diff --git a/lib/api/api-request.js b/lib/api/api-request.js
index 92c8c84228e..d0b841e2a01 100644
--- a/lib/api/api-request.js
+++ b/lib/api/api-request.js
@@ -77,6 +77,10 @@ class RequestHandler extends AsyncResource {
     this.context = context
   }
 
+  onStart (controller) {
+    this.controller = controller
+  }
+
   onHeaders (statusCode, rawHeaders, resume, statusMessage) {
     const { callback, opaque, abort, context, responseHeaders, highWaterMark } = this
 
@@ -92,7 +96,7 @@ class RequestHandler extends AsyncResource {
     const parsedHeaders = responseHeaders === 'raw' ? util.parseHeaders(rawHeaders) : headers
     const contentType = parsedHeaders['content-type']
     const contentLength = parsedHeaders['content-length']
-    const body = new Readable({ resume, abort, contentType, contentLength, highWaterMark })
+    const body = new Readable({ resume: this.controller?.resume ?? resume, abort, contentType, contentLength, highWaterMark })
 
     this.callback = null
     this.res = body
@@ -115,8 +119,10 @@ class RequestHandler extends AsyncResource {
   }
 
   onData (chunk) {
-    const { res } = this
-    return res.push(chunk)
+    const { res, controller } = this
+    if (!res.push(chunk)) {
+      controller.pause()
+    }
   }
 
   onComplete (trailers) {
diff --git a/lib/core/request.js b/lib/core/request.js
index d44a2bcbc7e..6c3eabd8dbc 100644
--- a/lib/core/request.js
+++ b/lib/core/request.js
@@ -216,6 +216,7 @@ class Request {
   }
 
   onConnect (abort) {
+    assert(abort)
     assert(!this.aborted)
     assert(!this.completed)
 
@@ -227,7 +228,11 @@ class Request {
     }
   }
 
-  onStart (resume) {
+  onStart (controller) {
+    assert(controller)
+    assert(!this.aborted)
+    assert(!this.completed)
+
     try {
       let pause = false
 
@@ -237,7 +242,7 @@ class Request {
       }
 
       if (this[kHandler].onStart) {
-        pause ||= this[kHandler].onStart(resume) === false
+        pause ||= this[kHandler].onStart(controller) === false
       }
 
       return !pause
diff --git a/lib/dispatcher/client-h1.js b/lib/dispatcher/client-h1.js
index b42543efbf0..d5bde0770b0 100644
--- a/lib/dispatcher/client-h1.js
+++ b/lib/dispatcher/client-h1.js
@@ -148,6 +148,30 @@ const TIMEOUT_HEADERS = 1
 const TIMEOUT_BODY = 2
 const TIMEOUT_IDLE = 3
 
+class Controller {
+  #parser
+  #paused = false
+
+  constructor (parser) {
+    this.#parser = parser
+    this.resume = this.resume.bind(this)
+    this.pause = this.pause.bind(this)
+  }
+
+  pause () {
+    this.#paused = true
+  }
+
+  resume () {
+    this.#paused = false
+    this.#parser.resume()
+  }
+
+  get paused () {
+    return this.#paused
+  }
+}
+
 class Parser {
   constructor (client, socket, { exports }) {
     assert(Number.isFinite(client[kMaxHeadersSize]) && client[kMaxHeadersSize] > 0)
@@ -169,6 +193,8 @@ class Parser {
     this.paused = false
     this.resume = this.resume.bind(this)
 
+    this.controller = new Controller(this)
+
     this.bytesRead = 0
 
     this.keepAlive = ''
@@ -326,7 +352,11 @@ class Parser {
       return -1
     }
 
-    return request.onStart(this.resume) === false ? constants.ERROR.PAUSED : 0
+    if (request.onStart(this.controller) === false) {
+      this.controller.pause()
+    }
+
+    return this.controller.paused ? constants.ERROR.PAUSED : 0
   }
 
   onHeaderField (buf) {
@@ -505,7 +535,9 @@ class Parser {
       socket[kReset] = true
     }
 
-    const pause = request.onHeaders(statusCode, headers, this.resume, statusText) === false
+    if (request.onHeaders(statusCode, headers, this.controller.resume, statusText) === false) {
+      this.controller.pause()
+    }
 
     if (request.aborted) {
       return -1
@@ -524,7 +556,7 @@ class Parser {
       client[kResume]()
     }
 
-    return pause ? constants.ERROR.PAUSED : 0
+    return this.controller.paused ? constants.ERROR.PAUSED : 0
   }
 
   onBody (buf) {
@@ -555,8 +587,10 @@ class Parser {
     this.bytesRead += buf.length
 
     if (request.onData(buf) === false) {
-      return constants.ERROR.PAUSED
+      this.controller.pause()
     }
+
+    return this.controller.paused ? constants.ERROR.PAUSED : 0
   }
 
   onMessageComplete () {
diff --git a/lib/dispatcher/client-h2.js b/lib/dispatcher/client-h2.js
index 5ee20bcb2fe..c4a785b62d4 100644
--- a/lib/dispatcher/client-h2.js
+++ b/lib/dispatcher/client-h2.js
@@ -42,6 +42,31 @@ try {
   http2 = { constants: {} }
 }
 
+class Controller {
+  #stream
+  #paused = false
+
+  constructor (stream) {
+    this.#stream = stream
+    this.resume = this.resume.bind(this)
+    this.pause = this.pause.bind(this)
+  }
+
+  pause () {
+    this.#paused = true
+    this.#stream.pause()
+  }
+
+  resume () {
+    this.#paused = false
+    this.#stream.resume()
+  }
+
+  get paused () {
+    return this.#paused
+  }
+}
+
 const {
   constants: {
     HTTP2_HEADER_AUTHORITY,
@@ -392,7 +417,7 @@ function writeH2 (client, request) {
 
     const resume = stream.resume.bind(stream)
 
-    if (request.onStart(resume) === false) {
+    if (request.onStart(new Controller(stream)) === false) {
       stream.pause()
     }
 
diff --git a/lib/handler/decorator-handler.js b/lib/handler/decorator-handler.js
index 9d70a767f1e..433c64aa6d8 100644
--- a/lib/handler/decorator-handler.js
+++ b/lib/handler/decorator-handler.js
@@ -6,30 +6,34 @@ module.exports = class DecoratorHandler {
   }
 
   onConnect (...args) {
-    return this.handler.onConnect(...args)
+    return this.handler.onConnect?.(...args)
+  }
+
+  onStart (...args) {
+    return this.handler.onStart?.(...args)
   }
 
   onError (...args) {
-    return this.handler.onError(...args)
+    return this.handler.onError?.(...args)
   }
 
   onUpgrade (...args) {
-    return this.handler.onUpgrade(...args)
+    return this.handler.onUpgrade?.(...args)
   }
 
   onHeaders (...args) {
-    return this.handler.onHeaders(...args)
+    return this.handler.onHeaders?.(...args)
   }
 
   onData (...args) {
-    return this.handler.onData(...args)
+    return this.handler.onData?.(...args)
   }
 
   onComplete (...args) {
-    return this.handler.onComplete(...args)
+    return this.handler.onComplete?.(...args)
   }
 
   onBodySent (...args) {
-    return this.handler.onBodySent(...args)
+    return this.handler.onBodySent?.(...args)
   }
 }
diff --git a/lib/handler/redirect-handler.js b/lib/handler/redirect-handler.js
index 368ef520d76..d1d3b6191f1 100644
--- a/lib/handler/redirect-handler.js
+++ b/lib/handler/redirect-handler.js
@@ -76,15 +76,19 @@ class RedirectHandler {
 
   onConnect (abort) {
     this.abort = abort
-    this.handler.onConnect(abort, { history: this.history })
+    this.handler.onConnect?.(abort, { history: this.history })
+  }
+
+  onStart (controller) {
+    this.handler.onStart?.(controller)
   }
 
   onUpgrade (statusCode, headers, socket) {
-    this.handler.onUpgrade(statusCode, headers, socket)
+    this.handler.onUpgrade?.(statusCode, headers, socket)
   }
 
   onError (error) {
-    this.handler.onError(error)
+    this.handler.onError?.(error)
   }
 
   onHeaders (statusCode, headers, resume, statusText) {
@@ -107,7 +111,7 @@ class RedirectHandler {
     }
 
     if (!this.location) {
-      return this.handler.onHeaders(statusCode, headers, resume, statusText)
+      return this.handler.onHeaders?.(statusCode, headers, resume, statusText)
     }
 
     const { origin, pathname, search } = util.parseURL(new URL(this.location, this.opts.origin && new URL(this.opts.path, this.opts.origin)))
@@ -150,7 +154,7 @@ class RedirectHandler {
         servers and browsers implementors, we ignore the body as there is no specified way to eventually parse it.
       */
     } else {
-      return this.handler.onData(chunk)
+      return this.handler.onData?.(chunk)
     }
   }
 
@@ -170,7 +174,7 @@ class RedirectHandler {
 
       this.dispatch(this.opts, this)
     } else {
-      this.handler.onComplete(trailers)
+      this.handler.onComplete?.(trailers)
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/lib/handler/retry-handler.js b/lib/handler/retry-handler.js
index 2258801ba58..ac4faf14b42 100644
--- a/lib/handler/retry-handler.js
+++ b/lib/handler/retry-handler.js
@@ -97,6 +97,10 @@ class RetryHandler {
     }
   }
 
+  onStart (controller) {
+    this.handler.onStart?.(controller)
+  }
+
   onBodySent (chunk) {
     if (this.handler.onBodySent) return this.handler.onBodySent(chunk)
   }
diff --git a/lib/mock/mock-utils.js b/lib/mock/mock-utils.js
index c8c0ed1eef1..33525e25697 100644
--- a/lib/mock/mock-utils.js
+++ b/lib/mock/mock-utils.js
@@ -285,14 +285,32 @@ function mockDispatch (opts, handler) {
     const responseHeaders = generateKeyValues(headers)
     const responseTrailers = generateKeyValues(trailers)
 
+    const controller = new Controller()
     handler.abort = nop
-    handler.onHeaders(statusCode, responseHeaders, resume, getStatusText(statusCode))
+    handler.onStart?.(controller)
+    handler.onHeaders(statusCode, responseHeaders, controller.resume, getStatusText(statusCode))
     handler.onData(Buffer.from(responseData))
     handler.onComplete(responseTrailers)
     deleteMockDispatch(mockDispatches, key)
   }
 
-  function resume () {}
+  class Controller {
+    #paused = false
+
+    resume () {
+      this.#paused = false
+      this.resume = this.resume.bind(this)
+      this.pause = this.pause.bind(this)
+    }
+
+    pause () {
+      this.#paused = true
+    }
+
+    get paused () {
+      return this.#paused
+    }
+  }
 
   return true
 }
diff --git a/test/node-test/client-dispatch.js b/test/node-test/client-dispatch.js
index 6d29cc635da..fc617734e63 100644
--- a/test/node-test/client-dispatch.js
+++ b/test/node-test/client-dispatch.js
@@ -881,8 +881,9 @@ test('dispatches in expected order', async (t) => {
       onBodySent () {
         dispatches.push('onBodySent')
       },
-      onStart (resume) {
-        assert(typeof resume === 'function')
+      onStart (controller) {
+        assert(typeof controller.resume === 'function')
+        assert(typeof controller.pause === 'function')
         dispatches.push('onStart')
       },
       onResponseStarted () {
@@ -942,8 +943,9 @@ test('dispatches in expected order for http2', async (t) => {
       onBodySent () {
         dispatches.push('onBodySent')
       },
-      onStart (resume) {
-        assert(typeof resume === 'function')
+      onStart (controller) {
+        assert(typeof controller.resume === 'function')
+        assert(typeof controller.pause === 'function')
         dispatches.push('onStart')
       },
       onResponseStarted () {
diff --git a/types/dispatcher.d.ts b/types/dispatcher.d.ts
index 7665ae32841..675dae273de 100644
--- a/types/dispatcher.d.ts
+++ b/types/dispatcher.d.ts
@@ -215,9 +215,18 @@ declare namespace Dispatcher {
     context: object;
   }
   export type StreamFactory = (data: StreamFactoryData) => Writable;
+
+  export interface Controller {
+    pause (): void;
+    resume (): void;
+    readonly paused: boolean;
+  }
+
   export interface DispatchHandlers {
     /** Invoked before request is dispatched on socket. May be invoked multiple times when a request is retried when the request at the head of the pipeline fails. */
     onConnect?(abort: () => void): void;
+    /** */
+    onStart?(controller: Controller): void;
     /** Invoked when an error has occurred. */
     onError?(err: Error): void;
     /** Invoked when request is upgraded either due to a `Upgrade` header or `CONNECT` method. */