diff --git a/include/multipass/exceptions/start_exception.h b/include/multipass/exceptions/start_exception.h
index fb9d7dde29..3e4dc2ea30 100644
--- a/include/multipass/exceptions/start_exception.h
+++ b/include/multipass/exceptions/start_exception.h
@@ -25,8 +25,8 @@ namespace multipass
 class StartException : public std::runtime_error
 {
 public:
-    StartException(const std::string& instance_name, const std::string& what)
-        : runtime_error(what), instance_name(instance_name)
+    StartException(const std::string& instance_name, const std::string& what, bool expected = false)
+        : runtime_error(what), instance_name(instance_name), expected{expected}
     {
     }
 
@@ -34,8 +34,13 @@ class StartException : public std::runtime_error
     {
         return instance_name;
     }
+    bool was_intentional() const
+    {
+        return expected;
+    }
 
 private:
     const std::string instance_name;
+    bool expected;
 };
 } // namespace multipass
diff --git a/include/multipass/utils.h b/include/multipass/utils.h
index 044c8f0ed9..ec3bd80fc0 100644
--- a/include/multipass/utils.h
+++ b/include/multipass/utils.h
@@ -108,6 +108,8 @@ bool process_log_on_error(const QString& program,
                           multipass::logging::Level level = multipass::logging::Level::debug,
                           const int timeout = 30000);
 
+bool expects_shutdown_from_cloud_init(const YAML::Node& user_data_config);
+
 // networking helpers
 void validate_server_address(const std::string& value);
 bool valid_hostname(const std::string& name_string);
diff --git a/src/daemon/daemon.cpp b/src/daemon/daemon.cpp
index 28d53c05fc..9ca5f65114 100644
--- a/src/daemon/daemon.cpp
+++ b/src/daemon/daemon.cpp
@@ -3592,6 +3592,13 @@ error_string mp::Daemon::async_wait_for_ssh_and_start_mounts_for(
             persist_instances();
         }
     }
+    catch (const StartException& e)
+    {
+        if (!std::is_same_v<Reply, LaunchReply> || !e.was_intentional())
+        {
+            fmt::format_to(std::back_inserter(errors), "{}", e.what());
+        }
+    }
     catch (const std::exception& e)
     {
         fmt::format_to(std::back_inserter(errors), "{}", e.what());
diff --git a/src/platform/backends/hyperv/hyperv_virtual_machine.cpp b/src/platform/backends/hyperv/hyperv_virtual_machine.cpp
index 183a4a6cdc..1dd4e9c1b5 100644
--- a/src/platform/backends/hyperv/hyperv_virtual_machine.cpp
+++ b/src/platform/backends/hyperv/hyperv_virtual_machine.cpp
@@ -154,8 +154,8 @@ mp::HyperVVirtualMachine::HyperVVirtualMachine(const VirtualMachineDescription&
 {
     if (!power_shell->run({"Get-VM", "-Name", name}))
     {
-        auto mem_size =
-            QString::number(desc.mem_size.in_bytes()); /* format documented in `Help(New-VM)`, under
+        auto mem_size = QString::number(
+            desc.mem_size.in_bytes()); /* format documented in `Help(New-VM)`, under
 `-MemoryStartupBytes` option; */
 
         power_shell->easy_run({QString("$switch = Get-VMSwitch -Id %1").arg(default_switch_guid)},
@@ -219,8 +219,8 @@ mp::HyperVVirtualMachine::HyperVVirtualMachine(const std::string& source_vm_name
     // 'C:\ProgramData\Multipass\data\vault\instances\vm1-clone1\vm1\Virtual
     // Machines\7735327A-A22F-4926-95A1-51757D650BB7.vmcx' -Copy -GenerateNewId -VhdDestinationPath
     // "C:\ProgramData\Multipass\data\vault\instances\vm1-clone1\"
-    const fs::path exported_vm_path =
-        fs::path{dest_instance_dir.toStdString()} / fs::path{source_vm_name};
+    const fs::path exported_vm_path = fs::path{dest_instance_dir.toStdString()} /
+                                      fs::path{source_vm_name};
     const fs::path vmcx_file_path = locate_vmcx_file(exported_vm_path);
     // The next step needs to rename the instance, so we need to store the instance variable
     // $imported_vm from the Import-VM step. Because we can not use vm name to uniquely identify the
@@ -248,8 +248,8 @@ mp::HyperVVirtualMachine::HyperVVirtualMachine(const std::string& source_vm_name
         "Could not remove the cloud-init-config.iso file from the virtual machine");
     // 5. Add-VMDvdDrive -VMName vm1-clone1 -Path
     // 'C:\ProgramData\Multipass\data\vault\instances\vm1-clone1\cloud-init-config.iso'
-    const fs::path dest_cloud_init_path =
-        fs::path{dest_instance_dir.toStdString()} / cloud_init_file_name;
+    const fs::path dest_cloud_init_path = fs::path{dest_instance_dir.toStdString()} /
+                                          cloud_init_file_name;
     power_shell->easy_run({"Add-VMDvdDrive",
                            "-VMName",
                            name,
@@ -350,7 +350,7 @@ void mp::HyperVVirtualMachine::start()
     {
         state = instance_state_for(power_shell.get(), name);
         handle_state_update();
-        throw StartException{vm_name, output_err.toStdString()};
+        throw StartException{vm_name, output_err.toStdString(), false};
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/platform/backends/shared/base_virtual_machine.cpp b/src/platform/backends/shared/base_virtual_machine.cpp
index 28a1facb23..2e747b9022 100644
--- a/src/platform/backends/shared/base_virtual_machine.cpp
+++ b/src/platform/backends/shared/base_virtual_machine.cpp
@@ -326,10 +326,14 @@ void mp::BaseVirtualMachine::detect_aborted_start()
 
         std::string msg{"Instance shutdown during start"};
         if (!saved_error_msg.empty())
+        {
             msg += ": " + saved_error_msg;
+            saved_error_msg.clear();
+        }
 
-        saved_error_msg.clear();
-        throw StartException(vm_name, msg);
+        throw StartException(vm_name,
+                             msg,
+                             mpu::expects_shutdown_from_cloud_init(desc.user_data_config));
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/utils/utils.cpp b/src/utils/utils.cpp
index adefd0e1af..646b73fef8 100644
--- a/src/utils/utils.cpp
+++ b/src/utils/utils.cpp
@@ -582,11 +582,11 @@ std::pair<std::string, std::string> mp::utils::get_path_split(mp::SSHSession& se
 {
     std::string absolute{get_resolved_target(session, target)};
 
-    std::string existing =
-        MP_UTILS.run_in_ssh_session(session,
-                                    fmt::format("sudo /bin/bash -c 'P={:?}; while [ ! -d \"$P/\" "
-                                                "]; do P=\"${{P%/*}}\"; done; echo $P/'",
-                                                absolute));
+    std::string existing = MP_UTILS.run_in_ssh_session(
+        session,
+        fmt::format("sudo /bin/bash -c 'P={:?}; while [ ! -d \"$P/\" "
+                    "]; do P=\"${{P%/*}}\"; done; echo $P/'",
+                    absolute));
 
     return {existing,
             QDir(QString::fromStdString(existing))
@@ -690,11 +690,25 @@ auto mp::utils::find_bridge_with(const std::vector<mp::NetworkInterfaceInfo>& ne
                                  const std::string& bridge_type)
     -> std::optional<mp::NetworkInterfaceInfo>
 {
-    const auto it =
-        std::find_if(std::cbegin(networks),
-                     std::cend(networks),
-                     [&target_network, &bridge_type](const NetworkInterfaceInfo& info) {
-                         return info.type == bridge_type && info.has_link(target_network);
-                     });
+    const auto it = std::find_if(std::cbegin(networks),
+                                 std::cend(networks),
+                                 [&target_network, &bridge_type](const NetworkInterfaceInfo& info) {
+                                     return info.type == bridge_type &&
+                                            info.has_link(target_network);
+                                 });
     return it == std::cend(networks) ? std::nullopt : std::make_optional(*it);
 }
+
+bool mp::utils::expects_shutdown_from_cloud_init(const YAML::Node& user_data_config)
+{
+    if (user_data_config["power_state"])
+    {
+        auto ps = user_data_config["power_state"];
+        if (ps["mode"])
+        {
+            std::string mode = ps["mode"].as<std::string>();
+            return (mode == "poweroff" || mode == "halt");
+        }
+    }
+    return false;
+}