diff --git a/arch/xtensa/src/esp32/esp32_start.c b/arch/xtensa/src/esp32/esp32_start.c
index 4587f7da6be..a70549f12be 100644
--- a/arch/xtensa/src/esp32/esp32_start.c
+++ b/arch/xtensa/src/esp32/esp32_start.c
@@ -88,9 +88,11 @@ void IRAM_ATTR __start(void)
 
   /* Kill the watchdog timer */
 
+  putreg32(RTC_CNTL_WDT_WKEY_VALUE, RTC_CNTL_WDTWPROTECT_REG);
   regval  = getreg32(RTC_CNTL_WDTCONFIG0_REG);
-  regval &= ~RTC_CNTL_WDT_FLASHBOOT_MOD_EN;
+  regval &= ~RTC_CNTL_WDT_EN;
   putreg32(regval, RTC_CNTL_WDTCONFIG0_REG);
+  putreg32(0, RTC_CNTL_WDTWPROTECT_REG);
 
   /* Make sure that normal interrupts are disabled.  This is really only an
    * issue when we are started in un-usual ways (such as from IRAM).  In this
diff --git a/arch/xtensa/src/esp32/hardware/esp32_rtccntl.h b/arch/xtensa/src/esp32/hardware/esp32_rtccntl.h
index 640fab133b3..e661726e12a 100644
--- a/arch/xtensa/src/esp32/hardware/esp32_rtccntl.h
+++ b/arch/xtensa/src/esp32/hardware/esp32_rtccntl.h
@@ -47,6 +47,12 @@
 #define RWDT_INT_ENA_REG_OFFSET     0x003c
 #define RWDT_INT_CLR_REG_OFFSET     0x0048
 
+/* The value that needs to be written to RTC_CNTL_WDT_WKEY to
+ * write-enable the wdt registers
+ */
+
+#define RTC_CNTL_WDT_WKEY_VALUE     0x50d83aa1
+
 /* CLK */
 #define CK_XTAL_32K_MASK            (BIT(30))
 #define CK8M_D256_OUT_MASK          (BIT(31))