diff --git a/hw/block/dataplane/virtio-blk.c b/hw/block/dataplane/virtio-blk.c
index 2237edb..a5afc21 100644
--- a/hw/block/dataplane/virtio-blk.c
+++ b/hw/block/dataplane/virtio-blk.c
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 #include "virtio-blk.h"
 #include "block/aio.h"
 #include "hw/virtio/virtio-bus.h"
+#include "monitor/monitor.h" /* for object_add() */
 
 enum {
     SEG_MAX = 126,                  /* maximum number of I/O segments */
@@ -44,8 +45,6 @@ struct VirtIOBlockDataPlane {
     bool started;
     bool starting;
     bool stopping;
-    QEMUBH *start_bh;
-    QemuThread thread;
 
     VirtIOBlkConf *blk;
     int fd;                         /* image file descriptor */
@@ -59,12 +58,14 @@ struct VirtIOBlockDataPlane {
      * (because you don't own the file descriptor or handle; you just
      * use it).
      */
+    IOThread *iothread;
+    bool internal_iothread;
     AioContext *ctx;
     EventNotifier io_notifier;      /* Linux AIO completion */
     EventNotifier host_notifier;    /* doorbell */
 
     IOQueue ioqueue;                /* Linux AIO queue (should really be per
-                                       dataplane thread) */
+                                       IOThread) */
     VirtIOBlockRequest requests[REQ_MAX]; /* pool of requests, managed by the
                                              queue */
 
@@ -342,26 +343,7 @@ static void handle_io(EventNotifier *e)
     }
 }
 
-static void *data_plane_thread(void *opaque)
-{
-    VirtIOBlockDataPlane *s = opaque;
-
-    while (!s->stopping || s->num_reqs > 0) {
-        aio_poll(s->ctx, true);
-    }
-    return NULL;
-}
-
-static void start_data_plane_bh(void *opaque)
-{
-    VirtIOBlockDataPlane *s = opaque;
-
-    qemu_bh_delete(s->start_bh);
-    s->start_bh = NULL;
-    qemu_thread_create(&s->thread, data_plane_thread,
-                       s, QEMU_THREAD_JOINABLE);
-}
-
+/* Context: QEMU global mutex held */
 void virtio_blk_data_plane_create(VirtIODevice *vdev, VirtIOBlkConf *blk,
                                   VirtIOBlockDataPlane **dataplane,
                                   Error **errp)
@@ -408,12 +390,33 @@ void virtio_blk_data_plane_create(VirtIODevice *vdev, VirtIOBlkConf *blk,
     s->fd = fd;
     s->blk = blk;
 
+    if (blk->iothread) {
+        s->internal_iothread = false;
+        s->iothread = blk->iothread;
+        object_ref(OBJECT(s->iothread));
+    } else {
+        /* Create per-device IOThread if none specified */
+        Error *local_err = NULL;
+
+        s->internal_iothread = true;
+        object_add(TYPE_IOTHREAD, vdev->name, NULL, NULL, &local_err);
+        if (error_is_set(&local_err)) {
+            error_propagate(errp, local_err);
+            g_free(s);
+            return;
+        }
+        s->iothread = iothread_find(vdev->name);
+        assert(s->iothread);
+    }
+    s->ctx = iothread_get_aio_context(s->iothread);
+
     /* Prevent block operations that conflict with data plane thread */
     bdrv_set_in_use(blk->conf.bs, 1);
 
     *dataplane = s;
 }
 
+/* Context: QEMU global mutex held */
 void virtio_blk_data_plane_destroy(VirtIOBlockDataPlane *s)
 {
     if (!s) {
@@ -422,9 +425,14 @@ void virtio_blk_data_plane_destroy(VirtIOBlockDataPlane *s)
 
     virtio_blk_data_plane_stop(s);
     bdrv_set_in_use(s->blk->conf.bs, 0);
+    object_unref(OBJECT(s->iothread));
+    if (s->internal_iothread) {
+        object_unparent(OBJECT(s->iothread));
+    }
     g_free(s);
 }
 
+/* Context: QEMU global mutex held */
 void virtio_blk_data_plane_start(VirtIOBlockDataPlane *s)
 {
     BusState *qbus = BUS(qdev_get_parent_bus(DEVICE(s->vdev)));
@@ -448,8 +456,6 @@ void virtio_blk_data_plane_start(VirtIOBlockDataPlane *s)
         return;
     }
 
-    s->ctx = aio_context_new();
-
     /* Set up guest notifier (irq) */
     if (k->set_guest_notifiers(qbus->parent, 1, true) != 0) {
         fprintf(stderr, "virtio-blk failed to set guest notifier, "
@@ -464,7 +470,6 @@ void virtio_blk_data_plane_start(VirtIOBlockDataPlane *s)
         exit(1);
     }
     s->host_notifier = *virtio_queue_get_host_notifier(vq);
-    aio_set_event_notifier(s->ctx, &s->host_notifier, handle_notify);
 
     /* Set up ioqueue */
     ioq_init(&s->ioqueue, s->fd, REQ_MAX);
@@ -472,7 +477,6 @@ void virtio_blk_data_plane_start(VirtIOBlockDataPlane *s)
         ioq_put_iocb(&s->ioqueue, &s->requests[i].iocb);
     }
     s->io_notifier = *ioq_get_notifier(&s->ioqueue);
-    aio_set_event_notifier(s->ctx, &s->io_notifier, handle_io);
 
     s->starting = false;
     s->started = true;
@@ -481,11 +485,14 @@ void virtio_blk_data_plane_start(VirtIOBlockDataPlane *s)
     /* Kick right away to begin processing requests already in vring */
     event_notifier_set(virtio_queue_get_host_notifier(vq));
 
-    /* Spawn thread in BH so it inherits iothread cpusets */
-    s->start_bh = qemu_bh_new(start_data_plane_bh, s);
-    qemu_bh_schedule(s->start_bh);
+    /* Get this show started by hooking up our callbacks */
+    aio_context_acquire(s->ctx);
+    aio_set_event_notifier(s->ctx, &s->host_notifier, handle_notify);
+    aio_set_event_notifier(s->ctx, &s->io_notifier, handle_io);
+    aio_context_release(s->ctx);
 }
 
+/* Context: QEMU global mutex held */
 void virtio_blk_data_plane_stop(VirtIOBlockDataPlane *s)
 {
     BusState *qbus = BUS(qdev_get_parent_bus(DEVICE(s->vdev)));
@@ -496,27 +503,32 @@ void virtio_blk_data_plane_stop(VirtIOBlockDataPlane *s)
     s->stopping = true;
     trace_virtio_blk_data_plane_stop(s);
 
-    /* Stop thread or cancel pending thread creation BH */
-    if (s->start_bh) {
-        qemu_bh_delete(s->start_bh);
-        s->start_bh = NULL;
-    } else {
-        aio_notify(s->ctx);
-        qemu_thread_join(&s->thread);
+    aio_context_acquire(s->ctx);
+
+    /* Stop notifications for new requests from guest */
+    aio_set_event_notifier(s->ctx, &s->host_notifier, NULL);
+
+    /* Complete pending requests */
+    while (s->num_reqs > 0) {
+        aio_poll(s->ctx, true);
     }
 
+    /* Stop ioq callbacks (there are no pending requests left) */
     aio_set_event_notifier(s->ctx, &s->io_notifier, NULL);
-    ioq_cleanup(&s->ioqueue);
 
-    aio_set_event_notifier(s->ctx, &s->host_notifier, NULL);
-    k->set_host_notifier(qbus->parent, 0, false);
+    aio_context_release(s->ctx);
 
-    aio_context_unref(s->ctx);
+    /* Sync vring state back to virtqueue so that non-dataplane request
+     * processing can continue when we disable the host notifier below.
+     */
+    vring_teardown(&s->vring, s->vdev, 0);
+
+    ioq_cleanup(&s->ioqueue);
+    k->set_host_notifier(qbus->parent, 0, false);
 
     /* Clean up guest notifier (irq) */
     k->set_guest_notifiers(qbus->parent, 1, false);
 
-    vring_teardown(&s->vring, s->vdev, 0);
     s->started = false;
     s->stopping = false;
 }
diff --git a/include/hw/virtio/virtio-blk.h b/include/hw/virtio/virtio-blk.h
index 41885da..12193fd 100644
--- a/include/hw/virtio/virtio-blk.h
+++ b/include/hw/virtio/virtio-blk.h
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 
 #include "hw/virtio/virtio.h"
 #include "hw/block/block.h"
+#include "sysemu/iothread.h"
 
 #define TYPE_VIRTIO_BLK "virtio-blk-device"
 #define VIRTIO_BLK(obj) \
@@ -106,6 +107,7 @@ struct virtio_scsi_inhdr
 struct VirtIOBlkConf
 {
     BlockConf conf;
+    IOThread *iothread;
     char *serial;
     uint32_t scsi;
     uint32_t config_wce;
@@ -140,13 +142,15 @@ typedef struct VirtIOBlock {
         DEFINE_BLOCK_CHS_PROPERTIES(_state, _field.conf),                     \
         DEFINE_PROP_STRING("serial", _state, _field.serial),                  \
         DEFINE_PROP_BIT("config-wce", _state, _field.config_wce, 0, true),    \
-        DEFINE_PROP_BIT("scsi", _state, _field.scsi, 0, true)
+        DEFINE_PROP_BIT("scsi", _state, _field.scsi, 0, true),                \
+        DEFINE_PROP_IOTHREAD("iothread", _state, _field.iothread)
 #else
 #define DEFINE_VIRTIO_BLK_PROPERTIES(_state, _field)                          \
         DEFINE_BLOCK_PROPERTIES(_state, _field.conf),                         \
         DEFINE_BLOCK_CHS_PROPERTIES(_state, _field.conf),                     \
         DEFINE_PROP_STRING("serial", _state, _field.serial),                  \
-        DEFINE_PROP_BIT("config-wce", _state, _field.config_wce, 0, true)
+        DEFINE_PROP_BIT("config-wce", _state, _field.config_wce, 0, true),    \
+        DEFINE_PROP_IOTHREAD("iothread", _state, _field.iothread)
 #endif /* __linux__ */
 
 void virtio_blk_set_conf(DeviceState *dev, VirtIOBlkConf *blk);
