diff --git a/assignment-client/src/AssignmentClient.cpp b/assignment-client/src/AssignmentClient.cpp
index bf5f9c3b7f..2d11f4d289 100644
--- a/assignment-client/src/AssignmentClient.cpp
+++ b/assignment-client/src/AssignmentClient.cpp
@@ -198,7 +198,7 @@ void AssignmentClient::sendStatusPacketToACM() {
 }
 
 void AssignmentClient::sendAssignmentRequest() {
-    if (!_currentAssignment) {
+    if (!_currentAssignment && !_isAssigned) {
 
         auto nodeList = DependencyManager::get<NodeList>();
 
@@ -229,8 +229,9 @@ void AssignmentClient::handleCreateAssignmentPacket(QSharedPointer<NLPacket> pac
     // construct the deployed assignment from the packet data
     _currentAssignment = AssignmentFactory::unpackAssignment(*packet);
 
-    if (_currentAssignment) {
+    if (_currentAssignment && !_isAssigned) {
         qDebug() << "Received an assignment -" << *_currentAssignment;
+        _isAssigned = true;
 
         auto nodeList = DependencyManager::get<NodeList>();
 
@@ -309,12 +310,11 @@ void AssignmentClient::handleAuthenticationRequest() {
 }
 
 void AssignmentClient::assignmentCompleted() {
-
     // we expect that to be here the previous assignment has completely cleaned up
     assert(_currentAssignment.isNull());
 
-    // reset our current assignment pointer to NULL now that it has been deleted
-    _currentAssignment = NULL;
+    // reset our current assignment pointer to null now that it has been deleted
+    _currentAssignment = nullptr;
 
     // reset the logging target to the the CHILD_TARGET_NAME
     LogHandler::getInstance().setTargetName(ASSIGNMENT_CLIENT_TARGET_NAME);
@@ -330,4 +330,6 @@ void AssignmentClient::assignmentCompleted() {
     nodeList->setOwnerType(NodeType::Unassigned);
     nodeList->reset();
     nodeList->resetNodeInterestSet();
+    
+    _isAssigned = false;
 }
diff --git a/assignment-client/src/AssignmentClient.h b/assignment-client/src/AssignmentClient.h
index 9d2c816861..9d7591f931 100644
--- a/assignment-client/src/AssignmentClient.h
+++ b/assignment-client/src/AssignmentClient.h
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ private:
 
     Assignment _requestAssignment;
     QPointer<ThreadedAssignment> _currentAssignment;
+    bool _isAssigned { false };
     QString _assignmentServerHostname;
     HifiSockAddr _assignmentServerSocket;
     QTimer _requestTimer; // timer for requesting and assignment
diff --git a/assignment-client/src/messages/MessagesMixer.cpp b/assignment-client/src/messages/MessagesMixer.cpp
index 99798b2d4f..d3662f3fb5 100644
--- a/assignment-client/src/messages/MessagesMixer.cpp
+++ b/assignment-client/src/messages/MessagesMixer.cpp
@@ -128,30 +128,7 @@ void MessagesMixer::run() {
 
     auto nodeList = DependencyManager::get<NodeList>();
     nodeList->addNodeTypeToInterestSet(NodeType::Agent);
-
-    // wait until we have the domain-server settings, otherwise we bail
-    DomainHandler& domainHandler = nodeList->getDomainHandler();
-
-    qDebug() << "Waiting for domain settings from domain-server.";
-
-    // block until we get the settingsRequestComplete signal
-    QEventLoop loop;
-    connect(&domainHandler, &DomainHandler::settingsReceived, &loop, &QEventLoop::quit);
-    connect(&domainHandler, &DomainHandler::settingsReceiveFail, &loop, &QEventLoop::quit);
-    domainHandler.requestDomainSettings();
-    loop.exec();
-
-    if (domainHandler.getSettingsObject().isEmpty()) {
-        qDebug() << "Failed to retreive settings object from domain-server. Bailing on assignment.";
-        setFinished(true);
-        return;
-    }
-
-    // parse the settings to pull out the values we need
-    parseDomainServerSettings(domainHandler.getSettingsObject());
-}
-
-void MessagesMixer::parseDomainServerSettings(const QJsonObject& domainSettings) {
-    // TODO - if we want options, parse them here...
-    const QString MESSAGES_MIXER_SETTINGS_KEY = "messages_mixer";
+    
+    // The messages-mixer currently does currently have any domain settings. If it did, they would be
+    // synchronously grabbed here.
 }
diff --git a/assignment-client/src/messages/MessagesMixer.h b/assignment-client/src/messages/MessagesMixer.h
index 12667bcc1b..65419a8ca6 100644
--- a/assignment-client/src/messages/MessagesMixer.h
+++ b/assignment-client/src/messages/MessagesMixer.h
@@ -35,8 +35,6 @@ private slots:
     void handleMessagesUnsubscribe(QSharedPointer<NLPacketList> packetList, SharedNodePointer senderNode);
 
 private:
-    void parseDomainServerSettings(const QJsonObject& domainSettings);
-
     QHash<QString,QSet<QUuid>> _channelSubscribers;
 };
 
diff --git a/assignment-client/src/octree/OctreeServer.cpp b/assignment-client/src/octree/OctreeServer.cpp
index ad3df11474..84749bd975 100644
--- a/assignment-client/src/octree/OctreeServer.cpp
+++ b/assignment-client/src/octree/OctreeServer.cpp
@@ -953,7 +953,6 @@ bool OctreeServer::readConfiguration() {
 
     if (domainHandler.getSettingsObject().isEmpty()) {
         qDebug() << "Failed to retreive settings object from domain-server. Bailing on assignment.";
-        setFinished(true);
         return false;
     }
 
@@ -1086,12 +1085,16 @@ void OctreeServer::run() {
     auto nodeList = DependencyManager::get<NodeList>();
     nodeList->setOwnerType(getMyNodeType());
 
-
     // use common init to setup common timers and logging
     commonInit(getMyLoggingServerTargetName(), getMyNodeType());
+    
+    // we need to ask the DS about agents so we can ping/reply with them
+    nodeList->addNodeTypeToInterestSet(NodeType::Agent);
 
     // read the configuration from either the payload or the domain server configuration
     if (!readConfiguration()) {
+        qDebug() << "OctreeServer bailing on run since readConfiguration has failed.";
+        setFinished(true);
         return; // bailing on run, because readConfiguration failed
     }
 
@@ -1100,10 +1103,6 @@ void OctreeServer::run() {
     connect(nodeList.data(), SIGNAL(nodeAdded(SharedNodePointer)), SLOT(nodeAdded(SharedNodePointer)));
     connect(nodeList.data(), SIGNAL(nodeKilled(SharedNodePointer)), SLOT(nodeKilled(SharedNodePointer)));
 
-
-    // we need to ask the DS about agents so we can ping/reply with them
-    nodeList->addNodeTypeToInterestSet(NodeType::Agent);
-
 #ifndef WIN32
     setvbuf(stdout, NULL, _IOLBF, 0);
 #endif