diff --git a/src/core/emergency-action.c b/src/core/emergency-action.c
index e14a3aae17..3f0c11a3f2 100644
--- a/src/core/emergency-action.c
+++ b/src/core/emergency-action.c
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ static void log_and_status(Manager *m, const char *message, const char *reason)
 int emergency_action(
                 Manager *m,
                 EmergencyAction action,
+                EmergencyActionFlags options,
                 const char *reboot_arg,
                 const char *reason) {
 
@@ -31,7 +32,7 @@ int emergency_action(
         if (action == EMERGENCY_ACTION_NONE)
                 return -ECANCELED;
 
-        if (!m->service_watchdogs) {
+        if (FLAGS_SET(options, EMERGENCY_ACTION_IS_WATCHDOG) && !m->service_watchdogs) {
                 log_warning("Watchdog disabled! Not acting on: %s", reason);
                 return -ECANCELED;
         }
diff --git a/src/core/emergency-action.h b/src/core/emergency-action.h
index 3f6f6e0a03..453de0dbd2 100644
--- a/src/core/emergency-action.h
+++ b/src/core/emergency-action.h
@@ -16,10 +16,16 @@ typedef enum EmergencyAction {
         _EMERGENCY_ACTION_INVALID = -1
 } EmergencyAction;
 
+typedef enum EmergencyActionFlags {
+        EMERGENCY_ACTION_IS_WATCHDOG = 1 << 0,
+} EmergencyActionFlags;
+
 #include "macro.h"
 #include "manager.h"
 
-int emergency_action(Manager *m, EmergencyAction action, const char *reboot_arg, const char *reason);
+int emergency_action(Manager *m,
+                     EmergencyAction action, EmergencyActionFlags options,
+                     const char *reboot_arg, const char *reason);
 
 const char* emergency_action_to_string(EmergencyAction i) _const_;
 EmergencyAction emergency_action_from_string(const char *s) _pure_;
diff --git a/src/core/job.c b/src/core/job.c
index 6b17cc1d6f..23717d5e47 100644
--- a/src/core/job.c
+++ b/src/core/job.c
@@ -973,7 +973,8 @@ static int job_dispatch_timer(sd_event_source *s, uint64_t monotonic, void *user
         u = j->unit;
         job_finish_and_invalidate(j, JOB_TIMEOUT, true, false);
 
-        emergency_action(u->manager, u->job_timeout_action, u->job_timeout_reboot_arg, "job timed out");
+        emergency_action(u->manager, u->job_timeout_action, EMERGENCY_ACTION_IS_WATCHDOG,
+                         u->job_timeout_reboot_arg, "job timed out");
 
         return 0;
 }
diff --git a/src/core/manager.c b/src/core/manager.c
index af84a0a769..0c3109b34b 100644
--- a/src/core/manager.c
+++ b/src/core/manager.c
@@ -2538,7 +2538,7 @@ static void manager_handle_ctrl_alt_del(Manager *m) {
         if (ratelimit_below(&m->ctrl_alt_del_ratelimit) || m->cad_burst_action == EMERGENCY_ACTION_NONE)
                 manager_start_target(m, SPECIAL_CTRL_ALT_DEL_TARGET, JOB_REPLACE_IRREVERSIBLY);
         else
-                emergency_action(m, m->cad_burst_action, NULL,
+                emergency_action(m, m->cad_burst_action, 0, NULL, 
                                 "Ctrl-Alt-Del was pressed more than 7 times within 2s");
 }
 
diff --git a/src/core/unit.c b/src/core/unit.c
index d90456e03c..0806a50cce 100644
--- a/src/core/unit.c
+++ b/src/core/unit.c
@@ -1724,7 +1724,8 @@ int unit_start_limit_test(Unit *u) {
         log_unit_warning(u, "Start request repeated too quickly.");
         u->start_limit_hit = true;
 
-        return emergency_action(u->manager, u->start_limit_action, u->reboot_arg, "unit failed");
+        return emergency_action(u->manager, u->start_limit_action, EMERGENCY_ACTION_IS_WATCHDOG,
+                                u->reboot_arg, "unit failed");
 }
 
 bool unit_shall_confirm_spawn(Unit *u) {
@@ -2498,9 +2499,11 @@ void unit_notify(Unit *u, UnitActiveState os, UnitActiveState ns, UnitNotifyFlag
                 unit_check_binds_to(u);
 
                 if (os != UNIT_FAILED && ns == UNIT_FAILED)
-                        (void) emergency_action(u->manager, u->failure_action, u->reboot_arg, "unit failed");
+                        (void) emergency_action(u->manager, u->failure_action, 0,
+                                                u->reboot_arg, "unit failed");
                 else if (!UNIT_IS_INACTIVE_OR_FAILED(os) && ns == UNIT_INACTIVE)
-                        (void) emergency_action(u->manager, u->success_action, u->reboot_arg, "unit succeeded");
+                        (void) emergency_action(u->manager, u->success_action, 0,
+                                                u->reboot_arg, "unit succeeded");
         }
 
         unit_add_to_dbus_queue(u);