diff --git a/cmd/vidforward/Makefile b/cmd/vidforward/Makefile
index b6a14da5..5839ba13 100644
--- a/cmd/vidforward/Makefile
+++ b/cmd/vidforward/Makefile
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ USER := $(shell whoami)
 PATH := /usr/local/go/bin:$(PATH)
 BIN_NAME := vidforward
 BIN_DIR := /src/bitbucket.org/ausocean/av/cmd/$(BIN_NAME)
-RUN_SCRIPT_DIR := $(BIN_DIR)
+RUN_SCRIPT_DIR := $(BIN_DIR)/run.sh
 
 .SILENT:soft_copy_files
 .SILENT:hard_copy_files
@@ -11,12 +11,12 @@ RUN_SCRIPT_DIR := $(BIN_DIR)
 
 rebuild:
 	chmod +x run.sh
-	cd ../cmd/$(BIN_NAME); go build
+	go build -tags nocv,debug
 
 install: as_root soft_copy_files rebuild
 	@echo "Install complete"
 
-install_hard: as_root hard_copy_files set_mac rebuild
+install_hard: as_root hard_copy_files rebuild
 	@echo "Hard install complete"
 
 as_root:
diff --git a/cmd/vidforward/create_service.sh b/cmd/vidforward/create_service.sh
index 609d2de0..a219b480 100644
--- a/cmd/vidforward/create_service.sh
+++ b/cmd/vidforward/create_service.sh
@@ -15,6 +15,9 @@ run_script_dir=$1
 # This corresponds to the binary dir. e.g. /src/bitbucket.org/ausocean/av/cmd/vidforward.
 bin_dir=$2
 
+# This is the IP we'll run the host on.
+host=$(hostname -I | awk '{print $1}')
+
 # Get the bin name (assuming this is at the end of the bin_dir).
 bin_name=$(basename $bin_dir)
 
@@ -27,6 +30,8 @@ gopath_user=${arr_in[1]}
 # We can now form the gopath from the obtained user.
 gopath="/home/$gopath_user/go"
 
+echo "$gopath$run_script_dir $gopath_user $bin_dir $host"
+
 # Here are the lines that will go into the rv.service file. We'll set the
 # ExecStart field as the GOPATH we've obtained + the passed run script dir.
 service="
@@ -34,8 +39,8 @@ service="
 Description=vidforward service for forwarding video to youtube
 
 [Service]
-Type=simple
-ExecStart=$gopath$run_script_dir $gopath_user $bin_dir
+Type=notify
+ExecStart=$gopath$bin_dir/vidforward -host $host
 WatchdogSec=30s
 Restart=on-failure
 
diff --git a/cmd/vidforward/file_test.go b/cmd/vidforward/file_test.go
index cc7083d3..891f241b 100644
--- a/cmd/vidforward/file_test.go
+++ b/cmd/vidforward/file_test.go
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@ LICENSE
   along with revid in gpl.txt. If not, see http://www.gnu.org/licenses.
 */
 
-
 package main
 
 import (
@@ -42,7 +41,7 @@ const (
 	testMAC = "78:90:AE:7B:2C:76"
 )
 
-func init(){
+func init() {
 	inTest = true
 }
 
@@ -203,17 +202,17 @@ func broadcastManagersEqual(m1, m2 broadcastManager) bool {
 }
 
 func broadcastMapsEqual(m1, m2 map[MAC]Broadcast) bool {
-	return mapsEqual(m1,m2,broadcastsEqual)
+	return mapsEqual(m1, m2, broadcastsEqual)
 }
 
 func slateExitSignalMapsEqual(m1, m2 map[MAC]chan struct{}) bool {
-	return mapsEqual(m1,m2,func(v1, v2 chan struct{}) bool {
-		return ((v1 == nil || v2 == nil ) && v1 == v2) || (v1 != nil && v2 != nil)
+	return mapsEqual(m1, m2, func(v1, v2 chan struct{}) bool {
+		return ((v1 == nil || v2 == nil) && v1 == v2) || (v1 != nil && v2 != nil)
 	})
 }
 
 func activeHandlersMapEqual(m1, m2 map[int]handlerInfo) bool {
-	return mapsEqual(m1,m2, func(v1, v2 handlerInfo) bool { return v1.name == v2.name })
+	return mapsEqual(m1, m2, func(v1, v2 handlerInfo) bool { return v1.name == v2.name })
 }
 
 // mapsEqual is a generic function to check that any two maps are equal based on
@@ -224,7 +223,7 @@ func mapsEqual[K comparable, V any](m1, m2 map[K]V, cmp func(v1, v2 V) bool) boo
 	}
 	for k, v1 := range m1 {
 		v2, ok := m2[k]
-		if !ok || !cmp(v1,v2) {
+		if !ok || !cmp(v1, v2) {
 			return false
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/cmd/vidforward/notifier.go b/cmd/vidforward/notifier.go
index cb0d87ea..0eed5532 100644
--- a/cmd/vidforward/notifier.go
+++ b/cmd/vidforward/notifier.go
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ type watchdogNotifier struct {
 	termCallback     func()
 	log              logging.Logger
 	mu               sync.Mutex
+	haveRun          bool
 }
 
 // handlerInfo keeps track of a handlers name (for any logging purposes) and
@@ -65,18 +66,7 @@ type handlerInfo struct {
 // and termination callback that is called if a SIGINT or SIGTERM signal is
 // received. Recommended use of this is an attempted state save.
 func newWatchdogNotifier(l logging.Logger, termCallback func()) (*watchdogNotifier, error) {
-	var (
-		interval = 1 * time.Minute
-		err      error
-	)
-
-	if notifyWatchdog {
-		const clearEnvVars = false
-		interval, err = daemon.SdWatchdogEnabled(clearEnvVars)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
-		}
-	}
+	interval := 1 * time.Minute
 
 	return &watchdogNotifier{
 		activeHandlers:   make(map[int]handlerInfo),
@@ -93,7 +83,7 @@ func newWatchdogNotifier(l logging.Logger, termCallback func()) (*watchdogNotifi
 // notify also starts a routine to monitor for any SIGINT or SIGTERM, upon which
 // a callback that's provided at initialisation is called.
 func (n *watchdogNotifier) notify() {
-	notifyTicker := time.NewTicker(n.watchdogInterval / 2)
+	notifyTicker := time.NewTicker(n.watchdogInterval / 2.0)
 
 	go func() {
 		sigs := make(chan os.Signal, 1)
@@ -116,6 +106,30 @@ func (n *watchdogNotifier) notify() {
 			continue
 		}
 
+		if !n.haveRun {
+			n.haveRun = true
+
+			const clearEnvVars = false
+			ok, err := daemon.SdNotify(clearEnvVars, daemon.SdNotifyReady)
+			if err != nil {
+				n.log.Fatal("unexpected watchog notify read error", "error", err)
+			}
+
+			if !ok {
+				n.log.Fatal("watchdog notification not supported")
+			}
+
+			n.watchdogInterval, err = daemon.SdWatchdogEnabled(clearEnvVars)
+			if err != nil {
+				n.log.Fatal("unexpected watchdog error", "error", err)
+			}
+
+			if n.watchdogInterval == 0 {
+				n.log.Fatal("Watchdog not enabled or this is the wrong PID")
+			}
+
+		}
+
 		// If this fails for any reason it indicates a systemd service configuration
 		// issue, and therefore programmer error, so do fatal log to cause crash.
 		supported, err := daemon.SdNotify(false, daemon.SdNotifyWatchdog)
diff --git a/cmd/vidforward/run.sh b/cmd/vidforward/run.sh
deleted file mode 100644
index c10ab639..00000000
--- a/cmd/vidforward/run.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,47 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash -e
-# This script launches vidforward. This is used by the service file.
-
-# Check that we have the correct number of arguments passed.
-if [ $# -ne 2 ]; then
-  echo "incorrect number of arguments, expected gopath user and binary directory"
-  exit 1
-fi
-
-# This is the user in the GOPATH e.g. for /home/foo/go the user is foo.
-gopath_user=$1
-
-# This is the dir of the binary from the GOPATH e.g. /src/bitbucket.org/ausocean/av/cmd/vidforward.
-bin_dir=$2
-
-# We'll get the bin name from the bin dir (assuming this is same as the bin dir name).
-bin_name=$(basename $bin_dir)
-
-# the following required directories _should_ already exist
-if [ ! -d /var/log/vidforward ]; then
-  sudo mkdir /var/log/vidforward
-  chmod guo+rwx /var/log/vidforward
-fi
-
-# show IP addresses
-echo Our IP addresses:
-sudo ip addr show | grep inet
-
-# capture stdout and stderr to a secondary log file (just in case)
-exec 2> /var/log/vidforward/stream.log
-exec 1>&2
-
-# Now set all required variables.
-HOME=/home/$gopath_user
-GOPATH=$HOME/go
-VIDFORWARD_PATH=$GOPATH$bin_dir
-PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/go/bin:$VIDFORWARD_PATH
-cd $VIDFORWARD_PATH
-sudo -u $gopath_user HOME=$HOME GOPATH=$GOPATH PATH=$PATH ./$bin_name
-if [ $? -eq 0 ]
-then
-  echo "Successfully exited vidforward"
-  exit 0
-else
-  echo "vidforward exited with code: $?" >&2
-  exit 1
-fi