diff --git a/vmm/src/api/http.rs b/vmm/src/api/http.rs
index 1a7649068..7ea683bb2 100644
--- a/vmm/src/api/http.rs
+++ b/vmm/src/api/http.rs
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 
 extern crate threadpool;
 
-use crate::api::http_endpoint::{VmActionHandler, VmCreate, VmInfo};
+use crate::api::http_endpoint::{VmActionHandler, VmCreate, VmInfo, VmmShutdown};
 use crate::api::{ApiRequest, VmAction};
 use crate::{Error, Result};
 use micro_http::{HttpConnection, Request, Response, StatusCode, Version};
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ lazy_static! {
         r.routes.insert(endpoint!("/vm.info"), Box::new(VmInfo {}));
         r.routes.insert(endpoint!("/vm.shutdown"), Box::new(VmActionHandler::new(VmAction::Shutdown)));
         r.routes.insert(endpoint!("/vm.reboot"), Box::new(VmActionHandler::new(VmAction::Reboot)));
+        r.routes.insert(endpoint!("/vmm.shutdown"), Box::new(VmmShutdown {}));
 
         r
     };
diff --git a/vmm/src/api/http_endpoint.rs b/vmm/src/api/http_endpoint.rs
index 22b0dccfb..79746609e 100644
--- a/vmm/src/api/http_endpoint.rs
+++ b/vmm/src/api/http_endpoint.rs
@@ -5,8 +5,8 @@
 
 use crate::api::http::EndpointHandler;
 use crate::api::{
-    vm_boot, vm_create, vm_delete, vm_info, vm_reboot, vm_shutdown, ApiError, ApiRequest,
-    ApiResult, VmAction, VmConfig,
+    vm_boot, vm_create, vm_delete, vm_info, vm_reboot, vm_shutdown, vmm_shutdown, ApiError,
+    ApiRequest, ApiResult, VmAction, VmConfig,
 };
 use micro_http::{Body, Method, Request, Response, StatusCode, Version};
 use serde_json::Error as SerdeError;
@@ -37,6 +37,9 @@ pub enum HttpError {
 
     /// Could not act on a VM
     VmAction(ApiError),
+
+    /// Could not shut the VMM down
+    VmmShutdown(ApiError),
 }
 
 fn error_response(error: HttpError, status: StatusCode) -> Response {
@@ -155,3 +158,25 @@ impl EndpointHandler for VmInfo {
         }
     }
 }
+
+// /api/v1/vmm.shutdown handler
+pub struct VmmShutdown {}
+
+impl EndpointHandler for VmmShutdown {
+    fn handle_request(
+        &self,
+        req: &Request,
+        api_notifier: EventFd,
+        api_sender: Sender<ApiRequest>,
+    ) -> Response {
+        match req.method() {
+            Method::Put => {
+                match vmm_shutdown(api_notifier, api_sender).map_err(HttpError::VmmShutdown) {
+                    Ok(_) => Response::new(Version::Http11, StatusCode::OK),
+                    Err(e) => error_response(e, StatusCode::InternalServerError),
+                }
+            }
+            _ => Response::new(Version::Http11, StatusCode::BadRequest),
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/vmm/src/api/mod.rs b/vmm/src/api/mod.rs
index 6f67a8794..3b4ed8626 100644
--- a/vmm/src/api/mod.rs
+++ b/vmm/src/api/mod.rs
@@ -87,6 +87,9 @@ pub enum ApiError {
 
     /// The VM could not reboot.
     VmReboot(VmError),
+
+    /// The VMM could not shutdown.
+    VmmShutdown(VmError),
 }
 pub type ApiResult<T> = std::result::Result<T, ApiError>;
 
@@ -138,6 +141,11 @@ pub enum ApiRequest {
     /// If the VM was not previously booted or created, the VMM API server
     /// will send a VmReboot error back.
     VmReboot(Sender<ApiResponse>),
+
+    /// Shut the VMM down.
+    /// This will shutdown and delete the current VM, if any, and then exit the
+    /// VMM process.
+    VmmShutdown(Sender<ApiResponse>),
 }
 
 pub fn vm_create(
@@ -226,3 +234,17 @@ pub fn vm_info(api_evt: EventFd, api_sender: Sender<ApiRequest>) -> ApiResult<Vm
         _ => Err(ApiError::ResponsePayloadType),
     }
 }
+
+pub fn vmm_shutdown(api_evt: EventFd, api_sender: Sender<ApiRequest>) -> ApiResult<()> {
+    let (response_sender, response_receiver) = channel();
+
+    // Send the VMM shutdown request.
+    api_sender
+        .send(ApiRequest::VmmShutdown(response_sender))
+        .map_err(ApiError::RequestSend)?;
+    api_evt.write(1).map_err(ApiError::EventFdWrite)?;
+
+    response_receiver.recv().map_err(ApiError::ResponseRecv)??;
+
+    Ok(())
+}
diff --git a/vmm/src/api/openapi/cloud-hypervisor.yaml b/vmm/src/api/openapi/cloud-hypervisor.yaml
index 2db9e8b2f..aa6d3aee3 100644
--- a/vmm/src/api/openapi/cloud-hypervisor.yaml
+++ b/vmm/src/api/openapi/cloud-hypervisor.yaml
@@ -23,6 +23,15 @@ paths:
               schema:
                 $ref: '#/components/schemas/VmmInfo'
 
+  /vmm.shutdown:
+    put:
+      summary: Shuts the cloud-hypervisor VMM.
+      operationId: shutdownVMM
+      responses:
+        201:
+          description: The VMM successfully shutdown.
+          content: {}
+
   /vm.info:
     get:
       summary: Returns general information about the cloud-hypervisor Virtual Machine (VM) instance.
diff --git a/vmm/src/lib.rs b/vmm/src/lib.rs
index 8cf7b136c..5f7115107 100644
--- a/vmm/src/lib.rs
+++ b/vmm/src/lib.rs
@@ -69,6 +69,9 @@ pub enum Error {
 
     /// Cannot create VMM thread
     VmmThreadSpawn(io::Error),
+
+    /// Cannot shut the VMM down
+    VmmShutdown(VmError),
 }
 pub type Result<T> = result::Result<T, Error>;
 
@@ -168,14 +171,7 @@ pub fn start_vmm_thread(
                         // Continue and restart the VMM control loop
                         continue 'outer;
                     }
-                    Ok(ExitBehaviour::Shutdown) => {
-                        // The VMM control loop exites with a shutdown behaviour.
-                        // We have to stop the VM and we exit thr thread.
-                        if let Some(ref mut vm) = vmm.vm {
-                            vm.shutdown().map_err(Error::VmShutdown)?;
-                        }
-                        break 'outer;
-                    }
+                    Ok(ExitBehaviour::Shutdown) => break 'outer,
                     Err(e) => return Err(e),
                 }
             }
@@ -320,6 +316,10 @@ impl Vmm {
         Ok(())
     }
 
+    fn vmm_shutdown(&mut self) -> result::Result<(), VmError> {
+        self.vm_delete()
+    }
+
     fn control_loop(&mut self, api_receiver: Arc<Receiver<ApiRequest>>) -> Result<ExitBehaviour> {
         const EPOLL_EVENTS_LEN: usize = 100;
 
@@ -354,6 +354,7 @@ impl Vmm {
                         EpollDispatch::Exit => {
                             // Consume the event.
                             self.exit_evt.read().map_err(Error::EventFdRead)?;
+                            self.vmm_shutdown().map_err(Error::VmmShutdown)?;
                             exit_behaviour = ExitBehaviour::Shutdown;
 
                             break 'outer;
@@ -438,6 +439,17 @@ impl Vmm {
 
                                     sender.send(response).map_err(Error::ApiResponseSend)?;
                                 }
+                                ApiRequest::VmmShutdown(sender) => {
+                                    let response = self
+                                        .vmm_shutdown()
+                                        .map_err(ApiError::VmmShutdown)
+                                        .map(|_| ApiResponsePayload::Empty);
+
+                                    sender.send(response).map_err(Error::ApiResponseSend)?;
+
+                                    exit_behaviour = ExitBehaviour::Shutdown;
+                                    break 'outer;
+                                }
                             }
                         }
                     }