diff --git a/agent/native/ext/ConfigManager.cpp b/agent/native/ext/ConfigManager.cpp
index b27ed5998..9ce2ed392 100644
--- a/agent/native/ext/ConfigManager.cpp
+++ b/agent/native/ext/ConfigManager.cpp
@@ -803,6 +803,7 @@ ELASTIC_APM_DEFINE_FIELD_ACCESS_FUNCS( boolValue, breakdownMetrics )
 ELASTIC_APM_DEFINE_FIELD_ACCESS_FUNCS( boolValue, captureErrors )
 ELASTIC_APM_DEFINE_FIELD_ACCESS_FUNCS( stringValue, devInternal )
 ELASTIC_APM_DEFINE_FIELD_ACCESS_FUNCS( boolValue, devInternalBackendCommLogVerbose )
+ELASTIC_APM_DEFINE_FIELD_ACCESS_FUNCS( boolValue, devInternalCurlInstrumCallCurl )
 ELASTIC_APM_DEFINE_FIELD_ACCESS_FUNCS( stringValue, disableInstrumentations )
 ELASTIC_APM_DEFINE_FIELD_ACCESS_FUNCS( boolValue, disableSend )
 ELASTIC_APM_DEFINE_FIELD_ACCESS_FUNCS( boolValue, enabled )
@@ -1020,6 +1021,12 @@ static void initOptionsMetadata( OptionMetadata* optsMeta )
             ELASTIC_APM_CFG_OPT_NAME_DEV_INTERNAL_BACKEND_COMM_LOG_VERBOSE,
             /* defaultValue: */ false );
 
+    ELASTIC_APM_INIT_METADATA(
+            buildBoolOptionMetadata,
+            devInternalCurlInstrumCallCurl,
+            ELASTIC_APM_CFG_OPT_NAME_DEV_INTERNAL_CURL_INSTRUM_CALL_CURL,
+            /* defaultValue: */ true );
+
     ELASTIC_APM_INIT_METADATA(
             buildStringOptionMetadata,
             disableInstrumentations,
diff --git a/agent/native/ext/ConfigManager.h b/agent/native/ext/ConfigManager.h
index fc27fde09..5b08d73d7 100644
--- a/agent/native/ext/ConfigManager.h
+++ b/agent/native/ext/ConfigManager.h
@@ -76,6 +76,7 @@ enum OptionId
     optionId_captureErrors,
     optionId_devInternal,
     optionId_devInternalBackendCommLogVerbose,
+    optionId_devInternalCurlInstrumCallCurl,
     optionId_disableInstrumentations,
     optionId_disableSend,
     optionId_enabled,
@@ -267,6 +268,7 @@ const ConfigSnapshot* getGlobalCurrentConfigSnapshot();
  */
 #define ELASTIC_APM_CFG_OPT_NAME_DEV_INTERNAL "dev_internal"
 #define ELASTIC_APM_CFG_OPT_NAME_DEV_INTERNAL_BACKEND_COMM_LOG_VERBOSE "dev_internal_backend_comm_log_verbose"
+#define ELASTIC_APM_CFG_OPT_NAME_DEV_INTERNAL_CURL_INSTRUM_CALL_CURL "dev_internal_curl_instrum_call_curl"
 
 #define ELASTIC_APM_CFG_OPT_NAME_DISABLE_INSTRUMENTATIONS "disable_instrumentations"
 #define ELASTIC_APM_CFG_OPT_NAME_DISABLE_SEND "disable_send"
diff --git a/agent/native/ext/ConfigSnapshot.h b/agent/native/ext/ConfigSnapshot.h
index 9c96a58fd..554eea01f 100644
--- a/agent/native/ext/ConfigSnapshot.h
+++ b/agent/native/ext/ConfigSnapshot.h
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ struct ConfigSnapshot
     bool captureErrors = false;
     String devInternal = nullptr;
     bool devInternalBackendCommLogVerbose = false;
+    bool devInternalCurlInstrumCallCurl = true;
     String disableInstrumentations = nullptr;
     bool disableSend = false;
     bool enabled = false;
diff --git a/agent/native/ext/elastic_apm.cpp b/agent/native/ext/elastic_apm.cpp
index 66c03feaa..203558019 100644
--- a/agent/native/ext/elastic_apm.cpp
+++ b/agent/native/ext/elastic_apm.cpp
@@ -153,6 +153,7 @@ PHP_INI_BEGIN()
     ELASTIC_APM_INI_ENTRY( ELASTIC_APM_CFG_OPT_NAME_CAPTURE_ERRORS )
     ELASTIC_APM_INI_ENTRY( ELASTIC_APM_CFG_OPT_NAME_DEV_INTERNAL )
     ELASTIC_APM_INI_ENTRY( ELASTIC_APM_CFG_OPT_NAME_DEV_INTERNAL_BACKEND_COMM_LOG_VERBOSE )
+    ELASTIC_APM_INI_ENTRY( ELASTIC_APM_CFG_OPT_NAME_DEV_INTERNAL_CURL_INSTRUM_CALL_CURL )
     ELASTIC_APM_INI_ENTRY( ELASTIC_APM_CFG_OPT_NAME_DISABLE_INSTRUMENTATIONS )
     ELASTIC_APM_INI_ENTRY( ELASTIC_APM_CFG_OPT_NAME_DISABLE_SEND )
     ELASTIC_APM_NOT_RELOADABLE_INI_ENTRY( ELASTIC_APM_CFG_OPT_NAME_ENABLED )
diff --git a/agent/php/ElasticApm/Impl/AutoInstrument/CurlHandleTracker.php b/agent/php/ElasticApm/Impl/AutoInstrument/CurlHandleTracker.php
index a4c6fbbe2..e991008ae 100644
--- a/agent/php/ElasticApm/Impl/AutoInstrument/CurlHandleTracker.php
+++ b/agent/php/ElasticApm/Impl/AutoInstrument/CurlHandleTracker.php
@@ -585,7 +585,12 @@ private function setContextPostHook(): void
      */
     private function curlExecPostHook(int $numberOfStackFramesToSkip, $returnValue): void
     {
-        $this->setContextPostHook();
+        if ($this->tracer->getConfig()->devInternalCurlInstrumCallCurl()) {
+            $this->setContextPostHook();
+        } else {
+            ($loggerProxy = $this->logger->ifDebugLevelEnabled(__LINE__, __FUNCTION__))
+            && $loggerProxy->log('dev_internal_curl_instrum_call_curl (devInternalCurlInstrumCallCurl) is set to false - skipping setContextPostHook');
+        }
 
         AutoInstrumentationUtil::endSpan($numberOfStackFramesToSkip + 1, $this->span, /* hasExitedByException */ false, $returnValue);
     }
@@ -607,13 +612,18 @@ private function injectDistributedTracingHeaders(array $headersToInjectFormatted
         ($loggerProxy = $logger->ifTraceLevelEnabled(__LINE__, __FUNCTION__))
         && $loggerProxy->log('Injecting outgoing HTTP request headers for distributed tracing...');
 
-        $setOptRetVal = $this->curlHandle->setOpt(CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, $headers);
-        if ($setOptRetVal) {
-            ($loggerProxy = $logger->ifTraceLevelEnabled(__LINE__, __FUNCTION__))
-            && $loggerProxy->log('Successfully injected outgoing HTTP request headers for distributed tracing');
+        if ($this->tracer->getConfig()->devInternalCurlInstrumCallCurl()) {
+            $setOptRetVal = $this->curlHandle->setOpt(CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, $headers);
+            if ($setOptRetVal) {
+                ($loggerProxy = $logger->ifTraceLevelEnabled(__LINE__, __FUNCTION__))
+                && $loggerProxy->log('Successfully injected outgoing HTTP request headers for distributed tracing');
+            } else {
+                ($loggerProxy = $logger->ifErrorLevelEnabled(__LINE__, __FUNCTION__))
+                && $loggerProxy->log('Failed to inject outgoing HTTP request headers for distributed tracing');
+            }
         } else {
-            ($loggerProxy = $logger->ifErrorLevelEnabled(__LINE__, __FUNCTION__))
-            && $loggerProxy->log('Failed to inject outgoing HTTP request headers for distributed tracing');
+            ($loggerProxy = $this->logger->ifDebugLevelEnabled(__LINE__, __FUNCTION__))
+            && $loggerProxy->log('dev_internal_curl_instrum_call_curl (devInternalCurlInstrumCallCurl) is set to false - NOT injecting outgoing HTTP request headers for distributed tracing');
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/agent/php/ElasticApm/Impl/Config/AllOptionsMetadata.php b/agent/php/ElasticApm/Impl/Config/AllOptionsMetadata.php
index e3bd9ecd3..7cc7a0f3c 100644
--- a/agent/php/ElasticApm/Impl/Config/AllOptionsMetadata.php
+++ b/agent/php/ElasticApm/Impl/Config/AllOptionsMetadata.php
@@ -91,6 +91,7 @@ public static function get(): array
             OptionNames::BREAKDOWN_METRICS                          => new BoolOptionMetadata(/* default */ true),
             OptionNames::CAPTURE_ERRORS                             => new BoolOptionMetadata(/* default */ true),
             OptionNames::DEV_INTERNAL                               => new NullableWildcardListOptionMetadata(),
+            OptionNames::DEV_INTERNAL_CURL_INSTRUM_CALL_CURL        => new BoolOptionMetadata(/* default */ true),
             OptionNames::DISABLE_INSTRUMENTATIONS                   => new NullableWildcardListOptionMetadata(),
             OptionNames::DISABLE_SEND                               => new BoolOptionMetadata(/* default */ false),
             OptionNames::ENABLED                                    => new BoolOptionMetadata(/* default */ true),
diff --git a/agent/php/ElasticApm/Impl/Config/OptionNames.php b/agent/php/ElasticApm/Impl/Config/OptionNames.php
index 7c9ca7be6..cd53e1fd0 100644
--- a/agent/php/ElasticApm/Impl/Config/OptionNames.php
+++ b/agent/php/ElasticApm/Impl/Config/OptionNames.php
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ final class OptionNames
     public const BREAKDOWN_METRICS = 'breakdown_metrics';
     public const CAPTURE_ERRORS = 'capture_errors';
     public const DEV_INTERNAL = 'dev_internal';
+    public const DEV_INTERNAL_CURL_INSTRUM_CALL_CURL = 'dev_internal_curl_instrum_call_curl';
     public const DISABLE_INSTRUMENTATIONS = 'disable_instrumentations';
     public const DISABLE_SEND = 'disable_send';
     public const ENABLED = 'enabled';
diff --git a/agent/php/ElasticApm/Impl/Config/Snapshot.php b/agent/php/ElasticApm/Impl/Config/Snapshot.php
index a6aab762b..2e5872d3e 100644
--- a/agent/php/ElasticApm/Impl/Config/Snapshot.php
+++ b/agent/php/ElasticApm/Impl/Config/Snapshot.php
@@ -125,6 +125,9 @@ final class Snapshot implements LoggableInterface
     /** @var SnapshotDevInternal */
     private $devInternalParsed;
 
+    /** @var bool */
+    private $devInternalCurlInstrumCallCurl;
+
     /** @var ?WildcardListMatcher */
     private $disableInstrumentations;
 
@@ -287,6 +290,11 @@ public function devInternal(): SnapshotDevInternal
         return $this->devInternalParsed;
     }
 
+    public function devInternalCurlInstrumCallCurl(): bool
+    {
+        return $this->devInternalCurlInstrumCallCurl;
+    }
+
     public function disableInstrumentations(): ?WildcardListMatcher
     {
         return $this->disableInstrumentations;
diff --git a/tests/ElasticApmTests/ComponentTests/ConfigSettingTest.php b/tests/ElasticApmTests/ComponentTests/ConfigSettingTest.php
index a7b553b45..6404de1d7 100644
--- a/tests/ElasticApmTests/ComponentTests/ConfigSettingTest.php
+++ b/tests/ElasticApmTests/ComponentTests/ConfigSettingTest.php
@@ -140,6 +140,8 @@ private static function buildOptionNameToRawToValue(): array
             OptionNames::CAPTURE_ERRORS                 => $boolRawToParsedValues(),
             OptionNames::ENABLED                        => $boolRawToParsedValues(/* valueToExclude: */ false),
             OptionNames::DEV_INTERNAL                   => $wildcardListRawToParsedValues,
+            OptionNames::DEV_INTERNAL_CURL_INSTRUM_CALL_CURL
+                                                        => $boolRawToParsedValues(),
             OptionNames::DISABLE_INSTRUMENTATIONS       => $wildcardListRawToParsedValues,
             OptionNames::DISABLE_SEND                   => $boolRawToParsedValues(/* valueToExclude: */ true),
             OptionNames::ENVIRONMENT                    => $stringRawToParsedValues([" my_environment \t "]),