diff --git a/desktop/app/src/init.tsx b/desktop/app/src/init.tsx
index 002ba5027..dbd76b8e0 100644
--- a/desktop/app/src/init.tsx
+++ b/desktop/app/src/init.tsx
@@ -75,7 +75,13 @@ async function getKeytarModule(staticPath: string): Promise<KeytarModule> {
 
 async function getExternalServer(path: string) {
   const options = {
-    WebSocket: WS,
+    WebSocket: class WSWithUnixDomainSocketSupport extends WS {
+      constructor(url: string, protocols: string | string[]) {
+        // Flipper exports could be large, and we snd them over the wire
+        // Setting this limit fairly high (1GB) to allow any reasonable Flipper export to be loaded
+        super(url, protocols, {maxPayload: 1024 * 1024 * 1024});
+      }
+    },
   };
   const socket = new ReconnectingWebSocket(`ws+unix://${path}`, [], options);
   const server = await createFlipperServerWithSocket(