diff --git a/hal/src/main/java/org/wpilib/hardware/hal/simulation/SimulatorJNI.java b/hal/src/main/java/org/wpilib/hardware/hal/simulation/SimulatorJNI.java
index 3ca71ce596..929829169c 100644
--- a/hal/src/main/java/org/wpilib/hardware/hal/simulation/SimulatorJNI.java
+++ b/hal/src/main/java/org/wpilib/hardware/hal/simulation/SimulatorJNI.java
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import org.wpilib.hardware.hal.JNIWrapper;
 public class SimulatorJNI extends JNIWrapper {
   public static native void setRuntimeType(int type);
 
-  public static native void waitForProgramStart();
+  public static native void waitForProgramStart(boolean waitForFirstNotifier);
 
   public static native void setProgramStarted(boolean started);
 
diff --git a/hal/src/main/native/cpp/jni/simulation/SimulatorJNI.cpp b/hal/src/main/native/cpp/jni/simulation/SimulatorJNI.cpp
index 2aab0b293d..79b34922fb 100644
--- a/hal/src/main/native/cpp/jni/simulation/SimulatorJNI.cpp
+++ b/hal/src/main/native/cpp/jni/simulation/SimulatorJNI.cpp
@@ -141,13 +141,13 @@ Java_org_wpilib_hardware_hal_simulation_SimulatorJNI_setRuntimeType
 /*
  * Class:     org_wpilib_hardware_hal_simulation_SimulatorJNI
  * Method:    waitForProgramStart
- * Signature: ()V
+ * Signature: (Z)V
  */
 JNIEXPORT void JNICALL
 Java_org_wpilib_hardware_hal_simulation_SimulatorJNI_waitForProgramStart
-  (JNIEnv*, jclass)
+  (JNIEnv*, jclass, jboolean waitForFirstNotifier)
 {
-  HALSIM_WaitForProgramStart();
+  HALSIM_WaitForProgramStart(waitForFirstNotifier);
 }
 
 /*
diff --git a/hal/src/main/native/include/wpi/hal/simulation/MockHooks.h b/hal/src/main/native/include/wpi/hal/simulation/MockHooks.h
index e5ac98c5d2..8f389c5d69 100644
--- a/hal/src/main/native/include/wpi/hal/simulation/MockHooks.h
+++ b/hal/src/main/native/include/wpi/hal/simulation/MockHooks.h
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ extern "C" {
 #endif
 
 void HALSIM_SetRuntimeType(HAL_RuntimeType type);
-void HALSIM_WaitForProgramStart(void);
+void HALSIM_WaitForProgramStart(HAL_Bool waitForFirstNotifier);
 void HALSIM_SetProgramStarted(HAL_Bool started);
 HAL_Bool HALSIM_GetProgramStarted(void);
 void HALSIM_SetProgramState(HAL_ControlWord controlWord);
diff --git a/hal/src/main/native/sim/MockHooks.cpp b/hal/src/main/native/sim/MockHooks.cpp
index 97d574a61f..34600effb4 100644
--- a/hal/src/main/native/sim/MockHooks.cpp
+++ b/hal/src/main/native/sim/MockHooks.cpp
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ bool GetProgramStarted() {
 using namespace wpi::hal;
 
 extern "C" {
-void HALSIM_WaitForProgramStart(void) {
+void HALSIM_WaitForProgramStart(HAL_Bool waitForFirstNotifier) {
   int count = 0;
   while (!programStarted) {
     count++;
@@ -86,6 +86,17 @@ void HALSIM_WaitForProgramStart(void) {
     }
     std::this_thread::sleep_for(std::chrono::milliseconds(1));
   }
+
+  // Frameworks observe program start before arming their first notifier alarm.
+  // Wait for that alarm so a following StepTiming() can see and service it.
+  while (waitForFirstNotifier &&
+         HALSIM_GetNextNotifierTimeout() == UINT64_MAX) {
+    count++;
+    if (count % 10 == 0) {
+      wpi::util::print("Waiting for first notifier alarm: {}\n", count);
+    }
+    std::this_thread::sleep_for(std::chrono::milliseconds(1));
+  }
 }
 
 void HALSIM_SetProgramStarted(HAL_Bool started) {
diff --git a/hal/src/main/native/systemcore/mockdata/MockHooks.cpp b/hal/src/main/native/systemcore/mockdata/MockHooks.cpp
index a619cfb439..f17d5b87b0 100644
--- a/hal/src/main/native/systemcore/mockdata/MockHooks.cpp
+++ b/hal/src/main/native/systemcore/mockdata/MockHooks.cpp
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ extern "C" {
 
 void HALSIM_SetRuntimeType(HAL_RuntimeType type) {}
 
-void HALSIM_WaitForProgramStart(void) {}
+void HALSIM_WaitForProgramStart(HAL_Bool waitForFirstNotifier) {}
 
 void HALSIM_SetProgramStarted(HAL_Bool started) {}
 
diff --git a/hal/src/main/python/hal/simulation/mockhooks.py b/hal/src/main/python/hal/simulation/mockhooks.py
index fc4ef11b22..eae82ee8b9 100644
--- a/hal/src/main/python/hal/simulation/mockhooks.py
+++ b/hal/src/main/python/hal/simulation/mockhooks.py
@@ -1,15 +1,20 @@
 import time
 import typing as T
 
-from ._simulation import getProgramStarted
+from ._simulation import getNextNotifierTimeout, getProgramStarted
 
 
-def waitForProgramStart(timeout: T.Optional[float] = None, delta: float = 0.001):
+def waitForProgramStart(
+    timeout: T.Optional[float] = None,
+    delta: float = 0.001,
+    waitForFirstNotifier: bool = True,
+):
     """
     Polls robot program and returns when it has reported that it started
 
     :param timeout: Amount of time to wait
     :param delta:   Amount of time to sleep between checks
+    :param waitForFirstNotifier: Wait for the first notifier alarm to be armed
     """
 
     # This is basically the same thing that the C version of this function
@@ -18,7 +23,9 @@ def waitForProgramStart(timeout: T.Optional[float] = None, delta: float = 0.001)
     until = None
     if timeout and timeout > 0:
         until = time.monotonic() + timeout
-    while not getProgramStarted():
+    while not getProgramStarted() or (
+        waitForFirstNotifier and getNextNotifierTimeout() == 0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
+    ):
         if until is not None and time.monotonic() > until:
             raise TimeoutError("Program did not start")
         time.sleep(delta)
diff --git a/wpilibc/src/main/native/cpp/simulation/SimHooks.cpp b/wpilibc/src/main/native/cpp/simulation/SimHooks.cpp
index 803836558c..5e498564f5 100644
--- a/wpilibc/src/main/native/cpp/simulation/SimHooks.cpp
+++ b/wpilibc/src/main/native/cpp/simulation/SimHooks.cpp
@@ -12,8 +12,8 @@ void SetRuntimeType(HAL_RuntimeType type) {
   HALSIM_SetRuntimeType(type);
 }
 
-void WaitForProgramStart() {
-  HALSIM_WaitForProgramStart();
+void WaitForProgramStart(bool waitForFirstNotifier) {
+  HALSIM_WaitForProgramStart(waitForFirstNotifier);
 }
 
 void SetProgramStarted(bool started) {
diff --git a/wpilibc/src/main/native/include/wpi/simulation/SimHooks.hpp b/wpilibc/src/main/native/include/wpi/simulation/SimHooks.hpp
index 45a51271f8..3888b74255 100644
--- a/wpilibc/src/main/native/include/wpi/simulation/SimHooks.hpp
+++ b/wpilibc/src/main/native/include/wpi/simulation/SimHooks.hpp
@@ -21,8 +21,10 @@ void SetRuntimeType(HAL_RuntimeType type);
 
 /**
  * Waits until the user program has started.
+ *
+ * @param waitForFirstNotifier wait for the first notifier alarm to be armed
  */
-void WaitForProgramStart();
+void WaitForProgramStart(bool waitForFirstNotifier = true);
 
 /**
  * Sets flag that indicates if the user program has started.
diff --git a/wpilibj/src/main/java/org/wpilib/simulation/SimHooks.java b/wpilibj/src/main/java/org/wpilib/simulation/SimHooks.java
index ba3c51d556..d6b09e0e0d 100644
--- a/wpilibj/src/main/java/org/wpilib/simulation/SimHooks.java
+++ b/wpilibj/src/main/java/org/wpilib/simulation/SimHooks.java
@@ -20,9 +20,18 @@ public final class SimHooks {
     SimulatorJNI.setRuntimeType(type);
   }
 
-  /** Waits until the user program has started. */
+  /** Waits until the user program has started and the first notifier alarm has been armed. */
   public static void waitForProgramStart() {
-    SimulatorJNI.waitForProgramStart();
+    waitForProgramStart(true);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Waits until the user program has started.
+   *
+   * @param waitForFirstNotifier wait for the first notifier alarm to be armed
+   */
+  public static void waitForProgramStart(boolean waitForFirstNotifier) {
+    SimulatorJNI.waitForProgramStart(waitForFirstNotifier);
   }
 
   /**