diff --git a/weave b/weave
index b50ea1e5..680a52e8 100755
--- a/weave
+++ b/weave
@@ -906,29 +906,27 @@ container_weave_addrs() {
 # functions for interacting with containers
 ######################################################################
 
-# Check that a container named $1 with image $2 is not running
+# Check that a container for component $1 named $2 with image $3 is not running
 check_not_running() {
-    case $(docker inspect --format='{{.State.Running}} {{.Config.Image}}' $1 2>/dev/null) in
-        "true $2")
-            echo "$1 is already running." >&2
+    RUN_STATUS=$(docker inspect --format='{{.State.Running}} {{.State.Status}} {{.Config.Image}}' $2 2>/dev/null) || true
+    case ${RUN_STATUS%:*} in
+        "true restarting $3")
+            echo "$2 is restarting; you can stop it with 'weave stop-$1'." >&2
             exit 1
             ;;
-        "true $2:"*)
-            echo "$1 is already running." >&2
+        "true "*" $3")
+            echo "$2 is already running; you can stop it with 'weave stop-$1'." >&2
             exit 1
             ;;
-        "false $2")
-            docker rm $1 >/dev/null
-            ;;
-        "false $2:"*)
-            docker rm $1 >/dev/null
+        "false "*" $3")
+            docker rm $2 >/dev/null
             ;;
         true*)
-            echo "Found another running container named '$1'. Aborting." >&2
+            echo "Found another running container named '$2'. Aborting." >&2
             exit 1
             ;;
         false*)
-            echo "Found another container named '$1'. Aborting." >&2
+            echo "Found another container named '$2'. Aborting." >&2
             exit 1
             ;;
     esac
@@ -1822,6 +1820,7 @@ case "$COMMAND" in
         [ $# -eq 0 ] || usage
         ask_version $CONTAINER_NAME $IMAGE || true
         ask_version $PROXY_CONTAINER_NAME $EXEC_IMAGE --entrypoint=/home/weave/weaveproxy || true
+        ask_version $PLUGIN_CONTAINER_NAME $PLUGIN_IMAGE || true
         ;;
     # intentionally undocumented since it assumes knowledge of weave
     # internals
@@ -1843,19 +1842,17 @@ EOF
         ;;
     launch)
         deprecation_warnings "$@"
-        check_not_running $CONTAINER_NAME       $BASE_IMAGE
-        check_not_running $PROXY_CONTAINER_NAME $BASE_EXEC_IMAGE
+        check_not_running router $CONTAINER_NAME        $BASE_IMAGE
+        check_not_running proxy  $PROXY_CONTAINER_NAME  $BASE_EXEC_IMAGE
+        check_not_running plugin $PLUGIN_CONTAINER_NAME $BASE_PLUGIN_IMAGE
         COMMON_ARGS=$(common_launch_args "$@")
         launch_router "$@"
         launch_proxy  $COMMON_ARGS
-        if [ -z $WEAVE_NO_PLUGIN ] && check_docker_server_api_version 1.21 ; then
-            check_not_running $PLUGIN_CONTAINER_NAME $BASE_PLUGIN_IMAGE
-            launch_plugin $COMMON_ARGS
-        fi
+        [ -z $WEAVE_NO_PLUGIN ] && check_docker_server_api_version 1.21 && launch_plugin $COMMON_ARGS
         ;;
     launch-router)
         deprecation_warnings "$@"
-        check_not_running $CONTAINER_NAME $BASE_IMAGE
+        check_not_running router $CONTAINER_NAME $BASE_IMAGE
         launch_router "$@"
         echo $ROUTER_CONTAINER
         ;;
@@ -1869,12 +1866,12 @@ EOF
         ;;
     launch-proxy)
         deprecation_warnings "$@"
-        check_not_running $PROXY_CONTAINER_NAME $BASE_EXEC_IMAGE
+        check_not_running proxy $PROXY_CONTAINER_NAME $BASE_EXEC_IMAGE
         launch_proxy "$@"
         echo $PROXY_CONTAINER
         ;;
     launch-plugin)
-        check_not_running $PLUGIN_CONTAINER_NAME $BASE_PLUGIN_IMAGE
+        check_not_running plugin $PLUGIN_CONTAINER_NAME $BASE_PLUGIN_IMAGE
         launch_plugin "$@"
         echo $PLUGIN_CONTAINER
         ;;