diff --git a/DevCycle.SDK.Server.Common/API/DevCycleBaseClient.cs b/DevCycle.SDK.Server.Common/API/DevCycleBaseClient.cs
index 8af1d7b..31cba2a 100644
--- a/DevCycle.SDK.Server.Common/API/DevCycleBaseClient.cs
+++ b/DevCycle.SDK.Server.Common/API/DevCycleBaseClient.cs
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 using System;
 using System.Collections.Generic;
 using System.Net;
+using System.Threading;
 using System.Threading.Tasks;
 using DevCycle.SDK.Server.Common.Exception;
 using DevCycle.SDK.Server.Common.Model;
@@ -22,6 +23,7 @@ public abstract class DevCycleBaseClient : IDevCycleClient
         public abstract string Platform();
         public abstract IDevCycleApiClient GetApiClient();
         public abstract DevCycleProvider GetOpenFeatureProvider();
+        public virtual Task InitializeAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken = default) => Task.CompletedTask;
         public abstract Task<Dictionary<string, Feature>> AllFeatures(DevCycleUser user);
         public abstract Task<Dictionary<string, ReadOnlyVariable<object>>> AllVariables(DevCycleUser user);
         public abstract Task<Variable<T>> Variable<T>(DevCycleUser user, string key, T defaultValue);
diff --git a/DevCycle.SDK.Server.Common/API/DevCycleProvider.cs b/DevCycle.SDK.Server.Common/API/DevCycleProvider.cs
index 79e19c3..0013b01 100644
--- a/DevCycle.SDK.Server.Common/API/DevCycleProvider.cs
+++ b/DevCycle.SDK.Server.Common/API/DevCycleProvider.cs
@@ -30,6 +30,11 @@ public override Metadata GetMetadata()
             return new Metadata(Client.SdkPlatform);
         }
 
+        public override Task InitializeAsync(EvaluationContext context, CancellationToken cancellationToken = default)
+        {
+            return Client.InitializeAsync(cancellationToken);
+        }
+
         public override async Task<ResolutionDetails<bool>> ResolveBooleanValueAsync(string flagKey, bool defaultValue, EvaluationContext context = null,
             CancellationToken cancellationToken = new CancellationToken())
         {
diff --git a/DevCycle.SDK.Server.Local.MSTests/DevCycleTest.cs b/DevCycle.SDK.Server.Local.MSTests/DevCycleTest.cs
index 7d4ba83..a276a47 100644
--- a/DevCycle.SDK.Server.Local.MSTests/DevCycleTest.cs
+++ b/DevCycle.SDK.Server.Local.MSTests/DevCycleTest.cs
@@ -624,5 +624,15 @@ public async Task EvalHooks_MultipleHooksInOptions()
             Assert.AreEqual(1, hook2.FinallyCallCount);
             Assert.IsNotNull(result);
         }
+
+        [TestMethod]
+        public async Task TestOpenFeatureProviderWaitsForClientInit()
+        {
+            using var dvcClient = DevCycleTestClient.getTestClient();
+            await OpenFeature.Api.Instance.SetProviderAsync(dvcClient.GetOpenFeatureProvider());
+            var ctx = EvaluationContext.Builder().Set("user_id", "j_test").Build();
+            var result = await OpenFeature.Api.Instance.GetClient().GetBooleanValueAsync("test", false, ctx);
+            Assert.IsTrue(result);
+        }
     }
 }
diff --git a/DevCycle.SDK.Server.Local/Api/DevCycleLocalClient.cs b/DevCycle.SDK.Server.Local/Api/DevCycleLocalClient.cs
index 9cda3ec..1c579fb 100644
--- a/DevCycle.SDK.Server.Local/Api/DevCycleLocalClient.cs
+++ b/DevCycle.SDK.Server.Local/Api/DevCycleLocalClient.cs
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 using System;
 using System.Collections.Generic;
+using System.Threading;
 using System.Threading.Tasks;
 using System.Timers;
+using SystemTimer = System.Timers.Timer;
 using DevCycle.SDK.Server.Common.API;
 using DevCycle.SDK.Server.Common.Model;
 using DevCycle.SDK.Server.Common.Model.Local;
@@ -73,8 +75,9 @@ public class DevCycleLocalClient : DevCycleBaseClient
         private readonly EventQueue eventQueue;
         private readonly ILocalBucketing localBucketing;
         private readonly ILogger logger;
-        private readonly Timer timer;
+        private readonly SystemTimer timer;
         private bool closing;
+        private readonly Task initializeTask;
         private DevCycleProvider OpenFeatureProvider { get; }
         private readonly EvalHooksRunner evalHooksRunner;
 
@@ -103,11 +106,14 @@ internal DevCycleLocalClient(
                 logger.LogWarning("The config CDN slug is being overriden, please ensure to update the config to v2 according to the config CDN updates documentation.");
 
             }
-            timer = new Timer(dvcLocalOptions.EventFlushIntervalMs);
+            timer = new SystemTimer(dvcLocalOptions.EventFlushIntervalMs);
             timer.Elapsed += OnTimedEvent;
             timer.AutoReset = true;
             timer.Enabled = true;
-            Task.Run(async delegate { await this.configManager.InitializeConfigAsync(); });
+            // Dispatched via Task.Run so the initial config fetch never continues on the
+            // constructing thread's SynchronizationContext. Callers that block on
+            // InitializeAsync from a UI or legacy ASP.NET thread would otherwise deadlock.
+            initializeTask = Task.Run(() => this.configManager.InitializeConfigAsync());
             OpenFeatureProvider = new DevCycleProvider(this, logger);
         }
 
@@ -259,6 +265,23 @@ public override DevCycleProvider GetOpenFeatureProvider()
             return OpenFeatureProvider;
         }
 
+        public override async Task InitializeAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken = default)
+        {
+            if (cancellationToken.CanBeCanceled)
+            {
+                var tcs = new TaskCompletionSource<bool>(TaskCreationOptions.RunContinuationsAsynchronously);
+                using (cancellationToken.Register(() => tcs.TrySetResult(true)))
+                {
+                    var completed = await Task.WhenAny(initializeTask, tcs.Task).ConfigureAwait(false);
+                    if (completed != initializeTask)
+                    {
+                        cancellationToken.ThrowIfCancellationRequested();
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+            await initializeTask.ConfigureAwait(false);
+        }
+
         public override Task<Dictionary<string, Feature>> AllFeatures(DevCycleUser user)
         {
             if (!configManager.Initialized)