diff --git a/deletewiki.sh b/deletewiki.sh
index 0284b11e..d7f6060b 100755
--- a/deletewiki.sh
+++ b/deletewiki.sh
@@ -3,5 +3,7 @@ set -ex
 
 rm -rf $PATCHDEMO/wikis/$WIKI
 
+rm -f $PATCHDEMO/logs/$WIKI.html
+
 # delete database
 mysql -u patchdemo --password=patchdemo -e "DROP DATABASE IF EXISTS patchdemo_$WIKI";
diff --git a/index.php b/index.php
index 6eff0083..940684d2 100644
--- a/index.php
+++ b/index.php
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@
 	echo new OOUI\FormLayout( [
 		'infusable' => true,
 		'method' => 'POST',
-		'action' => 'new.php',
+		'action' => 'start.php',
 		'id' => 'new-form',
 		'items' => [
 			new OOUI\FieldsetLayout( [
@@ -348,7 +348,10 @@
 		'<td data-label="Linked tasks" class="linkedTasks">' . $linkedTasks . '</td>' .
 		'<td data-label="Time" class="date">' . date( 'Y-m-d H:i:s', $wikiData[ 'created' ] ) . '</td>' .
 		( $useOAuth ? '<td data-label="Creator">' . ( $creator ? user_link( $creator ) : '?' ) . '</td>' : '' ) .
-		( $canAdmin ? '<td data-label="Time to create">' . ( $wikiData['timeToCreate'] ? format_duration( $wikiData['timeToCreate'] ) : '' ) . '</td>' : '' ) .
+		( $canAdmin ?
+			'<td data-label="Time to create"><a href="start.php?wiki=' . $wiki . '">' . ( $wikiData['timeToCreate'] ? format_duration( $wikiData['timeToCreate'] ) : '' ) . '</a></td>' :
+			''
+		) .
 		( count( $actions ) ?
 			'<td data-label="Actions">' . implode( '&nbsp;&middot;&nbsp;', $actions ) . '</td>' :
 			'<!-- EMPTY ACTIONS -->'
diff --git a/js/new.js b/js/new.js
deleted file mode 100644
index 0f8bd162..00000000
--- a/js/new.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,28 +0,0 @@
-/* global OO, pd */
-( function () {
-	window.pd = window.pd || {};
-
-	pd.installProgressField = OO.ui.infuse(
-		document.getElementsByClassName( 'installProgressField' )[ 0 ]
-	);
-
-	pd.installProgressField.fieldWidget.pushPending();
-
-	pd.openWiki = OO.ui.infuse(
-		document.getElementsByClassName( 'openWiki' )[ 0 ]
-	);
-
-	pd.notify = function ( message, body ) {
-		if ( 'Notification' in window && +localStorage.getItem( 'patchdemo-notifications' ) ) {
-			// eslint-disable-next-line no-new
-			new Notification(
-				message,
-				{
-					icon: './images/favicon-32x32.png',
-					body: body
-				}
-			);
-		}
-	};
-
-}() );
diff --git a/js/start.js b/js/start.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c52c6db7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/js/start.js
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+/* global OO, pd */
+( function () {
+	window.pd = window.pd || {};
+
+	var installProgressField = OO.ui.infuse(
+		document.getElementsByClassName( 'installProgressField' )[ 0 ]
+	);
+
+	installProgressField.fieldWidget.pushPending();
+
+	var openWiki = OO.ui.infuse(
+		document.getElementsByClassName( 'openWiki' )[ 0 ]
+	);
+
+	function endProgress() {
+		installProgressField.fieldWidget.popPending();
+		pd.finished = true;
+	}
+
+	pd.abandon = function ( html ) {
+		installProgressField.fieldWidget.setDisabled( true );
+		installProgressField.setErrors( [ new OO.ui.HtmlSnippet( html ) ] );
+		pd.notify( 'Your PatchDemo wiki failed to build', html );
+		endProgress();
+	};
+
+	pd.setProgress = function ( pc, label ) {
+		installProgressField.fieldWidget.setProgress( pc );
+		installProgressField.setLabel( label );
+		if ( pc === 100 ) {
+			openWiki.setDisabled( false );
+			pd.notify( 'Your PatchDemo wiki is ready!' );
+			endProgress();
+		}
+	};
+
+	pd.notify = function ( message, body ) {
+		if ( 'Notification' in window && +localStorage.getItem( 'patchdemo-notifications' ) ) {
+			// eslint-disable-next-line no-new
+			new Notification(
+				message,
+				{
+					icon: './images/favicon-32x32.png',
+					body: body
+				}
+			);
+		}
+	};
+
+	$( function () {
+		// eslint-disable-next-line no-jquery/no-global-selector
+		var $log = $( '.newWikiLog' );
+		var log = '';
+		var offset = 0;
+		function poll() {
+			$.get( 'log.php', {
+				wiki: pd.wiki,
+				offset: offset
+			} ).then( function ( result ) {
+				if ( result ) {
+					// result can be unbalanced HTML, so store it in
+					// a string and rewrite the whole thing each time
+					log += result;
+					$log.html( log );
+					offset += result.length;
+				}
+				if ( !pd.finished ) {
+					setTimeout( poll, 1000 );
+				}
+			} );
+		}
+
+		poll();
+
+		// Add wiki to URL so that page can be shared/reloaded
+		history.replaceState( null, '', 'start.php?wiki=' + pd.wiki );
+	} );
+
+}() );
diff --git a/log.php b/log.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..78e932dc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/log.php
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+<?php
+
+$offset = $_GET['offset'];
+$wiki = $_GET['wiki'];
+
+if ( !preg_match( '/^[0-9a-f]{10,32}$/', $wiki ) ) {
+	die( 'Invalid wiki name.' );
+}
+
+$file = 'logs/' . $wiki . '.html';
+
+if ( file_exists( $file ) ) {
+	echo file_get_contents(
+		$file,
+		false,
+		null,
+		$offset
+	);
+} else {
+	echo "<script>pd.abandon( 'Log not found.' );</script>";
+}
diff --git a/new.php b/new.php
index 0ede1a68..3a3e157f 100644
--- a/new.php
+++ b/new.php
@@ -4,143 +4,44 @@
 
 require_once "includes.php";
 
-include "header.php";
-
-ob_implicit_flush( true );
-
-if ( $useOAuth && !$user ) {
-	echo oauth_signin_prompt();
-	die();
-}
-
-if ( !isset( $_POST['csrf_token'] ) || !check_csrf_token( $_POST['csrf_token'] ) ) {
-	die( "Invalid session." );
+if ( !is_cli() ) {
+	die( 'Must be run from the command line.' );
 }
 
 $startTime = time();
 
-$branch = trim( $_POST['branch'] );
-$patches = trim( $_POST['patches'] );
-$announce = !empty( $_POST['announce'] );
-$language = trim( $_POST['language'] );
-
-$wiki = substr( md5( $branch . $patches . time() ), 0, 10 );
-$server = get_server();
-$serverPath = get_server_path();
-
-$branchDesc = preg_replace( '/^origin\//', '', $branch );
-
-$creator = $user ? $user->username : '';
-$created = time();
-
-$canAdmin = can_admin();
-
-/**
- * Check if the user has dropped their connection and delete the wiki if so
- *
- * We could check for dropped connections with register_shutdown_function(), but
- * that could happen in the middle of a shell command. If we tried to delete
- * a wiki while a shell command was running (e.g composer update) we may still
- * be left with stray files (e.g. /vendor)
- *
- * Instead manually check the connection at 'safe' times in between API requests
- * or shell commands.
- */
-function check_connection() {
-	if ( connection_status() !== CONNECTION_NORMAL ) {
-		abandon( 'User disconnected early' );
-	}
-}
+$branch = trim( getenv( 'branch' ) );
+$patches = trim( getenv( 'patches' ) );
+$announce = !empty( getenv( 'announce' ) );
+$language = trim( getenv( 'language' ) );
 
-// Don't kill the process automatcally
-ignore_user_abort( true );
+$wiki = getenv( 'wiki' );
+$server = getenv( 'server' );
+$serverPath = getenv( 'serverPath' );
 
-// Create an entry for the wiki before we have resolved patches.
-// Will be updated later.
-insert_wiki_data( $wiki, $creator, $created, $branchDesc );
+$creator = getenv( 'creator' );
+$canAdmin = getenv( 'canAdmin' );
+$branchDesc = getenv( 'branchDesc' );
 
 function abandon( string $errHtml ) {
-	global $wiki;
+	global $wiki, $server, $serverPath;
+
+	echo '<p>' . $errHtml . '</p>';
 	$errJson = json_encode( $errHtml );
-	echo <<<EOT
-		<script>
-			pd.installProgressField.fieldWidget.setDisabled( true );
-			pd.installProgressField.fieldWidget.popPending();
-			pd.installProgressField.setErrors( [ new OO.ui.HtmlSnippet( $errJson ) ] );
-			pd.notify( 'Your PatchDemo wiki failed to build', $errJson );
-		</script>
-EOT;
-	delete_wiki( $wiki );
-	die( $errHtml );
+	echo "<script>pd.abandon( $errJson );</script>";
+
+	// Don't delete the log immediately so it can be sent to the client
+	sleep( 2 );
+	delete_wiki( $wiki, $server . $serverPath );
+	die();
 }
 
 function set_progress( float $pc, string $label ) {
 	echo '<p>' . htmlspecialchars( $label ) . '</p>';
 	$labelJson = json_encode( $label );
-	echo <<<EOT
-		<script>
-			pd.installProgressField.fieldWidget.setProgress( $pc );
-			pd.installProgressField.setLabel( $labelJson );
-		</script>
-EOT;
-	if ( (int)$pc === 100 ) {
-		echo <<<EOT
-		<script>
-			pd.installProgressField.fieldWidget.popPending();
-			pd.openWiki.setDisabled( false );
-			pd.notify( 'Your PatchDemo wiki is ready!' );
-		</script>
-EOT;
-	}
-
-	ob_flush();
+	echo "<script>pd.setProgress( $pc, $labelJson );</script>";
 }
 
-echo new OOUI\FieldsetLayout( [
-	'label' => null,
-	'classes' => [ 'installForm' ],
-	'items' => [
-		new OOUI\FieldLayout(
-			new OOUI\ProgressBarWidget(),
-			[
-				'align' => 'top',
-				'label' => 'Installing...',
-				'classes' => [ 'installProgressField' ],
-				'infusable' => true,
-			]
-		),
-		new OOUI\FieldLayout(
-			new OOUI\ButtonWidget( [
-				'label' => 'Open wiki',
-				'flags' => [ 'progressive', 'primary' ],
-				'href' => "wikis/$wiki/w/",
-				'disabled' => true,
-				'classes' => [ 'openWiki' ],
-				'infusable' => true,
-			] ),
-			[
-				'align' => 'inline',
-				'classes' => [ 'openWikiField' ],
-				'label' => "When complete, use this button to open your wiki ($wiki)",
-				'help' => new OOUI\HtmlSnippet( <<<EOT
-					You can log in as the following users using the password <code>patchdemo1</code>
-					<ul class="userList">
-						<li><code>Patch Demo</code> <em>(admin)</em></li>
-						<li><code>Alice</code></li>
-						<li><code>Bob</code></li>
-						<li><code>Mallory</code> <em>(blocked)</em></li>
-					</ul>
-				EOT ),
-				'helpInline' => true,
-			]
-		),
-	]
-] );
-
-echo '<script src="' . $basePath . '/js/new.js"></script>';
-
-echo '<div class="consoleLog">';
-
 if ( $patches ) {
 	$patches = array_map( 'trim', preg_split( "/\n|\|/", $patches ) );
 } else {
@@ -176,7 +77,6 @@ function set_progress( float $pc, string $label ) {
 		$o = 'CURRENT_REVISION';
 	}
 	$data = gerrit_query( "changes/?q=change:$query&o=LABELS&o=$o", true );
-	check_connection();
 
 	if ( count( $data ) === 0 ) {
 		$patch = htmlentities( $patch );
@@ -220,26 +120,12 @@ function set_progress( float $pc, string $label ) {
 		$config[ 'requireVerified' ] &&
 		( $data[0]['labels']['Verified']['approved']['_account_id'] ?? null ) !== 75 &&
 		// Admin override
-		!( $canAdmin && isset( $_POST['adminVerified'] ) )
+		!( $canAdmin && !empty( getenv( 'adminVerified' ) ) )
 	) {
 		// The patch doesn't have V+2, check if the uploader is trusted
 		$uploaderId = $data[0]['revisions'][$revision]['uploader']['_account_id'];
 		$uploader = gerrit_query( 'accounts/' . $uploaderId, true );
-		check_connection();
 		if ( !is_trusted_user( $uploader['email'] ) ) {
-			if ( $canAdmin ) {
-				echo '<form method="POST" action="" id="resubmit-form"><input type="hidden" name="adminVerified" value="1">';
-				foreach ( $_POST as $k => $v ) {
-					if ( is_array( $v ) ) {
-						foreach ( $v as $part ) {
-							echo '<input type="hidden" name="' . htmlentities( $k ) . '[]" value="' . htmlentities( $part ) . '">';
-						}
-					} else {
-						echo '<input type="hidden" name="' . htmlentities( $k ) . '" value="' . htmlentities( $v ) . '">';
-					}
-				}
-				echo '</form>';
-			}
 			abandon(
 				"Patch must be approved (Verified+2) by jenkins-bot, or uploaded by a trusted user." .
 				( can_admin() ?
@@ -281,7 +167,6 @@ function set_progress( float $pc, string $label ) {
 
 	// Look at all commits in this patch's tree for cross-repo dependencies to add
 	$data = gerrit_query( "changes/$id/revisions/$revision/related", true );
-	check_connection();
 	// Ancestor commits only, not descendants
 	$foundCurr = false;
 	foreach ( $data['changes'] as $change ) {
@@ -294,7 +179,6 @@ function set_progress( float $pc, string $label ) {
 
 	foreach ( $relatedChanges as [ $c, $r ] ) {
 		$data = gerrit_query( "changes/$c/revisions/$r/commit", true );
-		check_connection();
 
 		preg_match_all( '/^Depends-On: (.+)$/m', $data['message'], $m );
 		foreach ( $m[1] as $changeid ) {
@@ -319,17 +203,17 @@ function set_progress( float $pc, string $label ) {
 // Choose repositories to enable
 $repos = get_repo_data();
 
-if ( $_POST['preset'] === 'custom' ) {
-	$allowedRepos = $_POST['repos'];
+if ( getenv( 'preset' ) === 'custom' ) {
+	$allowedRepos = explode( '|', getenv( 'repos' ) );
 } else {
-	$allowedRepos = get_repo_presets()[ $_POST['preset'] ];
+	$allowedRepos = get_repo_presets()[ getenv( 'preset' ) ];
 }
 
 // Always include repos we are trying to patch (#401)
 $allowedRepos = array_merge( $allowedRepos, $usedRepos );
 
-$useProxy = !empty( $_POST['proxy'] );
-$useInstantCommons = !empty( $_POST['instantCommons' ] );
+$useProxy = !empty( getenv( 'proxy' ) );
+$useInstantCommons = !empty( getenv( 'instantCommons' ) );
 // When proxying, always enable MobileFrontend and its content provider
 if ( $useProxy ) {
 	// Doesn't matter if this appears twice
@@ -337,7 +221,7 @@ function set_progress( float $pc, string $label ) {
 	$allowedRepos[] = 'mediawiki/extensions/MobileFrontendContentProvider';
 }
 if ( $useInstantCommons ) {
-	if ( $_POST['instantCommonsMethod'] === 'quick' ) {
+	if ( getenv( 'instantCommonsMethod' ) === 'quick' ) {
 		$allowedRepos[] = 'mediawiki/extensions/QuickInstantCommons';
 		$useInstantCommons = false;
 	}
@@ -385,7 +269,6 @@ function set_progress( float $pc, string $label ) {
 	list( $t, $r, $p ) = $matches;
 
 	$data = gerrit_query( "changes/$r/revisions/$p/commit", true );
-	check_connection();
 	if ( $data ) {
 		$t = $t . ': ' . $data[ 'subject' ];
 		get_linked_tasks( $data['message'], $linkedTasks );
@@ -418,7 +301,6 @@ function set_progress( float $pc, string $label ) {
 foreach ( $repos as $source => $target ) {
 	set_progress( $repoProgress, "Updating repositories ($n/$repoCount)..." );
 
-	check_connection();
 	$error = shell_echo( __DIR__ . '/new/updaterepos.sh',
 		$baseEnv + [
 			'REPO_SOURCE' => $source,
@@ -434,7 +316,6 @@ function set_progress( float $pc, string $label ) {
 }
 
 // Just creates empty folders so no need for progress update
-check_connection();
 $error = shell_echo( __DIR__ . '/new/precheckout.sh', $baseEnv );
 if ( $error ) {
 	abandon( "Could not create directories for wiki" );
@@ -448,7 +329,6 @@ function set_progress( float $pc, string $label ) {
 foreach ( $repos as $source => $target ) {
 	set_progress( $repoProgress, "Checking out repositories ($n/$repoCount)..." );
 
-	check_connection();
 	$error = shell_echo( __DIR__ . '/new/checkout.sh',
 		$baseEnv + [
 		'BRANCH' => $repoSpecificBranches[$source] ?? $branch,
@@ -466,7 +346,6 @@ function set_progress( float $pc, string $label ) {
 
 // TODO: Make this a loop
 set_progress( 60, 'Fetching submodules...' );
-check_connection();
 $error = shell_echo( __DIR__ . '/new/submodules.sh', $baseEnv );
 if ( $error ) {
 	abandon( "Could not fetch submodules" );
@@ -487,7 +366,6 @@ static function ( string $repo ) use ( $repos ): bool {
 foreach ( $composerInstallRepos as $i => $repo ) {
 	$n = $i + 1;
 	set_progress( $repoProgress, "Fetching dependencies ($n/$repoCount)..." );
-	check_connection();
 	$error = shell_echo( __DIR__ . '/new/composerinstall.sh',
 		$baseEnv + [
 			// Variable used by composer itself, not our script
@@ -504,7 +382,6 @@ static function ( string $repo ) use ( $repos ): bool {
 
 set_progress( 65, 'Installing your wiki...' );
 
-check_connection();
 $error = shell_echo( __DIR__ . '/new/install.sh',
 	$baseEnv + [
 		'WIKINAME' => $wikiName,
@@ -525,7 +402,6 @@ static function ( string $repo ) use ( $repos ): bool {
 foreach ( $commands as $i => $command ) {
 	$n = $i + 1;
 	set_progress( $progress, "Fetching and applying patches ($n/$count)..." );
-	check_connection();
 	$error = shell_echo( $command[1], $baseEnv + $command[0] );
 	if ( $error ) {
 		abandon( "Could not apply patch {$patchesApplied[$i]}" );
@@ -535,7 +411,6 @@ static function ( string $repo ) use ( $repos ): bool {
 
 set_progress( 90, 'Setting up wiki content...' );
 
-check_connection();
 $error = shell_echo( __DIR__ . '/new/postinstall.sh',
 	$baseEnv + [
 		'MAINPAGE' => $mainPage,
@@ -577,5 +452,3 @@ static function ( string $repo ) use ( $repos ): bool {
 wiki_set_time_to_create( $wiki, $timeToCreate );
 
 set_progress( 100, 'All done! Wiki created in ' . format_duration( $timeToCreate ) . '.' );
-
-echo '</div>';
diff --git a/setup.sh b/setup.sh
index d177437e..b2367770 100755
--- a/setup.sh
+++ b/setup.sh
@@ -30,6 +30,9 @@ sudo -u www-data mkdir composer
 # Create folder for wikis
 sudo -u www-data mkdir wikis
 
+# Create folder for wiki creation logs
+sudo -u www-data mkdir logs
+
 # Create a database user that is allowed to create databases for each wiki,
 # and the central patchdemo database
 sudo mysql -u root --password='' < sql/user.sql
diff --git a/start.php b/start.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..812c1124
--- /dev/null
+++ b/start.php
@@ -0,0 +1,125 @@
+<?php
+
+use Symfony\Component\Process\Process;
+
+require_once "includes.php";
+
+include "header.php";
+
+if ( $useOAuth && !$user ) {
+	echo oauth_signin_prompt();
+	die();
+}
+
+if ( isset( $_GET['wiki'] ) ) {
+	$wiki = $_GET['wiki'];
+	if ( !preg_match( '/^[0-9a-f]{10,32}$/', $wiki ) ) {
+		die( 'Invalid wiki name.' );
+	}
+} else {
+	if ( !isset( $_POST['csrf_token'] ) || !check_csrf_token( $_POST['csrf_token'] ) ) {
+		die( "Invalid session." );
+	}
+
+	$wiki = substr( md5( $_POST['branch'] . $_POST['patches'] . time() ), 0, 10 );
+	$creator = $user ? $user->username : '';
+	$branchDesc = preg_replace( '/^origin\//', '', $_POST['branch'] );
+
+	// Start creatig the wiki
+	$env = [
+		'wiki' => $wiki,
+		'creator' => $creator,
+		'canAdmin' => can_admin(),
+		'branchDesc' => $branchDesc,
+
+		'announce' => $_POST['announce'] ?? '',
+		'branch' => $_POST['branch'],
+		'instantCommons' => $_POST['instantCommons'],
+		'instantCommonsMethod' => $_POST['instantCommonsMethod'],
+		'language' => $_POST['language'],
+		'patches' => $_POST['patches'],
+		'preset' => $_POST['preset'],
+		'proxy' => $_POST['proxy'] ?? '',
+		'repos' => implode( '|', $_POST['repos'] ),
+
+		'adminVerified' => $_POST['adminVerified'] ?? '',
+
+		'server' => get_server(),
+		'serverPath' => get_server_path(),
+	];
+
+	$process = Process::fromShellCommandline(
+		'php new.php >> logs/' . $wiki . '.html',
+		null,
+		$env
+	);
+	$process->setTimeout( null );
+	$process->start();
+
+	// Create an entry for the wiki before we have resolved patches.
+	// Will be updated later.
+	insert_wiki_data( $wiki, $creator, time(), $branchDesc );
+
+	// If we terminate this script (start.php) immediately, the process above can stop (?)
+	sleep( 1 );
+}
+
+echo new OOUI\FieldsetLayout( [
+	'label' => null,
+	'classes' => [ 'installForm' ],
+	'items' => [
+		new OOUI\FieldLayout(
+			new OOUI\ProgressBarWidget( [ 'progress' => 0 ] ),
+			[
+				'align' => 'top',
+				'label' => 'Installing...',
+				'classes' => [ 'installProgressField' ],
+				'infusable' => true,
+			]
+		),
+		new OOUI\FieldLayout(
+			new OOUI\ButtonWidget( [
+				'label' => 'Open wiki',
+				'flags' => [ 'progressive', 'primary' ],
+				'href' => "wikis/$wiki/w/",
+				'disabled' => true,
+				'classes' => [ 'openWiki' ],
+				'infusable' => true,
+			] ),
+			[
+				'align' => 'inline',
+				'classes' => [ 'openWikiField' ],
+				'label' => "When complete, use this button to open your wiki ($wiki)",
+				'help' => new OOUI\HtmlSnippet( <<<EOT
+					You can log in as the following users using the password <code>patchdemo1</code>
+					<ul class="userList">
+						<li><code>Patch Demo</code> <em>(admin)</em></li>
+						<li><code>Alice</code></li>
+						<li><code>Bob</code></li>
+						<li><code>Mallory</code> <em>(blocked)</em></li>
+					</ul>
+				EOT ),
+				'helpInline' => true,
+			]
+		),
+	]
+] );
+
+if ( can_admin() ) {
+	echo '<form method="POST" action="" id="resubmit-form"><input type="hidden" name="adminVerified" value="1">';
+	foreach ( $_POST as $k => $v ) {
+		if ( is_array( $v ) ) {
+			foreach ( $v as $part ) {
+				echo '<input type="hidden" name="' . htmlentities( $k ) . '[]" value="' . htmlentities( $part ) . '">';
+			}
+		} else {
+			echo '<input type="hidden" name="' . htmlentities( $k ) . '" value="' . htmlentities( $v ) . '">';
+		}
+	}
+	echo '</form>';
+}
+
+echo '<div class="consoleLog newWikiLog"></div>';
+
+echo '<script src="' . $basePath . '/js/start.js"></script>';
+echo '<script>pd.wiki = ' . json_encode( $wiki ) . ';</script>';