diff --git a/src/meson.build b/src/meson.build
index d962507..c82fc02 100644
--- a/src/meson.build
+++ b/src/meson.build
@@ -78,6 +78,8 @@ venus_sources = [
    'vkr_cs.c',
    'vkr_cs.h',
    'vkr_object.h',
+   'vkr_ring.c',
+   'vkr_ring.h',
 ]
 
 virgl_depends = [
diff --git a/src/vkr_ring.c b/src/vkr_ring.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..48b5921
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/vkr_ring.c
@@ -0,0 +1,268 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2021 Google LLC
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
+ */
+
+#include "vkr_ring.h"
+
+#include <assert.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <time.h>
+
+#include "util/u_math.h"
+
+#include "virgl_context.h"
+
+enum vkr_ring_status_flag {
+   VKR_RING_STATUS_IDLE = 1u << 0,
+};
+
+static void
+vkr_ring_store_head(struct vkr_ring *ring)
+{
+   /* the renderer is expected to load the head with memory_order_acquire,
+    * forming a release-acquire ordering
+    */
+   atomic_store_explicit(ring->shared.head, ring->cur, memory_order_release);
+}
+
+static uint32_t
+vkr_ring_load_tail(const struct vkr_ring *ring)
+{
+   /* the driver is expected to store the tail with memory_order_release,
+    * forming a release-acquire ordering
+    */
+   return atomic_load_explicit(ring->shared.tail, memory_order_acquire);
+}
+
+static void
+vkr_ring_store_status(struct vkr_ring *ring, uint32_t status)
+{
+   atomic_store_explicit(ring->shared.status, status, memory_order_seq_cst);
+}
+
+static void
+vkr_ring_read_buffer(struct vkr_ring *ring, void *data, size_t size)
+{
+   const size_t offset = ring->cur & ring->buffer_mask;
+   assert(size <= ring->buffer_size);
+   if (offset + size <= ring->buffer_size) {
+      memcpy(data, (const uint8_t *)ring->shared.buffer + offset, size);
+   } else {
+      const size_t s = ring->buffer_size - offset;
+      memcpy(data, (const uint8_t *)ring->shared.buffer + offset, s);
+      memcpy((uint8_t *)data + s, ring->shared.buffer, size - s);
+   }
+
+   ring->cur += size;
+}
+
+struct vkr_ring *
+vkr_ring_create(const struct vkr_ring_layout *layout,
+                void *shared,
+                struct virgl_context *ctx,
+                uint64_t idle_timeout)
+{
+   struct vkr_ring *ring;
+   int ret;
+
+   ring = calloc(1, sizeof(*ring));
+   if (!ring)
+      return NULL;
+
+#define ring_attach_shared(member)  \
+      ring->shared.member = (void *)((uint8_t *)shared + layout->member##_offset)
+   ring_attach_shared(head);
+   ring_attach_shared(tail);
+   ring_attach_shared(status);
+   ring_attach_shared(buffer);
+   ring_attach_shared(extra);
+#undef ring_attach_shared
+
+   assert(layout->buffer_size && util_is_power_of_two(layout->buffer_size));
+   ring->buffer_size = layout->buffer_size;
+   ring->buffer_mask = layout->buffer_size - 1;
+   ring->extra_size = layout->extra_size;
+
+   /* we will manage head and status, and we expect them to be 0 initially */
+   if (*ring->shared.head || *ring->shared.status) {
+      free(ring);
+      return NULL;
+   }
+
+   ring->cmd = malloc(ring->buffer_size);
+   if (!ring->cmd) {
+      free(ring);
+      return NULL;
+   }
+
+   ring->context = ctx;
+   ring->idle_timeout = idle_timeout;
+
+   ret = mtx_init(&ring->mutex, mtx_plain);
+   if (ret != thrd_success) {
+      free(ring->cmd);
+      free(ring);
+      return NULL;
+   }
+   ret = cnd_init(&ring->cond);
+   if (ret != thrd_success) {
+      mtx_destroy(&ring->mutex);
+      free(ring->cmd);
+      free(ring);
+      return NULL;
+   }
+
+   return ring;
+}
+
+void
+vkr_ring_destroy(struct vkr_ring *ring)
+{
+   assert(!ring->started);
+   mtx_destroy(&ring->mutex);
+   cnd_destroy(&ring->cond);
+   free(ring->cmd);
+   free(ring);
+}
+
+static uint64_t
+vkr_ring_now(void)
+{
+   const uint64_t ns_per_sec = 1000000000llu;
+   struct timespec now;
+   if (clock_gettime(CLOCK_MONOTONIC, &now))
+      return 0;
+   return ns_per_sec * now.tv_sec + now.tv_nsec;
+}
+
+static void
+vkr_ring_relax(uint32_t *iter)
+{
+   /* TODO do better */
+   const uint32_t busy_wait_order = 4;
+   const uint32_t base_sleep_us = 10;
+
+   (*iter)++;
+   if (*iter < (1u << busy_wait_order)) {
+      thrd_yield();
+      return;
+   }
+
+   const uint32_t shift = util_last_bit(*iter) - busy_wait_order - 1;
+   const uint32_t us = base_sleep_us << shift;
+   const struct timespec ts = {
+      .tv_sec = us / 1000000,
+      .tv_nsec = (us % 1000000) * 1000,
+   };
+   clock_nanosleep(CLOCK_MONOTONIC, 0, &ts, NULL);
+}
+
+static int
+vkr_ring_thread(void *arg)
+{
+   struct vkr_ring *ring = arg;
+   struct virgl_context *ctx = ring->context;
+   uint64_t last_submit = vkr_ring_now();
+   uint32_t relax_iter = 0;
+   int ret = 0;
+
+   while (ring->started) {
+      bool wait = false;
+      uint32_t cmd_size;
+
+      if (vkr_ring_now() >= last_submit + ring->idle_timeout) {
+         ring->pending_notify = false;
+         vkr_ring_store_status(ring, VKR_RING_STATUS_IDLE);
+         wait = ring->cur == vkr_ring_load_tail(ring);
+         if (!wait)
+            vkr_ring_store_status(ring, 0);
+      }
+
+      if (wait) {
+         mtx_lock(&ring->mutex);
+         if (ring->started && !ring->pending_notify)
+            cnd_wait(&ring->cond, &ring->mutex);
+         vkr_ring_store_status(ring, 0);
+         mtx_unlock(&ring->mutex);
+
+         if (!ring->started)
+            break;
+
+         last_submit = vkr_ring_now();
+         relax_iter = 0;
+      }
+
+      cmd_size = vkr_ring_load_tail(ring) - ring->cur;
+      if (cmd_size) {
+         if (cmd_size > ring->buffer_size) {
+            ret = -EINVAL;
+            break;
+         }
+
+         vkr_ring_read_buffer(ring, ring->cmd, cmd_size);
+         ctx->submit_cmd(ctx, ring->cmd, cmd_size);
+         vkr_ring_store_head(ring);
+
+         last_submit = vkr_ring_now();
+         relax_iter = 0;
+      } else {
+         vkr_ring_relax(&relax_iter);
+      }
+   }
+
+   return ret;
+}
+
+void
+vkr_ring_start(struct vkr_ring *ring)
+{
+   int ret;
+
+   assert(!ring->started);
+   ring->started = true;
+   ret = thrd_create(&ring->thread, vkr_ring_thread, ring);
+   if (ret != thrd_success)
+      ring->started = false;
+}
+
+bool
+vkr_ring_stop(struct vkr_ring *ring)
+{
+   mtx_lock(&ring->mutex);
+   if (ring->thread == thrd_current()) {
+      mtx_unlock(&ring->mutex);
+      return false;
+   }
+   assert(ring->started);
+   ring->started = false;
+   cnd_signal(&ring->cond);
+   mtx_unlock(&ring->mutex);
+
+   thrd_join(ring->thread, NULL);
+
+   return true;
+}
+
+void
+vkr_ring_notify(struct vkr_ring *ring)
+{
+   mtx_lock(&ring->mutex);
+   ring->pending_notify = true;
+   cnd_signal(&ring->cond);
+   mtx_unlock(&ring->mutex);
+}
+
+bool
+vkr_ring_write_extra(struct vkr_ring *ring, size_t offset, uint32_t val)
+{
+   if (offset > ring->extra_size || sizeof(val) > ring->extra_size - offset)
+      return false;
+
+   volatile atomic_uint *dst =
+      (void *)((uint8_t *)ring->shared.extra + offset);
+   atomic_store_explicit(dst, val, memory_order_release);
+
+   return true;
+}
diff --git a/src/vkr_ring.h b/src/vkr_ring.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f7fd016
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/vkr_ring.h
@@ -0,0 +1,93 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2021 Google LLC
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
+ */
+
+#ifndef VKR_RING_H
+#define VKR_RING_H
+
+#include "config.h"
+
+#include <stdatomic.h>
+#include <stdbool.h>
+#include <stddef.h>
+#include <stdint.h>
+
+#include "c11/threads.h"
+#include "util/u_double_list.h"
+
+#include "vkr_object.h"
+
+struct virgl_context;
+
+/* the layout of a ring in a virgl_resource */
+struct vkr_ring_layout {
+   size_t head_offset;
+   size_t tail_offset;
+   size_t status_offset;
+
+   size_t buffer_offset;
+   size_t buffer_size;
+
+   size_t extra_offset;
+   size_t extra_size;
+};
+
+static_assert(ATOMIC_INT_LOCK_FREE == 2 && sizeof(atomic_uint) == 4,
+              "vkr_ring_shared requires lock-free 32-bit atomic_uint");
+
+/* pointers to a ring in a virgl_resource */
+struct vkr_ring_shared {
+   volatile atomic_uint *head;
+   const volatile atomic_uint *tail;
+   volatile atomic_uint *status;
+   const void *buffer;
+
+   void *extra;
+};
+
+struct vkr_ring {
+   /* used by the caller */
+   vkr_object_id id;
+   struct list_head head;
+
+   struct vkr_ring_shared shared;
+   uint32_t buffer_size;
+   uint32_t buffer_mask;
+   uint32_t cur;
+   void *cmd;
+
+   size_t extra_size;
+
+   struct virgl_context *context;
+   uint64_t idle_timeout;
+
+   mtx_t mutex;
+   cnd_t cond;
+   thrd_t thread;
+   atomic_bool started;
+   atomic_bool pending_notify;
+};
+
+struct vkr_ring *
+vkr_ring_create(const struct vkr_ring_layout *layout,
+                void *shared,
+                struct virgl_context *ctx,
+                uint64_t idle_timeout);
+
+void
+vkr_ring_destroy(struct vkr_ring *ring);
+
+void
+vkr_ring_start(struct vkr_ring *ring);
+
+bool
+vkr_ring_stop(struct vkr_ring *ring);
+
+void
+vkr_ring_notify(struct vkr_ring *ring);
+
+bool
+vkr_ring_write_extra(struct vkr_ring *ring, size_t offset, uint32_t val);
+
+#endif /* VKR_RING_H */