diff --git a/server/src/ledgrab/main.py b/server/src/ledgrab/main.py
index 5a39a60..54bd8e3 100644
--- a/server/src/ledgrab/main.py
+++ b/server/src/ledgrab/main.py
@@ -394,52 +394,34 @@ async def lifespan(app: FastAPI):
     # where no CRUD happened during the session.
     _save_all_stores()
 
-    # Stop Home Assistant manager
-    try:
-        await ha_manager.shutdown()
-    except Exception as e:
-        logger.error(f"Error stopping Home Assistant manager: {e}")
-
-    # Stop weather manager
-    try:
-        weather_manager.shutdown()
-    except Exception as e:
-        logger.error(f"Error stopping weather manager: {e}")
-
-    # Stop update checker
-    try:
-        await update_service.stop()
-    except Exception as e:
-        logger.error(f"Error stopping update checker: {e}")
-
-    # Stop auto-backup engine
-    try:
-        await auto_backup_engine.stop()
-    except Exception as e:
-        logger.error(f"Error stopping auto-backup engine: {e}")
-
-    # Stop automation engine first (deactivates automation-managed scenes)
+    # Stop automation engine first so it can no longer activate scenes that
+    # would talk to processors mid-shutdown.
     try:
         await automation_engine.stop()
         logger.info("Stopped automation engine")
     except Exception as e:
         logger.error(f"Error stopping automation engine: {e}")
 
-    # Stop discovery watcher (before health monitor stop so events still flow)
+    # Stop discovery watcher and OS notification listener so they stop
+    # firing events into a shutting-down processor manager.
     if discovery_watcher is not None:
         try:
             await discovery_watcher.stop()
         except Exception as e:
             logger.error(f"Error stopping discovery watcher: {e}")
 
-    # Stop OS notification listener
     try:
         os_notif_listener.stop()
     except Exception as e:
         logger.error(f"Error stopping OS notification listener: {e}")
 
-    # Stop all processing.
-    # The shutdown action setting controls whether per-device restore
+    # Stop all processing BEFORE tearing down ha_manager / mqtt_manager /
+    # mqtt_service. HA-light targets need a live HA runtime to apply their
+    # stop_action (turn_off / restore), and MQTT-output devices need a live
+    # MQTT broker connection to send restore frames. Shutting those down
+    # first silently turns "stop_targets" into a no-op for those targets.
+    #
+    # The shutdown_action setting controls whether per-device restore
     # frames are sent: "stop_targets" (default) runs the normal stop
     # sequence; "nothing" cancels capture tasks so the LEDs freeze on
     # their last frame.
@@ -458,18 +440,38 @@ async def lifespan(app: FastAPI):
     except Exception as e:
         logger.error(f"Error stopping processors: {e}")
 
-    # Stop MQTT manager (entity-based broker connections)
+    # Now safe to tear down the connections that processors depended on.
+    try:
+        await ha_manager.shutdown()
+    except Exception as e:
+        logger.error(f"Error stopping Home Assistant manager: {e}")
+
     try:
         await mqtt_manager.shutdown()
     except Exception as e:
         logger.error(f"Error stopping MQTT manager: {e}")
 
-    # Stop MQTT service (legacy global connection)
     try:
         await mqtt_service.stop()
     except Exception as e:
         logger.error(f"Error stopping MQTT service: {e}")
 
+    # Independent services — order doesn't matter relative to processors.
+    try:
+        weather_manager.shutdown()
+    except Exception as e:
+        logger.error(f"Error stopping weather manager: {e}")
+
+    try:
+        await update_service.stop()
+    except Exception as e:
+        logger.error(f"Error stopping update checker: {e}")
+
+    try:
+        await auto_backup_engine.stop()
+    except Exception as e:
+        logger.error(f"Error stopping auto-backup engine: {e}")
+
 
 # Create FastAPI application
 app = FastAPI(