diff --git a/arduino-ide-extension/src/browser/language/arduino-language-client-contribution.ts b/arduino-ide-extension/src/browser/language/arduino-language-client-contribution.ts
index 774665b8..dd2176c6 100644
--- a/arduino-ide-extension/src/browser/language/arduino-language-client-contribution.ts
+++ b/arduino-ide-extension/src/browser/language/arduino-language-client-contribution.ts
@@ -1,10 +1,8 @@
 import { injectable, inject, postConstruct } from 'inversify';
-import { BaseLanguageClientContribution, NotificationType } from '@theia/languages/lib/browser';
+import { BaseLanguageClientContribution } from '@theia/languages/lib/browser';
 import { BoardsServiceClientImpl } from '../boards/boards-service-client-impl';
 import { BoardsConfig } from '../boards/boards-config';
 
-const SELECTED_BOARD = new NotificationType<BoardsConfig.Config, void>('arduino/selectedBoard');
-
 @injectable()
 export class ArduinoLanguageClientContribution extends BaseLanguageClientContribution {
 
@@ -19,27 +17,24 @@ export class ArduinoLanguageClientContribution extends BaseLanguageClientContrib
         return ['**/*.ino'];
     }
 
-    private cancelationToken?: CancelationToken;
-
     @inject(BoardsServiceClientImpl)
     protected readonly boardsServiceClient: BoardsServiceClientImpl;
 
+    protected boardConfig?: BoardsConfig.Config;
+
     @postConstruct()
     protected init() {
         this.boardsServiceClient.onBoardsConfigChanged(this.selectBoard.bind(this));
     }
 
-    async selectBoard(config: BoardsConfig.Config): Promise<void> {
-        // The board configuration may change multiple times before the language client is activated.
-        const token: CancelationToken = {};
-        this.cancelationToken = token;
-        const lc = await this.languageClient;
-        if (this.cancelationToken === token) {
-            lc.sendNotification(SELECTED_BOARD, config);
-            this.cancelationToken = undefined;
-        }
+    selectBoard(config: BoardsConfig.Config): void {
+        this.boardConfig = config;
+        // Force a restart to send the new board config to the language server
+        this.restart();
+    }
+
+    protected getStartParameters(): BoardsConfig.Config | undefined {
+        return this.boardConfig;
     }
 
 }
-
-type CancelationToken = {}
diff --git a/arduino-ide-extension/src/node/arduino-backend-module.ts b/arduino-ide-extension/src/node/arduino-backend-module.ts
index 02e480fc..45dadb82 100644
--- a/arduino-ide-extension/src/node/arduino-backend-module.ts
+++ b/arduino-ide-extension/src/node/arduino-backend-module.ts
@@ -46,7 +46,8 @@ export default new ContainerModule((bind, unbind, isBound, rebind) => {
     bind(BackendApplicationContribution).toService(ArduinoDaemon);
 
     // Language server
-    bind(LanguageServerContribution).to(ArduinoLanguageServerContribution).inSingletonScope();
+    bind(ArduinoLanguageServerContribution).toSelf().inSingletonScope();
+    bind(LanguageServerContribution).toService(ArduinoLanguageServerContribution);
 
     // Library service
     const libraryServiceConnectionModule = ConnectionContainerModule.create(({ bind, bindBackendService }) => {
@@ -64,10 +65,9 @@ export default new ContainerModule((bind, unbind, isBound, rebind) => {
     });
     bind(ConnectionContainerModule).toConstantValue(sketchesServiceConnectionModule);
     
+    // Config service
     bind(ConfigServiceImpl).toSelf().inSingletonScope();
     bind(ConfigService).toService(ConfigServiceImpl);
-    
-    // Config service
     const configServiceConnectionModule = ConnectionContainerModule.create(({ bind, bindBackendService }) => {
         bindBackendService(ConfigServicePath, ConfigService);
     });
diff --git a/arduino-ide-extension/src/node/language/arduino-language-server-contribution.ts b/arduino-ide-extension/src/node/language/arduino-language-server-contribution.ts
index 1e6d44e9..3369e32e 100644
--- a/arduino-ide-extension/src/node/language/arduino-language-server-contribution.ts
+++ b/arduino-ide-extension/src/node/language/arduino-language-server-contribution.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@ import * as which from 'which';
 import * as os from 'os';
 import { join, delimiter } from 'path';
 import { injectable } from 'inversify';
-import { BaseLanguageServerContribution, IConnection } from '@theia/languages/lib/node';
+import { BaseLanguageServerContribution, IConnection, LanguageServerStartOptions } from '@theia/languages/lib/node';
+import { Board } from '../../common/protocol/boards-service';
 
 @injectable()
 export class ArduinoLanguageServerContribution extends BaseLanguageServerContribution {
@@ -22,12 +23,21 @@ export class ArduinoLanguageServerContribution extends BaseLanguageServerContrib
         return this.description.name;
     }
 
-    async start(clientConnection: IConnection): Promise<void> {
+    async start(clientConnection: IConnection, options: LanguageServerStartOptions): Promise<void> {
         const clangd = await this.resolveExecutable('clangd');
         const languageServer = await this.resolveExecutable('arduino-language-server');
         const cli = await this.resolveExecutable('arduino-cli');
         // Add '-log' argument to enable logging to files
         const args: string[] = ['-clangd', clangd, '-cli', cli];
+        if (options.parameters && options.parameters.selectedBoard) {
+            const board = options.parameters.selectedBoard as Board;
+            if (board.fqbn) {
+                args.push('-fqbn', board.fqbn);
+            }
+            if (board.name) {
+                args.push('-board-name', `"${board.name}"`);
+            }
+        }
         console.log(`Starting language server ${languageServer} ${args.join(' ')}`);
         const serverConnection = await this.createProcessStreamConnectionAsync(languageServer, args);
         this.forward(clientConnection, serverConnection);