diff --git a/include/haproxy/global-t.h b/include/haproxy/global-t.h
index 8ded609c5..600c9ab21 100644
--- a/include/haproxy/global-t.h
+++ b/include/haproxy/global-t.h
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@
 #define	MODE_STARTING	0x20
 #define	MODE_FOREGROUND	0x40
 #define	MODE_MWORKER	0x80    /* Master Worker */
-#define	MODE_MWORKER_WAIT	0x100    /* Master Worker wait mode */
+/* (1<<8) unused */
 #define	MODE_ZERO_WARNING       0x200    /* warnings cause a failure */
 #define	MODE_DIAG	0x400   /* extra warnings */
 #define	MODE_CHECK_CONDITION	0x800    /* -cc mode */
diff --git a/src/errors.c b/src/errors.c
index 197a0cdef..f63031f24 100644
--- a/src/errors.c
+++ b/src/errors.c
@@ -129,8 +129,7 @@ void startup_logs_init_shm()
 	/* during startup, or just after a reload.
 	 * Note: the WAIT_ONLY env variable must be
 	 * check in case of an early call  */
-	if (!(global.mode & MODE_MWORKER_WAIT) &&
-	    getenv("HAPROXY_MWORKER_WAIT_ONLY") == NULL) {
+	if (!(global.mode & MODE_MWORKER)) {
 		if (fd != -1)
 			close(fd);
 
diff --git a/src/haproxy.c b/src/haproxy.c
index 746362641..011580800 100644
--- a/src/haproxy.c
+++ b/src/haproxy.c
@@ -776,35 +776,33 @@ static void mworker_reexec(int hardreload)
 
 	/* insert the new options just after argv[0] in case we have a -- */
 
-	if (getenv("HAPROXY_MWORKER_WAIT_ONLY") == NULL) {
-		/* add -sf <PID>*  to argv */
-		if (mworker_child_nb() > 0) {
-			struct mworker_proc *child;
+	/* add -sf <PID>*  to argv */
+	if (mworker_child_nb() > 0) {
+		struct mworker_proc *child;
 
-			if (hardreload)
-				next_argv[next_argc++] = "-st";
-			else
-				next_argv[next_argc++] = "-sf";
+		if (hardreload)
+			next_argv[next_argc++] = "-st";
+		else
+			next_argv[next_argc++] = "-sf";
 
-			list_for_each_entry(child, &proc_list, list) {
-				if (!(child->options & PROC_O_LEAVING) && (child->options & PROC_O_TYPE_WORKER))
-					current_child = child;
+		list_for_each_entry(child, &proc_list, list) {
+			if (!(child->options & PROC_O_LEAVING) && (child->options & PROC_O_TYPE_WORKER))
+				current_child = child;
 
-				if (!(child->options & (PROC_O_TYPE_WORKER|PROC_O_TYPE_PROG)) || child->pid <= -1)
-					continue;
-				if ((next_argv[next_argc++] = memprintf(&msg, "%d", child->pid)) == NULL)
-					goto alloc_error;
-				msg = NULL;
-			}
-		}
-		if (!x_off && current_child) {
-			/* add the -x option with the socketpair of the current worker */
-			next_argv[next_argc++] = "-x";
-			if ((next_argv[next_argc++] = memprintf(&msg, "sockpair@%d", current_child->ipc_fd[0])) == NULL)
+			if (!(child->options & (PROC_O_TYPE_WORKER|PROC_O_TYPE_PROG)) || child->pid <= -1)
+				continue;
+			if ((next_argv[next_argc++] = memprintf(&msg, "%d", child->pid)) == NULL)
 				goto alloc_error;
 			msg = NULL;
 		}
 	}
+	if (!x_off && current_child) {
+		/* add the -x option with the socketpair of the current worker */
+		next_argv[next_argc++] = "-x";
+		if ((next_argv[next_argc++] = memprintf(&msg, "sockpair@%d", current_child->ipc_fd[0])) == NULL)
+			goto alloc_error;
+		msg = NULL;
+	}
 
 	if (x_off) {
 		/* if the cmdline contained a -x /dev/null, continue to use it */
@@ -2028,12 +2026,6 @@ static void init(int argc, char **argv)
 				    | MODE_DIAG | MODE_CHECK_CONDITION | MODE_DUMP_LIBS | MODE_DUMP_KWD
 				    | MODE_DUMP_CFG | MODE_DUMP_NB_L));
 
-	if (getenv("HAPROXY_MWORKER_WAIT_ONLY")) {
-		unsetenv("HAPROXY_MWORKER_WAIT_ONLY");
-		global.mode |= MODE_MWORKER_WAIT;
-		global.mode &= ~MODE_MWORKER;
-	}
-
 	/* Do check_condition, if we started with -cc, and exit. */
 	if (global.mode & MODE_CHECK_CONDITION)
 		do_check_condition(progname);
@@ -2045,7 +2037,6 @@ static void init(int argc, char **argv)
 
 	usermsgs_clr("config");
 
-	/* in wait mode, we don't try to read the configuration files */
 	if (!(global.mode & MODE_MWORKER)) {
 		ret = read_cfg(progname);
 		/* free memory to store config file content */
@@ -2120,7 +2111,7 @@ static void init(int argc, char **argv)
 
 	/* open log & pid files before the chroot */
 	if ((global.mode & MODE_DAEMON || global.mode & MODE_MWORKER) &&
-	    !(global.mode & MODE_MWORKER_WAIT) && global.pidfile != NULL) {
+		global.pidfile != NULL) {
 		unlink(global.pidfile);
 		pidfd = open(global.pidfile, O_CREAT | O_WRONLY | O_TRUNC, 0644);
 		if (pidfd < 0) {
@@ -2174,7 +2165,6 @@ static void init(int argc, char **argv)
 			break;
 		default:
 			/* in parent */
-			global.mode |= MODE_MWORKER_WAIT;
 			master = 1;
 			atexit_flag = 1;
 			atexit(exit_on_failure);
@@ -3405,7 +3395,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 	 * is started and run under the same non-root user, this allows
 	 * binding to privileged ports.
 	 */
-	if (!(global.mode & MODE_MWORKER))
+	if (!master)
 	    prepare_caps_from_permitted_set(geteuid(), global.uid, argv[0]);
 #endif
 
@@ -3414,7 +3404,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 	 * and check mode
 	 */
 	if (old_unixsocket &&
-	    !(global.mode & (MODE_MWORKER_WAIT|MODE_CHECK|MODE_CHECK_CONDITION))) {
+	    !(global.mode & (MODE_MWORKER|MODE_CHECK|MODE_CHECK_CONDITION))) {
 		if (strcmp("/dev/null", old_unixsocket) != 0) {
 			if (sock_get_old_sockets(old_unixsocket) != 0) {
 				ha_alert("Failed to get the sockets from the old process!\n");
@@ -3464,7 +3454,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 		exit(1);
 	}
 
-	if (!(global.mode & MODE_MWORKER_WAIT) && listeners == 0) {
+	if (!master && listeners == 0) {
 		ha_alert("[%s.main()] No enabled listener found (check for 'bind' directives) ! Exiting.\n", argv[0]);
 		/* Note: we don't have to send anything to the old pids because we
 		 * never stopped them. */
@@ -3496,11 +3486,14 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 		}
 	}
 
-	if (nb_oldpids && !(global.mode & MODE_MWORKER_WAIT))
+	if (nb_oldpids && !master)
 		nb_oldpids = tell_old_pids(oldpids_sig);
 
-	/* send a SIGTERM to workers who have a too high reloads number  */
-	if ((global.mode & MODE_MWORKER) && !(global.mode & MODE_MWORKER_WAIT))
+	/* Send a SIGTERM to workers who have a too high reloads number.
+	 * master=1 means that fork() was done before. So, at this stage we already
+	 * have at least one new worker with reloads=0, which is bound to sockets.
+	 */
+	if (master)
 		mworker_kill_max_reloads(SIGTERM);
 
 	/* Note that any error at this stage will be fatal because we will not
@@ -3546,7 +3539,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 	/* We won't ever use this anymore */
 	ha_free(&global.pidfile);
 
-	if (global.mode & MODE_MWORKER_WAIT) {
+	if (master) {
 		struct mworker_proc *child, *it;
 
 		if ((!(global.mode & MODE_QUIET) || (global.mode & MODE_VERBOSE)) &&
diff --git a/src/http_client.c b/src/http_client.c
index 5db0e175c..ff2ab4e85 100644
--- a/src/http_client.c
+++ b/src/http_client.c
@@ -1202,7 +1202,7 @@ struct proxy *httpclient_create_proxy(const char *id)
 	struct server *srv_ssl = NULL;
 #endif
 
-	if (global.mode & MODE_MWORKER_WAIT)
+	if (global.mode & MODE_MWORKER)
 		return ERR_NONE;
 
 	px = alloc_new_proxy(id, PR_CAP_LISTEN|PR_CAP_INT|PR_CAP_HTTPCLIENT, &errmsg);
@@ -1359,7 +1359,7 @@ static int httpclient_postcheck_proxy(struct proxy *curproxy)
 	struct server *srv_ssl = NULL;
 #endif
 
-	if (global.mode & MODE_MWORKER_WAIT)
+	if (global.mode & MODE_MWORKER)
 		return ERR_NONE;
 
 	if (!(curproxy->cap & PR_CAP_HTTPCLIENT))
diff --git a/src/mworker-prog.c b/src/mworker-prog.c
index 2734d950b..e15dc16e0 100644
--- a/src/mworker-prog.c
+++ b/src/mworker-prog.c
@@ -115,7 +115,6 @@ int mworker_ext_launch_all()
 				/* This one must not be exported, it's internal! */
 				unsetenv("HAPROXY_MWORKER_REEXEC");
 				unsetenv("HAPROXY_STARTUPLOGS_FD");
-				unsetenv("HAPROXY_MWORKER_WAIT_ONLY");
 				unsetenv("HAPROXY_PROCESSES");
 				execvp(child->command[0], child->command);
 
@@ -332,11 +331,6 @@ int cfg_program_postparser()
 	int err_code = 0;
 	struct mworker_proc *child;
 
-	/* we only need to check this during configuration parsing,
-	 * wait mode doesn't have the complete description of a program */
-	if (global.mode & MODE_MWORKER_WAIT)
-		return err_code;
-
 	list_for_each_entry(child, &proc_list, list) {
 		if (child->reloads == 0 && (child->options & PROC_O_TYPE_PROG)) {
 			if (child->command == NULL) {
diff --git a/src/resolvers.c b/src/resolvers.c
index 9e28bf686..63d379169 100644
--- a/src/resolvers.c
+++ b/src/resolvers.c
@@ -3841,7 +3841,7 @@ int resolvers_create_default()
 {
 	int err_code = ERR_NONE;
 
-	if (global.mode & MODE_MWORKER_WAIT) /* does not create the section if in wait mode */
+	if (global.mode & MODE_MWORKER) /* does not create the section if in MODE_MWORKER */
 		return ERR_NONE;
 
 	/* if the section already exists, do nothing */