diff --git a/desktop/flipper-ui-browser/src/initializeRenderHost.tsx b/desktop/flipper-ui-browser/src/initializeRenderHost.tsx
index 38f22bee3..75bd1b3f0 100644
--- a/desktop/flipper-ui-browser/src/initializeRenderHost.tsx
+++ b/desktop/flipper-ui-browser/src/initializeRenderHost.tsx
@@ -61,8 +61,11 @@ export function initializeRenderHost(
     async requirePlugin(path) {
       // TODO: use `await import(path)`?
       const source = await flipperServer.exec('plugin-source', path);
-      // eslint-disable-next-line no-eval
-      return eval(source);
+      // eslint-disable-next-line no-new-func
+      const cjsLoader = new Function('module', source);
+      const theModule = {exports: {}};
+      cjsLoader(theModule);
+      return theModule.exports;
     },
     getStaticResourceUrl(path): string {
       // the 'static' folder is mounted as static middleware in Express at the root
diff --git a/desktop/scripts/build-flipper-server-release.ts b/desktop/scripts/build-flipper-server-release.ts
index 0021ffa50..e7cfa9b81 100644
--- a/desktop/scripts/build-flipper-server-release.ts
+++ b/desktop/scripts/build-flipper-server-release.ts
@@ -46,6 +46,11 @@ const argv = yargs
       type: 'boolean',
       default: true,
     },
+    'enabled-plugins': {
+      describe:
+        'Load only specified plugins and skip loading rest. This is useful when you are developing only one or few plugins. Plugins to load can be specified as a comma-separated list with either plugin id or name used as identifier, e.g. "--enabled-plugins network,inspector". The flag is not provided by default which means that all plugins loaded.',
+      type: 'array',
+    },
   })
   .version('DEV')
   .help()
@@ -76,6 +81,10 @@ if (argv['public-build'] === true) {
   delete process.env.FLIPPER_FORCE_PUBLIC_BUILD;
 }
 
+if (argv['enabled-plugins'] !== undefined) {
+  process.env.FLIPPER_ENABLED_PLUGINS = argv['enabled-plugins'].join(',');
+}
+
 (async () => {
   console.log(`⚙️  Starting build-flipper-server-release`);
 
diff --git a/desktop/static/index.web.html b/desktop/static/index.web.html
index 4448c9dab..f3883d86e 100644
--- a/desktop/static/index.web.html
+++ b/desktop/static/index.web.html
@@ -57,26 +57,12 @@
 
     </div>
 
-    <script src="/socket.io/socket.io.js"></script>
-
     <script>
       (function() {
         // FIXME: needed to make Metro work
         window.global = window;
         let suppressErrors = false;
 
-        const socket = io(location.origin);
-
-        socket.on('refresh', () => {
-          location.reload();
-        });
-
-        socket.on('hasErrors', (html) => {
-          openError(html);
-          suppressErrors = true;
-        });
-
-
         function openError(text) {
           if (suppressErrors) {
             return;