diff --git a/crates/cli-support/src/js/mod.rs b/crates/cli-support/src/js/mod.rs
index 59a10704d6b..b82358ebd5f 100644
--- a/crates/cli-support/src/js/mod.rs
+++ b/crates/cli-support/src/js/mod.rs
@@ -62,6 +62,8 @@ pub struct Context<'a> {
 
     /// A flag to track if the stack pointer setter shim has been injected.
     stack_pointer_shim_injected: bool,
+
+    start_found: bool,
 }
 
 #[derive(Default)]
@@ -93,6 +95,7 @@ impl<'a> Context<'a> {
         config: &'a Bindgen,
         wit: &'a NonstandardWitSection,
         aux: &'a WasmBindgenAux,
+        start_found: bool,
     ) -> Result<Context<'a>, Error> {
         Ok(Context {
             globals: String::new(),
@@ -113,6 +116,7 @@ impl<'a> Context<'a> {
             memories: Default::default(),
             table_indices: Default::default(),
             stack_pointer_shim_injected: false,
+            start_found,
         })
     }
 
@@ -381,7 +385,7 @@ impl<'a> Context<'a> {
                 js.push_str("let wasm;\n");
                 init = self.gen_init(needs_manual_start, None)?;
                 footer.push_str(&format!(
-                    "{} = Object.assign(init, {{ initSync }}, __exports);\n",
+                    "{} = Object.assign(init, {{ initWithoutStart }}, {{ initSync }}, __exports);\n",
                     global
                 ));
             }
@@ -414,6 +418,10 @@ impl<'a> Context<'a> {
                 if needs_manual_start {
                     footer.push_str("\nwasm.__wbindgen_start();\n");
                 }
+
+                if self.start_found {
+                    footer.push_str("\nwasm.__wbindgen_main();\n");
+                }
             }
 
             OutputMode::Deno => {
@@ -428,6 +436,10 @@ impl<'a> Context<'a> {
                 if needs_manual_start {
                     footer.push_str("\nwasm.__wbindgen_start();\n");
                 }
+
+                if self.start_found {
+                    footer.push_str("\nwasm.__wbindgen_main();\n");
+                }
             }
 
             // With Bundlers and modern ES6 support in Node we can simply import
@@ -462,6 +474,12 @@ impl<'a> Context<'a> {
                 if needs_manual_start {
                     start = Some("\nwasm.__wbindgen_start();\n".to_string());
                 }
+
+                if self.start_found {
+                    start
+                        .get_or_insert_with(String::default)
+                        .push_str("\nwasm.__wbindgen_main();\n");
+                }
             }
 
             // With a browser-native output we're generating an ES module, but
@@ -471,7 +489,7 @@ impl<'a> Context<'a> {
             OutputMode::Web => {
                 self.imports_post.push_str("let wasm;\n");
                 init = self.gen_init(needs_manual_start, Some(&mut imports))?;
-                footer.push_str("export { initSync }\n");
+                footer.push_str("export { initSync, initWithoutStart }\n");
                 footer.push_str("export default init;");
             }
         }
@@ -610,6 +628,7 @@ impl<'a> Context<'a> {
         // Also in (at least) the NoModules, the `init()` method is renamed to `wasm_bindgen()`.
         let setup_function_declaration;
         let mut sync_init_function = String::new();
+        let mut without_start_init_function = String::new();
         let declare_or_export;
         if self.config.mode.no_modules() {
             declare_or_export = "declare";
@@ -635,6 +654,23 @@ impl<'a> Context<'a> {
                 memory_param = memory_param
             ));
 
+            without_start_init_function.push_str(&format!(
+                "\
+                /**\n\
+                * If `module_or_path` is {{RequestInfo}} or {{URL}}, makes a request and\n\
+                * for everything else, calls `WebAssembly.instantiate` directly.\n\
+                *\n\
+                * @param {{InitInput | Promise<InitInput>}} module_or_path\n\
+                {}\
+                *\n\
+                * @returns {{Promise<InitOutput>}}\n\
+                */\n\
+                export function initWithoutStart \
+                    (module_or_path{}: InitInput | Promise<InitInput>{}): Promise<InitOutput>;\n\n\
+                ",
+                memory_doc, arg_optional, memory_param,
+            ));
+
             setup_function_declaration = "export default function init";
         }
         Ok(format!(
@@ -647,7 +683,8 @@ impl<'a> Context<'a> {
             {sync_init_function}\
             /**\n\
             * If `module_or_path` is {{RequestInfo}} or {{URL}}, makes a request and\n\
-            * for everything else, calls `WebAssembly.instantiate` directly.\n\
+            * for everything else, calls `WebAssembly.instantiate` directly and runs\n\
+            * the start function.\n\
             *\n\
             * @param {{InitInput | Promise<InitInput>}} module_or_path\n\
             {}\
@@ -834,11 +871,12 @@ impl<'a> Context<'a> {
                     {init_memory}
                 }}
 
-                function finalizeInit(instance, module) {{
+                function finalizeInit(instance, module, start) {{
                     wasm = instance.exports;
                     init.__wbindgen_wasm_module = module;
                     {init_memviews}
                     {start}
+                    {main}
                     return wasm;
                 }}
 
@@ -853,10 +891,10 @@ impl<'a> Context<'a> {
 
                     const instance = new WebAssembly.Instance(module, imports);
 
-                    return finalizeInit(instance, module);
+                    return finalizeInit(instance, module, true);
                 }}
 
-                async function init(input{init_memory_arg}) {{
+                async function initInternal(input{init_memory_arg}, start) {{
                     {default_module_path}
                     const imports = getImports();
 
@@ -868,7 +906,15 @@ impl<'a> Context<'a> {
 
                     const {{ instance, module }} = await load(await input, imports);
 
-                    return finalizeInit(instance, module);
+                    return finalizeInit(instance, module, start);
+                }}
+
+                async function initWithoutStart(input{init_memory_arg}) {{
+                    return initInternal(input{init_memory_arg}, false);
+                }}
+
+                async function init(input{init_memory_arg}) {{
+                    return initInternal(input{init_memory_arg}, true);
                 }}
             ",
             init_memory_arg = init_memory_arg,
@@ -880,6 +926,11 @@ impl<'a> Context<'a> {
             } else {
                 ""
             },
+            main = if self.start_found {
+                "if (start == true) { wasm.__wbindgen_main(); }"
+            } else {
+                ""
+            },
             imports_init = imports_init,
         );
 
diff --git a/crates/cli-support/src/lib.rs b/crates/cli-support/src/lib.rs
index e77137c941a..2d6f68a97cc 100755
--- a/crates/cli-support/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/cli-support/src/lib.rs
@@ -359,7 +359,7 @@ impl Bindgen {
         // auxiliary section for all sorts of miscellaneous information and
         // features #[wasm_bindgen] supports that aren't covered by wasm
         // interface types.
-        wit::process(
+        let wit::ProcessResult { start_found, .. } = wit::process(
             &mut module,
             self.externref,
             self.wasm_interface_types,
@@ -441,7 +441,7 @@ impl Bindgen {
                 .customs
                 .delete_typed::<wit::NonstandardWitSection>()
                 .unwrap();
-            let mut cx = js::Context::new(&mut module, self, &adapters, &aux)?;
+            let mut cx = js::Context::new(&mut module, self, &adapters, &aux, start_found)?;
             cx.generate()?;
             let (js, ts, start) = cx.finalize(stem)?;
             Generated::Js(JsGenerated {
diff --git a/crates/cli-support/src/wit/mod.rs b/crates/cli-support/src/wit/mod.rs
index f5b56e0079d..b4a2084eaa6 100644
--- a/crates/cli-support/src/wit/mod.rs
+++ b/crates/cli-support/src/wit/mod.rs
@@ -43,12 +43,18 @@ struct InstructionBuilder<'a, 'b> {
     return_position: bool,
 }
 
+pub struct ProcessResult {
+    pub adapters: NonstandardWitSectionId,
+    pub aux: WasmBindgenAuxId,
+    pub start_found: bool,
+}
+
 pub fn process(
     module: &mut Module,
     externref_enabled: bool,
     wasm_interface_types: bool,
     support_start: bool,
-) -> Result<(NonstandardWitSectionId, WasmBindgenAuxId), Error> {
+) -> Result<ProcessResult, Error> {
     let mut storage = Vec::new();
     let programs = extract_programs(module, &mut storage)?;
 
@@ -88,7 +94,11 @@ pub fn process(
 
     let adapters = cx.module.customs.add(cx.adapters);
     let aux = cx.module.customs.add(cx.aux);
-    Ok((adapters, aux))
+    Ok(ProcessResult {
+        adapters,
+        aux,
+        start_found: cx.start_found && cx.support_start,
+    })
 }
 
 impl<'a> Context<'a> {
@@ -476,22 +486,7 @@ impl<'a> Context<'a> {
             return Ok(());
         }
 
-        let prev_start = match self.module.start {
-            Some(f) => f,
-            None => {
-                self.module.start = Some(id);
-                return Ok(());
-            }
-        };
-
-        // Note that we call the previous start function, if any, first. This is
-        // because the start function currently only shows up when it's injected
-        // through thread/externref transforms. These injected start functions
-        // need to happen before user code, so we always schedule them first.
-        let mut builder = walrus::FunctionBuilder::new(&mut self.module.types, &[], &[]);
-        builder.func_body().call(prev_start).call(id);
-        let new_start = builder.finish(Vec::new(), &mut self.module.funcs);
-        self.module.start = Some(new_start);
+        self.module.exports.add("__wbindgen_main", id);
         Ok(())
     }
 
@@ -1464,7 +1459,7 @@ impl<'a> Context<'a> {
         let mut to_remove = Vec::new();
         for export in self.module.exports.iter() {
             match export.name.as_str() {
-                n if n.starts_with("__wbindgen") => {
+                n if n.starts_with("__wbindgen") && n != "__wbindgen_main" => {
                     to_remove.push(export.id());
                 }
                 _ => {}
diff --git a/crates/cli/tests/wasm-bindgen/main.rs b/crates/cli/tests/wasm-bindgen/main.rs
index b52f14e64c3..5651d01fa9d 100644
--- a/crates/cli/tests/wasm-bindgen/main.rs
+++ b/crates/cli/tests/wasm-bindgen/main.rs
@@ -239,7 +239,7 @@ fn default_module_path_target_web() {
     let contents = fs::read_to_string(out_dir.join("default_module_path_target_web.js")).unwrap();
     assert!(contents.contains(
         "\
-async function init(input) {
+async function initInternal(input, start) {
     if (typeof input === 'undefined') {
         input = new URL('default_module_path_target_web_bg.wasm', import.meta.url);
     }",
@@ -260,7 +260,7 @@ fn default_module_path_target_no_modules() {
         fs::read_to_string(out_dir.join("default_module_path_target_no_modules.js")).unwrap();
     assert!(contents.contains(
         "\
-    async function init(input) {
+    async function initInternal(input, start) {
         if (typeof input === 'undefined') {
             let src;
             if (typeof document === 'undefined') {
@@ -287,7 +287,7 @@ fn omit_default_module_path_target_web() {
         fs::read_to_string(out_dir.join("omit_default_module_path_target_web.js")).unwrap();
     assert!(contents.contains(
         "\
-async function init(input) {
+async function initInternal(input, start) {
 
     const imports = getImports();",
     ));
@@ -307,7 +307,7 @@ fn omit_default_module_path_target_no_modules() {
         fs::read_to_string(out_dir.join("omit_default_module_path_target_no_modules.js")).unwrap();
     assert!(contents.contains(
         "\
-    async function init(input) {
+    async function initInternal(input, start) {
 
         const imports = getImports();",
     ));