diff --git a/nova/api/openstack/wsgi_app.py b/nova/api/openstack/wsgi_app.py
index 6a2b72a6111f..d6f1030f835b 100644
--- a/nova/api/openstack/wsgi_app.py
+++ b/nova/api/openstack/wsgi_app.py
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import os
 import sys
 
 from oslo_config import cfg
+from oslo_db import exception as odbe
 from oslo_log import log as logging
 from oslo_reports import guru_meditation_report as gmr
 from oslo_reports import opts as gmr_opts
@@ -116,6 +117,7 @@ def init_global_data(conf_files, service_name):
             logging.DEBUG)
 
 
+@utils.latch_error_on_raise(retryable=(odbe.DBConnectionError,))
 def init_application(name):
     conf_files = _get_config_files()
 
diff --git a/nova/test.py b/nova/test.py
index 0ddd928904c2..e084f5c14f7e 100644
--- a/nova/test.py
+++ b/nova/test.py
@@ -304,6 +304,7 @@ class TestCase(base.BaseTestCase):
         # make sure that the wsgi app is fully initialized for all testcase
         # instead of only once initialized for test worker
         wsgi_app.init_global_data.reset()
+        wsgi_app.init_application.reset()
 
         # Reset the placement client singleton
         report.PLACEMENTCLIENT = None
diff --git a/nova/tests/unit/api/openstack/test_wsgi_app.py b/nova/tests/unit/api/openstack/test_wsgi_app.py
index 0eb7011c116f..7fa1eacc6236 100644
--- a/nova/tests/unit/api/openstack/test_wsgi_app.py
+++ b/nova/tests/unit/api/openstack/test_wsgi_app.py
@@ -82,6 +82,8 @@ document_root = /tmp
         # raised during it.
         self.assertRaises(test.TestingException, wsgi_app.init_application,
                           'nova-api')
+        # reset the latch_error_on_raise decorator
+        wsgi_app.init_application.reset()
         # Now run init_application a second time, it should succeed since no
         # exception is being raised (the init of global data should not be
         # re-attempted).
@@ -89,6 +91,26 @@ document_root = /tmp
         self.assertIn('Global data already initialized, not re-initializing.',
                       self.stdlog.logger.output)
 
+    @mock.patch(
+        'sys.argv', new=mock.MagicMock(return_value=mock.sentinel.argv))
+    @mock.patch('nova.api.openstack.wsgi_app._get_config_files')
+    def test_init_application_called_unrecoverable(self, mock_get_files):
+        """Test that init_application can tolerate being called more than once
+        in a single python interpreter instance and raises the same exception
+        forever if its unrecoverable.
+        """
+        error = ValueError("unrecoverable config error")
+        excepted_type = type(error)
+        mock_get_files.side_effect = [
+            error, test.TestingException, test.TestingException]
+        for i in range(3):
+            e = self.assertRaises(
+                excepted_type, wsgi_app.init_application, 'nova-api')
+            self.assertIs(e, error)
+        # since the expction is latched on the first raise mock_get_files
+        # should not be called again on each iteration
+        mock_get_files.assert_called_once()
+
     @mock.patch('nova.objects.Service.get_by_host_and_binary')
     @mock.patch('nova.utils.raise_if_old_compute')
     def test_setup_service_version_workaround(self, mock_check_old, mock_get):
diff --git a/nova/tests/unit/test_utils.py b/nova/tests/unit/test_utils.py
index 1ee8ba936589..b34136b0522b 100644
--- a/nova/tests/unit/test_utils.py
+++ b/nova/tests/unit/test_utils.py
@@ -1398,3 +1398,58 @@ class RunOnceTests(test.NoDBTestCase):
         self.assertRaises(ValueError, f.reset)
         self.assertFalse(f.called)
         mock_clean.assert_called_once_with()
+
+
+class LatchErrorOnRaiseTests(test.NoDBTestCase):
+
+    error = test.TestingException()
+    unrecoverable = ValueError('some error')
+
+    @utils.latch_error_on_raise(retryable=(test.TestingException,))
+    def dummy_test_func(self, error=None):
+        if error:
+            raise error
+        return True
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        super().setUp()
+        self.dummy_test_func.reset()
+
+    @mock.patch.object(utils.LOG, 'exception')
+    def test_wrapped_success(self, fake_logger):
+        self.assertTrue(self.dummy_test_func())
+        fake_logger.assert_not_called()
+        self.assertIsNone(self.dummy_test_func.error)
+
+    @mock.patch.object(utils.LOG, 'exception')
+    def test_wrapped_raises_recoverable(self, fake_logger):
+        expected = LatchErrorOnRaiseTests.error
+        e = self.assertRaises(
+            type(expected), self.dummy_test_func, error=expected)
+        self.assertIs(expected, e)
+        # we just leave recoverable exception flow though the decorator
+        # without catching them so the logger should not be called by the
+        # decorator
+        fake_logger.assert_not_called()
+        self.assertIsNone(self.dummy_test_func.error)
+        self.assertTrue(self.dummy_test_func())
+
+    @mock.patch.object(utils.LOG, 'exception')
+    def test_wrapped_raises_unrecoverable(self, fake_logger):
+        expected = LatchErrorOnRaiseTests.unrecoverable
+        e = self.assertRaises(
+            type(expected), self.dummy_test_func, error=expected)
+        self.assertIs(expected, e)
+        fake_logger.assert_called_once_with(expected)
+        self.assertIsNotNone(self.dummy_test_func.error)
+        self.assertIs(self.dummy_test_func.error, expected)
+
+    @mock.patch.object(utils.LOG, 'exception', new=mock.MagicMock())
+    def test_wrapped_raises_forever(self):
+        expected = LatchErrorOnRaiseTests.unrecoverable
+        first = self.assertRaises(
+            type(expected), self.dummy_test_func, error=expected)
+        self.assertIs(expected, first)
+        second = self.assertRaises(
+            type(expected), self.dummy_test_func, error=expected)
+        self.assertIs(first, second)
diff --git a/nova/utils.py b/nova/utils.py
index b6b378533111..a3b2353c5e02 100644
--- a/nova/utils.py
+++ b/nova/utils.py
@@ -1194,3 +1194,42 @@ def run_once(message, logger, cleanup=None):
         wrapper.reset = functools.partial(reset, wrapper)
         return wrapper
     return outer_wrapper
+
+
+class _SentinelException(Exception):
+    """This type exists to act as a placeholder and will never be raised"""
+
+
+def latch_error_on_raise(retryable=(_SentinelException,)):
+    """This is a utility decorator to ensure if a function ever raises
+    it will always raise the same exception going forward.
+
+    The only exception we know is safe to ignore is an oslo db connection
+    error as the db may be temporarily unavailable and we should allow
+    mod_wsgi to retry
+    """
+
+    def outer_wrapper(func):
+        @functools.wraps(func)
+        def wrapper(*args, **kwargs):
+            if wrapper.error:
+                raise wrapper.error
+            try:
+                return func(*args, **kwargs)
+            except retryable:
+                # reraise any retryable exception to allow them to be handled
+                # by the caller.
+                raise
+            except Exception as e:
+                wrapper.error = e
+                LOG.exception(e)
+                raise
+
+        wrapper.error = None
+
+        def reset(wrapper):
+            wrapper.error = None
+
+        wrapper.reset = functools.partial(reset, wrapper)
+        return wrapper
+    return outer_wrapper
diff --git a/releasenotes/notes/latch-error-on-raise-cf2da71a12b5f55f.yaml b/releasenotes/notes/latch-error-on-raise-cf2da71a12b5f55f.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..3c364b8b99a4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/releasenotes/notes/latch-error-on-raise-cf2da71a12b5f55f.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+---
+fixes:
+  - |
+    The nova (metadata)api wsgi application will now detect fatal errors
+    (configuration, et al) on startup and lock into a permanent error state
+    until fixed and restarted. This solves a problem with some wsgi runtimes
+    ignoring initialization errors and continuing to send requests to the
+    half-initialized service. See https://bugs.launchpad.net/nova/+bug/2103811
+    for more details.