diff --git a/lib/internal/bootstrap_node.js b/lib/internal/bootstrap_node.js
index b4ed16573e1e07..344b56718463b1 100644
--- a/lib/internal/bootstrap_node.js
+++ b/lib/internal/bootstrap_node.js
@@ -508,11 +508,10 @@
     return NativeModule._source.hasOwnProperty(id);
   };
 
-  const EXPOSE_INTERNALS = process.execArgv.some(function(arg) {
-    return arg.match(/^--expose[-_]internals$/);
-  });
+  const EXPOSE_INTERNALS = process._exposeInternals;
 
   if (EXPOSE_INTERNALS) {
+    delete process._exposeInternals;
     NativeModule.nonInternalExists = NativeModule.exists;
 
     NativeModule.isInternal = function(id) {
diff --git a/src/node.cc b/src/node.cc
index 8abbf9c59a7f02..8f20151b417a1e 100644
--- a/src/node.cc
+++ b/src/node.cc
@@ -163,6 +163,7 @@ static bool trace_sync_io = false;
 static bool track_heap_objects = false;
 static const char* eval_string = nullptr;
 static std::vector<std::string> preload_modules;
+static bool expose_internals = false;
 static const int v8_default_thread_pool_size = 4;
 static int v8_thread_pool_size = v8_default_thread_pool_size;
 static bool prof_process = false;
@@ -3333,6 +3334,13 @@ void SetupProcessObject(Environment* env,
     READONLY_PROPERTY(process, "_debugWaitConnect", True(env->isolate()));
   }
 
+  // --expose_internals, --expose-internals
+  // Note that this is not exposed as a process property, it is deleted when
+  // node's javascript bootstrap code runs.
+  if (expose_internals) {
+    READONLY_PROPERTY(process, "_exposeInternals", True(env->isolate()));
+  }
+
   // --security-revert flags
 #define V(code, _, __)                                                        \
   do {                                                                        \
@@ -3786,7 +3794,7 @@ static void ParseArgs(int* argc,
 #endif
     } else if (strcmp(arg, "--expose-internals") == 0 ||
                strcmp(arg, "--expose_internals") == 0) {
-      // consumed in js
+      expose_internals = true;
     } else if (strcmp(arg, "--") == 0) {
       index += 1;
       break;
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-internal-modules-expose.js b/test/parallel/test-internal-modules-expose.js
index 02ddfd87c363fc..c09cb558218ab5 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-internal-modules-expose.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-internal-modules-expose.js
@@ -5,3 +5,4 @@ require('../common');
 const assert = require('assert');
 
 assert.strictEqual(typeof require('internal/freelist').FreeList, 'function');
+assert(!('_exposeInternals' in process), 'no process property is leaked');