diff --git a/src/frontend/qt_sdl/CLI.cpp b/src/frontend/qt_sdl/CLI.cpp
index 5e352cae..4e74015b 100644
--- a/src/frontend/qt_sdl/CLI.cpp
+++ b/src/frontend/qt_sdl/CLI.cpp
@@ -44,6 +44,13 @@ CommandLineOptions* ManageArgs(QApplication& melon)
     parser.addOption(QCommandLineOption({"b", "boot"}, "Whether to boot firmware on startup. Defaults to \"auto\" (boot if NDS rom given)", "auto/always/never", "auto"));
     parser.addOption(QCommandLineOption({"f", "fullscreen"}, "Start melonDS in fullscreen mode"));
 
+#ifdef GDBSTUB_ENABLED
+    parser.addOption(QCommandLineOption("break-arm9", "Yield ARM9 execution to the GDB stub immediately on startup"));
+    parser.addOption(QCommandLineOption("break-arm7", "Yield ARM7 execution to the GDB stub immediately on startup"));
+    parser.addOption(QCommandLineOption("no-break-arm9", "Do not wait for GDB on ARM9 startup, even if the option to do so is enabled"));
+    parser.addOption(QCommandLineOption("no-break-arm7", "Do not wait for GDB on ARM9 startup, even if the option to do so is enabled"));
+#endif
+
 #ifdef ARCHIVE_SUPPORT_ENABLED
     parser.addOption(QCommandLineOption({"a", "archive-file"}, "Specify file to load inside an archive given (NDS)", "rom"));
     parser.addOption(QCommandLineOption({"A", "archive-file-gba"}, "Specify file to load inside an archive given (GBA)", "rom"));
@@ -55,6 +62,25 @@ CommandLineOptions* ManageArgs(QApplication& melon)
 
     options->fullscreen = parser.isSet("fullscreen");
 
+#ifdef GDBSTUB_ENABLED
+    if (parser.isSet("break-arm9"))
+    {
+        options->arm9BreakOnStart = true;
+    }
+    if (parser.isSet("no-break-arm9"))
+    {
+        options->arm9BreakOnStart = false;
+    }
+    if (parser.isSet("break-arm7"))
+    {
+        options->arm7BreakOnStart = true;
+    }
+    if (parser.isSet("no-break-arm7"))
+    {
+        options->arm7BreakOnStart = false;
+    }
+#endif
+
     QStringList posargs = parser.positionalArguments();
     switch (posargs.size())
     {
diff --git a/src/frontend/qt_sdl/CLI.h b/src/frontend/qt_sdl/CLI.h
index beb120bf..ec575f1c 100644
--- a/src/frontend/qt_sdl/CLI.h
+++ b/src/frontend/qt_sdl/CLI.h
@@ -34,6 +34,10 @@ struct CommandLineOptions
     std::optional<QString> gbaRomArchivePath;
     bool fullscreen;
     bool boot;
+#ifdef GDBSTUB_ENABLED
+    std::optional<bool> arm9BreakOnStart;
+    std::optional<bool> arm7BreakOnStart;
+#endif
 };
 
 extern CommandLineOptions* ManageArgs(QApplication& melon);
diff --git a/src/frontend/qt_sdl/EmuInstance.cpp b/src/frontend/qt_sdl/EmuInstance.cpp
index 75db0018..2223b79d 100644
--- a/src/frontend/qt_sdl/EmuInstance.cpp
+++ b/src/frontend/qt_sdl/EmuInstance.cpp
@@ -64,7 +64,12 @@ const string kWifiSettingsPath = "wfcsettings.bin";
 extern Net net;
 
 
-EmuInstance::EmuInstance(int inst) : deleting(false),
+EmuInstance::EmuInstance(int inst, InstanceStartupOptions options) :
+#ifdef GDBSTUB_ENABLED
+    overrideArm9BreakOnStart(options.arm9BreakOnStart),
+    overrideArm7BreakOnStart(options.arm7BreakOnStart),
+#endif
+    deleting(false),
     instanceID(inst),
     globalCfg(Config::GetGlobalTable()),
     localCfg(Config::GetLocalTable(inst))
@@ -150,6 +155,12 @@ EmuInstance::EmuInstance(int inst) : deleting(false),
     }
 }
 
+EmuInstance::EmuInstance(int inst) :
+    EmuInstance(inst, {})
+{
+
+}
+
 EmuInstance::~EmuInstance()
 {
     deleting = true;
@@ -1287,8 +1298,8 @@ bool EmuInstance::updateConsole() noexcept
     GDBArgs _gdbargs {
             static_cast<u16>(gdbopt.GetInt("ARM7.Port")),
             static_cast<u16>(gdbopt.GetInt("ARM9.Port")),
-            gdbopt.GetBool("ARM7.BreakOnStartup"),
-            gdbopt.GetBool("ARM9.BreakOnStartup"),
+            overrideArm7BreakOnStart.value_or(gdbopt.GetBool("ARM7.BreakOnStartup")),
+            overrideArm9BreakOnStart.value_or(gdbopt.GetBool("ARM9.BreakOnStartup")),
     };
     auto gdbargs = gdbopt.GetBool("Enabled") ? std::make_optional(_gdbargs) : std::nullopt;
 #else
diff --git a/src/frontend/qt_sdl/EmuInstance.h b/src/frontend/qt_sdl/EmuInstance.h
index 48e4e5b9..85353cbd 100644
--- a/src/frontend/qt_sdl/EmuInstance.h
+++ b/src/frontend/qt_sdl/EmuInstance.h
@@ -21,6 +21,12 @@
 
 #include <SDL2/SDL.h>
 
+struct InstanceStartupOptions
+{
+    std::optional<bool> arm9BreakOnStart;
+    std::optional<bool> arm7BreakOnStart;
+};
+
 #include "main.h"
 #include "NDS.h"
 #include "EmuThread.h"
@@ -79,6 +85,7 @@ class EmuInstance
 {
 public:
     EmuInstance(int inst);
+    EmuInstance(int inst, InstanceStartupOptions options);
     ~EmuInstance();
 
     int getInstanceID() { return instanceID; }
@@ -271,6 +278,11 @@ private:
     bool changeGBACart;
     std::unique_ptr<melonDS::GBACart::CartCommon> nextGBACart;
 
+#ifdef GDBSTUB_ENABLED
+    std::optional<bool> overrideArm9BreakOnStart = std::nullopt;
+    std::optional<bool> overrideArm7BreakOnStart = std::nullopt;
+#endif
+
     // HACK
 public:
     std::unique_ptr<SaveManager> ndsSave;
diff --git a/src/frontend/qt_sdl/Window.cpp b/src/frontend/qt_sdl/Window.cpp
index a156a993..398121fd 100644
--- a/src/frontend/qt_sdl/Window.cpp
+++ b/src/frontend/qt_sdl/Window.cpp
@@ -1743,7 +1743,7 @@ void MainWindow::onOpenTitleManager()
 
 void MainWindow::onMPNewInstance()
 {
-    createEmuInstance();
+    createEmuInstance({});
 }
 
 void MainWindow::onLANStartHost()
diff --git a/src/frontend/qt_sdl/main.cpp b/src/frontend/qt_sdl/main.cpp
index d940340a..0d5b1644 100644
--- a/src/frontend/qt_sdl/main.cpp
+++ b/src/frontend/qt_sdl/main.cpp
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ void NetInit()
 }
 
 
-bool createEmuInstance()
+bool createEmuInstance(InstanceStartupOptions options)
 {
     int id = -1;
     for (int i = 0; i < kMaxEmuInstances; i++)
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ bool createEmuInstance()
     if (id == -1)
         return false;
 
-    auto inst = new EmuInstance(id);
+    auto inst = new EmuInstance(id, options);
     emuInstances[id] = inst;
 
     return true;
@@ -349,7 +349,12 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv)
 
     NetInit();
 
-    createEmuInstance();
+    InstanceStartupOptions instanceOptions;
+#ifdef GDBSTUB_ENABLED
+    instanceOptions.arm9BreakOnStart = options->arm9BreakOnStart;
+    instanceOptions.arm7BreakOnStart = options->arm7BreakOnStart;
+#endif
+    createEmuInstance(instanceOptions);
 
     {
         MainWindow* win = emuInstances[0]->getMainWindow();
diff --git a/src/frontend/qt_sdl/main.h b/src/frontend/qt_sdl/main.h
index e0d38963..d5d56c4b 100644
--- a/src/frontend/qt_sdl/main.h
+++ b/src/frontend/qt_sdl/main.h
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ extern QString emuDirectory;
 
 extern QElapsedTimer sysTimer;
 
-bool createEmuInstance();
+bool createEmuInstance(InstanceStartupOptions options);
 void deleteEmuInstance(int id);
 void deleteAllEmuInstances(int first = 0);
 int numEmuInstances();