diff --git a/dvc/stage/run.py b/dvc/stage/run.py
index 23a683c23e..b7660bfd05 100644
--- a/dvc/stage/run.py
+++ b/dvc/stage/run.py
@@ -45,61 +45,90 @@ def warn_if_fish(executable):
     )
 
 
-@unlocked_repo
-def cmd_run(stage, *args, checkpoint_func=None, **kwargs):
+def _enforce_cmd_list(cmd):
+    assert cmd
+    return cmd if isinstance(cmd, list) else [cmd]
+
+
+def prepare_kwargs(stage, checkpoint_func=None):
     kwargs = {"cwd": stage.wdir, "env": fix_env(None), "close_fds": True}
-    cmd = stage.cmd if isinstance(stage.cmd, list) else [stage.cmd]
     if checkpoint_func:
         # indicate that checkpoint cmd is being run inside DVC
         kwargs["env"].update(_checkpoint_env(stage))
 
-    if os.name == "nt":
-        kwargs["shell"] = True
-        executable = None
-    else:
-        # NOTE: when you specify `shell=True`, `Popen` [1] will default to
-        # `/bin/sh` on *nix and will add ["/bin/sh", "-c"] to your command.
-        # But we actually want to run the same shell that we are running
-        # from right now, which is usually determined by the `SHELL` env
-        # var. So instead, we compose our command on our own, making sure
-        # to include special flags to prevent shell from reading any
-        # configs and modifying env, which may change the behavior or the
-        # command we are running. See [2] for more info.
-        #
-        # [1] https://github.com/python/cpython/blob/3.7/Lib/subprocess.py
-        #                                                            #L1426
-        # [2] https://github.com/iterative/dvc/issues/2506
-        #                                           #issuecomment-535396799
-        kwargs["shell"] = False
-        executable = os.getenv("SHELL") or "/bin/sh"
-        warn_if_fish(executable)
+    # NOTE: when you specify `shell=True`, `Popen` [1] will default to
+    # `/bin/sh` on *nix and will add ["/bin/sh", "-c"] to your command.
+    # But we actually want to run the same shell that we are running
+    # from right now, which is usually determined by the `SHELL` env
+    # var. So instead, we compose our command on our own, making sure
+    # to include special flags to prevent shell from reading any
+    # configs and modifying env, which may change the behavior or the
+    # command we are running. See [2] for more info.
+    #
+    # [1] https://github.com/python/cpython/blob/3.7/Lib/subprocess.py
+    #                                                            #L1426
+    # [2] https://github.com/iterative/dvc/issues/2506
+    #                                           #issuecomment-535396799
+    kwargs["shell"] = True if os.name == "nt" else False
+    return kwargs
+
+
+def display_command(cmd):
+    logger.info("%s %s", ">", cmd)
+
 
+def get_executable():
+    return (os.getenv("SHELL") or "/bin/sh") if os.name != "nt" else None
+
+
+def _run(stage, executable, cmd, checkpoint_func, **kwargs):
     main_thread = isinstance(
         threading.current_thread(),
         threading._MainThread,  # pylint: disable=protected-access
     )
-    for _cmd in cmd:
-        logger.info("$ %s", _cmd)
-        old_handler = None
-        p = None
 
-        try:
-            p = subprocess.Popen(_make_cmd(executable, _cmd), **kwargs)
-            if main_thread:
-                old_handler = signal.signal(signal.SIGINT, signal.SIG_IGN)
+    exec_cmd = _make_cmd(executable, cmd)
+    old_handler = None
+    p = None
 
-            killed = threading.Event()
-            with checkpoint_monitor(stage, checkpoint_func, p, killed):
-                p.communicate()
-        finally:
-            if old_handler:
-                signal.signal(signal.SIGINT, old_handler)
+    try:
+        p = subprocess.Popen(exec_cmd, **kwargs)
+        if main_thread:
+            old_handler = signal.signal(signal.SIGINT, signal.SIG_IGN)
+
+        killed = threading.Event()
+        with checkpoint_monitor(stage, checkpoint_func, p, killed):
+            p.communicate()
+    finally:
+        if old_handler:
+            signal.signal(signal.SIGINT, old_handler)
 
-        retcode = None if not p else p.returncode
-        if retcode != 0:
-            if killed.is_set():
-                raise CheckpointKilledError(_cmd, retcode)
-            raise StageCmdFailedError(_cmd, retcode)
+    retcode = None if not p else p.returncode
+    if retcode != 0:
+        if killed.is_set():
+            raise CheckpointKilledError(cmd, retcode)
+        raise StageCmdFailedError(cmd, retcode)
+
+
+def cmd_run(stage, dry=False, checkpoint_func=None):
+    logger.info(
+        "Running %s" "stage '%s':",
+        "callback " if stage.is_callback else "",
+        stage.addressing,
+    )
+    commands = _enforce_cmd_list(stage.cmd)
+    kwargs = prepare_kwargs(stage, checkpoint_func=checkpoint_func)
+    executable = get_executable()
+
+    if not dry:
+        warn_if_fish(executable)
+
+    for cmd in commands:
+        display_command(cmd)
+        if dry:
+            continue
+
+        _run(stage, executable, cmd, checkpoint_func=checkpoint_func, **kwargs)
 
 
 def run_stage(stage, dry=False, force=False, checkpoint_func=None, **kwargs):
@@ -112,12 +141,8 @@ def run_stage(stage, dry=False, force=False, checkpoint_func=None, **kwargs):
         except RunCacheNotFoundError:
             pass
 
-    callback_str = "callback " if stage.is_callback else ""
-    logger.info(
-        "Running %s" "stage '%s':", callback_str, stage.addressing,
-    )
-    if not dry:
-        cmd_run(stage, checkpoint_func=checkpoint_func)
+    run = cmd_run if dry else unlocked_repo(cmd_run)
+    run(stage, dry=dry, checkpoint_func=checkpoint_func)
 
 
 def _checkpoint_env(stage):
diff --git a/tests/func/test_repro.py b/tests/func/test_repro.py
index 146aec7702..12ad2df016 100644
--- a/tests/func/test_repro.py
+++ b/tests/func/test_repro.py
@@ -1307,4 +1307,4 @@ def test_repro_when_cmd_changes(tmp_dir, dvc, run_copy, mocker):
         stage.addressing: ["changed checksum"]
     }
     assert dvc.reproduce(stage.addressing)[0] == stage
-    m.assert_called_once_with(stage, checkpoint_func=None)
+    m.assert_called_once_with(stage, checkpoint_func=None, dry=False)
diff --git a/tests/func/test_repro_multistage.py b/tests/func/test_repro_multistage.py
index e51e577441..743c8765aa 100644
--- a/tests/func/test_repro_multistage.py
+++ b/tests/func/test_repro_multistage.py
@@ -286,7 +286,7 @@ def test_repro_when_cmd_changes(tmp_dir, dvc, run_copy, mocker):
 
     assert dvc.status([target]) == {target: ["changed command"]}
     assert dvc.reproduce(target)[0] == stage
-    m.assert_called_once_with(stage, checkpoint_func=None)
+    m.assert_called_once_with(stage, checkpoint_func=None, dry=False)
 
 
 def test_repro_when_new_deps_is_added_in_dvcfile(tmp_dir, dvc, run_copy):
diff --git a/tests/func/test_stage.py b/tests/func/test_stage.py
index 28435c1adb..26ebc3ce45 100644
--- a/tests/func/test_stage.py
+++ b/tests/func/test_stage.py
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 from dvc.dvcfile import SingleStageFile
 from dvc.main import main
 from dvc.output.local import LocalOutput
-from dvc.repo import Repo
+from dvc.repo import Repo, lock_repo
 from dvc.stage import PipelineStage, Stage
 from dvc.stage.exceptions import StageFileFormatError
 from dvc.stage.run import run_stage
@@ -306,5 +306,7 @@ def test_stage_run_checkpoint(tmp_dir, dvc, mocker, checkpoint):
         callback = mocker.Mock()
     else:
         callback = None
-    run_stage(stage, checkpoint_func=callback)
-    mock_cmd_run.assert_called_with(stage, checkpoint_func=callback)
+
+    with lock_repo(dvc):
+        run_stage(stage, checkpoint_func=callback)
+    mock_cmd_run.assert_called_with(stage, checkpoint_func=callback, dry=False)
diff --git a/tests/unit/stage/test_run.py b/tests/unit/stage/test_run.py
index bfc607cf57..7128aab2a1 100644
--- a/tests/unit/stage/test_run.py
+++ b/tests/unit/stage/test_run.py
@@ -1,13 +1,24 @@
 import logging
 
+import pytest
+
 from dvc.stage import Stage
 from dvc.stage.run import run_stage
 
 
-def test_run_stage_dry(caplog):
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "cmd, expected",
+    [
+        ("mycmd arg1 arg2", ["> mycmd arg1 arg2"]),
+        (["mycmd1 arg1", "mycmd2 arg2"], ["> mycmd1 arg1", "> mycmd2 arg2"]),
+    ],
+)
+def test_run_stage_dry(caplog, cmd, expected):
     with caplog.at_level(level=logging.INFO, logger="dvc"):
-        stage = Stage(None, "stage.dvc", cmd="mycmd arg1 arg2")
+        stage = Stage(None, "stage.dvc", cmd=cmd)
         run_stage(stage, dry=True)
-        assert caplog.messages == [
-            "Running callback stage 'stage.dvc':",
-        ]
+
+    expected.insert(
+        0, "Running callback stage 'stage.dvc':",
+    )
+    assert caplog.messages == expected