diff --git a/microdroid/init.rc b/microdroid/init.rc
index bc42791..ce0cab4 100644
--- a/microdroid/init.rc
+++ b/microdroid/init.rc
@@ -149,6 +149,10 @@
     # Mark boot completed. This will notify microdroid_manager to run payload.
     setprop dev.bootcomplete 1
 
+on property:tombstone_transmit.start=1
+    mkdir /data/tombstones 0771 system system
+    start tombstone_transmit
+
 service tombstone_transmit /system/bin/tombstone_transmit.microdroid -cid 2 -port 2000 -remove_tombstones_after_transmitting
     user system
     group system
@@ -175,4 +179,3 @@
     group shell log readproc
     seclabel u:r:shell:s0
     setenv HOSTNAME console
-
diff --git a/microdroid_manager/src/main.rs b/microdroid_manager/src/main.rs
index 24a12f7..f1c41b9 100644
--- a/microdroid_manager/src/main.rs
+++ b/microdroid_manager/src/main.rs
@@ -426,7 +426,8 @@
 
     // Start tombstone_transmit if enabled
     if config.export_tombstones {
-        control_service("start", "tombstone_transmit")?;
+        system_properties::write("tombstone_transmit.start", "1")
+            .context("set tombstone_transmit.start")?;
     } else {
         control_service("stop", "tombstoned")?;
     }
@@ -436,10 +437,6 @@
 
     register_vm_payload_service(allow_restricted_apis, service.clone(), dice_context)?;
 
-    if config.export_tombstones {
-        wait_for_tombstone_transmit_done()?;
-    }
-
     // Wait for encryptedstore to finish mounting the storage (if enabled) before setting
     // microdroid_manager.init_done. Reason is init stops uneventd after that.
     // Encryptedstore, however requires ueventd
@@ -451,6 +448,12 @@
     wait_for_property_true("dev.bootcomplete").context("failed waiting for dev.bootcomplete")?;
     system_properties::write("microdroid_manager.init_done", "1")
         .context("set microdroid_manager.init_done")?;
+
+    // Wait for tombstone_transmit to init
+    if config.export_tombstones {
+        wait_for_tombstone_transmit_done()?;
+    }
+
     info!("boot completed, time to run payload");
     exec_task(task, service).context("Failed to run payload")
 }