diff --git a/MAINTAINERS b/MAINTAINERS
index 8d5bc223f305..186d37c2b4e0 100644
--- a/MAINTAINERS
+++ b/MAINTAINERS
@@ -22176,7 +22176,9 @@ L:	virtualization@lists.linux-foundation.org
 L:	netdev@vger.kernel.org
 S:	Maintained
 T:	git git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/mst/vhost.git
+F:	kernel/vhost_task.c
 F:	drivers/vhost/
+F:	include/linux/sched/vhost_task.h
 F:	include/linux/vhost_iotlb.h
 F:	include/uapi/linux/vhost.h
 
diff --git a/drivers/vhost/Kconfig b/drivers/vhost/Kconfig
index 587fbae06182..b455d9ab6f3d 100644
--- a/drivers/vhost/Kconfig
+++ b/drivers/vhost/Kconfig
@@ -13,9 +13,14 @@ config VHOST_RING
 	  This option is selected by any driver which needs to access
 	  the host side of a virtio ring.
 
+config VHOST_TASK
+	bool
+	default n
+
 config VHOST
 	tristate
 	select VHOST_IOTLB
+	select VHOST_TASK
 	help
 	  This option is selected by any driver which needs to access
 	  the core of vhost.
diff --git a/include/linux/sched/vhost_task.h b/include/linux/sched/vhost_task.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..6123c10b99cf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/linux/sched/vhost_task.h
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+/* SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0 */
+#ifndef _LINUX_VHOST_TASK_H
+#define _LINUX_VHOST_TASK_H
+
+#include <linux/completion.h>
+
+struct task_struct;
+
+struct vhost_task {
+	int (*fn)(void *data);
+	void *data;
+	struct completion exited;
+	unsigned long flags;
+	struct task_struct *task;
+};
+
+struct vhost_task *vhost_task_create(int (*fn)(void *), void *arg,
+				     const char *name);
+void vhost_task_start(struct vhost_task *vtsk);
+void vhost_task_stop(struct vhost_task *vtsk);
+bool vhost_task_should_stop(struct vhost_task *vtsk);
+
+#endif
diff --git a/kernel/Makefile b/kernel/Makefile
index 10ef068f598d..6fc72b3afbde 100644
--- a/kernel/Makefile
+++ b/kernel/Makefile
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ obj-y     = fork.o exec_domain.o panic.o \
 obj-$(CONFIG_USERMODE_DRIVER) += usermode_driver.o
 obj-$(CONFIG_MODULES) += kmod.o
 obj-$(CONFIG_MULTIUSER) += groups.o
+obj-$(CONFIG_VHOST_TASK) += vhost_task.o
 
 ifdef CONFIG_FUNCTION_TRACER
 # Do not trace internal ftrace files
diff --git a/kernel/vhost_task.c b/kernel/vhost_task.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..b7cbd66f889e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/kernel/vhost_task.c
@@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-only
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2021 Oracle Corporation
+ */
+#include <linux/slab.h>
+#include <linux/completion.h>
+#include <linux/sched/task.h>
+#include <linux/sched/vhost_task.h>
+#include <linux/sched/signal.h>
+
+enum vhost_task_flags {
+	VHOST_TASK_FLAGS_STOP,
+};
+
+static int vhost_task_fn(void *data)
+{
+	struct vhost_task *vtsk = data;
+	int ret;
+
+	ret = vtsk->fn(vtsk->data);
+	complete(&vtsk->exited);
+	do_exit(ret);
+}
+
+/**
+ * vhost_task_stop - stop a vhost_task
+ * @vtsk: vhost_task to stop
+ *
+ * Callers must call vhost_task_should_stop and return from their worker
+ * function when it returns true;
+ */
+void vhost_task_stop(struct vhost_task *vtsk)
+{
+	pid_t pid = vtsk->task->pid;
+
+	set_bit(VHOST_TASK_FLAGS_STOP, &vtsk->flags);
+	wake_up_process(vtsk->task);
+	/*
+	 * Make sure vhost_task_fn is no longer accessing the vhost_task before
+	 * freeing it below. If userspace crashed or exited without closing,
+	 * then the vhost_task->task could already be marked dead so
+	 * kernel_wait will return early.
+	 */
+	wait_for_completion(&vtsk->exited);
+	/*
+	 * If we are just closing/removing a device and the parent process is
+	 * not exiting then reap the task.
+	 */
+	kernel_wait4(pid, NULL, __WCLONE, NULL);
+	kfree(vtsk);
+}
+EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(vhost_task_stop);
+
+/**
+ * vhost_task_should_stop - should the vhost task return from the work function
+ * @vtsk: vhost_task to stop
+ */
+bool vhost_task_should_stop(struct vhost_task *vtsk)
+{
+	return test_bit(VHOST_TASK_FLAGS_STOP, &vtsk->flags);
+}
+EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(vhost_task_should_stop);
+
+/**
+ * vhost_task_create - create a copy of a process to be used by the kernel
+ * @fn: thread stack
+ * @arg: data to be passed to fn
+ * @name: the thread's name
+ *
+ * This returns a specialized task for use by the vhost layer or NULL on
+ * failure. The returned task is inactive, and the caller must fire it up
+ * through vhost_task_start().
+ */
+struct vhost_task *vhost_task_create(int (*fn)(void *), void *arg,
+				     const char *name)
+{
+	struct kernel_clone_args args = {
+		.flags		= CLONE_FS | CLONE_UNTRACED | CLONE_VM,
+		.exit_signal	= 0,
+		.fn		= vhost_task_fn,
+		.name		= name,
+		.user_worker	= 1,
+		.no_files	= 1,
+		.ignore_signals	= 1,
+	};
+	struct vhost_task *vtsk;
+	struct task_struct *tsk;
+
+	vtsk = kzalloc(sizeof(*vtsk), GFP_KERNEL);
+	if (!vtsk)
+		return NULL;
+	init_completion(&vtsk->exited);
+	vtsk->data = arg;
+	vtsk->fn = fn;
+
+	args.fn_arg = vtsk;
+
+	tsk = copy_process(NULL, 0, NUMA_NO_NODE, &args);
+	if (IS_ERR(tsk)) {
+		kfree(vtsk);
+		return NULL;
+	}
+
+	vtsk->task = tsk;
+	return vtsk;
+}
+EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(vhost_task_create);
+
+/**
+ * vhost_task_start - start a vhost_task created with vhost_task_create
+ * @vtsk: vhost_task to wake up
+ */
+void vhost_task_start(struct vhost_task *vtsk)
+{
+	wake_up_new_task(vtsk->task);
+}
+EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(vhost_task_start);