diff --git a/rust/qemu-api/meson.build b/rust/qemu-api/meson.build
index 7ff408ad68e..8c82c5e96c2 100644
--- a/rust/qemu-api/meson.build
+++ b/rust/qemu-api/meson.build
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ _qemu_api_rs = static_library(
       'src/lib.rs',
       'src/bindings.rs',
       'src/bitops.rs',
+      'src/callbacks.rs',
       'src/cell.rs',
       'src/c_str.rs',
       'src/irq.rs',
diff --git a/rust/qemu-api/src/callbacks.rs b/rust/qemu-api/src/callbacks.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..314f9dce962
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rust/qemu-api/src/callbacks.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,144 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
+
+//! Utility functions to deal with callbacks from C to Rust.
+
+use std::{mem, ptr::NonNull};
+
+/// Trait for functions (types implementing [`Fn`]) that can be used as
+/// callbacks. These include both zero-capture closures and function pointers.
+///
+/// In Rust, calling a function through the `Fn` trait normally requires a
+/// `self` parameter, even though for zero-sized functions (including function
+/// pointers) the type itself contains all necessary information to call the
+/// function. This trait provides a `call` function that doesn't require `self`,
+/// allowing zero-sized functions to be called using only their type.
+///
+/// This enables zero-sized functions to be passed entirely through generic
+/// parameters and resolved at compile-time. A typical use is a function
+/// receiving an unused parameter of generic type `F` and calling it via
+/// `F::call` or passing it to another function via `func::<F>`.
+///
+/// QEMU uses this trick to create wrappers to C callbacks.  The wrappers
+/// are needed to convert an opaque `*mut c_void` into a Rust reference,
+/// but they only have a single opaque that they can use.  The `FnCall`
+/// trait makes it possible to use that opaque for `self` or any other
+/// reference:
+///
+/// ```ignore
+/// // The compiler creates a new `rust_bh_cb` wrapper for each function
+/// // passed to `qemu_bh_schedule_oneshot` below.
+/// unsafe extern "C" fn rust_bh_cb<T, F: for<'a> FnCall<(&'a T,)>>(
+///     opaque: *mut c_void,
+/// ) {
+///     // SAFETY: the opaque was passed as a reference to `T`.
+///     F::call((unsafe { &*(opaque.cast::<T>()) }, ))
+/// }
+///
+/// // The `_f` parameter is unused but it helps the compiler build the appropriate `F`.
+/// // Using a reference allows usage in const context.
+/// fn qemu_bh_schedule_oneshot<T, F: for<'a> FnCall<(&'a T,)>>(_f: &F, opaque: &T) {
+///     let cb: unsafe extern "C" fn(*mut c_void) = rust_bh_cb::<T, F>;
+///     unsafe {
+///         bindings::qemu_bh_schedule_oneshot(cb, opaque as *const T as *const c_void as *mut c_void)
+///     }
+/// }
+/// ```
+///
+/// Each wrapper is a separate instance of `rust_bh_cb` and is therefore
+/// compiled to a separate function ("monomorphization").  If you wanted
+/// to pass `self` as the opaque value, the generic parameters would be
+/// `rust_bh_cb::<Self, F>`.
+///
+/// `Args` is a tuple type whose types are the arguments of the function,
+/// while `R` is the returned type.
+///
+/// # Examples
+///
+/// ```
+/// # use qemu_api::callbacks::FnCall;
+/// fn call_it<F: for<'a> FnCall<(&'a str,), String>>(_f: &F, s: &str) -> String {
+///     F::call((s,))
+/// }
+///
+/// let s: String = call_it(&str::to_owned, "hello world");
+/// assert_eq!(s, "hello world");
+/// ```
+///
+/// Note that the compiler will produce a different version of `call_it` for
+/// each function that is passed to it.  Therefore the argument is not really
+/// used, except to decide what is `F` and what `F::call` does.
+///
+/// Attempting to pass a non-zero-sized closure causes a compile-time failure:
+///
+/// ```compile_fail
+/// # use qemu_api::callbacks::FnCall;
+/// # fn call_it<'a, F: FnCall<(&'a str,), String>>(_f: &F, s: &'a str) -> String {
+/// #     F::call((s,))
+/// # }
+/// let x: &'static str = "goodbye world";
+/// call_it(&move |_| String::from(x), "hello workd");
+/// ```
+///
+/// # Safety
+///
+/// Because `Self` is a zero-sized type, all instances of the type are
+/// equivalent. However, in addition to this, `Self` must have no invariants
+/// that could be violated by creating a reference to it.
+///
+/// This is always true for zero-capture closures and function pointers, as long
+/// as the code is able to name the function in the first place.
+pub unsafe trait FnCall<Args, R = ()>: 'static + Sync + Sized {
+    /// Referring to this internal constant asserts that the `Self` type is
+    /// zero-sized.  Can be replaced by an inline const expression in
+    /// Rust 1.79.0+.
+    const ASSERT_ZERO_SIZED: () = { assert!(mem::size_of::<Self>() == 0) };
+
+    /// Call the function with the arguments in args.
+    fn call(a: Args) -> R;
+}
+
+macro_rules! impl_call {
+    ($($args:ident,)* ) => (
+        // SAFETY: because each function is treated as a separate type,
+        // accessing `FnCall` is only possible in code that would be
+        // allowed to call the function.
+        unsafe impl<F, $($args,)* R> FnCall<($($args,)*), R> for F
+        where
+            F: 'static + Sync + Sized + Fn($($args, )*) -> R,
+        {
+            #[inline(always)]
+            fn call(a: ($($args,)*)) -> R {
+                let _: () = Self::ASSERT_ZERO_SIZED;
+
+                // SAFETY: the safety of this method is the condition for implementing
+                // `FnCall`.  As to the `NonNull` idiom to create a zero-sized type,
+                // see https://github.com/rust-lang/libs-team/issues/292.
+                let f: &'static F = unsafe { &*NonNull::<Self>::dangling().as_ptr() };
+                let ($($args,)*) = a;
+                f($($args,)*)
+            }
+        }
+    )
+}
+
+impl_call!(_1, _2, _3, _4, _5,);
+impl_call!(_1, _2, _3, _4,);
+impl_call!(_1, _2, _3,);
+impl_call!(_1, _2,);
+impl_call!(_1,);
+impl_call!();
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    // The `_f` parameter is unused but it helps the compiler infer `F`.
+    fn do_test_call<'a, F: FnCall<(&'a str,), String>>(_f: &F) -> String {
+        F::call(("hello world",))
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_call() {
+        assert_eq!(do_test_call(&str::to_owned), "hello world")
+    }
+}
diff --git a/rust/qemu-api/src/lib.rs b/rust/qemu-api/src/lib.rs
index 124bece0449..4b43e02c0f9 100644
--- a/rust/qemu-api/src/lib.rs
+++ b/rust/qemu-api/src/lib.rs
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 
 pub mod bitops;
 pub mod c_str;
+pub mod callbacks;
 pub mod cell;
 pub mod irq;
 pub mod module;
