diff --git a/robot-server/Makefile b/robot-server/Makefile
index 57cb578b56d2..e8590254b29e 100755
--- a/robot-server/Makefile
+++ b/robot-server/Makefile
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ clean_all_cmd = $(clean_cmd) dist
 #     probably POSIX-only.
 dev_port ?= "31950"
 dev_host ?= "localhost"
-run_dev ?= uvicorn "robot_server:app" --host $(dev_host) --port $(dev_port) --ws wsproto --lifespan on --reload
+run_dev ?= uvicorn "robot_server.app:app" --host $(dev_host) --port $(dev_port) --ws wsproto --lifespan on --reload
 
 .PHONY: all
 all: clean sdist wheel
diff --git a/robot-server/opentrons-robot-server.service b/robot-server/opentrons-robot-server.service
index 095c4fb39bb5..48648658cecc 100644
--- a/robot-server/opentrons-robot-server.service
+++ b/robot-server/opentrons-robot-server.service
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ Type=notify
 # /run/aiohttp.sock matches where our reverse proxy expects to find us.
 # It refers to aiohttp even though this server doesn't use that framework
 # for historical reasons.
-ExecStart=uvicorn robot_server:app --uds /run/aiohttp.sock --ws wsproto --lifespan on
+ExecStart=uvicorn robot_server.app:app --uds /run/aiohttp.sock --ws wsproto --lifespan on
 
 Environment=OT_SMOOTHIE_ID=AMA
 Environment=RUNNING_ON_PI=true
diff --git a/robot-server/robot_server/__init__.py b/robot-server/robot_server/__init__.py
index 4d5dcbf1ddce..329cf0c1e83d 100644
--- a/robot-server/robot_server/__init__.py
+++ b/robot-server/robot_server/__init__.py
@@ -2,9 +2,3 @@
 
 This server provides the main control interface for an Opentrons robot.
 """
-
-from .app_setup import app
-
-__all__ = [
-    "app",
-]
diff --git a/robot-server/robot_server/app.py b/robot-server/robot_server/app.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..4a229be1abd0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/robot-server/robot_server/app.py
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+"""The public export of the server's ASGI app object.
+
+For import speed, we do this from a dedicated file instead of from the top-level
+__init__.py. We want worker processes and tests to be able to import specific things
+deep in robot_server without having to import this ASGI app and all of its dependencies.
+"""
+
+from .app_setup import app
+
+__all__ = ["app"]
diff --git a/robot-server/robot_server/protocols/__init__.py b/robot-server/robot_server/protocols/__init__.py
index 34bdaaebe681..60f3ae5dc5a6 100644
--- a/robot-server/robot_server/protocols/__init__.py
+++ b/robot-server/robot_server/protocols/__init__.py
@@ -1,16 +1 @@
 """Protocol file upload and management."""
-from .router import protocols_router, ProtocolNotFound
-from .dependencies import get_protocol_store
-from .protocol_store import ProtocolStore, ProtocolResource, ProtocolNotFoundError
-
-__all__ = [
-    # main protocols router
-    "protocols_router",
-    # common error response details
-    "ProtocolNotFound",
-    # protocol state management
-    "get_protocol_store",
-    "ProtocolStore",
-    "ProtocolResource",
-    "ProtocolNotFoundError",
-]
diff --git a/robot-server/robot_server/router.py b/robot-server/robot_server/router.py
index 4739c4d84cec..2398e9fe1616 100644
--- a/robot-server/robot_server/router.py
+++ b/robot-server/robot_server/router.py
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 from .instruments import instruments_router
 from .maintenance_runs.router import maintenance_runs_router
 from .modules import modules_router
-from .protocols import protocols_router
+from .protocols.router import protocols_router
 from .robot.router import robot_router
 from .runs import runs_router
 from .service.labware.router import router as labware_router
diff --git a/robot-server/robot_server/runs/engine_store.py b/robot-server/robot_server/runs/engine_store.py
index 350d5bc694c4..d938fbbbe25e 100644
--- a/robot-server/robot_server/runs/engine_store.py
+++ b/robot-server/robot_server/runs/engine_store.py
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@
     create_protocol_engine,
 )
 
-from robot_server.protocols import ProtocolResource
+from robot_server.protocols.protocol_store import ProtocolResource
 from opentrons.protocol_engine.types import DeckConfigurationType
 
 
diff --git a/robot-server/robot_server/runs/router/base_router.py b/robot-server/robot_server/runs/router/base_router.py
index d7c1ea1bc59b..3edd9a342bae 100644
--- a/robot-server/robot_server/runs/router/base_router.py
+++ b/robot-server/robot_server/runs/router/base_router.py
@@ -27,12 +27,12 @@
     PydanticResponse,
 )
 
-from robot_server.protocols import (
+from robot_server.protocols.dependencies import get_protocol_store
+from robot_server.protocols.protocol_store import (
     ProtocolStore,
-    ProtocolNotFound,
     ProtocolNotFoundError,
-    get_protocol_store,
 )
+from robot_server.protocols.router import ProtocolNotFound
 
 from ..run_models import RunNotFoundError
 from ..run_auto_deleter import RunAutoDeleter
diff --git a/robot-server/robot_server/runs/run_data_manager.py b/robot-server/robot_server/runs/run_data_manager.py
index be62c7b704f8..acf0ddec6c4a 100644
--- a/robot-server/robot_server/runs/run_data_manager.py
+++ b/robot-server/robot_server/runs/run_data_manager.py
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
     Command,
 )
 
-from robot_server.protocols import ProtocolResource
+from robot_server.protocols.protocol_store import ProtocolResource
 from robot_server.service.task_runner import TaskRunner
 from robot_server.service.notifications import RunsPublisher
 
diff --git a/robot-server/robot_server/runs/run_store.py b/robot-server/robot_server/runs/run_store.py
index 40e59143e766..aa65ce197044 100644
--- a/robot-server/robot_server/runs/run_store.py
+++ b/robot-server/robot_server/runs/run_store.py
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
     sqlite_rowid,
 )
 from robot_server.persistence.pydantic import json_to_pydantic, pydantic_to_json
-from robot_server.protocols import ProtocolNotFoundError
+from robot_server.protocols.protocol_store import ProtocolNotFoundError
 from robot_server.service.notifications import RunsPublisher
 
 from .action_models import RunAction, RunActionType
diff --git a/robot-server/tests/conftest.py b/robot-server/tests/conftest.py
index 3014c922faa7..f3a5ce2761e3 100644
--- a/robot-server/tests/conftest.py
+++ b/robot-server/tests/conftest.py
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@
 from opentrons.protocol_api import labware
 from opentrons.types import Point, Mount
 
-from robot_server import app
+from robot_server.app import app
 from robot_server.hardware import get_hardware, get_ot2_hardware
 from robot_server.versioning import API_VERSION_HEADER, LATEST_API_VERSION_HEADER_VALUE
 from robot_server.service.session.manager import SessionManager
diff --git a/robot-server/tests/integration/dev_server.py b/robot-server/tests/integration/dev_server.py
index ab774cc750b7..f549a4752e85 100644
--- a/robot-server/tests/integration/dev_server.py
+++ b/robot-server/tests/integration/dev_server.py
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ def start(self) -> None:
                 "robot_server",
                 "-m",
                 "uvicorn",
-                "robot_server:app",
+                "robot_server.app:app",
                 "--host",
                 "localhost",
                 "--port",
diff --git a/robot-server/tests/runs/router/conftest.py b/robot-server/tests/runs/router/conftest.py
index f7d1f0fead6c..96b0bb578e7d 100644
--- a/robot-server/tests/runs/router/conftest.py
+++ b/robot-server/tests/runs/router/conftest.py
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 import pytest
 from decoy import Decoy
 
-from robot_server.protocols import ProtocolStore
+from robot_server.protocols.protocol_store import ProtocolStore
 from robot_server.runs.run_auto_deleter import RunAutoDeleter
 from robot_server.runs.run_store import RunStore
 from robot_server.runs.engine_store import EngineStore
diff --git a/robot-server/tests/runs/router/test_base_router.py b/robot-server/tests/runs/router/test_base_router.py
index 0abe559b8432..c4ba00657c07 100644
--- a/robot-server/tests/runs/router/test_base_router.py
+++ b/robot-server/tests/runs/router/test_base_router.py
@@ -17,10 +17,10 @@
     ResourceLink,
 )
 
-from robot_server.protocols import (
-    ProtocolStore,
-    ProtocolResource,
+from robot_server.protocols.protocol_store import (
     ProtocolNotFoundError,
+    ProtocolResource,
+    ProtocolStore,
 )
 
 from robot_server.runs.run_auto_deleter import RunAutoDeleter
diff --git a/robot-server/tests/runs/test_engine_store.py b/robot-server/tests/runs/test_engine_store.py
index bd8ef9b36786..1bf746321397 100644
--- a/robot-server/tests/runs/test_engine_store.py
+++ b/robot-server/tests/runs/test_engine_store.py
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
 )
 from opentrons.protocol_reader import ProtocolReader, ProtocolSource
 
-from robot_server.protocols import ProtocolResource
+from robot_server.protocols.protocol_store import ProtocolResource
 from robot_server.runs.engine_store import (
     EngineStore,
     EngineConflictError,
diff --git a/robot-server/tests/runs/test_run_data_manager.py b/robot-server/tests/runs/test_run_data_manager.py
index bc8f9ad16cb9..cabaa09ae052 100644
--- a/robot-server/tests/runs/test_run_data_manager.py
+++ b/robot-server/tests/runs/test_run_data_manager.py
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
     LabwareOffset,
 )
 
-from robot_server.protocols import ProtocolResource
+from robot_server.protocols.protocol_store import ProtocolResource
 from robot_server.runs.engine_store import EngineStore, EngineConflictError
 from robot_server.runs.run_data_manager import RunDataManager, RunNotCurrentError
 from robot_server.runs.run_models import Run, RunNotFoundError
diff --git a/robot-server/tests/service/legacy/routers/test_settings.py b/robot-server/tests/service/legacy/routers/test_settings.py
index 58bcfefffe0d..27a930617fd6 100644
--- a/robot-server/tests/service/legacy/routers/test_settings.py
+++ b/robot-server/tests/service/legacy/routers/test_settings.py
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
 from opentrons_shared_data.robot.dev_types import RobotTypeEnum
 
 
-from robot_server import app
+from robot_server.app import app
 from robot_server.deck_configuration.fastapi_dependencies import (
     get_deck_configuration_store_failsafe,
 )