diff --git a/docs/devel/qapi-code-gen.txt b/docs/devel/qapi-code-gen.txt
index 59d6973e1e..9b65cd3ab3 100644
--- a/docs/devel/qapi-code-gen.txt
+++ b/docs/devel/qapi-code-gen.txt
@@ -457,6 +457,7 @@ Syntax:
                 '*gen': false,
                 '*allow-oob': true,
                 '*allow-preconfig': true,
+                '*coroutine': true,
                 '*if': COND,
                 '*features': FEATURES }
 
@@ -581,6 +582,15 @@ before the machine is built.  It defaults to false.  For example:
 QMP is available before the machine is built only when QEMU was
 started with --preconfig.
 
+Member 'coroutine' tells the QMP dispatcher whether the command handler
+is safe to be run in a coroutine.  It defaults to false.  If it is true,
+the command handler is called from coroutine context and may yield while
+waiting for an external event (such as I/O completion) in order to avoid
+blocking the guest and other background operations.
+
+It is an error to specify both 'coroutine': true and 'allow-oob': true
+for a command.
+
 The optional 'if' member specifies a conditional.  See "Configuring
 the schema" below for more on this.
 
diff --git a/include/qapi/qmp/dispatch.h b/include/qapi/qmp/dispatch.h
index 9aa426a398..d6ce9efc8e 100644
--- a/include/qapi/qmp/dispatch.h
+++ b/include/qapi/qmp/dispatch.h
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ typedef enum QmpCommandOptions
     QCO_NO_SUCCESS_RESP       =  (1U << 0),
     QCO_ALLOW_OOB             =  (1U << 1),
     QCO_ALLOW_PRECONFIG       =  (1U << 2),
+    QCO_COROUTINE             =  (1U << 3),
 } QmpCommandOptions;
 
 typedef struct QmpCommand
diff --git a/tests/test-qmp-cmds.c b/tests/test-qmp-cmds.c
index 79507d9e54..6359cc28c7 100644
--- a/tests/test-qmp-cmds.c
+++ b/tests/test-qmp-cmds.c
@@ -35,6 +35,10 @@ void qmp_cmd_success_response(Error **errp)
 {
 }
 
+void qmp_coroutine_cmd(Error **errp)
+{
+}
+
 Empty2 *qmp_user_def_cmd0(Error **errp)
 {
     return g_new0(Empty2, 1);
diff --git a/scripts/qapi/commands.py b/scripts/qapi/commands.py
index afa55b055c..f2f2f8948d 100644
--- a/scripts/qapi/commands.py
+++ b/scripts/qapi/commands.py
@@ -194,7 +194,8 @@ out:
     return ret
 
 
-def gen_register_command(name, success_response, allow_oob, allow_preconfig):
+def gen_register_command(name, success_response, allow_oob, allow_preconfig,
+                         coroutine):
     options = []
 
     if not success_response:
@@ -203,6 +204,8 @@ def gen_register_command(name, success_response, allow_oob, allow_preconfig):
         options += ['QCO_ALLOW_OOB']
     if allow_preconfig:
         options += ['QCO_ALLOW_PRECONFIG']
+    if coroutine:
+        options += ['QCO_COROUTINE']
 
     if not options:
         options = ['QCO_NO_OPTIONS']
@@ -285,7 +288,7 @@ void %(c_prefix)sqmp_init_marshal(QmpCommandList *cmds);
 
     def visit_command(self, name, info, ifcond, arg_type, ret_type, gen,
                       success_response, boxed, allow_oob, allow_preconfig,
-                      features):
+                      coroutine, features):
         if not gen:
             return
         # FIXME: If T is a user-defined type, the user is responsible
@@ -303,7 +306,8 @@ void %(c_prefix)sqmp_init_marshal(QmpCommandList *cmds);
             self._genh.add(gen_marshal_decl(name))
             self._genc.add(gen_marshal(name, arg_type, boxed, ret_type))
             self._regy.add(gen_register_command(name, success_response,
-                                                allow_oob, allow_preconfig))
+                                                allow_oob, allow_preconfig,
+                                                coroutine))
 
 
 def gen_commands(schema, output_dir, prefix):
diff --git a/scripts/qapi/doc.py b/scripts/qapi/doc.py
index 6f1c17f71f..8b6978c81e 100644
--- a/scripts/qapi/doc.py
+++ b/scripts/qapi/doc.py
@@ -265,7 +265,7 @@ class QAPISchemaGenDocVisitor(QAPISchemaVisitor):
 
     def visit_command(self, name, info, ifcond, arg_type, ret_type, gen,
                       success_response, boxed, allow_oob, allow_preconfig,
-                      features):
+                      coroutine, features):
         doc = self.cur_doc
         self._gen.add(texi_msg('Command', doc, ifcond,
                                texi_arguments(doc,
diff --git a/scripts/qapi/expr.py b/scripts/qapi/expr.py
index d7a289eded..769c54ebfe 100644
--- a/scripts/qapi/expr.py
+++ b/scripts/qapi/expr.py
@@ -89,10 +89,13 @@ def check_flags(expr, info):
         if key in expr and expr[key] is not False:
             raise QAPISemError(
                 info, "flag '%s' may only use false value" % key)
-    for key in ['boxed', 'allow-oob', 'allow-preconfig']:
+    for key in ['boxed', 'allow-oob', 'allow-preconfig', 'coroutine']:
         if key in expr and expr[key] is not True:
             raise QAPISemError(
                 info, "flag '%s' may only use true value" % key)
+    if 'allow-oob' in expr and 'coroutine' in expr:
+        raise QAPISemError(info, "flags 'allow-oob' and 'coroutine' "
+                                 "are incompatible")
 
 
 def check_if(expr, info, source):
@@ -344,7 +347,7 @@ def check_exprs(exprs):
                        ['command'],
                        ['data', 'returns', 'boxed', 'if', 'features',
                         'gen', 'success-response', 'allow-oob',
-                        'allow-preconfig'])
+                        'allow-preconfig', 'coroutine'])
             normalize_members(expr.get('data'))
             check_command(expr, info)
         elif meta == 'event':
diff --git a/scripts/qapi/introspect.py b/scripts/qapi/introspect.py
index b3a463dd8b..8a296a69d6 100644
--- a/scripts/qapi/introspect.py
+++ b/scripts/qapi/introspect.py
@@ -212,7 +212,7 @@ const QLitObject %(c_name)s = %(c_string)s;
 
     def visit_command(self, name, info, ifcond, arg_type, ret_type, gen,
                       success_response, boxed, allow_oob, allow_preconfig,
-                      features):
+                      coroutine, features):
         arg_type = arg_type or self._schema.the_empty_object_type
         ret_type = ret_type or self._schema.the_empty_object_type
         obj = {'arg-type': self._use_type(arg_type),
diff --git a/scripts/qapi/schema.py b/scripts/qapi/schema.py
index 0bfc5256fb..87d76b59d3 100644
--- a/scripts/qapi/schema.py
+++ b/scripts/qapi/schema.py
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ class QAPISchemaVisitor(object):
 
     def visit_command(self, name, info, ifcond, arg_type, ret_type, gen,
                       success_response, boxed, allow_oob, allow_preconfig,
-                      features):
+                      coroutine, features):
         pass
 
     def visit_event(self, name, info, ifcond, arg_type, boxed):
@@ -690,7 +690,7 @@ class QAPISchemaCommand(QAPISchemaEntity):
 
     def __init__(self, name, info, doc, ifcond, arg_type, ret_type,
                  gen, success_response, boxed, allow_oob, allow_preconfig,
-                 features):
+                 coroutine, features):
         QAPISchemaEntity.__init__(self, name, info, doc, ifcond, features)
         assert not arg_type or isinstance(arg_type, str)
         assert not ret_type or isinstance(ret_type, str)
@@ -703,6 +703,7 @@ class QAPISchemaCommand(QAPISchemaEntity):
         self.boxed = boxed
         self.allow_oob = allow_oob
         self.allow_preconfig = allow_preconfig
+        self.coroutine = coroutine
 
     def check(self, schema):
         QAPISchemaEntity.check(self, schema)
@@ -745,7 +746,7 @@ class QAPISchemaCommand(QAPISchemaEntity):
                               self.arg_type, self.ret_type,
                               self.gen, self.success_response,
                               self.boxed, self.allow_oob,
-                              self.allow_preconfig,
+                              self.allow_preconfig, self.coroutine,
                               self.features)
 
 
@@ -1043,6 +1044,7 @@ class QAPISchema(object):
         boxed = expr.get('boxed', False)
         allow_oob = expr.get('allow-oob', False)
         allow_preconfig = expr.get('allow-preconfig', False)
+        coroutine = expr.get('coroutine', False)
         ifcond = expr.get('if')
         features = expr.get('features', [])
         if isinstance(data, OrderedDict):
@@ -1054,6 +1056,7 @@ class QAPISchema(object):
         self._def_entity(QAPISchemaCommand(name, info, doc, ifcond, data, rets,
                                            gen, success_response,
                                            boxed, allow_oob, allow_preconfig,
+                                           coroutine,
                                            self._make_features(features, info)))
 
     def _def_event(self, expr, info, doc):
diff --git a/tests/qapi-schema/test-qapi.py b/tests/qapi-schema/test-qapi.py
index bad14edb47..7a8e65188d 100755
--- a/tests/qapi-schema/test-qapi.py
+++ b/tests/qapi-schema/test-qapi.py
@@ -70,12 +70,13 @@ class QAPISchemaTestVisitor(QAPISchemaVisitor):
 
     def visit_command(self, name, info, ifcond, arg_type, ret_type, gen,
                       success_response, boxed, allow_oob, allow_preconfig,
-                      features):
+                      coroutine, features):
         print('command %s %s -> %s'
               % (name, arg_type and arg_type.name,
                  ret_type and ret_type.name))
-        print('    gen=%s success_response=%s boxed=%s oob=%s preconfig=%s'
-              % (gen, success_response, boxed, allow_oob, allow_preconfig))
+        print('    gen=%s success_response=%s boxed=%s oob=%s preconfig=%s%s'
+              % (gen, success_response, boxed, allow_oob, allow_preconfig,
+                 " coroutine=True" if coroutine else ""))
         self._print_if(ifcond)
         self._print_features(features)
 
diff --git a/tests/Makefile.include b/tests/Makefile.include
index c6827ce8c2..d111389c03 100644
--- a/tests/Makefile.include
+++ b/tests/Makefile.include
@@ -286,6 +286,7 @@ qapi-schema += missing-type.json
 qapi-schema += nested-struct-data.json
 qapi-schema += nested-struct-data-invalid-dict.json
 qapi-schema += non-objects.json
+qapi-schema += oob-coroutine.json
 qapi-schema += oob-test.json
 qapi-schema += allow-preconfig-test.json
 qapi-schema += pragma-doc-required-crap.json
diff --git a/tests/qapi-schema/oob-coroutine.err b/tests/qapi-schema/oob-coroutine.err
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c01a4992bd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/qapi-schema/oob-coroutine.err
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+oob-coroutine.json: In command 'oob-command-1':
+oob-coroutine.json:2: flags 'allow-oob' and 'coroutine' are incompatible
diff --git a/tests/qapi-schema/oob-coroutine.json b/tests/qapi-schema/oob-coroutine.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0f67663bcd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/qapi-schema/oob-coroutine.json
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+# Check that incompatible flags allow-oob and coroutine are rejected
+{ 'command': 'oob-command-1', 'allow-oob': true, 'coroutine': true }
diff --git a/tests/qapi-schema/oob-coroutine.out b/tests/qapi-schema/oob-coroutine.out
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e69de29bb2
diff --git a/tests/qapi-schema/qapi-schema-test.json b/tests/qapi-schema/qapi-schema-test.json
index 9abf175fe0..1a850fe171 100644
--- a/tests/qapi-schema/qapi-schema-test.json
+++ b/tests/qapi-schema/qapi-schema-test.json
@@ -147,6 +147,7 @@
   'returns': 'UserDefTwo' }
 
 { 'command': 'cmd-success-response', 'data': {}, 'success-response': false }
+{ 'command': 'coroutine-cmd', 'data': {}, 'coroutine': true }
 
 # Returning a non-dictionary requires a name from the whitelist
 { 'command': 'guest-get-time', 'data': {'a': 'int', '*b': 'int' },
diff --git a/tests/qapi-schema/qapi-schema-test.out b/tests/qapi-schema/qapi-schema-test.out
index 9bd3c4a490..fdc349991a 100644
--- a/tests/qapi-schema/qapi-schema-test.out
+++ b/tests/qapi-schema/qapi-schema-test.out
@@ -203,6 +203,8 @@ command user_def_cmd2 q_obj_user_def_cmd2-arg -> UserDefTwo
     gen=True success_response=True boxed=False oob=False preconfig=False
 command cmd-success-response None -> None
     gen=True success_response=False boxed=False oob=False preconfig=False
+command coroutine-cmd None -> None
+    gen=True success_response=True boxed=False oob=False preconfig=False coroutine=True
 object q_obj_guest-get-time-arg
     member a: int optional=False
     member b: int optional=True
