diff --git a/dashboard/src/components/app/Repair.vue b/dashboard/src/components/app/Repair.vue
index 0c058b111..490059c26 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/components/app/Repair.vue
+++ b/dashboard/src/components/app/Repair.vue
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 <script setup>
 
-import { ref, onMounted, watch, useTemplateRef } from 'vue';
+import { ref, onMounted, useTemplateRef } from 'vue';
 import { Button, Switch } from 'pankow';
 import { taskNameFromInstallationState } from '../../utils.js';
 import AppRepairDialog from '../AppRepairDialog.vue';
@@ -11,16 +11,26 @@ const props = defineProps([ 'app' ]);
 const appsModel = AppsModel.create();
 const busyRestart = ref(false);
 const debugMode = ref(false);
+const debugModeBusy = ref(false);
+
+async function onDebugMode(newValue) {
+  debugModeBusy.value = true;
 
-watch(debugMode, async (newValue) => {
   const data = newValue ? {
     readonlyRootfs: false,
     cmd: [ '/bin/bash', '-c', 'echo "Repair mode. Use the webterminal or cloudron exec to repair. Sleeping" && sleep infinity' ]
   } : null;
 
   const [error] = await appsModel.configure(props.app.id, 'debug_mode', { debugMode: data });
-  if (error) return console.error(error);
-});
+  if (error) {
+    debugModeBusy.value = false;
+    debugMode.value = !newValue;
+    return console.error(error);
+  }
+
+  // let the task start
+  setTimeout(() => { debugModeBusy.value = false; }, 2000);
+}
 
 const repairDialog = useTemplateRef('repairDialog');
 async function onRepair() {
@@ -50,7 +60,7 @@ onMounted(() => {
     <p v-html="$t('app.repair.recovery.description', { docsLink: 'https://docs.cloudron.io/troubleshooting/#unresponsive-app' })"></p>
 
     <div style="display: flex; justify-content: space-between;">
-      <Switch v-model="debugMode" :disabled="app.error || app.taskId" v-tooltip="app.taskId ? (app.error ? 'App is in error state' : 'App is busy') : ''" label="Recovery Mode"/>
+    <Switch v-model="debugMode" @change="onDebugMode" :disabled="debugModeBusy || app.error || app.taskId" v-tooltip="app.taskId ? (app.error ? 'App is in error state' : 'App is busy') : ''" label="Recovery Mode"/>
       <Button @click="onRestart()" :disabled="busyRestart || app.taskId || app.error || app.installationState === 'pending_restart'" :loading="busyRestart || app.installationState === 'pending_restart'" v-tooltip="app.error ? 'App is in error state' : (app.taskId ? 'App is busy' : '')">{{ $t('app.repair.recovery.restartAction') }}</Button>
     </div>