diff --git a/app/src/shell/index.js b/app/src/shell/index.js
index ebcedd826d7..caafae8218d 100644
--- a/app/src/shell/index.js
+++ b/app/src/shell/index.js
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ import type {
 import type { ViewableRobot } from '../discovery'
 import type { ShellState } from './types'
 
-const { ipcRenderer } = remote
+const { ipcRenderer, CURRENT_VERSION, CURRENT_RELEASE_NOTES } = remote
 
 const log = createLogger(__filename)
 
@@ -32,14 +32,7 @@ export * from './update'
 export * from './buildroot'
 export * from './types'
 
-const CURRENT_VERSION: string = remote.CURRENT_VERSION
-const CURRENT_RELEASE_NOTES: string = remote.CURRENT_RELEASE_NOTES
-const API_RELEASE_NOTES = CURRENT_RELEASE_NOTES.replace(
-  /<!-- start:@opentrons\/app -->([\S\s]*?)<!-- end:@opentrons\/app -->/,
-  ''
-)
-
-export { CURRENT_VERSION, CURRENT_RELEASE_NOTES, API_RELEASE_NOTES }
+export { CURRENT_VERSION, CURRENT_RELEASE_NOTES }
 
 export const shellReducer: Reducer<ShellState, Action> = combineReducers<
   _,
diff --git a/app/src/shell/remote.js b/app/src/shell/remote.js
index eb4eadb96ff..c4175b6086e 100644
--- a/app/src/shell/remote.js
+++ b/app/src/shell/remote.js
@@ -2,19 +2,21 @@
 // access main process remote modules via attachments to `global`
 import assert from 'assert'
 
-assert(
-  global.APP_SHELL_REMOTE,
-  'Expected APP_SHELL_REMOTE to be attached to global scope; is app-shell/src/preload.js properly configured?'
-)
+import type { Remote } from './types'
 
-const remote = new Proxy(global.APP_SHELL_REMOTE, {
+const remote = new Proxy((({}: any): Remote), {
   get(target, propName) {
     assert(
-      propName in target,
+      global.APP_SHELL_REMOTE,
+      'Expected APP_SHELL_REMOTE to be attached to global scope; is app-shell/src/preload.js properly configured?'
+    )
+
+    assert(
+      propName in global.APP_SHELL_REMOTE,
       `Expected APP_SHELL_REMOTE.${propName} to exist, is app-shell/src/preload.js properly configured?`
     )
 
-    return target[propName]
+    return global.APP_SHELL_REMOTE[propName]
   },
 })
 
diff --git a/app/src/shell/types.js b/app/src/shell/types.js
index 1c420ffe97e..3ecd56502f7 100644
--- a/app/src/shell/types.js
+++ b/app/src/shell/types.js
@@ -1,7 +1,17 @@
 // @flow
+import type { Service } from '@opentrons/discovery-client'
+import type { Config } from '../config/types'
 import type { BuildrootState, BuildrootAction } from './buildroot/types'
 import type { ShellUpdateState, ShellUpdateAction } from './update'
 
+export type Remote = {|
+  ipcRenderer: {| send: (string, ...args: Array<mixed>) => void |},
+  CURRENT_VERSION: string,
+  CURRENT_RELEASE_NOTES: string,
+  INITIAL_CONFIG: Config,
+  INITIAL_ROBOTS: Array<Service>,
+|}
+
 export type ShellState = {|
   update: ShellUpdateState,
   buildroot: BuildrootState,