diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index faa52183..f1373966 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ AC_PROG_MKDIR_P
 
 # Configuration.
 AC_HEADER_STDC
-AC_CHECK_HEADERS([fstaby.h termios.h])
+AC_CHECK_HEADERS([fstaby.h termios.h sys/ioctl.h])
 AC_CHECK_FUNCS([strstr getopt getfsenty])
 
 # Check for uint[8,16,32]_t
diff --git a/src/finit.c b/src/finit.c
index 9b270f03..42780ffa 100644
--- a/src/finit.c
+++ b/src/finit.c
@@ -478,10 +478,6 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 	chdir("/");
 	umask(0);
 
-	/* Set up canvas */
-	if (!rescue && !debug)
-		screen_init();
-
 	/* Allow progress, if enabled */
 	enable_progress(1);
 
@@ -490,8 +486,10 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 	 */
 	emergency_shell();
 
-	/* Load plugins early, the first hook is in banner(), so we
-	 * need plugins loaded before calling it. */
+	/*
+	 * Load plugins early, the first hook is in banner(), so we
+	 * need plugins loaded before calling it.
+	 */
 	plugin_init(&loop);
 
 	/*
diff --git a/src/helpers.c b/src/helpers.c
index ad1943b9..48c3bcf6 100644
--- a/src/helpers.c
+++ b/src/helpers.c
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ static void add_console(char *cons)
 	num_cons++;
 }
 
-void console_init(void)
+static void find_active_consoles(void)
 {
 	char *cons, *ptr, *tok;
 	char buf[512];
@@ -148,6 +148,12 @@ void console_init(void)
 	}
 }
 
+void console_init(void)
+{
+	find_active_consoles();
+	screen_init();
+}
+
 ssize_t cprintf(const char *fmt, ...)
 {
 	const size_t len = strlen(fmt) * 2;
diff --git a/src/log.c b/src/log.c
index cc603a52..25581024 100644
--- a/src/log.c
+++ b/src/log.c
@@ -50,9 +50,7 @@ void log_exit(void)
 	 * Unless in debug mode at shutdown, Reinitialize screen,
 	 * terminal may have been resized at runtime
 	 */
-	if (debug)
-		screen_exit();
-	else
+	if (!debug)
 		screen_init();
 
 	enable_progress(1);
@@ -79,7 +77,6 @@ void log_debug(void)
 
 	if (debug) {
 		loglevel = LOG_DEBUG;
-		screen_exit();
 	} else {
 		loglevel = LOG_NOTICE;
 		screen_init();
diff --git a/src/util.c b/src/util.c
index 0679126a..691d6b11 100644
--- a/src/util.c
+++ b/src/util.c
@@ -28,9 +28,15 @@
 #include <string.h>
 #include <stdarg.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
+#ifdef HAVE_TERMIOS_H
+# include <termios.h>
+#endif
 #include <time.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
 #include <utmp.h>
+#ifdef HAVE_SYS_IOCTL_H
+# include <sys/ioctl.h>
+#endif
 #include <sys/sysinfo.h>	/* sysinfo() */
 #include <lite/lite.h>		/* strlcat() */
 #include "util.h"
@@ -202,25 +208,66 @@ char *sanitize(char *arg, size_t len)
 }
 
 /*
- * Called at boot, and shutdown, to (re)initialize the
- * screen size for print() et al.
+ * Called by initctl, and by finit at boot and shutdown, to
+ * (re)initialize the screen size for print() et al.
  */
-void screen_init(void)
+int screen_init(void)
 {
-	if (!isatty(STDOUT_FILENO))
-		return;
+#ifdef HAVE_TERMIOS_H
+	struct pollfd fd = { STDIN_FILENO, POLLIN, 0 };
+	struct winsize ws = { 0 };
+	struct termios tc, saved;
 
-	initscr(&screen_rows, &screen_cols);
-}
+	/*
+	 * Basic TTY init, CLOCaL is important or TIOCWINSZ will block
+	 * until DCD is asserted, and we won't ever get it.
+	 */
+	tcgetattr(STDERR_FILENO, &tc);
+	saved = tc;
+	tc.c_cflag |= (CLOCAL | CREAD);
+	tc.c_lflag &= ~(ICANON | ECHO | ECHOE | ISIG);
+	tcsetattr(STDERR_FILENO, TCSANOW, &tc);
 
-/*
- * Called when debug mode is enabled to revert back
- * to old-school safe defaults.
- */
-void screen_exit(void)
-{
-	screen_rows = 24;
-	screen_cols = 80;
+	/* 1. Try TIOCWINSZ to query window size from kernel */
+	if (!ioctl(STDOUT_FILENO, TIOCGWINSZ, &ws)) {
+		screen_rows = ws.ws_row;
+		screen_cols = ws.ws_col;
+
+		/* Likely doesn't work in PID 1 after kernel starts us ... */
+		if (!ws.ws_row && !ws.ws_col)
+			goto fallback;
+	} else if (!isatty(STDOUT_FILENO)) {
+		/* 2. We may be running under watch(1) */
+		screen_cols = atonum(getenv("COLUMNS"));
+		screen_rows = atonum(getenv("LINES"));
+	} else {
+	fallback:
+		/* 3. ANSI goto + query cursor position trick as fallback */
+		fprintf(stderr, "\e7\e[r\e[999;999H\e[6n");
+
+		if (poll(&fd, 1, 300) > 0) {
+			int row, col;
+
+			if (scanf("\e[%d;%dR", &row, &col) == 2) {
+				screen_cols = col;
+				screen_rows = row;
+			}
+		}
+
+		/* Jump back to where we started (\e7) */
+		fprintf(stderr, "\e8");
+	}
+
+	tcsetattr(STDERR_FILENO, TCSANOW, &saved);
+
+	/* Sanity check */
+	if (screen_cols <= 0)
+		screen_cols = 80;
+	if (screen_rows <= 0)
+		screen_rows = 24;
+#endif
+
+	return screen_cols;
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/src/util.h b/src/util.h
index 84c32379..93db68e0 100644
--- a/src/util.h
+++ b/src/util.h
@@ -55,9 +55,7 @@ char *uptime       (long secs, char *buf, size_t len);
 
 char *sanitize     (char *arg, size_t len);
 
-void  screen_init  (void);
-void  screen_exit  (void);
-int   screen_width (void);
+int   screen_init  (void);
 
 static inline char *strterm(char *str, size_t len)
 {