diff --git a/lib/internal/test_runner/harness.js b/lib/internal/test_runner/harness.js
index 1bdd6e99ed1c3b..5d0ce337ccd10c 100644
--- a/lib/internal/test_runner/harness.js
+++ b/lib/internal/test_runner/harness.js
@@ -13,9 +13,10 @@ const {
     ERR_TEST_FAILURE,
   },
 } = require('internal/errors');
+const { getOptionValue } = require('internal/options');
 const { Test, ItTest, Suite } = require('internal/test_runner/test');
 
-
+const isTestRunner = getOptionValue('--test');
 const testResources = new SafeMap();
 const root = new Test({ __proto__: null, name: '<root>' });
 let wasRootSetup = false;
@@ -134,8 +135,11 @@ function setup(root) {
   process.on('uncaughtException', exceptionHandler);
   process.on('unhandledRejection', rejectionHandler);
   process.on('beforeExit', exitHandler);
-  process.on('SIGINT', terminationHandler);
-  process.on('SIGTERM', terminationHandler);
+  // TODO(MoLow): Make it configurable to hook when isTestRunner === false.
+  if (isTestRunner) {
+    process.on('SIGINT', terminationHandler);
+    process.on('SIGTERM', terminationHandler);
+  }
 
   root.reporter.pipe(process.stdout);
   root.reporter.version();
diff --git a/test/fixtures/test-runner/never_ending_async.js b/test/fixtures/test-runner/never_ending_async.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..0f26ea9291fd0d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/test-runner/never_ending_async.js
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+const test = require('node:test');
+const { setTimeout } = require('timers/promises');
+
+// We are using a very large timeout value to ensure that the parent process
+// will have time to send a SIGINT signal to cancel the test.
+test('never ending test', () => setTimeout(100_000_000));
diff --git a/test/fixtures/test-runner/never_ending_sync.js b/test/fixtures/test-runner/never_ending_sync.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..efc78757b18852
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/test-runner/never_ending_sync.js
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+const test = require('node:test');
+
+test('never ending test', () => {
+  while (true);
+});
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-runner-exit-code.js b/test/parallel/test-runner-exit-code.js
index 638ad9853aeefb..1833fa00f7f7ae 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-runner-exit-code.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-runner-exit-code.js
@@ -2,8 +2,29 @@
 const common = require('../common');
 const fixtures = require('../common/fixtures');
 const assert = require('assert');
-const { spawnSync } = require('child_process');
-const { setTimeout } = require('timers/promises');
+const { spawnSync, spawn } = require('child_process');
+const { once } = require('events');
+const { finished } = require('stream/promises');
+
+async function runAndKill(file) {
+  if (common.isWindows) {
+    common.printSkipMessage(`signals are not supported in windows, skipping ${file}`);
+    return;
+  }
+  let stdout = '';
+  const child = spawn(process.execPath, ['--test', file]);
+  child.stdout.setEncoding('utf8');
+  child.stdout.on('data', (chunk) => {
+    if (!stdout.length) child.kill('SIGINT');
+    stdout += chunk;
+  });
+  const [code, signal] = await once(child, 'exit');
+  await finished(child.stdout);
+  assert.match(stdout, /not ok 1/);
+  assert.match(stdout, /# cancelled 1\n/);
+  assert.strictEqual(signal, null);
+  assert.strictEqual(code, 1);
+}
 
 if (process.argv[2] === 'child') {
   const test = require('node:test');
@@ -17,12 +38,6 @@ if (process.argv[2] === 'child') {
     test('failing test', () => {
       assert.strictEqual(true, false);
     });
-  } else if (process.argv[3] === 'never_ends') {
-    assert.strictEqual(process.argv[3], 'never_ends');
-    test('never ending test', () => {
-      return setTimeout(100_000_000);
-    });
-    process.kill(process.pid, 'SIGINT');
   } else assert.fail('unreachable');
 } else {
   let child = spawnSync(process.execPath, [__filename, 'child', 'pass']);
@@ -37,14 +52,6 @@ if (process.argv[2] === 'child') {
   assert.strictEqual(child.status, 1);
   assert.strictEqual(child.signal, null);
 
-  child = spawnSync(process.execPath, [__filename, 'child', 'never_ends']);
-  assert.strictEqual(child.status, 1);
-  assert.strictEqual(child.signal, null);
-  if (common.isWindows) {
-    common.printSkipMessage('signals are not supported in windows');
-  } else {
-    const stdout = child.stdout.toString();
-    assert.match(stdout, /not ok 1 - never ending test/);
-    assert.match(stdout, /# cancelled 1/);
-  }
+  runAndKill(fixtures.path('test-runner', 'never_ending_sync.js')).then(common.mustCall());
+  runAndKill(fixtures.path('test-runner', 'never_ending_async.js')).then(common.mustCall());
 }