diff --git a/server/embed/etcd.go b/server/embed/etcd.go
index fb610e0f42d..18811624854 100644
--- a/server/embed/etcd.go
+++ b/server/embed/etcd.go
@@ -94,7 +94,8 @@ type Etcd struct {
 	// reading from `stopc`.
 	errc chan error
 
-	// wg is used to track the lifecycle of all sub goroutines created by `StartEtcd`.
+	// wg is used to track the lifecycle of all sub goroutines which
+	// need to send error back to the `errc`.
 	wg sync.WaitGroup
 }
 
@@ -636,16 +637,15 @@ func (e *Etcd) servePeers() {
 
 	// start peer servers in a goroutine
 	for _, pl := range e.Peers {
-		e.wg.Add(1)
-		go func(l *peerListener) {
-			defer e.wg.Done()
+		l := pl
+		e.startHandler(func() error {
 			u := l.Addr().String()
 			e.cfg.logger.Info(
 				"serving peer traffic",
 				zap.String("address", u),
 			)
-			e.errHandler(l.serve())
-		}(pl)
+			return l.serve()
+		})
 	}
 }
 
@@ -805,11 +805,10 @@ func (e *Etcd) serveClients() {
 
 	// start client servers in each goroutine
 	for _, sctx := range e.sctxs {
-		e.wg.Add(1)
-		go func(s *serveCtx) {
-			defer e.wg.Done()
-			e.errHandler(s.serve(e.Server, &e.cfg.ClientTLSInfo, mux, e.errHandler, e.grpcGatewayDial(splitHTTP), splitHTTP, gopts...))
-		}(sctx)
+		s := sctx
+		e.startHandler(func() error {
+			return s.serve(e.Server, &e.cfg.ClientTLSInfo, mux, e.errHandler, e.grpcGatewayDial(splitHTTP), splitHTTP, gopts...)
+		})
 	}
 }
 
@@ -887,25 +886,34 @@ func (e *Etcd) serveMetrics() (err error) {
 		etcdhttp.HandleHealth(e.cfg.logger, metricsMux, e.Server)
 
 		for _, murl := range e.cfg.ListenMetricsUrls {
+			u := murl
 			ml, err := e.createMetricsListener(murl)
 			if err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
 			e.metricsListeners = append(e.metricsListeners, ml)
-			e.wg.Add(1)
-			go func(u url.URL, ln net.Listener) {
-				defer e.wg.Done()
+
+			e.startHandler(func() error {
 				e.cfg.logger.Info(
 					"serving metrics",
 					zap.String("address", u.String()),
 				)
-				e.errHandler(http.Serve(ln, metricsMux))
-			}(murl, ml)
+				return http.Serve(ml, metricsMux)
+			})
 		}
 	}
 	return nil
 }
 
+func (e *Etcd) startHandler(handler func() error) {
+	// start each handler in a separate goroutine
+	e.wg.Add(1)
+	go func() {
+		defer e.wg.Done()
+		e.errHandler(handler())
+	}()
+}
+
 func (e *Etcd) errHandler(err error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		e.GetLogger().Error("setting up serving from embedded etcd failed.", zap.Error(err))
diff --git a/server/embed/serve.go b/server/embed/serve.go
index ad7307666b0..e50529dfe43 100644
--- a/server/embed/serve.go
+++ b/server/embed/serve.go
@@ -80,6 +80,18 @@ type serveCtx struct {
 	wg sync.WaitGroup
 }
 
+func (sctx *serveCtx) startHandler(errHandler func(error), handler func() error) {
+	// start each handler in a separate goroutine
+	sctx.wg.Add(1)
+	go func() {
+		defer sctx.wg.Done()
+		err := handler()
+		if errHandler != nil {
+			errHandler(err)
+		}
+	}()
+}
+
 type servers struct {
 	secure bool
 	grpc   *grpc.Server
@@ -192,19 +204,15 @@ func (sctx *serveCtx) serve(
 			server = m.Serve
 
 			httpl := m.Match(cmux.HTTP1())
-			sctx.wg.Add(1)
-			go func(srvhttp *http.Server, tlsLis net.Listener) {
-				defer sctx.wg.Done()
-				errHandler(srvhttp.Serve(tlsLis))
-			}(srv, httpl)
+			sctx.startHandler(errHandler, func() error {
+				return srv.Serve(httpl)
+			})
 
 			if grpcEnabled {
 				grpcl := m.Match(cmux.HTTP2())
-				sctx.wg.Add(1)
-				go func(gs *grpc.Server, l net.Listener) {
-					defer sctx.wg.Done()
-					errHandler(gs.Serve(l))
-				}(gs, grpcl)
+				sctx.startHandler(errHandler, func() error {
+					return gs.Serve(grpcl)
+				})
 			}
 		}
 
@@ -266,11 +274,9 @@ func (sctx *serveCtx) serve(
 			if tlsErr != nil {
 				return tlsErr
 			}
-			sctx.wg.Add(1)
-			go func(srvhttp *http.Server, tlsl net.Listener) {
-				defer sctx.wg.Done()
-				errHandler(srvhttp.Serve(tlsl))
-			}(srv, tlsl)
+			sctx.startHandler(errHandler, func() error {
+				return srv.Serve(tlsl)
+			})
 		}
 
 		sctx.serversC <- &servers{secure: true, grpc: gs, http: srv}
@@ -283,7 +289,6 @@ func (sctx *serveCtx) serve(
 
 	err = server()
 	sctx.close()
-	// ensure all goroutines, which are created by this method, to complete before this method returns.
 	sctx.wg.Wait()
 	return err
 }
@@ -354,9 +359,7 @@ func (sctx *serveCtx) registerGateway(dial func(ctx context.Context) (*grpc.Clie
 			return nil, err
 		}
 	}
-	sctx.wg.Add(1)
-	go func() {
-		defer sctx.wg.Done()
+	sctx.startHandler(nil, func() error {
 		<-ctx.Done()
 		if cerr := conn.Close(); cerr != nil {
 			sctx.lg.Warn(
@@ -365,7 +368,8 @@ func (sctx *serveCtx) registerGateway(dial func(ctx context.Context) (*grpc.Clie
 				zap.Error(cerr),
 			)
 		}
-	}()
+		return nil
+	})
 
 	return gwmux, nil
 }