diff --git a/packages/driver/cypress/integration/commands/debugging_spec.js b/packages/driver/cypress/integration/commands/debugging_spec.js
index 3ede7b61f404..05477bcd2efe 100644
--- a/packages/driver/cypress/integration/commands/debugging_spec.js
+++ b/packages/driver/cypress/integration/commands/debugging_spec.js
@@ -98,5 +98,32 @@ describe('src/cy/commands/debugging', () => {
         expect(cy.state('onPaused')).to.be.null
       })
     })
+
+    it('can pause in run mode with --headed and --no-exit', function () {
+      let didPause = false
+
+      Cypress.config('isInteractive', false)
+      Cypress.config('browser').isHeaded = true
+      Cypress.config('exit', false)
+
+      cy.once('paused', (name) => {
+        cy.once('paused', (name) => {
+          didPause = true
+
+          // resume the rest of the commands so this
+          // test ends
+          Cypress.emit('resume:all')
+        })
+
+        Cypress.emit('resume:next')
+      })
+
+      cy.pause().wrap({}).should('deep.eq', {}).then(function () {
+        expect(didPause).to.be.true
+
+        // should no longer have onPaused
+        expect(cy.state('onPaused')).to.be.null
+      })
+    })
   })
 })
diff --git a/packages/driver/src/cy/commands/debugging.ts b/packages/driver/src/cy/commands/debugging.ts
index 664730230776..fa9e71b24633 100644
--- a/packages/driver/src/cy/commands/debugging.ts
+++ b/packages/driver/src/cy/commands/debugging.ts
@@ -47,8 +47,8 @@ export default (Commands, Cypress, cy, state, config) => {
     // pause should indefinitely pause until the user
     // presses a key or clicks in the UI to continue
     pause (subject, options = {}) {
-      // bail if we're headless
-      if (!config('isInteractive')) {
+      // bail if we're in run mode, unless --headed and --no-exit flags are passed
+      if (!config('isInteractive') && (!config('browser').isHeaded || config('exit'))) {
         return subject
       }
 
diff --git a/packages/server/lib/controllers/runner.ts b/packages/server/lib/controllers/runner.ts
index b029eaa1019b..0e5c9700e113 100644
--- a/packages/server/lib/controllers/runner.ts
+++ b/packages/server/lib/controllers/runner.ts
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ const _serveNonProxiedError = (res: Response) => {
   })
 }
 
-export interface ServeOptions extends Pick<InitializeRoutes, 'getSpec' | 'config' | 'getCurrentBrowser' | 'getRemoteState' | 'specsStore'> {
+export interface ServeOptions extends Pick<InitializeRoutes, 'getSpec' | 'config' | 'getCurrentBrowser' | 'getRemoteState' | 'specsStore' | 'exit'> {
   testingType: Cypress.TestingType
 }
 
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ export const runner = {
       return _serveNonProxiedError(res)
     }
 
-    let { config, getRemoteState, getCurrentBrowser, getSpec, specsStore } = options
+    let { config, getRemoteState, getCurrentBrowser, getSpec, specsStore, exit } = options
 
     config = _.clone(config)
     // at any given point, rather than just arbitrarily modifying it.
@@ -72,6 +72,7 @@ export const runner = {
     config.spec = getSpec() ?? null
     config.specs = specsStore.specFiles
     config.browser = getCurrentBrowser()
+    config.exit = exit ?? true
 
     debug('serving runner index.html with config %o',
       _.pick(config, 'version', 'platform', 'arch', 'projectName'))
diff --git a/packages/server/lib/open_project.ts b/packages/server/lib/open_project.ts
index 1a4189fb473a..a78fd954b884 100644
--- a/packages/server/lib/open_project.ts
+++ b/packages/server/lib/open_project.ts
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ export interface LaunchArgs {
   cwd: string
   browser?: Browser['name']
   configFile?: string
+  exit?: boolean
   project: string // projectRoot
   projectRoot: string // same as above
   testingType: Cypress.TestingType
diff --git a/packages/server/lib/project-base.ts b/packages/server/lib/project-base.ts
index 7ccf66ded546..89df0f1ec157 100644
--- a/packages/server/lib/project-base.ts
+++ b/packages/server/lib/project-base.ts
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ type ReceivedCypressOptions =
 export interface Cfg extends ReceivedCypressOptions {
   projectRoot: string
   proxyServer?: Cypress.RuntimeConfigOptions['proxyUrl']
+  exit?: boolean
   state?: {
     firstOpened?: number
     lastOpened?: number
@@ -213,6 +214,7 @@ export class ProjectBase<TServer extends ServerE2E | ServerCt> extends EE {
     const [port, warning] = await this._server.open(cfg, {
       getCurrentBrowser: () => this.browser,
       getSpec: () => this.spec,
+      exit: this.options.args?.exit,
       onError: this.options.onError,
       onWarning: this.options.onWarning,
       shouldCorrelatePreRequests: this.shouldCorrelatePreRequests,
diff --git a/packages/server/lib/routes.ts b/packages/server/lib/routes.ts
index 96afe4c83fe4..f90a53102098 100644
--- a/packages/server/lib/routes.ts
+++ b/packages/server/lib/routes.ts
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ export interface InitializeRoutes {
   getRemoteState: () => Cypress.RemoteState
   onError: (...args: unknown[]) => any
   testingType: Cypress.TestingType
+  exit?: boolean
 }
 
 export const createCommonRoutes = ({
@@ -33,6 +34,7 @@ export const createCommonRoutes = ({
   specsStore,
   getRemoteState,
   nodeProxy,
+  exit,
 }: InitializeRoutes) => {
   const router = Router()
 
@@ -70,6 +72,7 @@ export const createCommonRoutes = ({
       getCurrentBrowser,
       getRemoteState,
       specsStore,
+      exit,
     })
   })
 
diff --git a/packages/server/lib/server-base.ts b/packages/server/lib/server-base.ts
index e5dc7bbf3ea1..5845477d55e1 100644
--- a/packages/server/lib/server-base.ts
+++ b/packages/server/lib/server-base.ts
@@ -99,6 +99,7 @@ export interface OpenServerOptions {
   testingType: Cypress.TestingType
   onError: any
   onWarning: any
+  exit?: boolean
   getCurrentBrowser: () => Browser
   getSpec: () => Cypress.Cypress['spec'] | null
   shouldCorrelatePreRequests: () => boolean
@@ -177,6 +178,7 @@ export abstract class ServerBase<TSocket extends SocketE2E | SocketCt> {
     specsStore,
     testingType,
     SocketCtor,
+    exit,
   }: OpenServerOptions) {
     debug('server open')
 
@@ -221,6 +223,7 @@ export abstract class ServerBase<TSocket extends SocketE2E | SocketCt> {
         getSpec,
         getCurrentBrowser,
         testingType,
+        exit,
       }
 
       const runnerSpecificRouter = testingType === 'e2e'
diff --git a/packages/server/test/integration/http_requests_spec.js b/packages/server/test/integration/http_requests_spec.js
index ced0ba35c9d1..96a4de7a4441 100644
--- a/packages/server/test/integration/http_requests_spec.js
+++ b/packages/server/test/integration/http_requests_spec.js
@@ -146,6 +146,7 @@ describe('Routes', () => {
               specsStore: new SpecsStore({}, 'e2e'),
               createRoutes,
               testingType: 'e2e',
+              exit: false,
             })
             .spread(async (port) => {
               const automationStub = {
@@ -377,6 +378,21 @@ describe('Routes', () => {
         })
       })
     })
+
+    it('sends exit config', function () {
+      return this.setup({ baseUrl: 'http://localhost:9999/app' })
+      .then(() => {
+        return this.rp('http://localhost:9999/__')
+        .then((res) => {
+          expect(res.statusCode).to.eq(200)
+
+          const base64Config = /Runner\.start\(.*, "(.*)"\)/.exec(res.body)[1]
+          const configStr = Buffer.from(base64Config, 'base64').toString()
+
+          expect(configStr).to.include('"exit":false')
+        })
+      })
+    })
   })
 
   context('GET /__cypress/runner/*', () => {