diff --git a/src/runtime/virtcontainers/acrn.go b/src/runtime/virtcontainers/acrn.go
index 3f9935043..93359e16a 100644
--- a/src/runtime/virtcontainers/acrn.go
+++ b/src/runtime/virtcontainers/acrn.go
@@ -479,7 +479,7 @@ func (a *Acrn) waitSandbox(ctx context.Context, timeoutSecs int) error {
 }
 
 // stopSandbox will stop the Sandbox's VM.
-func (a *Acrn) stopSandbox(ctx context.Context) (err error) {
+func (a *Acrn) stopSandbox(ctx context.Context, waitOnly bool) (err error) {
 	span, _ := a.trace(ctx, "stopSandbox")
 	defer span.End()
 
@@ -513,6 +513,11 @@ func (a *Acrn) stopSandbox(ctx context.Context) (err error) {
 
 	shutdownSignal := syscall.SIGINT
 
+	if waitOnly {
+		// NOP
+		shutdownSignal = syscall.Signal(0)
+	}
+
 	return utils.WaitLocalProcess(pid, acrnStopSandboxTimeoutSecs, shutdownSignal, a.Logger())
 }
 
diff --git a/src/runtime/virtcontainers/clh.go b/src/runtime/virtcontainers/clh.go
index 2fc74c076..3f9a364d6 100644
--- a/src/runtime/virtcontainers/clh.go
+++ b/src/runtime/virtcontainers/clh.go
@@ -652,11 +652,11 @@ func (clh *cloudHypervisor) resumeSandbox(ctx context.Context) error {
 }
 
 // stopSandbox will stop the Sandbox's VM.
-func (clh *cloudHypervisor) stopSandbox(ctx context.Context) (err error) {
+func (clh *cloudHypervisor) stopSandbox(ctx context.Context, waitOnly bool) (err error) {
 	span, _ := clh.trace(ctx, "stopSandbox")
 	defer span.End()
 	clh.Logger().WithField("function", "stopSandbox").Info("Stop Sandbox")
-	return clh.terminate(ctx)
+	return clh.terminate(ctx, waitOnly)
 }
 
 func (clh *cloudHypervisor) fromGrpc(ctx context.Context, hypervisorConfig *HypervisorConfig, j []byte) error {
@@ -756,7 +756,7 @@ func (clh *cloudHypervisor) trace(parent context.Context, name string) (otelTrac
 	return span, ctx
 }
 
-func (clh *cloudHypervisor) terminate(ctx context.Context) (err error) {
+func (clh *cloudHypervisor) terminate(ctx context.Context, waitOnly bool) (err error) {
 	span, _ := clh.trace(ctx, "terminate")
 	defer span.End()
 
@@ -775,7 +775,7 @@ func (clh *cloudHypervisor) terminate(ctx context.Context) (err error) {
 
 	clh.Logger().Debug("Stopping Cloud Hypervisor")
 
-	if pidRunning {
+	if pidRunning && !waitOnly {
 		clhRunning, _ := clh.isClhRunning(clhStopSandboxTimeout)
 		if clhRunning {
 			ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), clhStopSandboxTimeout*time.Second)
diff --git a/src/runtime/virtcontainers/fc.go b/src/runtime/virtcontainers/fc.go
index c0644ed71..7dac0e78a 100644
--- a/src/runtime/virtcontainers/fc.go
+++ b/src/runtime/virtcontainers/fc.go
@@ -409,7 +409,7 @@ func (fc *firecracker) fcInit(ctx context.Context, timeout int) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (fc *firecracker) fcEnd(ctx context.Context) (err error) {
+func (fc *firecracker) fcEnd(ctx context.Context, waitOnly bool) (err error) {
 	span, _ := fc.trace(ctx, "fcEnd")
 	defer span.End()
 
@@ -427,6 +427,11 @@ func (fc *firecracker) fcEnd(ctx context.Context) (err error) {
 
 	shutdownSignal := syscall.SIGTERM
 
+	if waitOnly {
+		// NOP
+		shutdownSignal = syscall.Signal(0)
+	}
+
 	// Wait for the VM process to terminate
 	return utils.WaitLocalProcess(pid, fcStopSandboxTimeout, shutdownSignal, fc.Logger())
 }
@@ -760,7 +765,7 @@ func (fc *firecracker) startSandbox(ctx context.Context, timeout int) error {
 	var err error
 	defer func() {
 		if err != nil {
-			fc.fcEnd(ctx)
+			fc.fcEnd(ctx, false)
 		}
 	}()
 
@@ -853,11 +858,11 @@ func (fc *firecracker) cleanupJail(ctx context.Context) {
 }
 
 // stopSandbox will stop the Sandbox's VM.
-func (fc *firecracker) stopSandbox(ctx context.Context) (err error) {
+func (fc *firecracker) stopSandbox(ctx context.Context, waitOnly bool) (err error) {
 	span, _ := fc.trace(ctx, "stopSandbox")
 	defer span.End()
 
-	return fc.fcEnd(ctx)
+	return fc.fcEnd(ctx, waitOnly)
 }
 
 func (fc *firecracker) pauseSandbox(ctx context.Context) error {
diff --git a/src/runtime/virtcontainers/hypervisor.go b/src/runtime/virtcontainers/hypervisor.go
index a7fb093cd..dc6fedf06 100644
--- a/src/runtime/virtcontainers/hypervisor.go
+++ b/src/runtime/virtcontainers/hypervisor.go
@@ -787,7 +787,9 @@ func generateVMSocket(id string, vmStogarePath string) (interface{}, error) {
 type hypervisor interface {
 	createSandbox(ctx context.Context, id string, networkNS NetworkNamespace, hypervisorConfig *HypervisorConfig) error
 	startSandbox(ctx context.Context, timeout int) error
-	stopSandbox(ctx context.Context) error
+	// If wait is set, don't actively stop the sandbox:
+	// just perform cleanup.
+	stopSandbox(ctx context.Context, waitOnly bool) error
 	pauseSandbox(ctx context.Context) error
 	saveSandbox() error
 	resumeSandbox(ctx context.Context) error
diff --git a/src/runtime/virtcontainers/mock_hypervisor.go b/src/runtime/virtcontainers/mock_hypervisor.go
index fd2a6161b..af19130f4 100644
--- a/src/runtime/virtcontainers/mock_hypervisor.go
+++ b/src/runtime/virtcontainers/mock_hypervisor.go
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ func (m *mockHypervisor) startSandbox(ctx context.Context, timeout int) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (m *mockHypervisor) stopSandbox(ctx context.Context) error {
+func (m *mockHypervisor) stopSandbox(ctx context.Context, waitOnly bool) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
diff --git a/src/runtime/virtcontainers/mock_hypervisor_test.go b/src/runtime/virtcontainers/mock_hypervisor_test.go
index dece25165..c557f8658 100644
--- a/src/runtime/virtcontainers/mock_hypervisor_test.go
+++ b/src/runtime/virtcontainers/mock_hypervisor_test.go
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ func TestMockHypervisorStartSandbox(t *testing.T) {
 func TestMockHypervisorStopSandbox(t *testing.T) {
 	var m *mockHypervisor
 
-	assert.NoError(t, m.stopSandbox(context.Background()))
+	assert.NoError(t, m.stopSandbox(context.Background(), false))
 }
 
 func TestMockHypervisorAddDevice(t *testing.T) {
diff --git a/src/runtime/virtcontainers/qemu.go b/src/runtime/virtcontainers/qemu.go
index 98f9a844e..e44d16faa 100644
--- a/src/runtime/virtcontainers/qemu.go
+++ b/src/runtime/virtcontainers/qemu.go
@@ -122,6 +122,8 @@ const (
 	scsiControllerID         = "scsi0"
 	rngID                    = "rng0"
 	fallbackFileBackedMemDir = "/dev/shm"
+
+	qemuStopSandboxTimeoutSecs = 15
 )
 
 // agnostic list of kernel parameters
@@ -703,7 +705,7 @@ func (q *qemu) setupVirtiofsd(ctx context.Context) (err error) {
 		q.Logger().Info("virtiofsd quits")
 		// Wait to release resources of virtiofsd process
 		cmd.Process.Wait()
-		q.stopSandbox(ctx)
+		q.stopSandbox(ctx, false)
 	}()
 	return err
 }
@@ -933,7 +935,7 @@ func (q *qemu) waitSandbox(ctx context.Context, timeout int) error {
 }
 
 // stopSandbox will stop the Sandbox's VM.
-func (q *qemu) stopSandbox(ctx context.Context) error {
+func (q *qemu) stopSandbox(ctx context.Context, waitOnly bool) error {
 	span, _ := q.trace(ctx, "stopSandbox")
 	defer span.End()
 
@@ -965,10 +967,24 @@ func (q *qemu) stopSandbox(ctx context.Context) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	err := q.qmpMonitorCh.qmp.ExecuteQuit(q.qmpMonitorCh.ctx)
-	if err != nil {
-		q.Logger().WithError(err).Error("Fail to execute qmp QUIT")
-		return err
+	if waitOnly {
+		pids := q.getPids()
+		if len(pids) == 0 {
+			return errors.New("cannot determine QEMU PID")
+		}
+
+		pid := pids[0]
+
+		err := utils.WaitLocalProcess(pid, qemuStopSandboxTimeoutSecs, syscall.Signal(0), q.Logger())
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	} else {
+		err := q.qmpMonitorCh.qmp.ExecuteQuit(q.qmpMonitorCh.ctx)
+		if err != nil {
+			q.Logger().WithError(err).Error("Fail to execute qmp QUIT")
+			return err
+		}
 	}
 
 	return nil
diff --git a/src/runtime/virtcontainers/sandbox.go b/src/runtime/virtcontainers/sandbox.go
index e758071fd..a9370e0d5 100644
--- a/src/runtime/virtcontainers/sandbox.go
+++ b/src/runtime/virtcontainers/sandbox.go
@@ -1027,7 +1027,7 @@ func (s *Sandbox) startVM(ctx context.Context) (err error) {
 
 	defer func() {
 		if err != nil {
-			s.hypervisor.stopSandbox(ctx)
+			s.hypervisor.stopSandbox(ctx, false)
 		}
 	}()
 
@@ -1081,14 +1081,9 @@ func (s *Sandbox) stopVM(ctx context.Context) error {
 		s.Logger().WithError(err).WithField("sandboxid", s.id).Warning("Agent did not stop sandbox")
 	}
 
-	if s.disableVMShutdown {
-		// Do not kill the VM - allow the agent to shut it down
-		// (only used to support static agent tracing).
-		return nil
-	}
-
 	s.Logger().Info("Stopping VM")
-	return s.hypervisor.stopSandbox(ctx)
+
+	return s.hypervisor.stopSandbox(ctx, s.disableVMShutdown)
 }
 
 func (s *Sandbox) addContainer(c *Container) error {
diff --git a/src/runtime/virtcontainers/vm.go b/src/runtime/virtcontainers/vm.go
index c94a26fc5..e6f02b6e0 100644
--- a/src/runtime/virtcontainers/vm.go
+++ b/src/runtime/virtcontainers/vm.go
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ func NewVM(ctx context.Context, config VMConfig) (*VM, error) {
 	defer func() {
 		if err != nil {
 			virtLog.WithField("vm", id).WithError(err).Info("clean up vm")
-			hypervisor.stopSandbox(ctx)
+			hypervisor.stopSandbox(ctx, false)
 		}
 	}()
 
@@ -251,7 +251,7 @@ func (v *VM) Disconnect(ctx context.Context) error {
 func (v *VM) Stop(ctx context.Context) error {
 	v.logger().Info("stop vm")
 
-	if err := v.hypervisor.stopSandbox(ctx); err != nil {
+	if err := v.hypervisor.stopSandbox(ctx, false); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}