diff --git a/api/server.go b/api/server.go
index ec605d49df1..8307d73dcf8 100644
--- a/api/server.go
+++ b/api/server.go
@@ -1,9 +1,12 @@
+// Package api contains the REST API implementation for k6.
+// It also registers the services endpoints like pprof
 package api
 
 import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
 	"net/http"
+	_ "net/http/pprof" //nolint:gosec // Register pprof handlers
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
@@ -15,18 +18,41 @@ import (
 	"go.k6.io/k6/metrics/engine"
 )
 
-func newHandler(cs *v1.ControlSurface) http.Handler {
+func newHandler(cs *v1.ControlSurface, profilingEnabled bool) http.Handler {
 	mux := http.NewServeMux()
 	mux.Handle("/v1/", v1.NewHandler(cs))
 	mux.Handle("/ping", handlePing(cs.RunState.Logger))
 	mux.Handle("/", handlePing(cs.RunState.Logger))
+
+	injectProfilerHandler(mux, profilingEnabled)
+
 	return mux
 }
 
+func injectProfilerHandler(mux *http.ServeMux, profilingEnabled bool) {
+	var handler http.Handler
+
+	handler = http.HandlerFunc(func(rw http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		rw.Header().Add("Content-Type", "text/plain; charset=utf-8")
+		_, _ = rw.Write([]byte("To enable profiling, please run k6 with the --profiling-enabled flag"))
+	})
+
+	if profilingEnabled {
+		handler = http.DefaultServeMux
+	}
+
+	mux.Handle("/debug/pprof/", handler)
+}
+
 // GetServer returns a http.Server instance that can serve k6's REST API.
 func GetServer(
-	runCtx context.Context, addr string, runState *lib.TestRunState,
-	samples chan metrics.SampleContainer, me *engine.MetricsEngine, es *execution.Scheduler,
+	runCtx context.Context,
+	addr string,
+	profilingEnabled bool,
+	runState *lib.TestRunState,
+	samples chan metrics.SampleContainer,
+	me *engine.MetricsEngine,
+	es *execution.Scheduler,
 ) *http.Server {
 	// TODO: reduce the control surface as much as possible? For example, if
 	// we refactor the Runner API, we won't need to send the Samples channel.
@@ -38,7 +64,7 @@ func GetServer(
 		RunState:      runState,
 	}
 
-	mux := withLoggingHandler(runState.Logger, newHandler(cs))
+	mux := withLoggingHandler(runState.Logger, newHandler(cs, profilingEnabled))
 	return &http.Server{Addr: addr, Handler: mux, ReadHeaderTimeout: 10 * time.Second}
 }
 
diff --git a/cmd/root.go b/cmd/root.go
index 6bf12711d89..0b5e6e6d602 100644
--- a/cmd/root.go
+++ b/cmd/root.go
@@ -185,6 +185,12 @@ func rootCmdPersistentFlagSet(gs *state.GlobalState) *pflag.FlagSet {
 	flags.BoolVarP(&gs.Flags.Verbose, "verbose", "v", gs.DefaultFlags.Verbose, "enable verbose logging")
 	flags.BoolVarP(&gs.Flags.Quiet, "quiet", "q", gs.DefaultFlags.Quiet, "disable progress updates")
 	flags.StringVarP(&gs.Flags.Address, "address", "a", gs.DefaultFlags.Address, "address for the REST API server")
+	flags.BoolVar(
+		&gs.Flags.ProfilingEnabled,
+		"profiling-enabled",
+		gs.DefaultFlags.ProfilingEnabled,
+		"enable profiling (pprof) endpoints, k6's REST API should be enabled as well",
+	)
 
 	return flags
 }
diff --git a/cmd/run.go b/cmd/run.go
index 2c640513c17..be6452149de 100644
--- a/cmd/run.go
+++ b/cmd/run.go
@@ -270,10 +270,20 @@ func (c *cmdRun) run(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) (err error) {
 		srvCtx, srvCancel := context.WithCancel(globalCtx)
 		defer srvCancel()
 
-		srv := api.GetServer(runCtx, c.gs.Flags.Address, testRunState, samples, metricsEngine, execScheduler)
+		srv := api.GetServer(
+			runCtx,
+			c.gs.Flags.Address, c.gs.Flags.ProfilingEnabled,
+			testRunState,
+			samples,
+			metricsEngine,
+			execScheduler,
+		)
 		go func() {
 			defer apiWG.Done()
 			logger.Debugf("Starting the REST API server on %s", c.gs.Flags.Address)
+			if c.gs.Flags.ProfilingEnabled {
+				logger.Debugf("Profiling exposed on http://%s/debug/pprof/", c.gs.Flags.Address)
+			}
 			if aerr := srv.ListenAndServe(); aerr != nil && !errors.Is(aerr, http.ErrServerClosed) {
 				// Only exit k6 if the user has explicitly set the REST API address
 				if cmd.Flags().Lookup("address").Changed {
diff --git a/cmd/state/state.go b/cmd/state/state.go
index 3facd99d019..35b2da2f0ab 100644
--- a/cmd/state/state.go
+++ b/cmd/state/state.go
@@ -134,21 +134,23 @@ func NewGlobalState(ctx context.Context) *GlobalState {
 
 // GlobalFlags contains global config values that apply for all k6 sub-commands.
 type GlobalFlags struct {
-	ConfigFilePath string
-	Quiet          bool
-	NoColor        bool
-	Address        string
-	LogOutput      string
-	LogFormat      string
-	Verbose        bool
+	ConfigFilePath   string
+	Quiet            bool
+	NoColor          bool
+	Address          string
+	ProfilingEnabled bool
+	LogOutput        string
+	LogFormat        string
+	Verbose          bool
 }
 
 // GetDefaultFlags returns the default global flags.
 func GetDefaultFlags(homeDir string) GlobalFlags {
 	return GlobalFlags{
-		Address:        "localhost:6565",
-		ConfigFilePath: filepath.Join(homeDir, "loadimpact", "k6", defaultConfigFileName),
-		LogOutput:      "stderr",
+		Address:          "localhost:6565",
+		ProfilingEnabled: false,
+		ConfigFilePath:   filepath.Join(homeDir, "loadimpact", "k6", defaultConfigFileName),
+		LogOutput:        "stderr",
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/cmd/ui.go b/cmd/ui.go
index a2aaab725c1..3367223f1af 100644
--- a/cmd/ui.go
+++ b/cmd/ui.go
@@ -124,6 +124,10 @@ func printExecutionDescription(
 	}
 
 	fmt.Fprintf(buf, "     output: %s\n", valueColor.Sprint(strings.Join(outputDescriptions, ", ")))
+	if gs.Flags.ProfilingEnabled && gs.Flags.Address != "" {
+		fmt.Fprintf(buf, "  profiling: %s\n", valueColor.Sprintf("http://%s/debug/pprof/", gs.Flags.Address))
+	}
+
 	fmt.Fprintf(buf, "\n")
 
 	maxDuration, _ := lib.GetEndOffset(execPlan)