diff --git a/flags/flags.go b/flags/flags.go
index 10fca96..ad95f9a 100644
--- a/flags/flags.go
+++ b/flags/flags.go
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ import (
 )
 
 var (
-	ListenAddress       = kingpin.Flag("listen", "Listen address - ip:port or :port").Default("0.0.0.0:80").Envar("LISTEN").String()
+	ListenAddress       = kingpin.Flag("listen", "Listen address - ip:port or :port (default 0.0.0.0:80, or 127.0.0.1:10300 when --metrics-endpoint is set)").Envar("LISTEN").String()
 	CgroupRoot          = kingpin.Flag("cgroupfs-root", "The mount point of the host cgroupfs root").Default("/sys/fs/cgroup").Envar("CGROUPFS_ROOT").String()
 	DisableLogParsing   = kingpin.Flag("disable-log-parsing", "Disable container log parsing").Default("false").Envar("DISABLE_LOG_PARSING").Bool()
 	DisablePinger       = kingpin.Flag("disable-pinger", "Don't ping upstreams").Default("true").Envar("DISABLE_PINGER").Bool()
@@ -135,7 +135,12 @@ func init() {
 		}
 	}
 
-	if *MetricsEndpoint != nil {
-		*ListenAddress = "127.0.0.1:10300"
+	if *ListenAddress == "" {
+		*ListenAddress = "0.0.0.0:80"
+		if *MetricsEndpoint != nil {
+			// Metrics are pushed, so nothing needs to scrape this endpoint:
+			// keep it off the network and off port 80.
+			*ListenAddress = "127.0.0.1:10300"
+		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index 0d6b9fb..e5f0414 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -284,7 +284,16 @@ func main() {
 
 	klog.Infoln("listening on:", *flags.ListenAddress)
 	if err := srv.ListenAndServe(); err != http.ErrServerClosed {
-		klog.Errorln(err)
+		if *flags.MetricsEndpoint == nil {
+			// Nothing can scrape the agent: exit non-zero so the service
+			// manager restarts it.
+			klog.Exitln(err)
+		} else {
+			// Metrics are pushed: the local endpoint is optional, so a
+			// taken port must not stop the agent.
+			klog.Errorln("local metrics endpoint unavailable, metrics are still pushed:", err)
+			<-ctx.Done()
+		}
 	}
 	klog.Infoln("shutdown complete")
 }