diff --git a/lisp/simple.el b/lisp/simple.el
index 6dc08ff0eb0..de3152fde2d 100644
--- a/lisp/simple.el
+++ b/lisp/simple.el
@@ -2752,6 +2752,7 @@ command-completion--command-for-this-buffer-function
   (let ((if (cconv--interactive-helper--if f)))
     `(interactive ,(if (functionp if) `(funcall ',if) if))))
 
+(defvar background-thread nil)
 (defun command-execute (cmd &optional record-flag keys special)
   ;; BEWARE: Called directly from the C code.
   "Execute CMD as an editor command.
@@ -2803,7 +2804,17 @@ command-execute
           (execute-kbd-macro final prefixarg))
          (t
           ;; Pass `cmd' rather than `final', for the backtrace's sake.
-          (prog1 (call-interactively cmd record-flag keys)
+          (prog1
+              (let ((f (lambda () (call-interactively cmd record-flag keys))))
+                (cond ((or background-thread t)
+                       (funcall f))
+                      (t
+                       (thread-join
+                        (make-thread
+                         (lambda ()
+                           (let ((background-thread (current-thread)))
+                             (funcall f)))
+                         (format "command: %S" cmd))))))
             (when-let ((info
                         (and (symbolp cmd)
                              (not (get cmd 'command-execute-obsolete-warned))