diff --git a/graphql-dgs/src/main/kotlin/com/netflix/graphql/dgs/internal/DgsExecutionResult.kt b/graphql-dgs/src/main/kotlin/com/netflix/graphql/dgs/internal/DgsExecutionResult.kt
index 43915e579..67c83a50c 100644
--- a/graphql-dgs/src/main/kotlin/com/netflix/graphql/dgs/internal/DgsExecutionResult.kt
+++ b/graphql-dgs/src/main/kotlin/com/netflix/graphql/dgs/internal/DgsExecutionResult.kt
@@ -31,61 +31,106 @@ import org.springframework.http.HttpStatus
 import org.springframework.http.ResponseEntity
 
 class DgsExecutionResult @JvmOverloads constructor(
-    val executionResult: ExecutionResult,
-    val headers: HttpHeaders = HttpHeaders(),
-    val status: HttpStatus = HttpStatus.OK
-) : ExecutionResult by executionResult {
-    companion object {
-        private val sentinelObject = Any()
-        private val logger: Logger = LoggerFactory.getLogger(DgsExecutionResult::class.java)
-    }
+     val executionResult: ExecutionResult,
+     val headers: HttpHeaders = HttpHeaders(),
+     val status: HttpStatus = HttpStatus.OK
+ ) : ExecutionResult by executionResult {
+     companion object {
+         // defined in here and DgsRestController, for backwards compatibility.
+         // keep these two variables synced.
+         const val DGS_RESPONSE_HEADERS_KEY = "dgs-response-headers"
+         private val sentinelObject = Any()
+         private val logger: Logger = LoggerFactory.getLogger(DgsExecutionResult::class.java)
+     }
 
-    constructor(
-        status: HttpStatus = HttpStatus.OK,
-        headers: HttpHeaders = HttpHeaders.EMPTY,
-        errors: List<GraphQLError> = listOf(),
-        extensions: Map<Any, Any>? = null,
+     init {
+         addExtensionsHeaderKeyToHeader()
+     }
 
-        // By default, assign data as a sentinel object.
-        // If we were to default to null here, this constructor
-        // would be unable to discriminate between an intentionally null
-        // response and one that the user left default.
-        data: Any? = sentinelObject
-    ) : this(
-        headers = headers,
-        status = status,
-        executionResult = ExecutionResultImpl
-            .newExecutionResult()
-            .errors(errors)
-            .extensions(extensions)
-            .apply {
-                if (data != sentinelObject) {
-                    data(data)
-                }
-            }
-            .build()
-    )
+     constructor(
+         status: HttpStatus = HttpStatus.OK,
+         headers: HttpHeaders = HttpHeaders.EMPTY,
+         errors: List<GraphQLError> = listOf(),
+         extensions: Map<Any, Any>? = null,
 
-    fun toSpringResponse(
-        mapper: ObjectMapper = jacksonObjectMapper()
-    ): ResponseEntity<Any> {
-        val result = try {
-            TimeTracer.logTime(
-                { mapper.writeValueAsBytes(this.toSpecification()) },
-                logger,
-                "Serialized JSON result in {}ms"
-            )
-        } catch (ex: InvalidDefinitionException) {
-            val errorMessage = "Error serializing response: ${ex.message}"
-            val errorResponse = ExecutionResultImpl(GraphqlErrorBuilder.newError().message(errorMessage).build())
-            logger.error(errorMessage, ex)
-            mapper.writeValueAsBytes(errorResponse.toSpecification())
-        }
+         // By default, assign data as a sentinel object.
+         // If we were to default to null here, this constructor
+         // would be unable to discriminate between an intentionally null
+         // response and one that the user left default.
+         data: Any? = sentinelObject
+     ) : this(
+         headers = headers,
+         status = status,
+         executionResult = ExecutionResultImpl
+             .newExecutionResult()
+             .errors(errors)
+             .extensions(extensions)
+             .apply {
+                 if (data != sentinelObject) {
+                     data(data)
+                 }
+             }
+             .build()
+     )
 
-        return ResponseEntity(
-            result,
-            headers,
-            status
-        )
-    }
-}
+     // for backwards compat with https://github.com/Netflix/dgs-framework/pull/1261.
+     private fun addExtensionsHeaderKeyToHeader() {
+         if (executionResult.extensions?.containsKey(DGS_RESPONSE_HEADERS_KEY) == true) {
+             val dgsResponseHeaders = executionResult.extensions[DGS_RESPONSE_HEADERS_KEY]
+
+             if (dgsResponseHeaders is Map<*, *>) {
+                 dgsResponseHeaders.forEach {
+                     if (it.key != null) {
+                         headers.add(it.key.toString(), it.value?.toString())
+                     }
+                 }
+             } else {
+                 logger.warn(
+                     "{} must be of type java.util.Map, but was {}",
+                     DGS_RESPONSE_HEADERS_KEY,
+                     dgsResponseHeaders?.javaClass?.name
+                 )
+             }
+         }
+     }
+
+     fun toSpringResponse(
+         mapper: ObjectMapper = jacksonObjectMapper()
+     ): ResponseEntity<Any> {
+         val result = try {
+             TimeTracer.logTime(
+                 { mapper.writeValueAsBytes(this.toSpecification()) },
+                 logger,
+                 "Serialized JSON result in {}ms"
+             )
+         } catch (ex: InvalidDefinitionException) {
+             val errorMessage = "Error serializing response: ${ex.message}"
+             val errorResponse = ExecutionResultImpl(GraphqlErrorBuilder.newError().message(errorMessage).build())
+             logger.error(errorMessage, ex)
+             mapper.writeValueAsBytes(errorResponse.toSpecification())
+         }
+
+         return ResponseEntity(
+             result,
+             headers,
+             status
+         )
+     }
+
+     // overridden for compatibility with https://github.com/Netflix/dgs-framework/pull/1261.
+     override fun toSpecification(): MutableMap<String, Any> {
+         val spec = executionResult.toSpecification()
+
+         if (spec["extensions"] != null && extensions.containsKey(DGS_RESPONSE_HEADERS_KEY)) {
+             val extensions = spec["extensions"] as Map<*, *>
+
+             if (extensions.size != 1) {
+                 spec["extensions"] = extensions.minus(DGS_RESPONSE_HEADERS_KEY)
+             } else {
+                 spec.remove("extensions")
+             }
+         }
+
+         return spec
+     }
+ }
\ No newline at end of file