diff --git a/.changeset/nervous-pandas-complain.md b/.changeset/nervous-pandas-complain.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..cb10227864
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/nervous-pandas-complain.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@backstage/backend-app-api': patch
+---
+
+Add the possibility to disable watching files in the new backend system
diff --git a/packages/backend-app-api/api-report.md b/packages/backend-app-api/api-report.md
index 52780c6729..cb83aaf196 100644
--- a/packages/backend-app-api/api-report.md
+++ b/packages/backend-app-api/api-report.md
@@ -273,6 +273,8 @@ export function readHttpServerOptions(config?: Config): HttpServerOptions;
 export interface RootConfigFactoryOptions {
   argv?: string[];
   remote?: Pick<RemoteConfigSourceOptions, 'reloadInterval'>;
+  // (undocumented)
+  watch?: boolean;
 }
 
 // @public (undocumented)
diff --git a/packages/backend-app-api/src/services/implementations/config/rootConfigServiceFactory.ts b/packages/backend-app-api/src/services/implementations/config/rootConfigServiceFactory.ts
index 1fa8d792ad..68103842bb 100644
--- a/packages/backend-app-api/src/services/implementations/config/rootConfigServiceFactory.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-app-api/src/services/implementations/config/rootConfigServiceFactory.ts
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ export interface RootConfigFactoryOptions {
    * Enables and sets options for remote configuration loading.
    */
   remote?: Pick<RemoteConfigSourceOptions, 'reloadInterval'>;
+  watch?: boolean;
 }
 
 /** @public */
@@ -45,6 +46,7 @@ export const rootConfigServiceFactory = createServiceFactory(
       const source = ConfigSources.default({
         argv: options?.argv,
         remote: options?.remote,
+        watch: options?.watch,
       });
       console.log(`Loading config from ${source}`);
       return await ConfigSources.toConfig(source);