { NodeAdapter } from './node-realm';
 import yargs from 'yargs';
 import { RealmServer } from './server';
 import { resolve } from 'path';
-import { createConnection, type Socket } from 'net';
 import { makeFastBootIndexRunner } from './fastboot';
 import { shimExternals } from './lib/externals';
 import * as Sentry from '@sentry/node';
@@ -331,49 +330,20 @@ let autoMigrate = migrateDB || undefined;
   process.exit(-3);
 });
 
-let workerReadyDeferred: Deferred<boolean> | undefined;
 async function waitForWorkerManager(port: number) {
-  const workerManager = await new Promise<Socket>((r) => {
-    let socket = createConnection({ port }, () => {
-      log.info(`Connected to worker manager on port ${port}`);
-      r(socket);
-    });
-  });
-
-  workerManager.on('data', (data) => {
-    let res = data.toString();
-    if (!workerReadyDeferred) {
-      throw new Error(
-        `received unsolicited message from worker manager on port ${port}`,
-      );
+  let isReady = false;
+  let timeout = Date.now() + 30_000;
+  do {
+    let response = await fetch(`http://localhost:${port}/`);
+    if (response.ok) {
+      let json = await response.json();
+      isReady = json.ready;
     }
-    switch (res) {
-      case 'ready':
-      case 'not-ready':
-        workerReadyDeferred.fulfill(res === 'ready' ? true : false);
-        break;
-      default:
-        workerReadyDeferred.reject(
-          `unexpected response from worker manager: ${res}`,
-        );
-    }
-  });
-
-  try {
-    let isReady = false;
-    let timeout = Date.now() + 30_000;
-    do {
-      workerReadyDeferred = new Deferred();
-      workerManager.write('ready?');
-      isReady = await workerReadyDeferred.promise;
-    } while (!isReady && Date.now() < timeout);
-    if (!isReady) {
-      throw new Error(
-        `timed out trying to connect to worker manager on port ${port}`,
-      );
-    }
-  } finally {
-    workerManager.end();
+  } while (!isReady && Date.now() < timeout);
+  if (!isReady) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `timed out trying to waiting for worker manager to be ready on port ${port}`,
+    );
   }
   log.info('workers are ready');
 }
diff --git a/packages/realm-server/worker-manager.ts b/packages/realm-server/worker-manager.ts
index af2c3a1c7b..522db06fac 100644
--- a/packages/realm-server/worker-manager.ts
+++ b/packages/realm-server/worker-manager.ts
@@ -7,12 +7,22 @@ import {
 } from '@cardstack/runtime-common';
 import yargs from 'yargs';
 import * as Sentry from '@sentry/node';
-import { createServer } from 'net';
 import flattenDeep from 'lodash/flattenDeep';
 import { spawn } from 'child_process';
 import pluralize from 'pluralize';
+import Koa from 'koa';
+import Router from '@koa/router';
+import { ecsMetadata, fullRequestURL, livenessCheck } from './middleware';
+import { Server } from 'http';
 
-let log = logger('worker');
+/* About the Worker Manager
+ *
+ * This process runs on each queue worker container and is responsible starting and monitoring the worker processes. It does this via IPC (inter-process communication).
+ * In test and development environments, the worker manager is also responsible for providing a readiness check HTTP endpoint so that tests can wait until the worker
+ * manager is ready before proceeding.
+ */
+
+let log = logger('worker-manager');
 
 const REALM_SECRET_SEED = process.env.REALM_SECRET_SEED;
 if (!REALM_SECRET_SEED) {
@@ -34,7 +44,8 @@ let {
   .usage('Start worker manager')
   .options({
     port: {
-      description: 'TCP port for worker to communicate readiness (for tests)',
+      description:
+        'HTTP port for worker manager to communicate readiness and status',
       type: 'number',
     },
     highPriorityCount: {
@@ -75,63 +86,88 @@ let isExiting = false;
 process.on('SIGINT', () => (isExiting = true));
 process.on('SIGTERM', () => (isExiting = true));
 
-if (port != null) {
-  // in tests we start a simple TCP server to communicate to the realm when
-  // the worker is ready to start processing jobs
-  let server = createServer((socket) => {
-    log.info(`realm connected to worker manager`);
-    socket.on('data', (data) => {
-      if (data.toString() === 'ready?') {
-        socket.write(isReady ? 'ready' : 'not-ready');
-      }
-    });
-    socket.on('close', (hadError) => {
-      log.info(`realm has disconnected${hadError ? ' due to an error' : ''}.`);
-    });
-    socket.on('error', (err: any) => {
-      console.error(`realm disconnected from worker manager: ${err.message}`);
-    });
-  });
-  server.unref();
+let webServerInstance: Server | undefined;
 
-  server.listen(port, () => {
-    log.info(`worker manager listening for realm on port ${port}`);
+if (port) {
+  let webServer = new Koa<Koa.DefaultState, Koa.Context>();
+  let router = new Router();
+  router.head('/', livenessCheck);
+  router.get('/', async (ctxt: Koa.Context, _next: Koa.Next) => {
+    let result = {
+      ready: isReady,
+    } as Record<string, boolean | number>;
+    if (isReady) {
+      result = {
+        ...result,
+        highPriorityWorkers: highPriorityCount,
+        allPriorityWorkers: allPriorityCount,
+      };
+    }
+    ctxt.set('Content-Type', 'application/json');
+    ctxt.body = JSON.stringify(result);
+    ctxt.status = isReady ? 200 : 503;
   });
 
-  const shutdown = () => {
-    log.info(`Shutting down server for worker manager...`);
-    server.close((err) => {
-      if (err) {
-        log.error(`Error while closing the server for worker manager:`, err);
-        process.exit(1);
-      }
-      log.info(`Server closed for worker manager.`);
-      process.exit(0);
-    });
-  };
+  webServer
+    .use(router.routes())
+    .use((ctxt: Koa.Context, next: Koa.Next) => {
+      log.info(
+        `<-- ${ctxt.method} ${ctxt.req.headers.accept} ${
+          fullRequestURL(ctxt).href
+        }`,
+      );
+
+      ctxt.res.on('finish', () => {
+        log.info(
+          `--> ${ctxt.method} ${ctxt.req.headers.accept} ${
+            fullRequestURL(ctxt).href
+          }: ${ctxt.status}`,
+        );
+        log.debug(JSON.stringify(ctxt.req.headers));
+      });
+      return next();
+    })
+    .use(ecsMetadata);
 
-  process.on('SIGINT', shutdown);
-  process.on('SIGTERM', shutdown);
-  process.on('uncaughtException', (err) => {
-    log.error(`Uncaught exception in worker manager:`, err);
-    shutdown();
+  webServer.on('error', (err: any) => {
+    log.error(`worker manager HTTP server error: ${err.message}`);
   });
 
-  process.on('message', (message) => {
-    if (message === 'stop') {
-      console.log(`stopping realm server on port ${port}...`);
-      server.close(() => {
-        console.log(`worker manager on port ${port} has stopped`);
-        if (process.send) {
-          process.send('stopped');
-        }
-      });
-    } else if (message === 'kill') {
-      console.log(`Ending worker manager process for ${port}...`);
-      process.exit(0);
+  webServerInstance = webServer.listen(port);
+  log.info(`worker manager HTTP listening on port ${port}`);
+}
+
+const shutdown = (onShutdown?: () => void) => {
+  log.info(`Shutting down server for worker manager...`);
+  webServerInstance?.closeAllConnections();
+  webServerInstance?.close((err?: Error) => {
+    if (err) {
+      log.error(`Error while closing the server for worker manager HTTP:`, err);
+      process.exit(1);
     }
+    log.info(`worker manager HTTP on port ${port} has stopped.`);
+    onShutdown?.();
+    process.exit(0);
   });
-}
+};
+
+process.on('SIGINT', shutdown);
+process.on('SIGTERM', shutdown);
+process.on('uncaughtException', (err) => {
+  log.error(`Uncaught exception in worker manager:`, err);
+  shutdown();
+});
+
+process.on('message', (message) => {
+  if (message === 'stop') {
+    shutdown(() => {
+      process.send?.('stopped');
+    });
+  } else if (message === 'kill') {
+    log.info(`Ending worker manager process for ${port}...`);
+    process.exit(0);
+  }
+});
 
 (async () => {
   log.info(