diff --git a/test-instr.c b/test-instr.c
index 28552893..7ab342cf 100644
--- a/test-instr.c
+++ b/test-instr.c
@@ -49,7 +49,11 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
     if ((cnt = read(fd, buf, sizeof(buf) - 1)) < 1) {
 
       printf("Hum?\n");
+#ifdef EXIT_AT_END
+      exit(1);
+#else
       return 1;
+#endif
 
     }
 
@@ -76,6 +80,9 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
       break;
 
   }
+#ifdef EXIT_AT_END
+  exit(0);
+#endif
 
   return 0;
 
diff --git a/test/test-qemu-mode.sh b/test/test-qemu-mode.sh
index 2ba81d02..00751ced 100755
--- a/test/test-qemu-mode.sh
+++ b/test/test-qemu-mode.sh
@@ -16,7 +16,8 @@ test -z "$AFL_CC" && {
 test -e ../afl-qemu-trace && {
   cc -pie -fPIE -o test-instr ../test-instr.c
   cc -o test-compcov test-compcov.c
-  test -e test-instr -a -e test-compcov && {
+  cc -pie -fPIE -o test-instr-exit-at-end -DEXIT_AT_END ../test-instr.c
+  test -e test-instr -a -e test-compcov -a -e test-instr-exit-at-end && {
     {
       mkdir -p in
       echo 00000 > in/in
@@ -149,11 +150,63 @@ test -e ../afl-qemu-trace && {
           $ECHO "$RED[!] afl-fuzz is not working correctly with persistent qemu_mode"
           CODE=1
         }
-        rm -rf in out errors
+        rm -rf out errors
       } || {
        $ECHO "$YELLOW[-] not an intel or arm platform, cannot test persistent qemu_mode"
       }
 
+      test "$SYS" = "i686" -o "$SYS" = "x86_64" -o "$SYS" = "amd64" -o "$SYS" = "i86pc" -o "$SYS" = "aarch64" -o ! "${SYS%%arm*}" && {
+        $ECHO "$GREY[*] running afl-fuzz for persistent qemu_mode with AFL_QEMU_PERSISTENT_EXITS, this will take approx 10 seconds"
+        {
+          IS_STATIC=""
+          file test-instr-exit-at-end | grep -q 'statically linked' && IS_STATIC=1
+          test -z "$IS_STATIC" && {
+            if file test-instr-exit-at-end | grep -q "32-bit"; then
+              # for 32-bit reduce 8 nibbles to the lower 7 nibbles
+  	      ADDR_LOWER_PART=`nm test-instr-exit-at-end | grep "T main" | awk '{print $1}' | sed 's/^.//'`
+            else
+              # for 64-bit reduce 16 nibbles to the lower 9 nibbles
+  	      ADDR_LOWER_PART=`nm test-instr-exit-at-end | grep "T main" | awk '{print $1}' | sed 's/^.......//'`
+            fi
+            export AFL_QEMU_PERSISTENT_ADDR=`expr 0x4${ADDR_LOWER_PART}`
+          }
+          test -n "$IS_STATIC" && {
+            export AFL_QEMU_PERSISTENT_ADDR=0x`nm test-instr-exit-at-end | grep "T main" |  awk '{print $1}'`
+          }
+          export AFL_QEMU_PERSISTENT_GPR=1
+          $ECHO "Info: AFL_QEMU_PERSISTENT_ADDR=$AFL_QEMU_PERSISTENT_ADDR <= $(nm test-instr-exit-at-end | grep "T main" | awk '{print $1}')"
+          export AFL_QEMU_PERSISTENT_EXITS=1
+          ../afl-fuzz -m ${MEM_LIMIT} -V07 -Q -i in -o out -- ./test-instr-exit-at-end
+          echo status "$?"
+          unset AFL_QEMU_PERSISTENT_ADDR
+          unset AFL_QEMU_PERSISTENT_GPR
+          unset AFL_QEMU_PERSISTENT_EXITS
+        } >>errors 2>&1
+        test -n "$( ls out/default/queue/id:000000* 2>/dev/null )" && {
+          $ECHO "$GREEN[+] afl-fuzz is working correctly with persistent qemu_mode and AFL_QEMU_PERSISTENT_EXITS"
+          RUNTIMEP_EXIT=`grep execs_done out/default/fuzzer_stats | awk '{print$3}'`
+          test -n "$RUNTIME" -a -n "$RUNTIMEP_EXIT" && {
+            DIFF=`expr $RUNTIMEP_EXIT / $RUNTIME`
+            test "$DIFF" -gt 1 && { # must be at least twice as fast
+              $ECHO "$GREEN[+] persistent qemu_mode with AFL_QEMU_PERSISTENT_EXITS was noticeable faster than standard qemu_mode"
+            } || {
+              $ECHO "$YELLOW[-] persistent qemu_mode with AFL_QEMU_PERSISTENT_EXITS was not noticeable faster than standard qemu_mode"
+            }
+          } || {
+            $ECHO "$YELLOW[-] we got no data on executions performed? weird!"
+          }
+        } || {
+          echo CUT------------------------------------------------------------------CUT
+          cat errors
+          echo CUT------------------------------------------------------------------CUT
+          $ECHO "$RED[!] afl-fuzz is not working correctly with persistent qemu_mode and AFL_QEMU_PERSISTENT_EXITS"
+          CODE=1
+        }
+        rm -rf in out errors
+      } || {
+       $ECHO "$YELLOW[-] not an intel or arm platform, cannot test persistent qemu_mode with AFL_QEMU_PERSISTENT_EXITS"
+      }
+
       test -e ../qemu_mode/unsigaction/unsigaction32.so && {
         ${AFL_CC} -o test-unsigaction32 -m32 test-unsigaction.c >> errors 2>&1 && {
 	  ./test-unsigaction32
@@ -212,7 +265,7 @@ test -e ../afl-qemu-trace && {
     CODE=1
   }
 
-  rm -f test-instr test-compcov
+  rm -f test-instr test-compcov test-instr-exit-at-end
 } || {
   $ECHO "$YELLOW[-] qemu_mode is not compiled, cannot test"
   INCOMPLETE=1