diff --git a/src/server/gdb_server.c b/src/server/gdb_server.c
index 6c369a3a0..b5a35f58a 100644
--- a/src/server/gdb_server.c
+++ b/src/server/gdb_server.c
@@ -665,7 +665,7 @@ int gdb_target_callback_event_handler(struct target_s *target, enum target_event
 	target_handle_event( target, event );
 	switch (event)
 	{
-		case TARGET_EVENT_HALTED:
+		case TARGET_EVENT_EARLY_HALTED:
 			gdb_frontend_halted(target, connection);
 			break;
 		case TARGET_EVENT_GDB_FLASH_ERASE_START:
diff --git a/src/target/target.c b/src/target/target.c
index 5542b3354..d42b41a8a 100644
--- a/src/target/target.c
+++ b/src/target/target.c
@@ -171,6 +171,7 @@ const Jim_Nvp nvp_target_event[] = {
 	{ .value = TARGET_EVENT_OLD_pre_resume         , .name = "old-pre_resume" },
 
 
+	{ .value = TARGET_EVENT_EARLY_HALTED, .name = "early-halted" },
 	{ .value = TARGET_EVENT_HALTED, .name = "halted" },
 	{ .value = TARGET_EVENT_RESUMED, .name = "resumed" },
 	{ .value = TARGET_EVENT_RESUME_START, .name = "resume-start" },
@@ -797,6 +798,13 @@ int target_call_event_callbacks(target_t *target, enum target_event event)
 	target_event_callback_t *callback = target_event_callbacks;
 	target_event_callback_t *next_callback;
 
+	if (event == TARGET_EVENT_HALTED)
+	{
+		/* execute early halted first */
+		target_call_event_callbacks(target, TARGET_EVENT_EARLY_HALTED);
+	}
+
+
 	LOG_DEBUG("target event %i (%s)",
 			  event,
 			  Jim_Nvp_value2name_simple( nvp_target_event, event )->name );
diff --git a/src/target/target.h b/src/target/target.h
index efa0c6451..5b160d126 100644
--- a/src/target/target.h
+++ b/src/target/target.h
@@ -281,6 +281,10 @@ enum target_event
 	TARGET_EVENT_OLD_post_reset,
 	TARGET_EVENT_OLD_pre_resume,
 
+	/* allow GDB to do stuff before others handle the halted event,
+ 	this is in lieu of defining ordering of invocation of events,
+ 	which would be more complicated */
+ 	TARGET_EVENT_EARLY_HALTED,
  	TARGET_EVENT_HALTED,		/* target entered debug state from normal execution or reset */
  	TARGET_EVENT_RESUMED,		/* target resumed to normal execution */
 	TARGET_EVENT_RESUME_START,