diff --git a/tests/test_spawning.py b/tests/test_spawning.py
index 283d1785..7dfa51af 100644
--- a/tests/test_spawning.py
+++ b/tests/test_spawning.py
@@ -197,3 +197,50 @@ def test_loglevel_propagated_to_subactor(
     # ensure subactor spits log message on stderr
     captured = capfd.readouterr()
     assert 'yoyoyo' in captured.err
+
+
+def test_start_actor_can_skip_parent_main_replay(monkeypatch, reg_addr):
+    captured_parent_main_data: list[dict[str, str]] = []
+    from tractor.runtime import _supervise as supervise_module
+
+    async def fake_new_proc(
+        name: str,
+        actor_nursery,
+        subactor,
+        errors,
+        bind_addrs,
+        parent_addr,
+        _runtime_vars,
+        *,
+        infect_asyncio: bool = False,
+        task_status=trio.TASK_STATUS_IGNORED,
+        proc_kwargs: dict[str, Any] = {},
+    ) -> None:
+        captured_parent_main_data.append(dict(subactor._parent_main_data))
+        task_status.started(object())
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        supervise_module._spawn,
+        'new_proc',
+        fake_new_proc,
+    )
+
+    async def main() -> None:
+        async with tractor.open_root_actor(
+            registry_addrs=[reg_addr],
+        ):
+            async with tractor.open_nursery() as an:
+                await an.start_actor(
+                    'replaying-parent-main',
+                    enable_modules=[__name__],
+                )
+                await an.start_actor(
+                    'isolated-parent-main',
+                    enable_modules=[__name__],
+                    replay_parent_main=False,
+                )
+
+    trio.run(main)
+
+    assert captured_parent_main_data[0]
+    assert captured_parent_main_data[1] == {}
diff --git a/tractor/runtime/_supervise.py b/tractor/runtime/_supervise.py
index 3cd7d4c7..f80d0845 100644
--- a/tractor/runtime/_supervise.py
+++ b/tractor/runtime/_supervise.py
@@ -194,6 +194,7 @@ class ActorNursery:
         loglevel: str|None = None,  # set log level per subactor
         debug_mode: bool|None = None,
         infect_asyncio: bool = False,
+        replay_parent_main: bool = True,
 
         # TODO: ideally we can rm this once we no longer have
         # a `._ria_nursery` since the dependent APIs have been
@@ -206,6 +207,10 @@ class ActorNursery:
         Start a (daemon) actor: an process that has no designated
         "main task" besides the runtime.
 
+        Pass ``replay_parent_main=False`` to keep this child on its own
+        bootstrap module instead of re-running the parent's ``__main__``
+        during startup.
+
         '''
         __runtimeframe__: int = 1  # noqa
         loglevel: str = (
@@ -246,6 +251,8 @@ class ActorNursery:
             # verbatim relay this actor's registrar addresses
             registry_addrs=current_actor().registry_addrs,
         )
+        if not replay_parent_main:
+            subactor._parent_main_data = {}
         parent_addr: UnwrappedAddress = self._actor.accept_addr
         assert parent_addr
 
@@ -289,6 +296,7 @@ class ActorNursery:
         enable_modules: list[str] | None = None,
         loglevel: str | None = None,  # set log level per subactor
         infect_asyncio: bool = False,
+        replay_parent_main: bool = True,
         proc_kwargs: dict[str, any] = {},
 
         **kwargs,  # explicit args to ``fn``
@@ -320,6 +328,7 @@ class ActorNursery:
             # use the run_in_actor nursery
             nursery=self._ria_nursery,
             infect_asyncio=infect_asyncio,
+            replay_parent_main=replay_parent_main,
             proc_kwargs=proc_kwargs
         )