diff --git a/hw/vfio/user-protocol.h b/hw/vfio/user-protocol.h
index 56904cf872..5614efa0a4 100644
--- a/hw/vfio/user-protocol.h
+++ b/hw/vfio/user-protocol.h
@@ -109,6 +109,31 @@ typedef struct {
     uint64_t offset;
 } VFIOUserRegionInfo;
 
+/*
+ * VFIO_USER_DEVICE_GET_IRQ_INFO
+ * imported from struct vfio_irq_info
+ */
+typedef struct {
+    VFIOUserHdr hdr;
+    uint32_t argsz;
+    uint32_t flags;
+    uint32_t index;
+    uint32_t count;
+} VFIOUserIRQInfo;
+
+/*
+ * VFIO_USER_DEVICE_SET_IRQS
+ * imported from struct vfio_irq_set
+ */
+typedef struct {
+    VFIOUserHdr hdr;
+    uint32_t argsz;
+    uint32_t flags;
+    uint32_t index;
+    uint32_t start;
+    uint32_t count;
+} VFIOUserIRQSet;
+
 /*
  * VFIO_USER_REGION_READ
  * VFIO_USER_REGION_WRITE
diff --git a/hw/vfio/user.h b/hw/vfio/user.h
index 02f832a173..248ad80943 100644
--- a/hw/vfio/user.h
+++ b/hw/vfio/user.h
@@ -74,6 +74,8 @@ int vfio_user_validate_version(VFIODevice *vbasedev, Error **errp);
 int vfio_user_get_info(VFIODevice *vbasedev);
 int vfio_user_get_region_info(VFIODevice *vbasedev, int index,
                               struct vfio_region_info *info, VFIOUserFDs *fds);
+int vfio_user_get_irq_info(VFIODevice *vbasedev, struct vfio_irq_info *info);
+int vfio_user_set_irqs(VFIODevice *vbasedev, struct vfio_irq_set *irq);
 int vfio_user_region_read(VFIODevice *vbasedev, uint32_t index, uint64_t offset,
                           uint32_t count, void *data);
 int vfio_user_region_write(VFIODevice *vbasedev, uint32_t index,
diff --git a/hw/vfio/common.c b/hw/vfio/common.c
index a8b1ea9358..9fe3e05dc6 100644
--- a/hw/vfio/common.c
+++ b/hw/vfio/common.c
@@ -71,7 +71,11 @@ void vfio_disable_irqindex(VFIODevice *vbasedev, int index)
         .count = 0,
     };
 
-    ioctl(vbasedev->fd, VFIO_DEVICE_SET_IRQS, &irq_set);
+    if (vbasedev->proxy != NULL) {
+        vfio_user_set_irqs(vbasedev, &irq_set);
+    } else {
+        ioctl(vbasedev->fd, VFIO_DEVICE_SET_IRQS, &irq_set);
+    }
 }
 
 void vfio_unmask_single_irqindex(VFIODevice *vbasedev, int index)
@@ -84,7 +88,11 @@ void vfio_unmask_single_irqindex(VFIODevice *vbasedev, int index)
         .count = 1,
     };
 
-    ioctl(vbasedev->fd, VFIO_DEVICE_SET_IRQS, &irq_set);
+    if (vbasedev->proxy != NULL) {
+        vfio_user_set_irqs(vbasedev, &irq_set);
+    } else {
+        ioctl(vbasedev->fd, VFIO_DEVICE_SET_IRQS, &irq_set);
+    }
 }
 
 void vfio_mask_single_irqindex(VFIODevice *vbasedev, int index)
@@ -97,7 +105,11 @@ void vfio_mask_single_irqindex(VFIODevice *vbasedev, int index)
         .count = 1,
     };
 
-    ioctl(vbasedev->fd, VFIO_DEVICE_SET_IRQS, &irq_set);
+    if (vbasedev->proxy != NULL) {
+        vfio_user_set_irqs(vbasedev, &irq_set);
+    } else {
+        ioctl(vbasedev->fd, VFIO_DEVICE_SET_IRQS, &irq_set);
+    }
 }
 
 static inline const char *action_to_str(int action)
@@ -178,8 +190,12 @@ int vfio_set_irq_signaling(VFIODevice *vbasedev, int index, int subindex,
     pfd = (int32_t *)&irq_set->data;
     *pfd = fd;
 
-    if (ioctl(vbasedev->fd, VFIO_DEVICE_SET_IRQS, irq_set)) {
-        ret = -errno;
+    if (vbasedev->proxy != NULL) {
+        ret = vfio_user_set_irqs(vbasedev, irq_set);
+    } else {
+        if (ioctl(vbasedev->fd, VFIO_DEVICE_SET_IRQS, irq_set)) {
+            ret = -errno;
+        }
     }
     g_free(irq_set);
 
diff --git a/hw/vfio/pci.c b/hw/vfio/pci.c
index ea0df8be65..282de6a30b 100644
--- a/hw/vfio/pci.c
+++ b/hw/vfio/pci.c
@@ -403,7 +403,11 @@ static int vfio_enable_vectors(VFIOPCIDevice *vdev, bool msix)
         fds[i] = fd;
     }
 
-    ret = ioctl(vdev->vbasedev.fd, VFIO_DEVICE_SET_IRQS, irq_set);
+    if (vdev->vbasedev.proxy != NULL) {
+        ret = vfio_user_set_irqs(&vdev->vbasedev, irq_set);
+    } else {
+        ret = ioctl(vdev->vbasedev.fd, VFIO_DEVICE_SET_IRQS, irq_set);
+    }
 
     g_free(irq_set);
 
@@ -2675,7 +2679,13 @@ static void vfio_populate_device(VFIOPCIDevice *vdev, Error **errp)
 
     irq_info.index = VFIO_PCI_ERR_IRQ_INDEX;
 
-    ret = ioctl(vdev->vbasedev.fd, VFIO_DEVICE_GET_IRQ_INFO, &irq_info);
+    if (vbasedev->proxy != NULL) {
+        ret = vfio_user_get_irq_info(vbasedev, &irq_info);
+    } else {
+        ret = ioctl(vdev->vbasedev.fd, VFIO_DEVICE_GET_IRQ_INFO, &irq_info);
+    }
+
+
     if (ret) {
         /* This can fail for an old kernel or legacy PCI dev */
         trace_vfio_populate_device_get_irq_info_failure(strerror(errno));
@@ -2794,8 +2804,16 @@ static void vfio_register_req_notifier(VFIOPCIDevice *vdev)
         return;
     }
 
-    if (ioctl(vdev->vbasedev.fd,
-              VFIO_DEVICE_GET_IRQ_INFO, &irq_info) < 0 || irq_info.count < 1) {
+    if (vdev->vbasedev.proxy != NULL) {
+        if (vfio_user_get_irq_info(&vdev->vbasedev, &irq_info) < 0) {
+            return;
+        }
+    } else {
+        if (ioctl(vdev->vbasedev.fd, VFIO_DEVICE_GET_IRQ_INFO, &irq_info) < 0) {
+            return;
+        }
+    }
+    if (irq_info.count < 1) {
         return;
     }
 
@@ -3557,6 +3575,11 @@ static void vfio_user_pci_realize(PCIDevice *pdev, Error **errp)
         }
     }
 
+    vfio_register_err_notifier(vdev);
+    vfio_register_req_notifier(vdev);
+
+    return;
+
 out_deregister:
     pci_device_set_intx_routing_notifier(&vdev->pdev, NULL);
     kvm_irqchip_remove_change_notifier(&vdev->irqchip_change_notifier);
diff --git a/hw/vfio/user.c b/hw/vfio/user.c
index 83235b2411..b68ca1279d 100644
--- a/hw/vfio/user.c
+++ b/hw/vfio/user.c
@@ -768,6 +768,112 @@ int vfio_user_get_region_info(VFIODevice *vbasedev, int index,
     return 0;
 }
 
+int vfio_user_get_irq_info(VFIODevice *vbasedev, struct vfio_irq_info *info)
+{
+    VFIOUserIRQInfo msg;
+
+    memset(&msg, 0, sizeof(msg));
+    vfio_user_request_msg(&msg.hdr, VFIO_USER_DEVICE_GET_IRQ_INFO,
+                          sizeof(msg), 0);
+    msg.argsz = info->argsz;
+    msg.index = info->index;
+
+    vfio_user_send_recv(vbasedev->proxy, &msg.hdr, NULL, 0, 0);
+    if (msg.hdr.flags & VFIO_USER_ERROR) {
+        return -msg.hdr.error_reply;
+    }
+
+    memcpy(info, &msg.argsz, sizeof(*info));
+    return 0;
+}
+
+static int irq_howmany(int *fdp, int cur, int max)
+{
+    int n = 0;
+
+    if (fdp[cur] != -1) {
+        do {
+            n++;
+        } while (n < max && fdp[cur + n] != -1 && n < max_send_fds);
+    } else {
+        do {
+            n++;
+        } while (n < max && fdp[cur + n] == -1 && n < max_send_fds);
+    }
+
+    return n;
+}
+
+int vfio_user_set_irqs(VFIODevice *vbasedev, struct vfio_irq_set *irq)
+{
+    g_autofree VFIOUserIRQSet *msgp = NULL;
+    uint32_t size, nfds, send_fds, sent_fds;
+
+    if (irq->argsz < sizeof(*irq)) {
+        error_printf("vfio_user_set_irqs argsz too small\n");
+        return -EINVAL;
+    }
+
+    /*
+     * Handle simple case
+     */
+    if ((irq->flags & VFIO_IRQ_SET_DATA_EVENTFD) == 0) {
+        size = sizeof(VFIOUserHdr) + irq->argsz;
+        msgp = g_malloc0(size);
+
+        vfio_user_request_msg(&msgp->hdr, VFIO_USER_DEVICE_SET_IRQS, size, 0);
+        msgp->argsz = irq->argsz;
+        msgp->flags = irq->flags;
+        msgp->index = irq->index;
+        msgp->start = irq->start;
+        msgp->count = irq->count;
+
+        vfio_user_send_recv(vbasedev->proxy, &msgp->hdr, NULL, 0, 0);
+        if (msgp->hdr.flags & VFIO_USER_ERROR) {
+            return -msgp->hdr.error_reply;
+        }
+
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    /*
+     * Calculate the number of FDs to send
+     * and adjust argsz
+     */
+    nfds = (irq->argsz - sizeof(*irq)) / sizeof(int);
+    irq->argsz = sizeof(*irq);
+    msgp = g_malloc0(sizeof(*msgp));
+    /*
+     * Send in chunks if over max_send_fds
+     */
+    for (sent_fds = 0; nfds > sent_fds; sent_fds += send_fds) {
+        VFIOUserFDs *arg_fds, loop_fds;
+
+        /* must send all valid FDs or all invalid FDs in single msg */
+        send_fds = irq_howmany((int *)irq->data, sent_fds, nfds - sent_fds);
+
+        vfio_user_request_msg(&msgp->hdr, VFIO_USER_DEVICE_SET_IRQS,
+                              sizeof(*msgp), 0);
+        msgp->argsz = irq->argsz;
+        msgp->flags = irq->flags;
+        msgp->index = irq->index;
+        msgp->start = irq->start + sent_fds;
+        msgp->count = send_fds;
+
+        loop_fds.send_fds = send_fds;
+        loop_fds.recv_fds = 0;
+        loop_fds.fds = (int *)irq->data + sent_fds;
+        arg_fds = loop_fds.fds[0] != -1 ? &loop_fds : NULL;
+
+        vfio_user_send_recv(vbasedev->proxy, &msgp->hdr, arg_fds, 0, 0);
+        if (msgp->hdr.flags & VFIO_USER_ERROR) {
+            return -msgp->hdr.error_reply;
+        }
+    }
+
+    return 0;
+}
+
 int vfio_user_region_read(VFIODevice *vbasedev, uint32_t index, uint64_t offset,
                                  uint32_t count, void *data)
 {
