diff --git a/src/extension-runners/chromium.js b/src/extension-runners/chromium.js
index c0322baa59..5409784095 100644
--- a/src/extension-runners/chromium.js
+++ b/src/extension-runners/chromium.js
@@ -127,8 +127,37 @@ export class ChromiumExtensionRunner {
       });
     });
 
+    const chromeFlags = [...DEFAULT_CHROME_FLAGS];
+    let startingUrl;
+    let specialStartingUrls = [];
+    if (this.params.startUrl) {
+      const specialUrlFormats = ['chrome://', 'chrome-extension://'];
+      const startingUrls = Array.isArray(this.params.startUrl)
+        ? this.params.startUrl
+        : [this.params.startUrl];
+
+      // Extract URLs starting with chrome:// from startingUrls and let bg.js open them instead
+      specialStartingUrls = startingUrls.filter((item) =>
+        specialUrlFormats.some((format) =>
+          item.toLowerCase().startsWith(format)
+        )
+      );
+
+      const strippedStartingUrls = startingUrls.filter(
+        (item) =>
+          !specialUrlFormats.some((format) =>
+            item.toLowerCase().startsWith(format)
+          )
+      );
+
+      startingUrl = strippedStartingUrls.shift();
+      chromeFlags.push(...strippedStartingUrls);
+    }
+
     // Create the extension that will manage the addon reloads
-    this.reloadManagerExtension = await this.createReloadManagerExtension();
+    this.reloadManagerExtension = await this.createReloadManagerExtension(
+      specialStartingUrls
+    );
 
     // Start chrome pointing it to a given profile dir
     const extensions = [this.reloadManagerExtension]
@@ -143,8 +172,6 @@ export class ChromiumExtensionRunner {
       log.debug(`(chromiumBinary: ${chromiumBinary})`);
     }
 
-    const chromeFlags = [...DEFAULT_CHROME_FLAGS];
-
     chromeFlags.push(`--load-extension=${extensions}`);
 
     if (this.params.args) {
@@ -193,15 +220,6 @@ export class ChromiumExtensionRunner {
       chromeFlags.push(`--profile-directory=${profileDirName}`);
     }
 
-    let startingUrl;
-    if (this.params.startUrl) {
-      const startingUrls = Array.isArray(this.params.startUrl)
-        ? this.params.startUrl
-        : [this.params.startUrl];
-      startingUrl = startingUrls.shift();
-      chromeFlags.push(...startingUrls);
-    }
-
     this.chromiumInstance = await this.chromiumLaunch({
       enableExtensions: true,
       chromePath: chromiumBinary,
@@ -261,7 +279,7 @@ export class ChromiumExtensionRunner {
     });
   }
 
-  async createReloadManagerExtension() {
+  async createReloadManagerExtension(specialStartingUrls) {
     const tmpDir = new TempDir();
     await tmpDir.create();
     this.registerCleanup(() => tmpDir.remove());
@@ -315,6 +333,18 @@ export class ChromiumExtensionRunner {
       const ws = new window.WebSocket(
         "ws://${wssInfo.address}:${wssInfo.port}");
 
+        
+      const chromeTabList = ${JSON.stringify(specialStartingUrls)}
+      if (chromeTabList.length > 0) {   
+        chrome.runtime.onInstalled.addListener(details => {
+          if (details.reason === chrome.runtime.OnInstalledReason.INSTALL ) {
+            chromeTabList.forEach(url => {
+              chrome.tabs.create({ url });
+            });
+          }           
+        });
+      }
+   
       ws.onmessage = async (evt) => {
         const msg = JSON.parse(evt.data);
         if (msg.type === 'webExtReloadAllExtensions') {
diff --git a/tests/unit/test-extension-runners/test.chromium.js b/tests/unit/test-extension-runners/test.chromium.js
index ec8d02235c..3fc442144c 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test-extension-runners/test.chromium.js
+++ b/tests/unit/test-extension-runners/test.chromium.js
@@ -112,6 +112,55 @@ describe('util/extension-runners/chromium', async () => {
     await runnerInstance.exit();
   });
 
+  it(
+    'does insert special urls in companion extension ' +
+      '& excludes them from args',
+    async () => {
+      const { params } = prepareExtensionRunnerParams({
+        params: {
+          startUrl: [
+            'url1',
+            'chrome://version',
+            'url2',
+            'chrome://extensions',
+            'chrome-extension://id/page.html',
+          ],
+        },
+      });
+      const runnerInstance = new ChromiumExtensionRunner(params);
+      await runnerInstance.run();
+
+      const { reloadManagerExtension } = runnerInstance;
+
+      assert.equal(await fs.exists(reloadManagerExtension), true);
+
+      const bgScript = path.join(reloadManagerExtension, 'bg.js');
+      const expectedStr =
+        'const chromeTabList = ["chrome://version","chrome://extensions","chrome-extension://id/page.html"]';
+      assert.include(
+        await fs.readFile(bgScript, 'utf8'),
+        expectedStr,
+        'bg.js does not contain special urls'
+      );
+
+      sinon.assert.calledOnce(params.chromiumLaunch);
+      //assert special urls are not present
+      sinon.assert.calledWithMatch(params.chromiumLaunch, {
+        ignoreDefaultFlags: true,
+        enableExtensions: true,
+        chromePath: undefined,
+        chromeFlags: [
+          ...DEFAULT_CHROME_FLAGS,
+          'url2',
+          `--load-extension=${reloadManagerExtension},/fake/sourceDir`,
+        ],
+        startingUrl: 'url1',
+      });
+
+      await runnerInstance.exit();
+    }
+  );
+
   it('controls the "reload manager" from a websocket server', async () => {
     const { params } = prepareExtensionRunnerParams();
     const runnerInstance = new ChromiumExtensionRunner(params);
@@ -325,9 +374,9 @@ describe('util/extension-runners/chromium', async () => {
       chromePath: undefined,
       chromeFlags: [
         ...DEFAULT_CHROME_FLAGS,
-        `--load-extension=${reloadManagerExtension},/fake/sourceDir`,
         'url2',
         'url3',
+        `--load-extension=${reloadManagerExtension},/fake/sourceDir`,
       ],
       startingUrl: 'url1',
     });
@@ -355,12 +404,12 @@ describe('util/extension-runners/chromium', async () => {
       chromePath: undefined,
       chromeFlags: [
         ...DEFAULT_CHROME_FLAGS,
+        'url2',
+        'url3',
         `--load-extension=${reloadManagerExtension},/fake/sourceDir`,
         '--arg1',
         'arg2',
         '--arg3',
-        'url2',
-        'url3',
       ],
       startingUrl: 'url1',
     });