diff --git a/include/qemu/thread-posix.h b/include/qemu/thread-posix.h
index 361566abc4..eb5c7a1da1 100644
--- a/include/qemu/thread-posix.h
+++ b/include/qemu/thread-posix.h
@@ -21,6 +21,14 @@ struct QemuSemaphore {
 #endif
 };
 
+struct QemuEvent {
+#ifndef __linux__
+    pthread_mutex_t lock;
+    pthread_cond_t cond;
+#endif
+    unsigned value;
+};
+
 struct QemuThread {
     pthread_t thread;
 };
diff --git a/include/qemu/thread-win32.h b/include/qemu/thread-win32.h
index 13adb958f0..3d58081bed 100644
--- a/include/qemu/thread-win32.h
+++ b/include/qemu/thread-win32.h
@@ -17,6 +17,10 @@ struct QemuSemaphore {
     HANDLE sema;
 };
 
+struct QemuEvent {
+    HANDLE event;
+};
+
 typedef struct QemuThreadData QemuThreadData;
 struct QemuThread {
     QemuThreadData *data;
diff --git a/include/qemu/thread.h b/include/qemu/thread.h
index c02404b9fb..3e32c6531c 100644
--- a/include/qemu/thread.h
+++ b/include/qemu/thread.h
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 typedef struct QemuMutex QemuMutex;
 typedef struct QemuCond QemuCond;
 typedef struct QemuSemaphore QemuSemaphore;
+typedef struct QemuEvent QemuEvent;
 typedef struct QemuThread QemuThread;
 
 #ifdef _WIN32
@@ -45,6 +46,12 @@ void qemu_sem_wait(QemuSemaphore *sem);
 int qemu_sem_timedwait(QemuSemaphore *sem, int ms);
 void qemu_sem_destroy(QemuSemaphore *sem);
 
+void qemu_event_init(QemuEvent *ev, bool init);
+void qemu_event_set(QemuEvent *ev);
+void qemu_event_reset(QemuEvent *ev);
+void qemu_event_wait(QemuEvent *ev);
+void qemu_event_destroy(QemuEvent *ev);
+
 void qemu_thread_create(QemuThread *thread,
                         void *(*start_routine)(void *),
                         void *arg, int mode);
diff --git a/util/qemu-thread-posix.c b/util/qemu-thread-posix.c
index 4de133e7b2..37dd298631 100644
--- a/util/qemu-thread-posix.c
+++ b/util/qemu-thread-posix.c
@@ -20,7 +20,12 @@
 #include <limits.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
 #include <sys/time.h>
+#ifdef __linux__
+#include <sys/syscall.h>
+#include <linux/futex.h>
+#endif
 #include "qemu/thread.h"
+#include "qemu/atomic.h"
 
 static void error_exit(int err, const char *msg)
 {
@@ -272,6 +277,117 @@ void qemu_sem_wait(QemuSemaphore *sem)
 #endif
 }
 
+#ifdef __linux__
+#define futex(...)              syscall(__NR_futex, __VA_ARGS__)
+
+static inline void futex_wake(QemuEvent *ev, int n)
+{
+    futex(ev, FUTEX_WAKE, n, NULL, NULL, 0);
+}
+
+static inline void futex_wait(QemuEvent *ev, unsigned val)
+{
+    futex(ev, FUTEX_WAIT, (int) val, NULL, NULL, 0);
+}
+#else
+static inline void futex_wake(QemuEvent *ev, int n)
+{
+    if (n == 1) {
+        pthread_cond_signal(&ev->cond);
+    } else {
+        pthread_cond_broadcast(&ev->cond);
+    }
+}
+
+static inline void futex_wait(QemuEvent *ev, unsigned val)
+{
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&ev->lock);
+    if (ev->value == val) {
+        pthread_cond_wait(&ev->cond, &ev->lock);
+    }
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&ev->lock);
+}
+#endif
+
+/* Valid transitions:
+ * - free->set, when setting the event
+ * - busy->set, when setting the event, followed by futex_wake
+ * - set->free, when resetting the event
+ * - free->busy, when waiting
+ *
+ * set->busy does not happen (it can be observed from the outside but
+ * it really is set->free->busy).
+ *
+ * busy->free provably cannot happen; to enforce it, the set->free transition
+ * is done with an OR, which becomes a no-op if the event has concurrently
+ * transitioned to free or busy.
+ */
+
+#define EV_SET         0
+#define EV_FREE        1
+#define EV_BUSY       -1
+
+void qemu_event_init(QemuEvent *ev, bool init)
+{
+#ifndef __linux__
+    pthread_mutex_init(&ev->lock, NULL);
+    pthread_cond_init(&ev->cond, NULL);
+#endif
+
+    ev->value = (init ? EV_SET : EV_FREE);
+}
+
+void qemu_event_destroy(QemuEvent *ev)
+{
+#ifndef __linux__
+    pthread_mutex_destroy(&ev->lock);
+    pthread_cond_destroy(&ev->cond);
+#endif
+}
+
+void qemu_event_set(QemuEvent *ev)
+{
+    if (atomic_mb_read(&ev->value) != EV_SET) {
+        if (atomic_xchg(&ev->value, EV_SET) == EV_BUSY) {
+            /* There were waiters, wake them up.  */
+            futex_wake(ev, INT_MAX);
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+void qemu_event_reset(QemuEvent *ev)
+{
+    if (atomic_mb_read(&ev->value) == EV_SET) {
+        /*
+         * If there was a concurrent reset (or even reset+wait),
+         * do nothing.  Otherwise change EV_SET->EV_FREE.
+         */
+        atomic_or(&ev->value, EV_FREE);
+    }
+}
+
+void qemu_event_wait(QemuEvent *ev)
+{
+    unsigned value;
+
+    value = atomic_mb_read(&ev->value);
+    if (value != EV_SET) {
+        if (value == EV_FREE) {
+            /*
+             * Leave the event reset and tell qemu_event_set that there
+             * are waiters.  No need to retry, because there cannot be
+             * a concurent busy->free transition.  After the CAS, the
+             * event will be either set or busy.
+             */
+            if (atomic_cmpxchg(&ev->value, EV_FREE, EV_BUSY) == EV_SET) {
+                return;
+            }
+        }
+        futex_wait(ev, EV_BUSY);
+    }
+}
+
+
 void qemu_thread_create(QemuThread *thread,
                        void *(*start_routine)(void*),
                        void *arg, int mode)
diff --git a/util/qemu-thread-win32.c b/util/qemu-thread-win32.c
index 517878dcc1..27a5217769 100644
--- a/util/qemu-thread-win32.c
+++ b/util/qemu-thread-win32.c
@@ -227,6 +227,32 @@ void qemu_sem_wait(QemuSemaphore *sem)
     }
 }
 
+void qemu_event_init(QemuEvent *ev, bool init)
+{
+    /* Manual reset.  */
+    ev->event = CreateEvent(NULL, TRUE, init, NULL);
+}
+
+void qemu_event_destroy(QemuEvent *ev)
+{
+    CloseHandle(ev->event);
+}
+
+void qemu_event_set(QemuEvent *ev)
+{
+    SetEvent(ev->event);
+}
+
+void qemu_event_reset(QemuEvent *ev)
+{
+    ResetEvent(ev->event);
+}
+
+void qemu_event_wait(QemuEvent *ev)
+{
+    WaitForSingleObject(ev->event, INFINITE);
+}
+
 struct QemuThreadData {
     /* Passed to win32_start_routine.  */
     void             *(*start_routine)(void *);