diff --git a/.changeset/lovely-days-smile.md b/.changeset/lovely-days-smile.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..48060d4feb5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/lovely-days-smile.md
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+---
+'@keystone-next/adapter-prisma-legacy': minor
+'@keystone-next/types': minor
+'@keystone-next/keystone': minor
+---
+
+Added `none-skip-client-generation` migrationMode
diff --git a/packages-next/keystone/src/scripts/run/start.ts b/packages-next/keystone/src/scripts/run/start.ts
index cc8ac9a432b..b26a014837a 100644
--- a/packages-next/keystone/src/scripts/run/start.ts
+++ b/packages-next/keystone/src/scripts/run/start.ts
@@ -15,7 +15,11 @@ export const start = async ({ dotKeystonePath, projectAdminPath }: StaticPaths)
     throw new Error('keystone-next build must be run before running keystone-next start');
   }
   const config = initConfig(require(apiFile).config);
-  const { keystone, graphQLSchema, createContext } = createSystem(config, dotKeystonePath, 'none');
+  const { keystone, graphQLSchema, createContext } = createSystem(
+    config,
+    dotKeystonePath,
+    'none-skip-client-generation'
+  );
 
   console.log('✨ Connecting to the database');
   await keystone.connect({ context: createContext().sudo() });
diff --git a/packages-next/types/src/core.ts b/packages-next/types/src/core.ts
index 14715df0477..f1175f5bd0b 100644
--- a/packages-next/types/src/core.ts
+++ b/packages-next/types/src/core.ts
@@ -66,4 +66,9 @@ export function getGqlNames({
   };
 }
 
-export type MigrationMode = 'none' | 'createOnly' | 'dev' | 'prototype';
+export type MigrationMode =
+  | 'none-skip-client-generation'
+  | 'none'
+  | 'createOnly'
+  | 'dev'
+  | 'prototype';
diff --git a/packages/adapter-prisma/src/adapter-prisma.js b/packages/adapter-prisma/src/adapter-prisma.js
index 2623e3ab752..6d99b0a1c80 100644
--- a/packages/adapter-prisma/src/adapter-prisma.js
+++ b/packages/adapter-prisma/src/adapter-prisma.js
@@ -88,21 +88,17 @@ class PrismaAdapter extends BaseKeystoneAdapter {
   }
 
   async _generateClient(rels) {
-    // 1. Generate a formatted schema
+    // Generate a formatted schema
+    // note that we currently still need to call _prepareSchema even during
+    // a `keystone-next start` because it has various side effects
     const { prismaSchema } = await this._prepareSchema(rels);
 
-    // 2. Check for existing schema
-    // 2a1. If they're the same, we're golden
-    // 2a2. If they're different, generate and run a migration
-    // 2b. If it doesn't exist, generate and run a migration
+    if (this.migrationMode !== 'none-skip-client-generation') {
+      this._writePrismaSchema({ prismaSchema });
 
-    // If any of our critical directories are missing, or if the schema has changed, then
-    // we've got things to do.
-
-    this._writePrismaSchema({ prismaSchema });
-
-    // Generate prisma client and run prisma migrations
-    await Promise.all([this._generatePrismaClient(), this._runMigrations({ prismaSchema })]);
+      // Generate prisma client and run prisma migrations
+      await Promise.all([this._generatePrismaClient(), this._runMigrations({ prismaSchema })]);
+    }
   }
 
   async _runMigrations({ prismaSchema }) {