diff --git a/lib/core/config.js b/lib/core/config.js
index 18ad623d..ddef7a66 100644
--- a/lib/core/config.js
+++ b/lib/core/config.js
@@ -322,6 +322,10 @@ Config.prototype.loadWebServerConfigFile = function() {
 
   let webServerConfig = this._mergeConfig(configFilePath, configObject, false);
 
+  if (configFilePath === false) {
+    this.webServerConfig = {enabled: false};
+    return;
+  }
   if (this.webServerConfig) {
     // cli falgs to `embark run` should override configFile and defaults (configObject)
     this.webServerConfig = utils.recursiveMerge(webServerConfig, this.webServerConfig);