diff --git a/packages/doenetml-worker/src/components/Paginator.js b/packages/doenetml-worker/src/components/Paginator.js
index 863827b66..717d3e55c 100644
--- a/packages/doenetml-worker/src/components/Paginator.js
+++ b/packages/doenetml-worker/src/components/Paginator.js
@@ -180,6 +180,7 @@ export class Paginator extends BlockComponent {
             actionId,
             sourceInformation,
             skipRendererUpdate,
+            overrideReadOnly: true,
             event: {
                 verb: "selected",
                 object: {
@@ -345,6 +346,76 @@ export class PaginatorControls extends BlockComponent {
             },
         };
 
+        // disabledDirectly for paginatorControls is not affected by the readOnly flag
+        // nor the parentDisabled flag
+        stateVariableDefinitions.disabledDirectly = {
+            public: true,
+            shadowingInstructions: {
+                createComponentOfType: "boolean",
+            },
+            forRenderer: true,
+            hasEssential: true,
+            doNotShadowEssential: true,
+            defaultValue: false,
+            returnDependencies: () => ({
+                disabledPreliminary: {
+                    dependencyType: "stateVariable",
+                    variableName: "disabledPreliminary",
+                    variablesOptional: true,
+                },
+                sourceCompositeDisabled: {
+                    dependencyType: "sourceCompositeStateVariable",
+                    variableName: "disabled",
+                },
+                adapterSourceDisabled: {
+                    dependencyType: "adapterSourceStateVariable",
+                    variableName: "disabled",
+                },
+            }),
+            definition({ dependencyValues, usedDefault }) {
+                if (!usedDefault.disabledPreliminary) {
+                    return {
+                        setValue: {
+                            disabledDirectly:
+                                dependencyValues.disabledPreliminary,
+                        },
+                    };
+                }
+
+                let disabledDirectly = false;
+                let useEssential = true;
+
+                if (
+                    dependencyValues.sourceCompositeDisabled !== null &&
+                    !usedDefault.sourceCompositeDisabled
+                ) {
+                    disabledDirectly =
+                        disabledDirectly ||
+                        dependencyValues.sourceCompositeDisabled;
+                    useEssential = false;
+                }
+                if (
+                    dependencyValues.adapterSourceDisabled !== null &&
+                    !usedDefault.adapterSourceDisabled
+                ) {
+                    disabledDirectly =
+                        disabledDirectly ||
+                        dependencyValues.adapterSourceDisabled;
+                    useEssential = false;
+                }
+
+                if (useEssential) {
+                    return {
+                        useEssentialOrDefaultValue: {
+                            disabledDirectly: true,
+                        },
+                    };
+                } else {
+                    return { setValue: { disabledDirectly } };
+                }
+            },
+        };
+
         return stateVariableDefinitions;
     }
 }
diff --git a/packages/doenetml/src/Viewer/renderers/paginatorControls.jsx b/packages/doenetml/src/Viewer/renderers/paginatorControls.jsx
index 8926545c2..cf897ede6 100644
--- a/packages/doenetml/src/Viewer/renderers/paginatorControls.jsx
+++ b/packages/doenetml/src/Viewer/renderers/paginatorControls.jsx
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ export default React.memo(function PaginatorControls(props) {
                             args: { number: SVs.currentPage - 1 },
                         });
                     }}
-                    disabled={SVs.disabled || !(SVs.currentPage > 1)}
+                    disabled={SVs.disabledDirectly || !(SVs.currentPage > 1)}
                     value={SVs.previousLabel}
                 />
             </div>
@@ -38,7 +38,10 @@ export default React.memo(function PaginatorControls(props) {
                             args: { number: SVs.currentPage + 1 },
                         });
                     }}
-                    disabled={SVs.disabled || !(SVs.currentPage < SVs.numPages)}
+                    disabled={
+                        SVs.disabledDirectly ||
+                        !(SVs.currentPage < SVs.numPages)
+                    }
                     value={SVs.nextLabel}
                 />
             </div>
diff --git a/packages/test-cypress/cypress/e2e/tagSpecific/paginator.cy.js b/packages/test-cypress/cypress/e2e/tagSpecific/paginator.cy.js
index 7f15f95d8..e5eba0991 100644
--- a/packages/test-cypress/cypress/e2e/tagSpecific/paginator.cy.js
+++ b/packages/test-cypress/cypress/e2e/tagSpecific/paginator.cy.js
@@ -2305,8 +2305,7 @@ describe("Paginator Tag Tests", function () {
         cy.get(cesc2("#/ca")).should("have.text", "0.722");
     });
 
-    // Do we restore this feature?
-    it.skip("Paginator controls ignore read only flag", () => {
+    it("Paginator controls ignore read only flag", () => {
         let doenetML = `
     <text>a</text>
     <paginatorControls paginator="pgn" name="pcontrols" />
@@ -2324,11 +2323,6 @@ describe("Paginator Tag Tests", function () {
     <p>Credit achieved: $_document1.creditAchieved{assignNames="ca"}</p>
     `;
 
-        cy.get("#testRunner_toggleControls").click();
-        cy.get("#testRunner_allowLocalState").click();
-        cy.wait(100);
-        cy.get("#testRunner_toggleControls").click();
-
         cy.window().then(async (win) => {
             win.postMessage(
                 {
@@ -2356,29 +2350,26 @@ describe("Paginator Tag Tests", function () {
         cy.get(cesc("#\\/ti2_submit")).should("be.visible");
         cy.get(cesc2("#/ca")).should("have.text", "0.5");
 
-        // at least right now, this turns on Read Only
-        cy.get("h3 > button").click();
-        cy.get(":nth-child(5) > label > input").click();
-        cy.get("h3 > button").click();
-
-        cy.get(cesc("#\\/ti2_input")).should("be.disabled");
-        cy.get(cesc("#\\/ti2_input")).should("have.value", "2");
-        cy.get(cesc("#\\/ti2_submit")).should("be.disabled");
+        cy.get("#testRunner_toggleControls").click();
+        cy.get("#testRunner_readOnly").click();
+        cy.wait(100);
+        cy.get("#testRunner_toggleControls").click();
 
-        cy.get(cesc2("#/pcontrols_previous")).click();
         cy.get(cesc2("#/_title1")).should("have.text", "Problem 1");
-        cy.get(cesc2("#/ca")).should("have.text", "0.5");
 
         cy.get(cesc("#\\/ti1_input")).should("be.disabled");
-        cy.get(cesc("#\\/ti1_input")).should("have.value", "1");
+        cy.get(cesc("#\\/ti1_submit")).should("be.disabled");
 
         cy.get(cesc2("#/pcontrols_next")).click();
         cy.get(cesc2("#/_title2")).should("have.text", "Problem 2");
-        cy.get(cesc2("#/ca")).should("have.text", "0.5");
 
         cy.get(cesc("#\\/ti2_input")).should("be.disabled");
-        cy.get(cesc("#\\/ti2_input")).should("have.value", "2");
         cy.get(cesc("#\\/ti2_submit")).should("be.disabled");
+
+        cy.get(cesc2("#/pcontrols_previous")).click();
+        cy.get(cesc2("#/_title1")).should("have.text", "Problem 1");
+        cy.get(cesc("#\\/ti1_input")).should("be.disabled");
+        cy.get(cesc("#\\/ti1_submit")).should("be.disabled");
     });
 
     it("Variants stay consistent with external copies", () => {