diff --git a/include/hw/virtio/virtio-input.h b/include/hw/virtio/virtio-input.h
index 054c38836f..4fca03e796 100644
--- a/include/hw/virtio/virtio-input.h
+++ b/include/hw/virtio/virtio-input.h
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 #define QEMU_VIRTIO_INPUT_H
 
 #include "ui/input.h"
+#include "sysemu/vhost-user-backend.h"
 
 /* ----------------------------------------------------------------- */
 /* virtio input protocol                                             */
@@ -42,11 +43,18 @@ typedef struct virtio_input_event virtio_input_event;
 #define VIRTIO_INPUT_HOST_GET_PARENT_CLASS(obj) \
         OBJECT_GET_PARENT_CLASS(obj, TYPE_VIRTIO_INPUT_HOST)
 
+#define TYPE_VHOST_USER_INPUT   "vhost-user-input"
+#define VHOST_USER_INPUT(obj)                              \
+    OBJECT_CHECK(VHostUserInput, (obj), TYPE_VHOST_USER_INPUT)
+#define VHOST_USER_INPUT_GET_PARENT_CLASS(obj)             \
+    OBJECT_GET_PARENT_CLASS(obj, TYPE_VHOST_USER_INPUT)
+
 typedef struct VirtIOInput VirtIOInput;
 typedef struct VirtIOInputClass VirtIOInputClass;
 typedef struct VirtIOInputConfig VirtIOInputConfig;
 typedef struct VirtIOInputHID VirtIOInputHID;
 typedef struct VirtIOInputHost VirtIOInputHost;
+typedef struct VHostUserInput VHostUserInput;
 
 struct VirtIOInputConfig {
     virtio_input_config               config;
@@ -98,6 +106,12 @@ struct VirtIOInputHost {
     int                               fd;
 };
 
+struct VHostUserInput {
+    VirtIOInput                       parent_obj;
+
+    VhostUserBackend                  *vhost;
+};
+
 void virtio_input_send(VirtIOInput *vinput, virtio_input_event *event);
 void virtio_input_init_config(VirtIOInput *vinput,
                               virtio_input_config *config);
diff --git a/hw/input/vhost-user-input.c b/hw/input/vhost-user-input.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2ea1e50ab7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hw/input/vhost-user-input.c
@@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
+/*
+ * This work is licensed under the terms of the GNU GPL, version 2 or
+ * (at your option) any later version.  See the COPYING file in the
+ * top-level directory.
+ */
+
+#include "qemu/osdep.h"
+#include "qapi/error.h"
+#include "qemu-common.h"
+
+#include "hw/qdev.h"
+#include "hw/virtio/virtio-input.h"
+
+static void vhost_input_realize(DeviceState *dev, Error **errp)
+{
+    VHostUserInput *vhi = VHOST_USER_INPUT(dev);
+    VirtIOInput *vinput = VIRTIO_INPUT(dev);
+    VirtIODevice *vdev = VIRTIO_DEVICE(dev);
+    virtio_input_config *config;
+    int i, ret;
+
+    if (!vhi->vhost) {
+        error_setg(errp, "'vhost-user' property is required");
+        return;
+    }
+
+    if (vhost_user_backend_dev_init(vhi->vhost, vdev, 2, errp) == -1) {
+        return;
+    }
+
+    ret = vhost_user_input_get_config(&vhi->vhost->dev, &config);
+    if (ret < 0) {
+        error_setg(errp, "failed to get input config");
+        return;
+    }
+    for (i = 0; i < ret; i++) {
+        virtio_input_add_config(vinput, &config[i]);
+    }
+    g_free(config);
+}
+
+static void vhost_input_change_active(VirtIOInput *vinput)
+{
+    VHostUserInput *vhi = VHOST_USER_INPUT(vinput);
+
+    if (vinput->active) {
+        vhost_user_backend_start(vhi->vhost);
+    } else {
+        vhost_user_backend_stop(vhi->vhost);
+    }
+}
+
+static const VMStateDescription vmstate_vhost_input = {
+    .name = "vhost-user-input",
+    .unmigratable = 1,
+};
+
+static void vhost_input_class_init(ObjectClass *klass, void *data)
+{
+    VirtIOInputClass *vic = VIRTIO_INPUT_CLASS(klass);
+    DeviceClass *dc = DEVICE_CLASS(klass);
+
+    dc->vmsd           = &vmstate_vhost_input;
+    vic->realize       = vhost_input_realize;
+    vic->change_active = vhost_input_change_active;
+}
+
+static void vhost_input_init(Object *obj)
+{
+    VHostUserInput *vhi = VHOST_USER_INPUT(obj);
+    VirtIOInput *vinput = VIRTIO_INPUT(obj);
+    struct virtio_input_config vhost_input_config[] = { { /* empty list */ } };
+
+    virtio_input_init_config(vinput, vhost_input_config);
+
+    vhi->vhost = VHOST_USER_BACKEND(object_new(TYPE_VHOST_USER_BACKEND));
+    object_property_add_alias(obj, "chardev",
+                              OBJECT(vhi->vhost), "chardev", &error_abort);
+}
+
+static void vhost_input_finalize(Object *obj)
+{
+    VHostUserInput *vhi = VHOST_USER_INPUT(obj);
+
+    object_unref(OBJECT(vhi->vhost));
+}
+
+static const TypeInfo vhost_input_info = {
+    .name          = TYPE_VHOST_USER_INPUT,
+    .parent        = TYPE_VIRTIO_INPUT,
+    .instance_size = sizeof(VHostUserInput),
+    .instance_init = vhost_input_init,
+    .instance_finalize = vhost_input_finalize,
+    .class_init    = vhost_input_class_init,
+};
+
+/* ----------------------------------------------------------------- */
+
+static void vhost_input_register_types(void)
+{
+    type_register_static(&vhost_input_info);
+}
+
+type_init(vhost_input_register_types)
diff --git a/hw/virtio/vhost-user-input-pci.c b/hw/virtio/vhost-user-input-pci.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3d1b7a85fd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hw/virtio/vhost-user-input-pci.c
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+/*
+ * This work is licensed under the terms of the GNU LGPL, version 2 or
+ * later.  See the COPYING.LIB file in the top-level directory.
+ */
+
+#include "qemu/osdep.h"
+
+#include "hw/virtio/virtio.h"
+#include "hw/virtio/virtio-input.h"
+#include "qapi/error.h"
+#include "qemu/error-report.h"
+#include "virtio-pci.h"
+
+typedef struct VHostUserInputPCI VHostUserInputPCI;
+
+#define TYPE_VHOST_USER_INPUT_PCI "vhost-user-input-pci-base"
+
+#define VHOST_USER_INPUT_PCI(obj) \
+    OBJECT_CHECK(VHostUserInputPCI, (obj), TYPE_VHOST_USER_INPUT_PCI)
+
+struct VHostUserInputPCI {
+    VirtIOPCIProxy parent_obj;
+    VHostUserInput vhi;
+};
+
+static void vhost_user_input_pci_instance_init(Object *obj)
+{
+    VHostUserInputPCI *dev = VHOST_USER_INPUT_PCI(obj);
+
+    virtio_instance_init_common(obj, &dev->vhi, sizeof(dev->vhi),
+                                TYPE_VHOST_USER_INPUT);
+
+    object_property_add_alias(obj, "chardev",
+                              OBJECT(&dev->vhi), "chardev",
+                              &error_abort);
+}
+
+static const VirtioPCIDeviceTypeInfo vhost_user_input_pci_info = {
+    .base_name = TYPE_VHOST_USER_INPUT_PCI,
+    .generic_name = "vhost-user-input-pci",
+    .transitional_name = "vhost-user-input-pci-transitional",
+    .non_transitional_name = "vhost-user-input-pci-non-transitional",
+    .parent = TYPE_VIRTIO_INPUT_PCI,
+    .instance_size = sizeof(VHostUserInputPCI),
+    .instance_init = vhost_user_input_pci_instance_init,
+};
+
+static void vhost_user_input_pci_register(void)
+{
+    virtio_pci_types_register(&vhost_user_input_pci_info);
+}
+
+type_init(vhost_user_input_pci_register)
diff --git a/MAINTAINERS b/MAINTAINERS
index e077fe788d..5dfc9531bf 100644
--- a/MAINTAINERS
+++ b/MAINTAINERS
@@ -1467,6 +1467,7 @@ L: qemu-s390x@nongnu.org
 virtio-input
 M: Gerd Hoffmann <kraxel@redhat.com>
 S: Maintained
+F: hw/input/vhost-user-input.c
 F: hw/input/virtio-input*.c
 F: include/hw/virtio/virtio-input.h
 
diff --git a/default-configs/virtio.mak b/default-configs/virtio.mak
index ecb4420e74..5f5266ef8b 100644
--- a/default-configs/virtio.mak
+++ b/default-configs/virtio.mak
@@ -13,3 +13,4 @@ CONFIG_SCSI=y
 CONFIG_VIRTIO_SCSI=y
 CONFIG_VIRTIO_SERIAL=y
 CONFIG_VIRTIO_INPUT_HOST=$(CONFIG_LINUX)
+CONFIG_VHOST_USER_INPUT=$(call land,$(CONFIG_VHOST_USER),$(CONFIG_VIRTIO_INPUT))
diff --git a/hw/input/Makefile.objs b/hw/input/Makefile.objs
index c8b00f71ec..9511e3102f 100644
--- a/hw/input/Makefile.objs
+++ b/hw/input/Makefile.objs
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ common-obj-$(CONFIG_VIRTIO_INPUT) += virtio-input.o
 common-obj-$(CONFIG_VIRTIO_INPUT) += virtio-input-hid.o
 ifeq ($(CONFIG_LINUX),y)
 common-obj-$(CONFIG_VIRTIO_INPUT) += virtio-input-host.o
+common-obj-$(CONFIG_VHOST_USER_INPUT) += vhost-user-input.o
 endif
 
 obj-$(CONFIG_MILKYMIST) += milkymist-softusb.o
diff --git a/hw/virtio/Makefile.objs b/hw/virtio/Makefile.objs
index d335dd0a6a..7462051ba3 100644
--- a/hw/virtio/Makefile.objs
+++ b/hw/virtio/Makefile.objs
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ obj-$(CONFIG_VHOST_VSOCK) += vhost-vsock.o
 ifeq ($(CONFIG_VIRTIO_PCI),y)
 obj-$(CONFIG_VHOST_VSOCK) += vhost-vsock-pci.o
 obj-$(CONFIG_VHOST_USER_BLK) += vhost-user-blk-pci.o
+obj-$(CONFIG_VHOST_USER_INPUT) += vhost-user-input-pci.o
 obj-$(CONFIG_VHOST_USER_SCSI) += vhost-user-scsi-pci.o
 obj-$(CONFIG_VHOST_SCSI) += vhost-scsi-pci.o
 obj-$(CONFIG_VIRTIO_INPUT_HOST) += virtio-input-host-pci.o
