diff --git a/src/extension-runners/chromium.js b/src/extension-runners/chromium.js
index 4fad5d4c81..2dde68b454 100644
--- a/src/extension-runners/chromium.js
+++ b/src/extension-runners/chromium.js
@@ -150,8 +150,27 @@ export class ChromiumExtensionRunner {
       });
     });
 
+    const chromeFlags = [...DEFAULT_CHROME_FLAGS];
+    let startingUrl;
+    var specialStartingUrls = [];
+    if (this.params.startUrl) {
+      const startingUrls = Array.isArray(this.params.startUrl) ?
+        this.params.startUrl : [this.params.startUrl];
+
+      // Extract URLs starting with chrome:// from startingUrls and let bg.js open them instead
+      specialStartingUrls = startingUrls.filter(
+        (item) => (item.toLowerCase().startsWith('chrome://')));
+
+      const strippedStartingUrls = startingUrls.filter(
+        (item) => !(item.toLowerCase().startsWith('chrome://')));
+
+      startingUrl = strippedStartingUrls.shift();
+      chromeFlags.push(...strippedStartingUrls);
+    }
+
     // Create the extension that will manage the addon reloads
-    this.reloadManagerExtension = await this.createReloadManagerExtension();
+    this.reloadManagerExtension =
+      await this.createReloadManagerExtension(specialStartingUrls);
 
     // Start chrome pointing it to a given profile dir
     const extensions = [this.reloadManagerExtension].concat(
@@ -166,8 +185,6 @@ export class ChromiumExtensionRunner {
       log.debug(`(chromiumBinary: ${chromiumBinary})`);
     }
 
-    const chromeFlags = [...DEFAULT_CHROME_FLAGS];
-
     chromeFlags.push(`--load-extension=${extensions}`);
 
     if (this.params.args) {
@@ -213,14 +230,6 @@ export class ChromiumExtensionRunner {
       chromeFlags.push(`--profile-directory=${profileDirName}`);
     }
 
-    let startingUrl;
-    if (this.params.startUrl) {
-      const startingUrls = Array.isArray(this.params.startUrl) ?
-        this.params.startUrl : [this.params.startUrl];
-      startingUrl = startingUrls.shift();
-      chromeFlags.push(...startingUrls);
-    }
-
     this.chromiumInstance = await this.chromiumLaunch({
       enableExtensions: true,
       chromePath: chromiumBinary,
@@ -280,7 +289,8 @@ export class ChromiumExtensionRunner {
     });
   }
 
-  async createReloadManagerExtension(): Promise<string> {
+  async createReloadManagerExtension(
+    specialStartingUrls: Array<string>): Promise<string> {
     const tmpDir = new TempDir();
     await tmpDir.create();
     this.registerCleanup(() => tmpDir.remove());
@@ -334,6 +344,18 @@ export class ChromiumExtensionRunner {
       const ws = new window.WebSocket(
         "ws://${wssInfo.address}:${wssInfo.port}");
 
+        
+      const chromeTabList = ${JSON.stringify(specialStartingUrls)}
+      if (chromeTabList.length > 0) {   
+        chrome.runtime.onInstalled.addListener(details => {
+          if (details.reason === chrome.runtime.OnInstalledReason.INSTALL ) {
+            chromeTabList.forEach(url => {
+              chrome.tabs.create({ url });
+            });
+          }           
+        });
+      }
+   
       ws.onmessage = async (evt) => {
         const msg = JSON.parse(evt.data);
         if (msg.type === 'webExtReloadAllExtensions') {
diff --git a/tests/unit/test-extension-runners/test.chromium.js b/tests/unit/test-extension-runners/test.chromium.js
index b6061833d9..563bf5b2f0 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test-extension-runners/test.chromium.js
+++ b/tests/unit/test-extension-runners/test.chromium.js
@@ -118,6 +118,41 @@ describe('util/extension-runners/chromium', async () => {
     await runnerInstance.exit();
   });
 
+  it('does insert special urls in companion extension '
+    + '& excludes them from args', async () => {
+    const {params} = prepareExtensionRunnerParams({
+      params: {startUrl:
+        ['url1', 'chrome://version', 'url2', 'chrome://extensions']},
+    });
+    const runnerInstance = new ChromiumExtensionRunner(params);
+    await runnerInstance.run();
+
+    const {reloadManagerExtension} = runnerInstance;
+
+    assert.equal(await fs.exists(reloadManagerExtension), true);
+
+    const bgScript = path.join(reloadManagerExtension, 'bg.js');
+    const expectedStr =
+      'const chromeTabList = ["chrome://version","chrome://extensions"]';
+    assert.include(await fs.readFile(
+      bgScript, 'utf8'), expectedStr, 'bg.js does not contain special urls');
+
+    sinon.assert.calledOnce(params.chromiumLaunch);
+    //assert special urls are not present
+    sinon.assert.calledWithMatch(params.chromiumLaunch, {
+      ignoreDefaultFlags: true,
+      enableExtensions: true,
+      chromePath: undefined,
+      chromeFlags: [
+        ...DEFAULT_CHROME_FLAGS,
+        'url2',
+        `--load-extension=${reloadManagerExtension},/fake/sourceDir`,
+      ],
+      startingUrl: 'url1',
+    });
+
+    await runnerInstance.exit();
+  });
 
   it('controls the "reload manager" from a websocket server', async () => {
     const {params} = prepareExtensionRunnerParams();
@@ -326,9 +361,9 @@ describe('util/extension-runners/chromium', async () => {
       chromePath: undefined,
       chromeFlags: [
         ...DEFAULT_CHROME_FLAGS,
-        `--load-extension=${reloadManagerExtension},/fake/sourceDir`,
         'url2',
         'url3',
+        `--load-extension=${reloadManagerExtension},/fake/sourceDir`,
       ],
       startingUrl: 'url1',
     });
@@ -356,12 +391,12 @@ describe('util/extension-runners/chromium', async () => {
       chromePath: undefined,
       chromeFlags: [
         ...DEFAULT_CHROME_FLAGS,
+        'url2',
+        'url3',
         `--load-extension=${reloadManagerExtension},/fake/sourceDir`,
         '--arg1',
         'arg2',
         '--arg3',
-        'url2',
-        'url3',
       ],
       startingUrl: 'url1',
     });