diff --git a/chat_listener.py b/chat_listener.py
index 354e89a..aedc1a7 100644
--- a/chat_listener.py
+++ b/chat_listener.py
@@ -5,36 +5,28 @@ import models
 import security
 
 class TwitchBot(twitchio.Client):
-    def __init__(self, access_token: str, refresh_token: str, client_id: str, client_secret: str, channel_name: str, websocket_manager, db_user_id: int):
+    def __init__(self, websocket_manager, db_user_id: int):
         self.websocket_manager = websocket_manager
         # Store our application's database user ID to avoid conflict with twitchio's internal 'owner_id'
         self.db_user_id = db_user_id
+        self.is_initialized = False # Health check flag
+
+    async def start(self, access_token: str, refresh_token: str, client_id: str, client_secret: str, channel_name: str):
+        """
+        A custom start method that also handles initialization. This makes the
+        entire setup process an awaitable, atomic operation.
+        """
+        print(f"DIAGNOSTIC: Initializing and connecting for user {self.db_user_id}...")
 
         # Per twitchio documentation, the token must be prefixed with 'oauth:'.
-        # This is a common cause of silent authentication failures.
         formatted_token = f"oauth:{access_token}"
-
-        super().__init__(
-            token=formatted_token,
-            # The client_id and client_secret are required for the client to
-            # identify itself with Twitch's services.
-            client_id=client_id,
-            client_secret=client_secret,
-            refresh_token=refresh_token,
-            initial_channels=[channel_name],
-            ssl=True # Mandate: Explicitly use SSL for the IRC connection.
-        )
+        
+        # The sensitive __init__ call is now inside the awaitable task.
+        super().__init__(token=formatted_token, client_id=client_id, client_secret=client_secret, 
+                         refresh_token=refresh_token, initial_channels=[channel_name], ssl=True)
         self.channel_name = channel_name
-        # Health Check: If __init__ completes successfully, this flag will exist.
-        # If super().__init__ fails silently, this line is never reached.
         self.is_initialized = True
 
-    async def start(self):
-        """
-        A custom start method to bypass the default start() which can
-        unpredictably start a webserver. This gives us direct control.
-        """
-        print(f"DIAGNOSTIC: Initiating secure connection for user {self.db_user_id}...")
         await self.connect()
         await self.join_channels([self.channel_name])
 
diff --git a/listener_manager.py b/listener_manager.py
index ca57a87..a85bbd0 100644
--- a/listener_manager.py
+++ b/listener_manager.py
@@ -32,22 +32,20 @@ class ListenerManager:
             access_token = tokens['access_token']
             refresh_token = tokens['refresh_token']
             
+            # Initialize the bot object without credentials first. It's just a lightweight container.
             bot = TwitchBot(
-                access_token=access_token, 
-                refresh_token=refresh_token,
-                channel_name=user.username,
-                client_id=settings.TWITCH_CLIENT_ID,
-                client_secret=settings.TWITCH_CLIENT_SECRET,
                 websocket_manager=websocket_manager,
                 db_user_id=user.id
             )
-            
-            # Verify that the bot was initialized correctly before proceeding.
-            # This catches silent failures from the twitchio library.
-            if not getattr(bot, 'is_initialized', False):
-                raise Exception("TwitchBot failed to initialize, likely due to an invalid token.")
 
-            task = asyncio.create_task(bot.start())
+            # Create a task that runs our new start method with all credentials.
+            # If super().__init__ fails inside bot.start(), the exception will be
+            # caught by our try/except block here, preventing hollow objects.
+            task = asyncio.create_task(bot.start(
+                access_token=access_token, refresh_token=refresh_token,
+                client_id=settings.TWITCH_CLIENT_ID, client_secret=settings.TWITCH_CLIENT_SECRET,
+                channel_name=user.username
+            ))
             # Store both the task and the bot instance for graceful shutdown
             self.active_listeners[user.id] = {"task": task, "bot": bot}
         except Exception as e:
@@ -66,7 +64,8 @@ class ListenerManager:
         bot = listener_info["bot"]
         
         # Gracefully close the bot's connection
-        if bot and not bot.is_closed():
+        # The getattr check prevents the shutdown crash if the bot was never initialized.
+        if bot and getattr(bot, 'is_initialized', False) and not bot.is_closed():
             await bot.close()
             
         # Cancel the asyncio task