diff --git a/engine/src/flutter/runtime/dart_isolate.cc b/engine/src/flutter/runtime/dart_isolate.cc
index bd2c2350541..51073de2466 100644
--- a/engine/src/flutter/runtime/dart_isolate.cc
+++ b/engine/src/flutter/runtime/dart_isolate.cc
@@ -719,6 +719,20 @@ DartIsolate::CreateDartVMAndEmbedderObjectPair(
             (*raw_embedder_isolate)->child_isolate_preparer_));
   }
 
+  // TODO(rmacnak): This flag setting business preserves a side effect of using
+  // Dart_CreateIsolateFromKernel. It should be removed when some of the
+  // internal logic in reload no longer uses this flag.
+  Dart_IsolateFlags nonnull_flags;
+  if (flags == nullptr) {
+    Dart_IsolateFlagsInitialize(&nonnull_flags);
+    flags = &nonnull_flags;
+  }
+  bool dart2 = (vm->GetPlatformKernel().GetSize() > 0) ||
+               Dart_IsDart2Snapshot(embedder_isolate->GetIsolateSnapshot()
+                                        ->GetData()
+                                        ->GetSnapshotPointer());
+  flags->use_dart_frontend = dart2;
+
   // Create the Dart VM isolate and give it the embedder object as the baton.
   Dart_Isolate isolate =
       (vm->GetPlatformKernel().GetSize() > 0)