diff --git a/desktop/flipper-frontend-core/package.json b/desktop/flipper-frontend-core/package.json
index 35a82cb66..5ce9753a5 100644
--- a/desktop/flipper-frontend-core/package.json
+++ b/desktop/flipper-frontend-core/package.json
@@ -16,7 +16,8 @@
     "immer": "^9.0.12",
     "js-base64": "^3.7.2",
     "p-map": "^5.3.0",
-    "semver": "^7.3.7"
+    "semver": "^7.3.7",
+    "reconnecting-websocket": "^4.4.0"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
     "flipper-test-utils": "0.0.0"
diff --git a/desktop/flipper-frontend-core/src/client/FlipperServerClient.tsx b/desktop/flipper-frontend-core/src/client/FlipperServerClient.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4b1d43f76
--- /dev/null
+++ b/desktop/flipper-frontend-core/src/client/FlipperServerClient.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,163 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright (c) Meta Platforms, Inc. and affiliates.
+ *
+ * This source code is licensed under the MIT license found in the
+ * LICENSE file in the root directory of this source tree.
+ *
+ * @format
+ */
+
+import EventEmitter from 'eventemitter3';
+import {
+  ExecWebSocketMessage,
+  FlipperServer,
+  ServerWebSocketMessage,
+} from 'flipper-common';
+import ReconnectingWebSocket from 'reconnecting-websocket';
+
+const CONNECTION_TIMEOUT = 30 * 1000;
+const EXEC_TIMOUT = 30 * 1000;
+
+export enum FlipperServerState {
+  CONNECTING,
+  CONNECTED,
+  DISCONNECTED,
+}
+
+export function createFlipperServer(
+  onStateChange: (state: FlipperServerState) => void,
+): Promise<FlipperServer> {
+  onStateChange(FlipperServerState.CONNECTING);
+
+  return new Promise<FlipperServer>((resolve, reject) => {
+    let initialConnectionTimeout: number | undefined = window.setTimeout(() => {
+      reject(
+        new Error('Failed to connect to flipper-server in a timely manner'),
+      );
+    }, CONNECTION_TIMEOUT);
+
+    const eventEmitter = new EventEmitter();
+
+    const socket = new ReconnectingWebSocket(`ws://${location.host}`);
+    const pendingRequests: Map<
+      number,
+      {
+        resolve: (data: any) => void;
+        reject: (data: any) => void;
+        timeout: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout>;
+      }
+    > = new Map();
+    let requestId = 0;
+    let connected = false;
+
+    socket.addEventListener('open', () => {
+      if (initialConnectionTimeout) {
+        resolve(flipperServer);
+        clearTimeout(initialConnectionTimeout);
+        initialConnectionTimeout = undefined;
+      }
+
+      onStateChange(FlipperServerState.CONNECTED);
+      connected = true;
+    });
+
+    socket.addEventListener('close', () => {
+      onStateChange(FlipperServerState.DISCONNECTED);
+      connected = false;
+      pendingRequests.forEach((r) =>
+        r.reject(new Error('flipper-server disconnected')),
+      );
+      pendingRequests.clear();
+    });
+
+    socket.addEventListener('message', ({data}) => {
+      const {event, payload} = JSON.parse(
+        data.toString(),
+      ) as ServerWebSocketMessage;
+
+      switch (event) {
+        case 'exec-response': {
+          console.debug('flipper-server: exec <<<', payload);
+          const entry = pendingRequests.get(payload.id);
+          if (!entry) {
+            console.warn(`Unknown request id `, payload.id);
+          } else {
+            pendingRequests.delete(payload.id);
+            clearTimeout(entry.timeout);
+            entry.resolve(payload.data);
+          }
+          break;
+        }
+        case 'exec-response-error': {
+          // TODO: Deserialize error
+          console.debug(
+            'flipper-server: exec <<< [SERVER ERROR]',
+            payload.id,
+            payload.data,
+          );
+          const entry = pendingRequests.get(payload.id);
+          if (!entry) {
+            console.warn(`flipper-server: Unknown request id `, payload.id);
+          } else {
+            pendingRequests.delete(payload.id);
+            clearTimeout(entry.timeout);
+            entry.reject(payload.data);
+          }
+          break;
+        }
+        case 'server-event': {
+          eventEmitter.emit(payload.event, payload.data);
+          break;
+        }
+        default: {
+          console.warn(
+            'flipper-server: received unknown message type',
+            data.toString(),
+          );
+        }
+      }
+    });
+
+    const flipperServer: FlipperServer = {
+      async connect() {},
+      close() {},
+      exec(command, ...args): any {
+        if (connected) {
+          const id = ++requestId;
+          return new Promise<any>((resolve, reject) => {
+            console.debug('flipper-server: exec >>>', id, command, args);
+
+            pendingRequests.set(id, {
+              resolve,
+              reject,
+              timeout: setInterval(() => {
+                pendingRequests.delete(id);
+                reject(
+                  new Error(`flipper-server: timeout for command '${command}'`),
+                );
+              }, EXEC_TIMOUT),
+            });
+
+            const execMessage = {
+              event: 'exec',
+              payload: {
+                id,
+                command,
+                args,
+              },
+            } as ExecWebSocketMessage;
+            socket.send(JSON.stringify(execMessage));
+          });
+        } else {
+          throw new Error('Not connected to Flipper server');
+        }
+      },
+      on(event, callback) {
+        eventEmitter.on(event, callback);
+      },
+      off(event, callback) {
+        eventEmitter.off(event, callback);
+      },
+    };
+  });
+}
diff --git a/desktop/flipper-frontend-core/src/index.tsx b/desktop/flipper-frontend-core/src/index.tsx
index 27483055e..2beca1acb 100644
--- a/desktop/flipper-frontend-core/src/index.tsx
+++ b/desktop/flipper-frontend-core/src/index.tsx
@@ -14,3 +14,4 @@ export {default as BaseDevice} from './devices/BaseDevice';
 export * from './globalObject';
 export * from './plugins';
 export * from './flipperLibImplementation';
+export * from './client/FlipperServerClient';
diff --git a/desktop/flipper-ui-browser/package.json b/desktop/flipper-ui-browser/package.json
index 47a7c2f58..586684606 100644
--- a/desktop/flipper-ui-browser/package.json
+++ b/desktop/flipper-ui-browser/package.json
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
   "devDependencies": {
     "eventemitter3": "^4.0.7",
     "flipper-common": "0.0.0",
+    "flipper-frontend-core": "0.0.0",
     "flipper-ui-core": "0.0.0",
     "invariant": "^2.2.4",
     "metro-runtime": "^0.70.2",
diff --git a/desktop/flipper-ui-browser/src/index.tsx b/desktop/flipper-ui-browser/src/index.tsx
index 4c1f86c6f..4001f8fff 100644
--- a/desktop/flipper-ui-browser/src/index.tsx
+++ b/desktop/flipper-ui-browser/src/index.tsx
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 
 import {getLogger, Logger, setLoggerInstance} from 'flipper-common';
 import {initializeRenderHost} from './initializeRenderHost';
-import {createFlipperServer} from './flipperServerConnection';
+import {createFlipperServer, FlipperServerState} from 'flipper-frontend-core';
 
 document.getElementById('root')!.innerText = 'flipper-ui-browser started';
 
@@ -27,7 +27,21 @@ async function start() {
   const logger = createDelegatedLogger();
   setLoggerInstance(logger);
 
-  const flipperServer = await createFlipperServer();
+  const flipperServer = await createFlipperServer(
+    (state: FlipperServerState) => {
+      switch (state) {
+        case FlipperServerState.CONNECTING:
+          window.flipperShowError?.('Connecting to flipper-server...');
+          break;
+        case FlipperServerState.CONNECTED:
+          window?.flipperHideError?.();
+          break;
+        case FlipperServerState.DISCONNECTED:
+          window?.flipperShowError?.('Lost connection to flipper-server');
+          break;
+      }
+    },
+  );
 
   await flipperServer.connect();
   const flipperServerConfig = await flipperServer.exec('get-config');
diff --git a/desktop/flipper-ui-browser/tsconfig.json b/desktop/flipper-ui-browser/tsconfig.json
index b067590bd..c0f928036 100644
--- a/desktop/flipper-ui-browser/tsconfig.json
+++ b/desktop/flipper-ui-browser/tsconfig.json
@@ -10,6 +10,9 @@
     {
       "path": "../flipper-common"
     },
+    {
+      "path": "../flipper-frontend-core"
+    },
     {
       "path": "../flipper-ui-core"
     }