diff --git a/src/core/background_thread.ml b/src/core/background_thread.ml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..daeceece
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/core/background_thread.ml
@@ -0,0 +1,179 @@
+open Types_
+include Runner
+
+let ( let@ ) = ( @@ )
+let k_storage = Task_local_storage.Private_.Storage.k_storage
+
+type task_full = {
+  f: unit -> unit;
+  ls: Task_local_storage.storage;
+}
+
+type state = {
+  mutable bg_thread: Thread.t;
+  q: task_full Bb_queue.t;  (** Queue for tasks. *)
+}
+(** internal state *)
+
+let[@inline] num_tasks_ (self : state) : int = Bb_queue.size self.q
+
+(** Run [task] as is, on the pool. *)
+let schedule_ (self : state) (task : task_full) : unit =
+  try Bb_queue.push self.q task with Bb_queue.Closed -> raise Shutdown
+
+type around_task = AT_pair : (t -> 'a) * (t -> 'a -> unit) -> around_task
+
+let worker_thread_ (self : state) (runner : t) ~on_exn ~around_task : unit =
+  let cur_ls : Task_local_storage.storage ref = ref Task_local_storage.Private_.Storage.dummy in
+  TLS.set k_storage (Some cur_ls);
+  TLS.get Runner.For_runner_implementors.k_cur_runner := Some runner;
+
+  let (AT_pair (before_task, after_task)) = around_task in
+
+  let cur_span = ref Tracing_.dummy_span in
+
+  let[@inline] exit_span_ () =
+    Tracing_.exit_span !cur_span;
+    cur_span := Tracing_.dummy_span
+  in
+
+  let on_suspend () =
+    exit_span_ ();
+    !cur_ls
+  in
+
+  let run_another_task ls task' =
+    let ls' = Task_local_storage.Private_.Storage.copy ls in
+    schedule_ self { f = task'; ls = ls' }
+  in
+
+  let run_task (task : task_full) : unit =
+    cur_ls := task.ls;
+    let _ctx = before_task runner in
+
+    let resume ls k res =
+      schedule_ self { f = (fun () -> k res);  ls }
+    in
+
+    (* run the task now, catching errors, handling effects *)
+    (try
+[@@@ifge 5.0]
+      Suspend_.with_suspend (WSH {
+        run=run_another_task;
+        resume;
+        on_suspend;
+      }) task.f
+[@@@else_]
+      task.f()
+[@@@endif]
+     with e ->
+       let bt = Printexc.get_raw_backtrace () in
+       on_exn e bt);
+    exit_span_ ();
+    after_task runner _ctx;
+    cur_ls := Task_local_storage.Private_.Storage.dummy
+  in
+
+  let main_loop () =
+    let continue = ref true in
+    let local = Queue.create() in
+    while !continue do
+      assert (!cur_span = Tracing_.dummy_span);
+      match Bb_queue.transfer self.q local with
+      | () ->
+        while not (Queue.is_empty local) do
+          let task = Queue.pop local in
+          run_task task
+        done
+      | exception Bb_queue.Closed -> continue := false
+    done
+  in
+
+  try
+    (* handle domain-local await *)
+    Dla_.using ~prepare_for_await:Suspend_.prepare_for_await
+      ~while_running:main_loop
+  with Bb_queue.Closed -> ()
+
+let default_thread_init_exit_ ~dom_id:_ ~t_id:_ () = ()
+
+let shutdown_ ~wait (self : state) : unit =
+   Bb_queue.close self.q;
+  if wait then Thread.join self.bg_thread
+
+type ('a, 'b) create_args =
+  ?on_init_thread:(dom_id:int -> t_id:int -> unit -> unit) ->
+  ?on_exit_thread:(dom_id:int -> t_id:int -> unit -> unit) ->
+  ?on_exn:(exn -> Printexc.raw_backtrace -> unit) ->
+  ?around_task:(t -> 'b) * (t -> 'b -> unit) ->
+  ?name:string ->
+  'a
+
+let create ?(on_init_thread = default_thread_init_exit_)
+    ?(on_exit_thread = default_thread_init_exit_) ?(on_exn = fun _ _ -> ())
+    ?around_task ?name () : t =
+  (* wrapper *)
+  let around_task =
+    match around_task with
+    | Some (f, g) -> AT_pair (f, g)
+    | None -> AT_pair (ignore, fun _ _ -> ())
+  in
+
+  let num_domains = Domain_pool_.n_domains () in
+
+  (* make sure we don't bias towards the first domain(s) in {!D_pool_} *)
+  let dom_idx = Random.int num_domains in
+
+  let pool =
+    let dummy = Thread.self () in
+    { bg_thread = dummy; q = Bb_queue.create () }
+  in
+
+  let run_async ~ls f = schedule_ pool { f; ls } in
+
+  let runner =
+    Runner.For_runner_implementors.create
+      ~shutdown:(fun ~wait () -> shutdown_ pool ~wait)
+      ~run_async
+      ~size:(fun () ->1)
+      ~num_tasks:(fun () -> num_tasks_ pool)
+      ()
+  in
+
+  let start_thread () : Thread.t =
+    (* function run in the thread itself *)
+    let main_thread_fun () : unit =
+      let thread = Thread.self () in
+      let t_id = Thread.id thread in
+      on_init_thread ~dom_id:dom_idx ~t_id ();
+
+      (* set thread name *)
+      Option.iter
+        (fun name ->
+          Tracing_.set_thread_name (Printf.sprintf "%s.worker" name))
+        name;
+
+      let run () = worker_thread_ pool runner ~on_exn ~around_task in
+
+      (* now run the main loop *)
+      Fun.protect run ~finally:(fun () ->
+          (* on termination, decrease refcount of underlying domain *)
+          Domain_pool_.decr_on dom_idx);
+      on_exit_thread ~dom_id:dom_idx ~t_id ()
+    in
+    Thread.create main_thread_fun ()
+  in
+
+  let bg_thread = Domain_pool_.run_on_and_wait dom_idx start_thread  in
+  pool.bg_thread <- bg_thread;
+
+  runner
+
+let with_ ?on_init_thread ?on_exit_thread ?on_exn ?around_task 
+    ?name () f =
+  let pool =
+    create ?on_init_thread ?on_exit_thread ?on_exn ?around_task 
+      ?name ()
+  in
+  let@ () = Fun.protect ~finally:(fun () -> shutdown pool) in
+  f pool
diff --git a/src/core/background_thread.mli b/src/core/background_thread.mli
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..26014389
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/core/background_thread.mli
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+(** A simple runner with a single background thread.
+
+    Because this is guaranteed to have a single worker thread,
+    tasks scheduled in this runner always run asynchronously but
+    in a sequential fashion.
+
+    This is similar to {!Fifo_pool} with exactly one thread.
+
+    @since NEXT_RELEASE
+*)
+
+include module type of Runner
+
+type ('a, 'b) create_args =
+  ?on_init_thread:(dom_id:int -> t_id:int -> unit -> unit) ->
+  ?on_exit_thread:(dom_id:int -> t_id:int -> unit -> unit) ->
+  ?on_exn:(exn -> Printexc.raw_backtrace -> unit) ->
+  ?around_task:(t -> 'b) * (t -> 'b -> unit) ->
+  ?name:string ->
+  'a
+(** Arguments used in {!create}. See {!create} for explanations. *)
+
+val create : (unit -> t, _) create_args
+(** Create the background runner *)
+
+val with_ : (unit -> (t -> 'a) -> 'a, _) create_args
diff --git a/src/core/moonpool.ml b/src/core/moonpool.ml
index aed377ea..1c9cf2e3 100644
--- a/src/core/moonpool.ml
+++ b/src/core/moonpool.ml
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ let await = Fut.await
 
 module Atomic = Atomic_
 module Blocking_queue = Bb_queue
+module Background_thread = Background_thread
 module Bounded_queue = Bounded_queue
 module Chan = Chan
 module Exn_bt = Exn_bt
diff --git a/src/core/moonpool.mli b/src/core/moonpool.mli
index cb1c2991..4a664c91 100644
--- a/src/core/moonpool.mli
+++ b/src/core/moonpool.mli
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 
 module Ws_pool = Ws_pool
 module Fifo_pool = Fifo_pool
+module Background_thread = Background_thread
 module Runner = Runner
 module Immediate_runner = Immediate_runner
 module Exn_bt = Exn_bt