diff --git a/source/server/BUILD b/source/server/BUILD
index dc82ca7ef502a..a25a5615dc397 100644
--- a/source/server/BUILD
+++ b/source/server/BUILD
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ envoy_cc_library(
         "@envoy_api//envoy/config/bootstrap/v3:pkg_cc_proto",
         "@envoy_api//envoy/config/metrics/v3:pkg_cc_proto",
         "@envoy_api//envoy/config/trace/v3:pkg_cc_proto",
+        "@envoy_api//envoy/extensions/watchdog/abort_action/v3alpha:pkg_cc_proto",
     ],
 )
 
diff --git a/source/server/configuration_impl.cc b/source/server/configuration_impl.cc
index 237f576c37afb..aac8cf2881780 100644
--- a/source/server/configuration_impl.cc
+++ b/source/server/configuration_impl.cc
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 #include "envoy/config/bootstrap/v3/bootstrap.pb.h"
 #include "envoy/config/metrics/v3/stats.pb.h"
 #include "envoy/config/trace/v3/http_tracer.pb.h"
+#include "envoy/extensions/watchdog/abort_action/v3alpha/abort_action.pb.h"
 #include "envoy/network/connection.h"
 #include "envoy/runtime/runtime.h"
 #include "envoy/server/instance.h"
@@ -171,7 +172,30 @@ WatchdogImpl::WatchdogImpl(const envoy::config::bootstrap::v3::Watchdog& watchdo
   multikill_timeout_ =
       std::chrono::milliseconds(PROTOBUF_GET_MS_OR_DEFAULT(watchdog, multikill_timeout, 0));
   multikill_threshold_ = PROTOBUF_PERCENT_TO_DOUBLE_OR_DEFAULT(watchdog, multikill_threshold, 0.0);
-  actions_ = watchdog.actions();
+  auto actions = watchdog.actions();
+
+// Add abort_action if it's available on the given platform and killing is
+// enabled since it's more helpful than the default kill action.
+#ifndef WIN32
+  envoy::extensions::watchdog::abort_action::v3alpha::AbortActionConfig abort_config;
+  // Wait one second for the aborted thread to abort.
+  abort_config.mutable_wait_duration()->set_seconds(1);
+
+  if (kill_timeout > 0) {
+    envoy::config::bootstrap::v3::Watchdog::WatchdogAction* abort_action_config = actions.Add();
+    abort_action_config->set_event(envoy::config::bootstrap::v3::Watchdog::WatchdogAction::KILL);
+    abort_action_config->mutable_config()->mutable_typed_config()->PackFrom(abort_config);
+  }
+
+  if (multikill_timeout_.count() > 0) {
+    envoy::config::bootstrap::v3::Watchdog::WatchdogAction* abort_action_config = actions.Add();
+    abort_action_config->set_event(
+        envoy::config::bootstrap::v3::Watchdog::WatchdogAction::MULTIKILL);
+    abort_action_config->mutable_config()->mutable_typed_config()->PackFrom(abort_config);
+  }
+#endif
+
+  actions_ = actions;
 }
 
 InitialImpl::InitialImpl(const envoy::config::bootstrap::v3::Bootstrap& bootstrap) {
diff --git a/test/server/configuration_impl_test.cc b/test/server/configuration_impl_test.cc
index 2681825740a98..77cca2586db7c 100644
--- a/test/server/configuration_impl_test.cc
+++ b/test/server/configuration_impl_test.cc
@@ -754,8 +754,8 @@ TEST_F(ConfigurationImplTest, KillTimeoutWithoutSkew) {
   MainImpl config;
   config.initialize(bootstrap, server_, cluster_manager_factory_);
 
-  EXPECT_EQ(std::chrono::milliseconds(1000), config.workerWatchdogConfig().killTimeout());
-  EXPECT_EQ(std::chrono::milliseconds(1000), config.mainThreadWatchdogConfig().killTimeout());
+  EXPECT_EQ(config.workerWatchdogConfig().killTimeout(), std::chrono::milliseconds(1000));
+  EXPECT_EQ(config.mainThreadWatchdogConfig().killTimeout(), std::chrono::milliseconds(1000));
 }
 
 TEST_F(ConfigurationImplTest, CanSkewsKillTimeout) {
@@ -793,10 +793,45 @@ TEST_F(ConfigurationImplTest, DoesNotSkewIfKillTimeoutDisabled) {
   MainImpl config;
   config.initialize(bootstrap, server_, cluster_manager_factory_);
 
-  EXPECT_EQ(std::chrono::milliseconds(0), config.mainThreadWatchdogConfig().killTimeout());
-  EXPECT_EQ(std::chrono::milliseconds(0), config.workerWatchdogConfig().killTimeout());
+  EXPECT_EQ(config.mainThreadWatchdogConfig().killTimeout(), std::chrono::milliseconds(0));
+  EXPECT_EQ(config.workerWatchdogConfig().killTimeout(), std::chrono::milliseconds(0));
 }
 
+// AbortAction not yet supported on Windows.
+#ifndef WIN32
+TEST_F(ConfigurationImplTest, ShouldAddsAbortActionIfKillingIsEnabled) {
+  envoy::config::bootstrap::v3::Bootstrap bootstrap;
+  MainImpl config;
+  const std::string kill_json = R"EOF(
+  {
+    "watchdog": {
+      "kill_timeout": "1.0s",
+      "multikill_timeout" : "1.0s"
+    },
+  })EOF";
+
+  TestUtility::loadFromJson(kill_json, bootstrap);
+  config.initialize(bootstrap, server_, cluster_manager_factory_);
+
+  // We should have the abort action added to both KILL and MULTIKILL events.
+  EXPECT_EQ(config.workerWatchdogConfig().actions().size(), 2);
+  EXPECT_EQ(config.mainThreadWatchdogConfig().actions().size(), 2);
+}
+
+TEST_F(ConfigurationImplTest, ShouldNotAddAbortActionIfKillingIsDisabled) {
+  envoy::config::bootstrap::v3::Bootstrap bootstrap;
+  MainImpl config;
+  const std::string killing_disabled_json = R"EOF( { "watchdog": { "miss_timeout": "1.0s" }})EOF";
+
+  TestUtility::loadFromJson(killing_disabled_json, bootstrap);
+  config.initialize(bootstrap, server_, cluster_manager_factory_);
+
+  // We should have the abort action added
+  EXPECT_EQ(config.workerWatchdogConfig().actions().size(), 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ(config.mainThreadWatchdogConfig().actions().size(), 0);
+}
+#endif
+
 TEST_F(ConfigurationImplTest, ShouldErrorIfBothWatchdogsAndWatchdogSet) {
   const std::string json = R"EOF( { "watchdogs": {}, "watchdog": {}})EOF";