diff --git a/hw/virtio/vhost-shadow-virtqueue.c b/hw/virtio/vhost-shadow-virtqueue.c
index cc2ee4780d..e4956728dd 100644
--- a/hw/virtio/vhost-shadow-virtqueue.c
+++ b/hw/virtio/vhost-shadow-virtqueue.c
@@ -306,7 +306,11 @@ static void vhost_handle_guest_kick(VhostShadowVirtqueue *svq)
                 break;
             }
 
-            r = vhost_svq_add_element(svq, elem);
+            if (svq->ops) {
+                r = svq->ops->avail_handler(svq, elem, svq->ops_opaque);
+            } else {
+                r = vhost_svq_add_element(svq, elem);
+            }
             if (unlikely(r != 0)) {
                 if (r == -ENOSPC) {
                     /*
@@ -685,12 +689,16 @@ void vhost_svq_stop(VhostShadowVirtqueue *svq)
  * shadow methods and file descriptors.
  *
  * @iova_tree: Tree to perform descriptors translations
+ * @ops: SVQ owner callbacks
+ * @ops_opaque: ops opaque pointer
  *
  * Returns the new virtqueue or NULL.
  *
  * In case of error, reason is reported through error_report.
  */
-VhostShadowVirtqueue *vhost_svq_new(VhostIOVATree *iova_tree)
+VhostShadowVirtqueue *vhost_svq_new(VhostIOVATree *iova_tree,
+                                    const VhostShadowVirtqueueOps *ops,
+                                    void *ops_opaque)
 {
     g_autofree VhostShadowVirtqueue *svq = g_new0(VhostShadowVirtqueue, 1);
     int r;
@@ -712,6 +720,8 @@ VhostShadowVirtqueue *vhost_svq_new(VhostIOVATree *iova_tree)
     event_notifier_init_fd(&svq->svq_kick, VHOST_FILE_UNBIND);
     event_notifier_set_handler(&svq->hdev_call, vhost_svq_handle_call);
     svq->iova_tree = iova_tree;
+    svq->ops = ops;
+    svq->ops_opaque = ops_opaque;
     return g_steal_pointer(&svq);
 
 err_init_hdev_call:
diff --git a/hw/virtio/vhost-shadow-virtqueue.h b/hw/virtio/vhost-shadow-virtqueue.h
index cf442f7dea..d04c34a589 100644
--- a/hw/virtio/vhost-shadow-virtqueue.h
+++ b/hw/virtio/vhost-shadow-virtqueue.h
@@ -25,6 +25,27 @@ typedef struct SVQDescState {
     unsigned int ndescs;
 } SVQDescState;
 
+typedef struct VhostShadowVirtqueue VhostShadowVirtqueue;
+
+/**
+ * Callback to handle an avail buffer.
+ *
+ * @svq:  Shadow virtqueue
+ * @elem:  Element placed in the queue by the guest
+ * @vq_callback_opaque:  Opaque
+ *
+ * Returns 0 if the vq is running as expected.
+ *
+ * Note that ownership of elem is transferred to the callback.
+ */
+typedef int (*VirtQueueAvailCallback)(VhostShadowVirtqueue *svq,
+                                      VirtQueueElement *elem,
+                                      void *vq_callback_opaque);
+
+typedef struct VhostShadowVirtqueueOps {
+    VirtQueueAvailCallback avail_handler;
+} VhostShadowVirtqueueOps;
+
 /* Shadow virtqueue to relay notifications */
 typedef struct VhostShadowVirtqueue {
     /* Shadow vring */
@@ -69,6 +90,12 @@ typedef struct VhostShadowVirtqueue {
      */
     uint16_t *desc_next;
 
+    /* Caller callbacks */
+    const VhostShadowVirtqueueOps *ops;
+
+    /* Caller callbacks opaque */
+    void *ops_opaque;
+
     /* Next head to expose to the device */
     uint16_t shadow_avail_idx;
 
@@ -102,7 +129,9 @@ void vhost_svq_start(VhostShadowVirtqueue *svq, VirtIODevice *vdev,
                      VirtQueue *vq);
 void vhost_svq_stop(VhostShadowVirtqueue *svq);
 
-VhostShadowVirtqueue *vhost_svq_new(VhostIOVATree *iova_tree);
+VhostShadowVirtqueue *vhost_svq_new(VhostIOVATree *iova_tree,
+                                    const VhostShadowVirtqueueOps *ops,
+                                    void *ops_opaque);
 
 void vhost_svq_free(gpointer vq);
 G_DEFINE_AUTOPTR_CLEANUP_FUNC(VhostShadowVirtqueue, vhost_svq_free);
diff --git a/hw/virtio/vhost-vdpa.c b/hw/virtio/vhost-vdpa.c
index 66f054a12c..0b13e98471 100644
--- a/hw/virtio/vhost-vdpa.c
+++ b/hw/virtio/vhost-vdpa.c
@@ -418,8 +418,9 @@ static int vhost_vdpa_init_svq(struct vhost_dev *hdev, struct vhost_vdpa *v,
 
     shadow_vqs = g_ptr_array_new_full(hdev->nvqs, vhost_svq_free);
     for (unsigned n = 0; n < hdev->nvqs; ++n) {
-        g_autoptr(VhostShadowVirtqueue) svq = vhost_svq_new(v->iova_tree);
+        g_autoptr(VhostShadowVirtqueue) svq;
 
+        svq = vhost_svq_new(v->iova_tree, NULL, NULL);
         if (unlikely(!svq)) {
             error_setg(errp, "Cannot create svq %u", n);
             return -1;