diff --git a/packages/server/src/express/middleware.ts b/packages/server/src/express/middleware.ts
index 4056cb0c0..3c97de74e 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/express/middleware.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/express/middleware.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,14 @@ export interface MiddlewareOptions extends AdapterBaseOptions {
      * Callback for getting a PrismaClient for the given request
      */
     getPrisma: (req: Request, res: Response) => unknown | Promise<unknown>;
+    /**
+     * This option is used to enable/disable the option to manage the response
+     * by the middleware. If set to true, the middleware will not send the
+     * response and the user will be responsible for sending the response.
+     *
+     * Defaults to false;
+     */
+    manageCustomResponse?: boolean;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -30,13 +38,18 @@ const factory = (options: MiddlewareOptions): Handler => {
     const requestHandler = options.handler || RPCAPIHandler();
     const useSuperJson = options.useSuperJson === true;
 
-    return async (request, response) => {
+    return async (request, response, next) => {
         const prisma = (await options.getPrisma(request, response)) as DbClientContract;
+        const { manageCustomResponse } = options;
+
+        if (manageCustomResponse && !prisma) {
+            throw new Error('unable to get prisma from request context');
+        }
+
         if (!prisma) {
-            response
+            return response
                 .status(500)
                 .json(marshalToObject({ message: 'unable to get prisma from request context' }, useSuperJson));
-            return;
         }
 
         let query: Record<string, string | string[]> = {};
@@ -53,8 +66,10 @@ const factory = (options: MiddlewareOptions): Handler => {
             }
             query = buildUrlQuery(rawQuery, useSuperJson);
         } catch {
-            response.status(400).json(marshalToObject({ message: 'invalid query parameters' }, useSuperJson));
-            return;
+            if (manageCustomResponse) {
+                throw new Error('invalid query parameters');
+            }
+            return response.status(400).json(marshalToObject({ message: 'invalid query parameters' }, useSuperJson));
         }
 
         try {
@@ -68,9 +83,19 @@ const factory = (options: MiddlewareOptions): Handler => {
                 zodSchemas,
                 logger: options.logger,
             });
-            response.status(r.status).json(marshalToObject(r.body, useSuperJson));
+            if (manageCustomResponse) {
+                response.locals = {
+                    status: r.status,
+                    body: r.body,
+                };
+                return next();
+            }
+            return response.status(r.status).json(marshalToObject(r.body, useSuperJson));
         } catch (err) {
-            response
+            if (manageCustomResponse) {
+                throw err;
+            }
+            return response
                 .status(500)
                 .json(marshalToObject({ message: `An unhandled error occurred: ${err}` }, useSuperJson));
         }
diff --git a/packages/server/tests/adapter/express.test.ts b/packages/server/tests/adapter/express.test.ts
index df96ec7a2..0a964ef41 100644
--- a/packages/server/tests/adapter/express.test.ts
+++ b/packages/server/tests/adapter/express.test.ts
@@ -251,3 +251,30 @@ describe('Express adapter tests - rest handler', () => {
         expect(await prisma.user.findMany()).toHaveLength(0);
     });
 });
+
+describe('Express adapter tests - rest handler with customMiddleware', () => {
+    it('run middleware', async () => {
+        const { prisma, zodSchemas, modelMeta } = await loadSchema(schema);
+
+        const app = express();
+        app.use(bodyParser.json());
+        app.use(
+            '/api',
+            ZenStackMiddleware({
+                getPrisma: () => prisma,
+                modelMeta,
+                zodSchemas,
+                handler: RESTAPIHandler({ endpoint: 'http://localhost/api' }),
+                manageCustomResponse: true,
+            })
+        );
+
+        app.use((req, res) => {
+            res.status(res.locals.status).json({ message: res.locals.body });
+        });
+
+        const r = await request(app).get(makeUrl('/api/post/1'));
+        expect(r.status).toBe(404);
+        expect(r.body.message).toHaveProperty('errors');
+    });
+});