diff --git a/packages/playwright/src/runner/runner.ts b/packages/playwright/src/runner/runner.ts
index a86d654970..eecb645eb0 100644
--- a/packages/playwright/src/runner/runner.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright/src/runner/runner.ts
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ import type { FullResult, TestError } from '../../types/testReporter';
 import { webServerPluginsForConfig } from '../plugins/webServerPlugin';
 import { collectFilesForProject, filterProjects } from './projectUtils';
 import { createReporters } from './reporters';
-import { TestRun, createTaskRunner, createTaskRunnerForFindRelatedTests, createTaskRunnerForList } from './tasks';
+import { TestRun, createTaskRunner, createTaskRunnerForList } from './tasks';
 import type { FullConfigInternal } from '../common/config';
 import { runWatchModeLoop } from './watchMode';
 import type { Suite } from '../common/test';
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ export class Runner {
     return status;
   }
 
-  async loadAllTests(mode: 'in-process' | 'out-of-process' = 'in-process'): Promise<{ status: FullResult['status'], suite?: Suite, errors: TestError[] }> {
+  async loadAllTests(mode: 'in-process' | 'out-of-process' = 'in-process', options: { populatePluginDependencies?: boolean }): Promise<{ status: FullResult['status'], suite?: Suite, errors: TestError[] }> {
     const config = this._config;
     const errors: TestError[] = [];
     const reporters = [wrapReporterAsV2({
@@ -116,10 +116,8 @@ export class Runner {
         errors.push(error);
       }
     })];
-    const taskRunner = createTaskRunnerForList(config, reporters, mode, { failOnLoadErrors: true });
+    const taskRunner = createTaskRunnerForList(config, reporters, mode, { ...options, failOnLoadErrors: true });
     const testRun = new TestRun(config);
-    taskRunner.reporter.onConfigure(config.config);
-
     const status = await taskRunner.run(testRun, 0);
     return { status, suite: testRun.rootSuite, errors };
   }
@@ -131,8 +129,9 @@ export class Runner {
   }
 
   async findRelatedTestFiles(mode: 'in-process' | 'out-of-process', files: string[]): Promise<FindRelatedTestFilesReport>  {
-    const taskRunner = createTaskRunnerForFindRelatedTests(this._config, mode);
-    await taskRunner.run(new TestRun(this._config), 0);
+    const result = await this.loadAllTests(mode, { populatePluginDependencies: true });
+    if (result.status !== 'passed' || !result.suite)
+      return { errors: result.errors, testFiles: [] };
 
     const resolvedFiles = (files as string[]).map(file => path.resolve(process.cwd(), file));
     return { testFiles: affectedTestFiles(resolvedFiles) };
diff --git a/packages/playwright/src/runner/tasks.ts b/packages/playwright/src/runner/tasks.ts
index 911d38af0c..07ae5a2ba9 100644
--- a/packages/playwright/src/runner/tasks.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright/src/runner/tasks.ts
@@ -106,21 +106,19 @@ function addRunTasks(taskRunner: TaskRunner<TestRun>, config: FullConfigInternal
   return taskRunner;
 }
 
-export function createTaskRunnerForList(config: FullConfigInternal, reporters: ReporterV2[], mode: 'in-process' | 'out-of-process', options: { failOnLoadErrors: boolean }): TaskRunner<TestRun> {
+export function createTaskRunnerForList(config: FullConfigInternal, reporters: ReporterV2[], mode: 'in-process' | 'out-of-process', options: { failOnLoadErrors: boolean, populatePluginDependencies?: boolean }): TaskRunner<TestRun> {
   const taskRunner = TaskRunner.create<TestRun>(reporters, config.config.globalTimeout);
+
+  if (options.populatePluginDependencies) {
+    for (const plugin of config.plugins)
+      taskRunner.addTask('plugin setup', createPluginSetupTask(plugin));
+  }
+
   taskRunner.addTask('load tests', createLoadTask(mode, { ...options, filterOnly: false }));
   taskRunner.addTask('report begin', createReportBeginTask());
   return taskRunner;
 }
 
-export function createTaskRunnerForFindRelatedTests(config: FullConfigInternal, mode: 'in-process' | 'out-of-process'): TaskRunner<TestRun> {
-  const taskRunner = TaskRunner.create<TestRun>([], config.config.globalTimeout);
-  for (const plugin of config.plugins)
-    taskRunner.addTask('plugin setup', createPluginSetupTask(plugin));
-  taskRunner.addTask('load tests', createLoadTask(mode, { filterOnly: false, populatePluginDependencies: true, failOnLoadErrors: false }));
-  return taskRunner;
-}
-
 export function createTaskRunnerForListFiles(config: FullConfigInternal, reporters: ReporterV2[]): TaskRunner<TestRun> {
   const taskRunner = TaskRunner.create<TestRun>(reporters, config.config.globalTimeout);
   taskRunner.addTask('load tests', createListFilesTask());
@@ -155,6 +153,8 @@ function createPluginSetupTask(plugin: TestRunnerPluginRegistration): Task<TestR
 function createPluginBeginTask(plugin: TestRunnerPluginRegistration): Task<TestRun> {
   return {
     setup: async (reporter, { rootSuite }) => {
+      if (!plugin.instance)
+        throw new Error('Plugin not initialized');
       await plugin.instance?.begin?.(rootSuite!);
     },
     teardown: async () => {
@@ -237,8 +237,12 @@ function createLoadTask(mode: 'out-of-process' | 'in-process', options: { popula
       await loadFileSuites(testRun, mode, options.failOnLoadErrors ? errors : softErrors);
 
       if (options.populatePluginDependencies || testRun.config.cliOnlyChanged) {
-        for (const plugin of testRun.config.plugins)
-          await plugin.instance?.populateDependencies?.();
+        for (const plugin of testRun.config.plugins) {
+          if (!plugin.instance)
+            throw new Error('Plugin not initialized');
+
+          await plugin.instance.populateDependencies?.();
+        }
       }
 
       let cliOnlyChangedMatcher: Matcher | undefined = undefined;