diff --git a/integration-tests/gatsby-cli/__tests__/build.js b/integration-tests/gatsby-cli/__tests__/build.js
index e31a54dee070a..f1a0a648df841 100644
--- a/integration-tests/gatsby-cli/__tests__/build.js
+++ b/integration-tests/gatsby-cli/__tests__/build.js
@@ -12,9 +12,8 @@ describe(`gatsby build`, () => {
   it(`creates a built gatsby site`, () => {
     const [code, logs] = GatsbyCLI.from(cwd).invoke(`build`)
 
-    logs.should.contain(
-      `success open and validate gatsby-configs, load plugins`
-    )
+    logs.should.contain(`success load gatsby config`)
+    logs.should.contain(`success load plugins`)
     logs.should.contain(`success onPreInit`)
     logs.should.contain(`success initialize cache`)
     logs.should.contain(`success copy gatsby files`)
diff --git a/integration-tests/gatsby-cli/__tests__/develop.js b/integration-tests/gatsby-cli/__tests__/develop.js
index db41335abe2f7..591b83aabb577 100644
--- a/integration-tests/gatsby-cli/__tests__/develop.js
+++ b/integration-tests/gatsby-cli/__tests__/develop.js
@@ -26,9 +26,8 @@ describe(`gatsby develop`, () => {
 
     // 3. Make sure logs for the user contain expected results
     const logs = getLogs()
-    logs.should.contain(
-      `success open and validate gatsby-configs, load plugins`
-    )
+    logs.should.contain(`success load gatsby config`)
+    logs.should.contain(`success load plugins`)
     logs.should.contain(`success onPreInit`)
     logs.should.contain(`success initialize cache`)
     logs.should.contain(`success copy gatsby files`)
diff --git a/integration-tests/gatsby-cli/__tests__/repl.js b/integration-tests/gatsby-cli/__tests__/repl.js
index 9eec28120ea7f..55ff0a8dfc0ad 100644
--- a/integration-tests/gatsby-cli/__tests__/repl.js
+++ b/integration-tests/gatsby-cli/__tests__/repl.js
@@ -21,9 +21,8 @@ describe(`gatsby repl`, () => {
 
     // 3. Make assertions
     const logs = getLogs()
-    logs.should.contain(
-      `success open and validate gatsby-configs, load plugins`
-    )
+    logs.should.contain(`success load gatsby config`)
+    logs.should.contain(`success load plugins`)
     logs.should.contain(`success onPreInit`)
     logs.should.contain(`success initialize cache`)
     logs.should.contain(`success copy gatsby files`)
diff --git a/packages/gatsby/src/bootstrap/load-config-and-plugins.ts b/packages/gatsby/src/bootstrap/load-config/index.ts
similarity index 73%
rename from packages/gatsby/src/bootstrap/load-config-and-plugins.ts
rename to packages/gatsby/src/bootstrap/load-config/index.ts
index 51dc308bb1992..baf6eef4b61fc 100644
--- a/packages/gatsby/src/bootstrap/load-config-and-plugins.ts
+++ b/packages/gatsby/src/bootstrap/load-config/index.ts
@@ -1,19 +1,15 @@
 import reporter from "gatsby-cli/lib/reporter"
 import telemetry from "gatsby-telemetry"
+import { preferDefault } from "../prefer-default"
+import { getConfigFile } from "../get-config-file"
+import { internalActions } from "../../redux/actions"
+import loadThemes from "../load-themes"
+import { store } from "../../redux"
+import handleFlags from "../../utils/handle-flags"
+import availableFlags from "../../utils/flags"
+import { IProgram } from "../../commands/types"
 
-import { IFlattenedPlugin } from "./load-plugins/types"
-
-import { preferDefault } from "../bootstrap/prefer-default"
-import { getConfigFile } from "../bootstrap/get-config-file"
-import { loadPlugins } from "../bootstrap/load-plugins"
-import { internalActions } from "../redux/actions"
-import loadThemes from "../bootstrap/load-themes"
-import { store } from "../redux"
-import handleFlags from "../utils/handle-flags"
-import availableFlags from "../utils/flags"
-import { IProgram } from "../commands/types"
-
-export async function loadConfigAndPlugins({
+export async function loadConfig({
   siteDirectory,
   processFlags = false,
 }: {
@@ -22,7 +18,6 @@ export async function loadConfigAndPlugins({
   program?: IProgram
 }): Promise<{
   config: any
-  flattenedPlugins: Array<IFlattenedPlugin>
 }> {
   // Try opening the site's gatsby-config.js file.
   const { configModule, configFilePath } = await getConfigFile(
@@ -94,7 +89,5 @@ export async function loadConfigAndPlugins({
 
   store.dispatch(internalActions.setSiteConfig(config))
 
-  const flattenedPlugins = await loadPlugins(config, siteDirectory)
-
-  return { config, flattenedPlugins }
+  return { config }
 }
diff --git a/packages/gatsby/src/services/initialize.ts b/packages/gatsby/src/services/initialize.ts
index d0e3da2c6de7a..71594ae6507b4 100644
--- a/packages/gatsby/src/services/initialize.ts
+++ b/packages/gatsby/src/services/initialize.ts
@@ -19,7 +19,8 @@ import { IPluginInfoOptions } from "../bootstrap/load-plugins/types"
 import { IGatsbyState, IStateProgram } from "../redux/types"
 import { IBuildContext } from "./types"
 import { detectLmdbStore } from "../datastore"
-import { loadConfigAndPlugins } from "../bootstrap/load-config-and-plugins"
+import { loadConfig } from "../bootstrap/load-config"
+import { loadPlugins } from "../bootstrap/load-plugins"
 import type { InternalJob } from "../utils/jobs/types"
 import { enableNodeMutationsDetection } from "../utils/detect-node-mutations"
 import { resolveModule } from "../utils/module-resolver"
@@ -160,20 +161,27 @@ export async function initialize({
 
   emitter.on(`END_JOB`, onEndJob)
 
-  // Try opening the site's gatsby-config.js file.
-  let activity = reporter.activityTimer(
-    `open and validate gatsby-configs, load plugins`,
-    {
-      parentSpan,
-    }
-  )
+  // Load gatsby config
+  let activity = reporter.activityTimer(`load gatsby config`, {
+    parentSpan,
+  })
   activity.start()
 
-  const { config, flattenedPlugins } = await loadConfigAndPlugins({
-    siteDirectory: program.directory,
+  const siteDirectory = program.directory
+  const { config } = await loadConfig({
+    siteDirectory,
     processFlags: true,
   })
 
+  activity.end()
+
+  // Load plugins
+  activity = reporter.activityTimer(`load plugins`, {
+    parentSpan,
+  })
+  const flattenedPlugins = await loadPlugins(config, siteDirectory)
+  activity.end()
+
   // TODO: figure out proper way of disabling loading indicator
   // for now GATSBY_QUERY_ON_DEMAND_LOADING_INDICATOR=false gatsby develop
   // will work, but we don't want to force users into using env vars
@@ -197,8 +205,6 @@ export async function initialize({
     )
   }
 
-  activity.end()
-
   if (process.env.GATSBY_EXPERIMENTAL_QUERY_ON_DEMAND) {
     if (process.env.gatsby_executing_command !== `develop`) {
       // we don't want to ever have this flag enabled for anything than develop
diff --git a/packages/gatsby/src/utils/worker/__tests__/queries.ts b/packages/gatsby/src/utils/worker/__tests__/queries.ts
index 961fb82c945cb..a9d92ad9cb5b3 100644
--- a/packages/gatsby/src/utils/worker/__tests__/queries.ts
+++ b/packages/gatsby/src/utils/worker/__tests__/queries.ts
@@ -10,7 +10,8 @@ import {
   emitter,
   loadPartialStateFromDisk,
 } from "../../../redux"
-import { loadConfigAndPlugins } from "../../../bootstrap/load-config-and-plugins"
+import { loadConfig } from "../../../bootstrap/load-config"
+import { loadPlugins } from "../../../bootstrap/load-plugins"
 import {
   createTestWorker,
   describeWhenLMDB,
@@ -124,7 +125,10 @@ describeWhenLMDB(`worker (queries)`, () => {
     worker = createTestWorker()
 
     const siteDirectory = path.join(__dirname, `fixtures`, `sample-site`)
-    await loadConfigAndPlugins({ siteDirectory })
+    const { config } = await loadConfig({
+      siteDirectory,
+    })
+    await loadPlugins(config, siteDirectory)
     await Promise.all(worker.all.loadConfigAndPlugins({ siteDirectory }))
     await sourceNodesAndRemoveStaleNodes({ webhookBody: {} })
     await getDataStore().ready()
diff --git a/packages/gatsby/src/utils/worker/__tests__/schema.ts b/packages/gatsby/src/utils/worker/__tests__/schema.ts
index 33e42dc742ae5..2025f08d36cec 100644
--- a/packages/gatsby/src/utils/worker/__tests__/schema.ts
+++ b/packages/gatsby/src/utils/worker/__tests__/schema.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,8 @@ import { CombinedState } from "redux"
 import { build } from "../../../schema"
 import sourceNodesAndRemoveStaleNodes from "../../source-nodes"
 import { savePartialStateToDisk, store } from "../../../redux"
-import { loadConfigAndPlugins } from "../../../bootstrap/load-config-and-plugins"
+import { loadConfig } from "../../../bootstrap/load-config"
+import { loadPlugins } from "../../../bootstrap/load-plugins"
 import {
   createTestWorker,
   describeWhenLMDB,
@@ -56,7 +57,10 @@ describeWhenLMDB(`worker (schema)`, () => {
     worker = createTestWorker()
 
     const siteDirectory = path.join(__dirname, `fixtures`, `sample-site`)
-    await loadConfigAndPlugins({ siteDirectory })
+    const { config } = await loadConfig({
+      siteDirectory,
+    })
+    await loadPlugins(config, siteDirectory)
     await Promise.all(worker.all.loadConfigAndPlugins({ siteDirectory }))
     await sourceNodesAndRemoveStaleNodes({ webhookBody: {} })
     await getDataStore().ready()
diff --git a/packages/gatsby/src/utils/worker/child/load-config-and-plugins.ts b/packages/gatsby/src/utils/worker/child/load-config-and-plugins.ts
index 7af88996f8fed..afbd24a41c3aa 100644
--- a/packages/gatsby/src/utils/worker/child/load-config-and-plugins.ts
+++ b/packages/gatsby/src/utils/worker/child/load-config-and-plugins.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
-import { loadConfigAndPlugins as internalLoadConfigAndPlugins } from "../../../bootstrap/load-config-and-plugins"
+import { loadConfig } from "../../../bootstrap/load-config"
+import { loadPlugins } from "../../../bootstrap/load-plugins"
 import { store } from "../../../redux"
 import apiRunnerNode from "../../api-runner-node"
 
 export async function loadConfigAndPlugins(
-  ...args: Parameters<typeof internalLoadConfigAndPlugins>
+  ...args: Parameters<typeof loadConfig>
 ): Promise<void> {
   const [{ siteDirectory, program }] = args
 
@@ -14,7 +15,8 @@ export async function loadConfigAndPlugins(
       directory: siteDirectory,
     },
   })
-  await internalLoadConfigAndPlugins(...args)
+  const { config } = await loadConfig(...args)
+  await loadPlugins(config, siteDirectory)
 
   // Cache is already initialized
   if (_CFLAGS_.GATSBY_MAJOR === `4`) {