diff --git a/qapi/block-core.json b/qapi/block-core.json
index 11b55530b3..8fbee5ee54 100644
--- a/qapi/block-core.json
+++ b/qapi/block-core.json
@@ -1710,6 +1710,9 @@
 #         written. Both will result in identical contents.
 #         Default is true. (Since 2.4)
 #
+# @copy-mode: when to copy data to the destination; defaults to 'background'
+#             (Since: 3.0)
+#
 # Since: 1.3
 ##
 { 'struct': 'DriveMirror',
@@ -1719,7 +1722,7 @@
             '*speed': 'int', '*granularity': 'uint32',
             '*buf-size': 'int', '*on-source-error': 'BlockdevOnError',
             '*on-target-error': 'BlockdevOnError',
-            '*unmap': 'bool' } }
+            '*unmap': 'bool', '*copy-mode': 'MirrorCopyMode' } }
 
 ##
 # @BlockDirtyBitmap:
@@ -1982,6 +1985,9 @@
 #                    above @device. If this option is not given, a node name is
 #                    autogenerated. (Since: 2.9)
 #
+# @copy-mode: when to copy data to the destination; defaults to 'background'
+#             (Since: 3.0)
+#
 # Returns: nothing on success.
 #
 # Since: 2.6
@@ -2002,7 +2008,8 @@
             '*speed': 'int', '*granularity': 'uint32',
             '*buf-size': 'int', '*on-source-error': 'BlockdevOnError',
             '*on-target-error': 'BlockdevOnError',
-            '*filter-node-name': 'str' } }
+            '*filter-node-name': 'str',
+            '*copy-mode': 'MirrorCopyMode' } }
 
 ##
 # @block_set_io_throttle:
diff --git a/include/block/block_int.h b/include/block/block_int.h
index 327e478a73..fe9950f019 100644
--- a/include/block/block_int.h
+++ b/include/block/block_int.h
@@ -1017,6 +1017,7 @@ void commit_active_start(const char *job_id, BlockDriverState *bs,
  * @filter_node_name: The node name that should be assigned to the filter
  * driver that the mirror job inserts into the graph above @bs. NULL means that
  * a node name should be autogenerated.
+ * @copy_mode: When to trigger writes to the target.
  * @errp: Error object.
  *
  * Start a mirroring operation on @bs.  Clusters that are allocated
@@ -1030,7 +1031,8 @@ void mirror_start(const char *job_id, BlockDriverState *bs,
                   MirrorSyncMode mode, BlockMirrorBackingMode backing_mode,
                   BlockdevOnError on_source_error,
                   BlockdevOnError on_target_error,
-                  bool unmap, const char *filter_node_name, Error **errp);
+                  bool unmap, const char *filter_node_name,
+                  MirrorCopyMode copy_mode, Error **errp);
 
 /*
  * backup_job_create:
diff --git a/block/mirror.c b/block/mirror.c
index b58d7bbce1..f0c0003d47 100644
--- a/block/mirror.c
+++ b/block/mirror.c
@@ -1465,7 +1465,7 @@ static void mirror_start_job(const char *job_id, BlockDriverState *bs,
                              const BlockJobDriver *driver,
                              bool is_none_mode, BlockDriverState *base,
                              bool auto_complete, const char *filter_node_name,
-                             bool is_mirror,
+                             bool is_mirror, MirrorCopyMode copy_mode,
                              Error **errp)
 {
     MirrorBlockJob *s;
@@ -1573,7 +1573,7 @@ static void mirror_start_job(const char *job_id, BlockDriverState *bs,
     s->on_target_error = on_target_error;
     s->is_none_mode = is_none_mode;
     s->backing_mode = backing_mode;
-    s->copy_mode = MIRROR_COPY_MODE_BACKGROUND;
+    s->copy_mode = copy_mode;
     s->base = base;
     s->granularity = granularity;
     s->buf_size = ROUND_UP(buf_size, granularity);
@@ -1640,7 +1640,8 @@ void mirror_start(const char *job_id, BlockDriverState *bs,
                   MirrorSyncMode mode, BlockMirrorBackingMode backing_mode,
                   BlockdevOnError on_source_error,
                   BlockdevOnError on_target_error,
-                  bool unmap, const char *filter_node_name, Error **errp)
+                  bool unmap, const char *filter_node_name,
+                  MirrorCopyMode copy_mode, Error **errp)
 {
     bool is_none_mode;
     BlockDriverState *base;
@@ -1655,7 +1656,7 @@ void mirror_start(const char *job_id, BlockDriverState *bs,
                      speed, granularity, buf_size, backing_mode,
                      on_source_error, on_target_error, unmap, NULL, NULL,
                      &mirror_job_driver, is_none_mode, base, false,
-                     filter_node_name, true, errp);
+                     filter_node_name, true, copy_mode, errp);
 }
 
 void commit_active_start(const char *job_id, BlockDriverState *bs,
@@ -1678,7 +1679,8 @@ void commit_active_start(const char *job_id, BlockDriverState *bs,
                      MIRROR_LEAVE_BACKING_CHAIN,
                      on_error, on_error, true, cb, opaque,
                      &commit_active_job_driver, false, base, auto_complete,
-                     filter_node_name, false, &local_err);
+                     filter_node_name, false, MIRROR_COPY_MODE_BACKGROUND,
+                     &local_err);
     if (local_err) {
         error_propagate(errp, local_err);
         goto error_restore_flags;
diff --git a/blockdev.c b/blockdev.c
index 4862323012..51536e0d6e 100644
--- a/blockdev.c
+++ b/blockdev.c
@@ -3695,6 +3695,7 @@ static void blockdev_mirror_common(const char *job_id, BlockDriverState *bs,
                                    bool has_unmap, bool unmap,
                                    bool has_filter_node_name,
                                    const char *filter_node_name,
+                                   bool has_copy_mode, MirrorCopyMode copy_mode,
                                    Error **errp)
 {
 
@@ -3719,6 +3720,9 @@ static void blockdev_mirror_common(const char *job_id, BlockDriverState *bs,
     if (!has_filter_node_name) {
         filter_node_name = NULL;
     }
+    if (!has_copy_mode) {
+        copy_mode = MIRROR_COPY_MODE_BACKGROUND;
+    }
 
     if (granularity != 0 && (granularity < 512 || granularity > 1048576 * 64)) {
         error_setg(errp, QERR_INVALID_PARAMETER_VALUE, "granularity",
@@ -3749,7 +3753,7 @@ static void blockdev_mirror_common(const char *job_id, BlockDriverState *bs,
                  has_replaces ? replaces : NULL,
                  speed, granularity, buf_size, sync, backing_mode,
                  on_source_error, on_target_error, unmap, filter_node_name,
-                 errp);
+                 copy_mode, errp);
 }
 
 void qmp_drive_mirror(DriveMirror *arg, Error **errp)
@@ -3895,6 +3899,7 @@ void qmp_drive_mirror(DriveMirror *arg, Error **errp)
                            arg->has_on_target_error, arg->on_target_error,
                            arg->has_unmap, arg->unmap,
                            false, NULL,
+                           arg->has_copy_mode, arg->copy_mode,
                            &local_err);
     bdrv_unref(target_bs);
     error_propagate(errp, local_err);
@@ -3915,6 +3920,7 @@ void qmp_blockdev_mirror(bool has_job_id, const char *job_id,
                          BlockdevOnError on_target_error,
                          bool has_filter_node_name,
                          const char *filter_node_name,
+                         bool has_copy_mode, MirrorCopyMode copy_mode,
                          Error **errp)
 {
     BlockDriverState *bs;
@@ -3947,6 +3953,7 @@ void qmp_blockdev_mirror(bool has_job_id, const char *job_id,
                            has_on_target_error, on_target_error,
                            true, true,
                            has_filter_node_name, filter_node_name,
+                           has_copy_mode, copy_mode,
                            &local_err);
     error_propagate(errp, local_err);
 
