diff --git a/autoload/youcompleteme.vim b/autoload/youcompleteme.vim
index 0c7fc2e6..b09c4d38 100644
--- a/autoload/youcompleteme.vim
+++ b/autoload/youcompleteme.vim
@@ -30,6 +30,10 @@ let s:pollers = {
       \   'file_parse_response': {
       \     'id': -1,
       \     'wait_milliseconds': 100
+      \   },
+      \   'server_ready': {
+      \     'id': -1,
+      \     'wait_milliseconds': 100
       \   }
       \ }
 
@@ -101,13 +105,11 @@ function! youcompleteme#Enable()
     autocmd CompleteDone * call s:OnCompleteDone()
   augroup END
 
-  " The FileType event is not triggered for the first loaded file. However, we
-  " don't directly call the s:OnFileTypeSet function because it would send
-  " requests that can't succeed as the server is not ready yet and would slow
-  " down startup.
-  if s:AllowedToCompleteInCurrentBuffer()
-    call s:SetCompleteFunc()
-  endif
+  " The FileType event is not triggered for the first loaded file. We wait until
+  " the server is ready to manually run the s:OnFileTypeSet function.
+  let s:pollers.server_ready.id = timer_start(
+        \ s:pollers.server_ready.wait_milliseconds,
+        \ function( 's:PollServerReady' ) )
 endfunction
 
 
@@ -457,25 +459,24 @@ function! s:OnBufferUnload()
 endfunction
 
 
+function! s:PollServerReady( timer_id )
+  if !s:Pyeval( 'ycm_state.IsServerReady()' )
+    let s:pollers.server_ready.id = timer_start(
+          \ s:pollers.server_ready.wait_milliseconds,
+          \ function( 's:PollServerReady' ) )
+    return
+  endif
+
+  call s:OnFileTypeSet()
+endfunction
+
+
 function! s:OnFileReadyToParse( ... )
   " Accepts an optional parameter that is either 0 or 1. If 1, send a
   " FileReadyToParse event notification, whether the buffer has changed or not;
   " effectively forcing a parse of the buffer. Default is 0.
   let force_parsing = a:0 > 0 && a:1
 
-  if s:Pyeval( 'ycm_state.ServerBecomesReady()' )
-    " Server was not ready until now and could not parse previous requests for
-    " the current buffer. We need to send them again.
-    exec s:python_command "ycm_state.OnBufferVisit()"
-    exec s:python_command "ycm_state.OnFileReadyToParse()"
-    " Setting the omnifunc requires us to ask the server if it has a native
-    " semantic completer for the current buffer's filetype. Since we only set it
-    " when entering a buffer or changing the filetype, we try to set it again
-    " now that the server is ready.
-    call s:SetOmnicompleteFunc()
-    return
-  endif
-
   " We only want to send a new FileReadyToParse event notification if the buffer
   " has changed since the last time we sent one, or if forced.
   if force_parsing || b:changedtick != get( b:, 'ycm_changedtick', -1 )
@@ -589,8 +590,6 @@ function! s:OnInsertEnter()
   endif
 
   let s:old_cursor_position = []
-
-  call s:OnFileReadyToParse()
 endfunction
 
 
@@ -756,6 +755,10 @@ endfunction
 
 function! s:RestartServer()
   exec s:python_command "ycm_state.RestartServer()"
+  call timer_stop( s:pollers.server_ready.id )
+  let s:pollers.server_ready.id = timer_start(
+        \ s:pollers.server_ready.wait_milliseconds,
+        \ function( 's:PollServerReady' ) )
 endfunction
 
 
diff --git a/python/ycm/youcompleteme.py b/python/ycm/youcompleteme.py
index d584c926..08c4d335 100644
--- a/python/ycm/youcompleteme.py
+++ b/python/ycm/youcompleteme.py
@@ -223,6 +223,14 @@ class YouCompleteMe( object ):
     return return_code is None
 
 
+  def IsServerReady( self ):
+    if not self._server_is_ready_with_cache and self.IsServerAlive():
+      with HandleServerException( display = False ):
+        self._server_is_ready_with_cache = BaseRequest.GetDataFromHandler(
+            'ready' )
+    return self._server_is_ready_with_cache
+
+
   def _NotifyUserIfServerCrashed( self ):
     if self._user_notified_about_crash or self.IsServerAlive():
       return
@@ -346,15 +354,6 @@ class YouCompleteMe( object ):
              self.NativeFiletypeCompletionAvailable() )
 
 
-  def ServerBecomesReady( self ):
-    if not self._server_is_ready_with_cache:
-      with HandleServerException( display = False ):
-        self._server_is_ready_with_cache = BaseRequest.GetDataFromHandler(
-            'ready' )
-      return self._server_is_ready_with_cache
-    return False
-
-
   def OnFileReadyToParse( self ):
     if not self.IsServerAlive():
       self._NotifyUserIfServerCrashed()
@@ -766,7 +765,7 @@ class YouCompleteMe( object ):
     if filetype in self._filetypes_with_keywords_loaded:
       return
 
-    if self._server_is_ready_with_cache:
+    if self.IsServerReady():
       self._filetypes_with_keywords_loaded.add( filetype )
     extra_data[ 'syntax_keywords' ] = list(
        syntax_parse.SyntaxKeywordsForCurrentBuffer() )