diff --git a/lib/bb/cooker.py b/lib/bb/cooker.py
index a416d2efe1..276e42eec2 100644
--- a/lib/bb/cooker.py
+++ b/lib/bb/cooker.py
@@ -531,6 +531,11 @@ def updateConfigOpts(self, options, environment):
         for o in options:
             if o in ['prefile', 'postfile']:
                 clean = False
+                server_val = getattr(self.configuration, "%s_server" % o)
+                if not options[o] and server_val:
+                    # restore value provided on server start
+                    setattr(self.configuration, o, server_val)
+                    continue
             setattr(self.configuration, o, options[o])
         for k in bb.utils.approved_variables():
             if k in environment and k not in self.configuration.env:
diff --git a/lib/bb/cookerdata.py b/lib/bb/cookerdata.py
index a3fa55256d..671c0cb0e2 100644
--- a/lib/bb/cookerdata.py
+++ b/lib/bb/cookerdata.py
@@ -129,6 +129,8 @@ def __init__(self):
         self.extra_assume_provided = []
         self.prefile = []
         self.postfile = []
+        self.prefile_server = []
+        self.postfile_server = []
         self.debug = 0
         self.cmd = None
         self.abort = True
diff --git a/lib/bb/main.py b/lib/bb/main.py
index 8762f7220a..c8530fc3d8 100755
--- a/lib/bb/main.py
+++ b/lib/bb/main.py
@@ -383,6 +383,13 @@ def bitbake_main(configParams, configuration):
         # Collect the feature set for the UI
         featureset = getattr(ui_module, "featureSet", [])
 
+    if configParams.server_only:
+        for param in ('prefile', 'postfile'):
+            value = getattr(configParams, param)
+            if value:
+                setattr(configuration, "%s_server" % param, value)
+                param = "%s_server" % param
+
     if not configParams.remote_server:
         # we start a server with a given configuration
         server = start_server(servermodule, configParams, configuration, featureset)