diff --git a/services/real-time/app.coffee b/services/real-time/app.coffee
index 40d2a151fc..069b4d6837 100644
--- a/services/real-time/app.coffee
+++ b/services/real-time/app.coffee
@@ -58,7 +58,10 @@ app.get "/", (req, res, next) ->
 	res.send "real-time-sharelatex is alive"
 
 app.get "/status", (req, res, next) ->
-	res.send "real-time-sharelatex is alive"
+	if Settings.shutDownInProgress
+		res.send 503 # Service unavailable
+	else
+		res.send "real-time-sharelatex is alive"
 
 app.get "/debug/events", (req, res, next) ->
 	Settings.debugEvents = parseInt(req.query?.count,10) || 20
@@ -116,17 +119,17 @@ shutdownCleanly = (signal) ->
 			shutdownCleanly(signal)
 		, 10000
 
-shutDownInProgress = false
+Settings.shutDownInProgress = false
 if Settings.shutdownDrainTimeWindow?
 	Settings.forceDrainMsDelay = parseInt(Settings.shutdownDrainTimeWindow, 10)
 	logger.log shutdownDrainTimeWindow: Settings.shutdownDrainTimeWindow,"shutdownDrainTimeWindow enabled"
 	for signal in ['SIGINT', 'SIGHUP', 'SIGQUIT', 'SIGUSR1', 'SIGUSR2', 'SIGTERM', 'SIGABRT']
 		process.on signal, ->
-			if shutDownInProgress
+			if Settings.shutDownInProgress
 				logger.log signal: signal, "shutdown already in progress, ignoring signal"
 				return
 			else
-				shutDownInProgress = true
+				Settings.shutDownInProgress = true
 				logger.log signal: signal, "received interrupt, starting drain over #{Settings.shutdownDrainTimeWindow} mins"
 				DrainManager.startDrainTimeWindow(io, Settings.shutdownDrainTimeWindow)
 				shutdownCleanly(signal)
diff --git a/services/real-time/app/coffee/DocumentUpdaterManager.coffee b/services/real-time/app/coffee/DocumentUpdaterManager.coffee
index 40ef992d8f..9968b78753 100644
--- a/services/real-time/app/coffee/DocumentUpdaterManager.coffee
+++ b/services/real-time/app/coffee/DocumentUpdaterManager.coffee
@@ -40,7 +40,8 @@ module.exports = DocumentUpdaterManager =
 		logger.log project_id:project_id, "deleting project from document updater"
 		timer = new metrics.Timer("delete.mongo.project")
 		# flush the project in the background when all users have left
-		url = "#{settings.apis.documentupdater.url}/project/#{project_id}?background=true"
+		url = "#{settings.apis.documentupdater.url}/project/#{project_id}?background=true" +
+			(if settings.shutDownInProgress then "&shutdown=true" else "")
 		request.del url, (err, res, body)->
 			timer.done()
 			if err?
diff --git a/services/real-time/app/coffee/Router.coffee b/services/real-time/app/coffee/Router.coffee
index a7ed73c981..aaa8b59a18 100644
--- a/services/real-time/app/coffee/Router.coffee
+++ b/services/real-time/app/coffee/Router.coffee
@@ -39,6 +39,11 @@ module.exports = Router =
 		app.post "/drain", httpAuth, HttpApiController.startDrain
 
 		session.on 'connection', (error, client, session) ->
+			if settings.shutDownInProgress
+				client.emit("connectionRejected", {message: "retry"})
+				client.disconnect()
+				return
+
 			if client? and error?.message?.match(/could not look up session by key/)
 				logger.warn err: error, client: client?, session: session?, "invalid session"
 				# tell the client to reauthenticate if it has an invalid session key