diff --git a/boards/common/openocd-nrf5.board.cmake b/boards/common/openocd-nrf5.board.cmake
index 8f6f4137ccb..90ab5d32a4c 100644
--- a/boards/common/openocd-nrf5.board.cmake
+++ b/boards/common/openocd-nrf5.board.cmake
@@ -27,7 +27,6 @@ set(pre_init_cmds
   "source [find interface/${OPENOCD_NRF5_INTERFACE}.cfg]"
   "transport select swd"
   "source [find target/${OPENOCD_NRF5_SUBFAMILY}.cfg]"
-  "$_TARGETNAME configure -rtos auto"
 )
 
 foreach(cmd ${pre_init_cmds})
diff --git a/cmake/flash/CMakeLists.txt b/cmake/flash/CMakeLists.txt
index 41e99bd3516..68785f04e3e 100644
--- a/cmake/flash/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/cmake/flash/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -53,9 +53,10 @@ function(runners_yaml_append_config)
   endif()
   if(OPENOCD)
     runners_yaml_append("  openocd: ${OPENOCD}")
-  endif()
-  if(OPENOCD_DEFAULT_PATH)
-    runners_yaml_append("  openocd_search: ${OPENOCD_DEFAULT_PATH}")
+    runners_yaml_append("  openocd_search:")
+    if(OPENOCD_DEFAULT_PATH)
+      runners_yaml_append("    - ${OPENOCD_DEFAULT_PATH}")
+    endif()
   endif()
   runners_yaml_append("")
 endfunction()
diff --git a/scripts/west_commands/run_common.py b/scripts/west_commands/run_common.py
index f40c64f804b..e85b7145d04 100644
--- a/scripts/west_commands/run_common.py
+++ b/scripts/west_commands/run_common.py
@@ -356,8 +356,8 @@ def get_runner_config(build_dir, yaml_path, runners_yaml, args=None):
 
         return None
 
-    def config(attr):
-        return getattr(args, attr, None) or yaml_config.get(attr)
+    def config(attr, default=None):
+        return getattr(args, attr, None) or yaml_config.get(attr, default)
 
     return RunnerConfig(build_dir,
                         yaml_config['board_dir'],
@@ -366,7 +366,7 @@ def get_runner_config(build_dir, yaml_path, runners_yaml, args=None):
                         output_file('bin'),
                         config('gdb'),
                         config('openocd'),
-                        config('openocd_search'))
+                        config('openocd_search', []))
 
 def dump_traceback():
     # Save the current exception to a file and return its path.
diff --git a/scripts/west_commands/runners/core.py b/scripts/west_commands/runners/core.py
index b460c54f605..4df9ff000ba 100644
--- a/scripts/west_commands/runners/core.py
+++ b/scripts/west_commands/runners/core.py
@@ -260,7 +260,7 @@ class RunnerConfig(NamedTuple):
     bin_file: Optional[str]     # zephyr.bin path, or None
     gdb: Optional[str] = None   # path to a usable gdb
     openocd: Optional[str] = None  # path to a usable openocd
-    openocd_search: Optional[str] = None  # add this to openocd search path
+    openocd_search: List[str] = []  # add these paths to the openocd search path
 
 
 _YN_CHOICES = ['Y', 'y', 'N', 'n', 'yes', 'no', 'YES', 'NO']
diff --git a/scripts/west_commands/runners/openocd.py b/scripts/west_commands/runners/openocd.py
index 841539965d2..e64019b51ed 100644
--- a/scripts/west_commands/runners/openocd.py
+++ b/scripts/west_commands/runners/openocd.py
@@ -4,6 +4,9 @@
 
 '''Runner for openocd.'''
 
+import subprocess
+import re
+
 from os import path
 from pathlib import Path
 
@@ -38,13 +41,14 @@ class OpenOcdBinaryRunner(ZephyrBinaryRunner):
         self.openocd_config = config
 
         search_args = []
-        for i in self.openocd_config:
-            if path.exists(i):
-                search_args.append('-s')
-                search_args.append(path.dirname(i))
+        if self.openocd_config is not None:
+            for i in self.openocd_config:
+                if path.exists(i):
+                    search_args.append('-s')
+                    search_args.append(path.dirname(i))
 
-        if cfg.openocd_search is not None:
-            search_args.extend(['-s', cfg.openocd_search])
+        for p in cfg.openocd_search:
+            search_args.extend(['-s', p])
         self.openocd_cmd = [cfg.openocd] + search_args
         # openocd doesn't cope with Windows path names, so convert
         # them to POSIX style just to be sure.
@@ -117,6 +121,45 @@ class OpenOcdBinaryRunner(ZephyrBinaryRunner):
             tcl_port=args.tcl_port, telnet_port=args.telnet_port,
             gdb_port=args.gdb_port)
 
+    def print_gdbserver_message(self):
+        if not self.thread_info_enabled:
+            thread_msg = '; no thread info available'
+        elif self.supports_thread_info():
+            thread_msg = '; thread info enabled'
+        else:
+            thread_msg = '; update OpenOCD software for thread info'
+        self.logger.info('OpenOCD GDB server running on port '
+                         f'{self.gdb_port}{thread_msg}')
+
+    # pylint: disable=R0201
+    def to_num(self, number):
+        dev_match = re.search(r"^\d*\+dev", number)
+        dev_version = not dev_match is None
+
+        num_match = re.search(r"^\d*", number)
+        num = int(num_match.group(0))
+
+        if dev_version:
+            num += 1
+
+        return num
+
+    def read_version(self):
+        self.require(self.openocd_cmd[0])
+
+	# OpenOCD prints in stderr, need redirect to get output
+        out = self.check_output([self.openocd_cmd[0], '--version'],
+                                stderr=subprocess.STDOUT).decode()
+
+        return out.split('\n')[0]
+
+    def supports_thread_info(self):
+        # Zephyr rtos was introduced after 0.11.0
+        version_str = self.read_version().split(' ')[3]
+        version = version_str.split('.')
+        (major, minor, rev) = [self.to_num(i) for i in version]
+        return (major, minor, rev) > (0, 11, 0)
+
     def do_run(self, command, **kwargs):
         self.require(self.openocd_cmd[0])
         if ELFFile is None:
@@ -124,9 +167,10 @@ class OpenOcdBinaryRunner(ZephyrBinaryRunner):
                 'elftools missing; please "pip3 install elftools"')
 
         self.cfg_cmd = []
-        for i in self.openocd_config:
-            self.cfg_cmd.append('-f')
-            self.cfg_cmd.append(i)
+        if self.openocd_config is not None:
+            for i in self.openocd_config:
+                self.cfg_cmd.append('-f')
+                self.cfg_cmd.append(i)
 
         if command == 'flash' and self.use_elf:
             self.do_flash_elf(**kwargs)
@@ -213,6 +257,10 @@ class OpenOcdBinaryRunner(ZephyrBinaryRunner):
             pre_init_cmd.append("-c")
             pre_init_cmd.append(i)
 
+        if self.thread_info_enabled and self.supports_thread_info():
+            pre_init_cmd.append("-c")
+            pre_init_cmd.append("$_TARGETNAME configure -rtos Zephyr")
+
         server_cmd = (self.openocd_cmd + self.serial + self.cfg_cmd +
                       ['-c', 'tcl_port {}'.format(self.tcl_port),
                        '-c', 'telnet_port {}'.format(self.telnet_port),
@@ -225,6 +273,7 @@ class OpenOcdBinaryRunner(ZephyrBinaryRunner):
         if command == 'debug':
             gdb_cmd.extend(['-ex', 'load'])
         self.require(gdb_cmd[0])
+        self.print_gdbserver_message()
         self.run_server_and_client(server_cmd, gdb_cmd)
 
     def do_debugserver(self, **kwargs):
@@ -240,4 +289,5 @@ class OpenOcdBinaryRunner(ZephyrBinaryRunner):
                pre_init_cmd + ['-c', 'init',
                                 '-c', 'targets',
                                 '-c', 'reset halt'])
+        self.print_gdbserver_message()
         self.check_call(cmd)
diff --git a/scripts/west_commands/tests/conftest.py b/scripts/west_commands/tests/conftest.py
index 139f213f86a..a566e765732 100644
--- a/scripts/west_commands/tests/conftest.py
+++ b/scripts/west_commands/tests/conftest.py
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ RC_KERNEL_HEX = 'test-zephyr.hex'
 RC_KERNEL_BIN = 'test-zephyr.bin'
 RC_GDB = 'test-none-gdb'
 RC_OPENOCD = 'test-openocd'
-RC_OPENOCD_SEARCH = '/test/openocd/search'
+RC_OPENOCD_SEARCH = ['/test/openocd/search']
 
 
 @pytest.fixture