diff --git a/internal/lsp/cache/session.go b/internal/lsp/cache/session.go
index fcf7f26cac..863e844132 100644
--- a/internal/lsp/cache/session.go
+++ b/internal/lsp/cache/session.go
@@ -115,7 +115,13 @@ func (s *session) createView(ctx context.Context, name string, folder span.URI,
 
 	// Preemptively build the builtin package,
 	// so we immediately add builtin.go to the list of ignored files.
-	v.buildBuiltinPackage(ctx)
+	// TODO(rstambler): This could be part of the initialization process.
+	if err := v.buildBuiltinPackage(ctx); err != nil {
+		return nil, nil, err
+	}
+
+	// Initialize the view without blocking.
+	go v.initialize(xcontext.Detach(ctx), v.snapshot)
 
 	debug.AddView(debugView{v})
 	return v, v.snapshot, nil
diff --git a/internal/lsp/cache/view.go b/internal/lsp/cache/view.go
index a184582407..a276805a74 100644
--- a/internal/lsp/cache/view.go
+++ b/internal/lsp/cache/view.go
@@ -470,11 +470,18 @@ func (v *view) getSnapshot() *snapshot {
 func (v *view) WorkspacePackageIDs(ctx context.Context) ([]string, error) {
 	s := v.getSnapshot()
 
+	if err := s.awaitInitialized(ctx); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return s.workspacePackageIDs(), nil
+}
+
+func (v *view) initialize(ctx context.Context, s *snapshot) {
 	v.initializeOnce.Do(func() {
 		defer close(v.initialized)
 
 		// Do not cancel the call to go/packages.Load for the entire workspace.
-		meta, err := s.load(xcontext.Detach(ctx), directoryURI(v.folder))
+		meta, err := s.load(ctx, directoryURI(v.folder))
 		if err != nil {
 			v.initializationError = err
 		}
@@ -484,10 +491,6 @@ func (v *view) WorkspacePackageIDs(ctx context.Context) ([]string, error) {
 			s.setWorkspacePackage(m.id, m.pkgPath)
 		}
 	})
-	if v.initializationError != nil {
-		return nil, v.initializationError
-	}
-	return s.workspacePackageIDs(), nil
 }
 
 func (s *snapshot) awaitInitialized(ctx context.Context) error {
diff --git a/internal/lsp/lsp_test.go b/internal/lsp/lsp_test.go
index c66c3d6ec3..601e80a8b9 100644
--- a/internal/lsp/lsp_test.go
+++ b/internal/lsp/lsp_test.go
@@ -53,13 +53,7 @@ func testLSP(t *testing.T, exporter packagestest.Exporter) {
 	options := tests.DefaultOptions()
 	session.SetOptions(options)
 	options.Env = data.Config.Env
-	view, _, err := session.NewView(ctx, viewName, span.FileURI(data.Config.Dir), options)
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatal(err)
-	}
-	// Load the workspace packages, since this would normally happen when a view is initialized.
-	// Otherwise, tests that need to look at all workspace packages will fail.
-	if _, err := view.WorkspacePackageIDs(ctx); err != nil {
+	if _, _, err := session.NewView(ctx, viewName, span.FileURI(data.Config.Dir), options); err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 	for filename, content := range data.Config.Overlay {
diff --git a/internal/lsp/source/source_test.go b/internal/lsp/source/source_test.go
index 9136dbcf11..51885d3e98 100644
--- a/internal/lsp/source/source_test.go
+++ b/internal/lsp/source/source_test.go
@@ -60,11 +60,6 @@ func testSource(t *testing.T, exporter packagestest.Exporter) {
 		data: data,
 		ctx:  ctx,
 	}
-	// Load the workspace packages, since this would normally happen when a view is initialized.
-	// Otherwise, tests that need to look at all workspace packages will fail.
-	if _, err := view.WorkspacePackageIDs(ctx); err != nil {
-		t.Fatal(err)
-	}
 	for filename, content := range data.Config.Overlay {
 		kind := source.DetectLanguage("", filename)
 		if kind != source.Go {