Index: autotests/krununittest.cpp
===================================================================
--- autotests/krununittest.cpp
+++ autotests/krununittest.cpp
@@ -329,13 +329,17 @@
 void KRunUnitTest::KRunRunService_data()
 {
     QTest::addColumn<bool>("tempFile");
+    QTest::addColumn<bool>("useRunApplication");
 
-    QTest::newRow("standard") << false;
-    QTest::newRow("tempfile") << true;
+    QTest::newRow("standard") << false << false;
+    QTest::newRow("tempfile") << true << false;
+    QTest::newRow("runApp") << false << true;
+    QTest::newRow("runApp_tempfile") << true << true;
 }
 void KRunUnitTest::KRunRunService()
 {
     QFETCH(bool, tempFile);
+    QFETCH(bool, useRunApplication);
 
     // Given a service desktop file and a source file
     const QString path = createTempService();
@@ -350,8 +354,10 @@
     QList<QUrl> urls;
     urls.append(QUrl::fromLocalFile(srcFile));
 
-    // When calling KRun::runService
-    qint64 pid = KRun::runService(service, urls, 0, tempFile);
+    // When calling KRun::runService or KRun::runApplication
+    qint64 pid = useRunApplication
+        ? KRun::runApplication(service, urls, 0, tempFile ? KRun::RunFlags(KRun::DeleteTemporaryFiles) : KRun::RunFlags())
+        : KRun::runService(service, urls, 0, tempFile);
 
     // Then the service should be executed (which copies the source file to "dest")
     QVERIFY(pid != 0);
Index: src/widgets/krun.h
===================================================================
--- src/widgets/krun.h
+++ src/widgets/krun.h
@@ -211,6 +211,10 @@
     /**
      * Open a list of URLs with a certain service (application).
      *
+     * Prefer runApplication(), unless you need to wait for the application
+     * to register to DBus before this method returns (but that should rather
+     * be done with DBus activation).
+     *
      * @param service the service to run
      * @param urls the list of URLs, can be empty (app launched
      *        without argument)
@@ -224,7 +228,32 @@
      */
     static qint64 runService(const KService &service, const QList<QUrl> &urls, QWidget *window,
                              bool tempFiles = false, const QString &suggestedFileName = QString(),
-                             const QByteArray &asn = QByteArray());
+                             const QByteArray &asn = QByteArray()); // TODO KF6: deprecate/remove
+
+    enum RunFlag {
+        DeleteTemporaryFiles = 0x1 /// < the URLs passed to the service will be deleted when it exits (if the URLs are local files)
+    };
+    Q_DECLARE_FLAGS(RunFlags, RunFlag)
+
+    /**
+     * Run an application (known from its .desktop file, i.e. as a KService)
+     *
+     * Unlike runService, this does not wait for the application to register to DBus
+     * before returning. Such behavior is better done with DBus activation anyway.
+     *
+     * @param service the service to run
+     * @param urls the list of URLs, can be empty (app launched
+     *        without argument)
+     * @param window The top-level widget of the app that invoked this object.
+     * @param runFlags various flags
+     * @param suggestedFileName see setSuggestedFileName
+     * @param asn Application startup notification id, if any (otherwise "").
+     * @return 0 on error, the process ID on success
+     * @since 5.24
+     */
+    static qint64 runApplication(const KService &service, const QList<QUrl> &urls, QWidget *window,
+                                 RunFlags flags = RunFlags(), const QString &suggestedFileName = QString(),
+                                 const QByteArray &asn = QByteArray());
 
     /**
      * Open a list of URLs with an executable.
Index: src/widgets/krun.cpp
===================================================================
--- src/widgets/krun.cpp
+++ src/widgets/krun.cpp
@@ -398,11 +398,9 @@
     return true;
 }
 
-static qint64 runTempService(const KService &_service, const QList<QUrl> &_urls, QWidget *window,
-                           bool tempFiles, const QString &suggestedFileName, const QByteArray &asn)
+static qint64 runApplicationImpl(const KService &_service, const QList<QUrl> &_urls, QWidget *window,
+                                 KRun::RunFlags flags, const QString &suggestedFileName, const QByteArray &asn)
 {
-    //qDebug() << "runTempService:" << _urls;
-
     QList<QUrl> urlsToRun = _urls;
     if ((_urls.count() > 1) && !_service.allowMultipleFiles()) {
         // We need to launch the application N times. That sucks.
@@ -414,13 +412,13 @@
         while (++it != _urls.end()) {
             QList<QUrl> singleUrl;
             singleUrl.append(*it);
-            runTempService(_service, singleUrl, window, tempFiles, suggestedFileName, QByteArray());
+            runApplicationImpl(_service, singleUrl, window, flags, suggestedFileName, QByteArray());
         }
         urlsToRun.clear();
         urlsToRun.append(_urls.first());
     }
     KIO::DesktopExecParser execParser(_service, urlsToRun);
-    execParser.setUrlsAreTempFiles(tempFiles);
+    execParser.setUrlsAreTempFiles(flags & KRun::DeleteTemporaryFiles);
     execParser.setSuggestedFileName(suggestedFileName);
     const QStringList args = execParser.resultingArguments();
     if (args.isEmpty()) {
@@ -704,6 +702,27 @@
     return runService(_service, _urls, window, tempFiles, suggestedFileName, asn) != 0;
 }
 
+qint64 KRun::runApplication(const KService &service, const QList<QUrl> &urls, QWidget *window,
+                            RunFlags flags, const QString &suggestedFileName,
+                            const QByteArray &asn)
+{
+    if (!service.entryPath().isEmpty() &&
+            !KDesktopFile::isAuthorizedDesktopFile(service.entryPath()) &&
+            !::makeServiceExecutable(service, window)) {
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+
+    if ((flags & DeleteTemporaryFiles) == 0) {
+        // Remember we opened those urls, for the "recent documents" menu in kicker
+        for (const QUrl &url : urls) {
+            KRecentDocument::add(url, service.desktopEntryName());
+        }
+    }
+
+    return runApplicationImpl(service, urls, window, flags, suggestedFileName, asn);
+}
+
 qint64 KRun::runService(const KService &_service, const QList<QUrl> &_urls, QWidget *window,
                       bool tempFiles, const QString &suggestedFileName, const QByteArray &asn)
 {
@@ -715,10 +734,8 @@
 
     if (!tempFiles) {
         // Remember we opened those urls, for the "recent documents" menu in kicker
-        QList<QUrl>::ConstIterator it = _urls.begin();
-        for (; it != _urls.end(); ++it) {
-            //qDebug() << "KRecentDocument::adding " << (*it).url();
-            KRecentDocument::add(*it, _service.desktopEntryName());
+        for (const QUrl &url : _urls) {
+            KRecentDocument::add(url, _service.desktopEntryName());
         }
     }
 
@@ -738,7 +755,7 @@
     }
 
     if (!useKToolInvocation) {
-        return runTempService(_service, _urls, window, tempFiles, suggestedFileName, asn);
+        return runApplicationImpl(_service, _urls, window, tempFiles ? RunFlags(DeleteTemporaryFiles) : RunFlags(), suggestedFileName, asn);
     }
 
     // Resolve urls if needed, depending on what the app supports