diff --git a/main.c b/main.c
index c3787122d3..201022f1af 100755
--- a/main.c
+++ b/main.c
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@
 
 #include "background.h"
 #include "mpconfigboard.h"
+#include "supervisor/background_callback.h"
 #include "supervisor/cpu.h"
 #include "supervisor/memory.h"
 #include "supervisor/port.h"
@@ -161,6 +162,8 @@ void stop_mp(void) {
     MP_STATE_VM(vfs_cur) = vfs;
     #endif
 
+    background_callback_reset();
+
     gc_deinit();
 }
 
diff --git a/supervisor/background_callback.h b/supervisor/background_callback.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..82025f6b7a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/supervisor/background_callback.h
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+/*
+ * This file is part of the MicroPython project, http://micropython.org/
+ *
+ * The MIT License (MIT)
+ *
+ * Copyright (c) 2020 Jeff Epler for Adafruit Industries
+ *
+ * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
+ * of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
+ * in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
+ * to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
+ * copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
+ * furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
+ *
+ * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in
+ * all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+ *
+ * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+ * IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
+ * FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
+ * AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
+ * LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
+ * OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN
+ * THE SOFTWARE.
+ */
+
+#ifndef CIRCUITPY_INCLUDED_SUPERVISOR_BACKGROUND_CALLBACK_H
+#define CIRCUITPY_INCLUDED_SUPERVISOR_BACKGROUND_CALLBACK_H
+
+/** Background callbacks are a linked list of tasks to call in the background.
+ *
+ * Include a member of type `background_callback_t` inside an object
+ * which needs to queue up background work, and zero-initialize it.
+ *
+ * To schedule the work, use background_callback_add, with fun as the
+ * function to call and data pointing to the object itself.
+ *
+ * Next time run_background_tasks_if_tick is called, the callback will
+ * be run and removed from the linked list.
+ *
+ * Queueing a task that is already queued does nothing.  Unconditionally
+ * re-queueing it from its own background task will cause it to run during the
+ * very next background-tasks invocation, leading to a CircuitPython freeze, so
+ * don't do that.
+ *
+ * background_callback_add can be called from interrupt context.
+ */
+typedef void (*background_callback_fun)(void *data);
+typedef struct background_callback {
+    background_callback_fun fun;
+    void *data;
+    struct background_callback *next;
+    struct background_callback *prev;
+} background_callback_t;
+
+/* Add a background callback for which 'fun' and 'data' were previously set */
+void background_callback_add_core(background_callback_t *cb);
+
+/* Add a background callback to the given function with the given data.  When
+ * the callback involves an object on the GC heap, the 'data' must be a pointer
+ * to that object itself, not an internal pointer.  Otherwise, it can be the
+ * case that no other references to the object itself survive, and the object
+ * becomes garbage collected while an outstanding background callback still
+ * exists.
+ */
+void background_callback_add(background_callback_t *cb, background_callback_fun fun, void *data);
+
+/* Run all background callbacks.  Normally, this is done by the supervisor
+ * whenever the list is non-empty */
+void background_callback_run_all(void);
+
+/* During soft reset, remove all pending callbacks and clear the critical section flag */
+void background_callback_reset(void);
+
+/* Sometimes background callbacks must be blocked.  Use these functions to
+ * bracket the section of code where this is the case.  These calls nest, and
+ * begins must be balanced with ends.
+ */
+void background_callback_begin_critical_section(void);
+void background_callback_end_critical_section(void);
+
+#endif
diff --git a/supervisor/shared/background_callback.c b/supervisor/shared/background_callback.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..99607b7a85
--- /dev/null
+++ b/supervisor/shared/background_callback.c
@@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
+/*
+ * This file is part of the MicroPython project, http://micropython.org/
+ *
+ * The MIT License (MIT)
+ *
+ * Copyright (c) 2020 Jeff Epler for Adafruit Industries
+ *
+ * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
+ * of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
+ * in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
+ * to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
+ * copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
+ * furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
+ *
+ * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in
+ * all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+ *
+ * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+ * IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
+ * FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
+ * AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
+ * LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
+ * OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN
+ * THE SOFTWARE.
+ */
+
+#include "py/mpconfig.h"
+#include "supervisor/background_callback.h"
+#include "supervisor/shared/tick.h"
+#include "shared-bindings/microcontroller/__init__.h"
+
+STATIC volatile background_callback_t *callback_head, *callback_tail;
+
+#define CALLBACK_CRITICAL_BEGIN (common_hal_mcu_disable_interrupts())
+#define CALLBACK_CRITICAL_END (common_hal_mcu_enable_interrupts())
+
+void background_callback_add_core(background_callback_t *cb) {
+    CALLBACK_CRITICAL_BEGIN;
+    if (cb->prev || callback_head == cb) {
+        CALLBACK_CRITICAL_END;
+        return;
+    }
+    cb->next = 0;
+    cb->prev = (background_callback_t*)callback_tail;
+    if (callback_tail) {
+        callback_tail->next = cb;
+        cb->prev = (background_callback_t*)callback_tail;
+    }
+    if (!callback_head) {
+        callback_head = cb;
+    }
+    callback_tail = cb;
+    CALLBACK_CRITICAL_END;
+}
+
+void background_callback_add(background_callback_t *cb, background_callback_fun fun, void *data) {
+    cb->fun = fun;
+    cb->data = data;
+    background_callback_add_core(cb);
+}
+
+static bool in_background_callback;
+void background_callback_run_all() {
+    CALLBACK_CRITICAL_BEGIN;
+    if(in_background_callback) {
+        CALLBACK_CRITICAL_END;
+        return;
+    }
+    in_background_callback = true;
+    background_callback_t *cb = (background_callback_t*)callback_head;
+    callback_head = NULL;
+    callback_tail = NULL;
+    while (cb) {
+        background_callback_t *next = cb->next;
+        cb->next = cb->prev = NULL;
+        background_callback_fun fun = cb->fun;
+        void *data = cb->data;
+        CALLBACK_CRITICAL_END;
+        // Leave the critical section in order to run the callback function
+        if (fun) {
+            fun(data);
+        }
+        CALLBACK_CRITICAL_BEGIN;
+        cb = next;
+    }
+    in_background_callback = false;
+    CALLBACK_CRITICAL_END;
+}
+
+void background_callback_begin_critical_section() {
+    CALLBACK_CRITICAL_BEGIN;
+}
+
+void background_callback_end_critical_section() {
+    CALLBACK_CRITICAL_END;
+}
+
+void background_callback_reset() {
+    CALLBACK_CRITICAL_BEGIN;
+    callback_head = NULL;
+    callback_tail = NULL;
+    in_background_callback = false;
+    CALLBACK_CRITICAL_END;
+}
diff --git a/supervisor/shared/tick.c b/supervisor/shared/tick.c
index 01a554e156..7a2f313eb8 100644
--- a/supervisor/shared/tick.c
+++ b/supervisor/shared/tick.c
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
 #include "py/mpstate.h"
 #include "supervisor/linker.h"
 #include "supervisor/filesystem.h"
+#include "supervisor/background_callback.h"
 #include "supervisor/port.h"
 #include "supervisor/shared/autoreload.h"
 
@@ -86,10 +87,7 @@ uint32_t supervisor_ticks_ms32() {
 extern void run_background_tasks(void);
 
 void PLACE_IN_ITCM(supervisor_run_background_tasks_if_tick)() {
-    // TODO: Add a global that can be set by anyone to indicate we should run background tasks. That
-    // way we can short circuit the background tasks early. We used to do it based on time but it
-    // breaks cases where we wake up for a short period and then sleep. If we skipped the last
-    // background task or more before sleeping we may end up starving a task like USB.
+    background_callback_run_all();
     run_background_tasks();
 }
 
diff --git a/supervisor/supervisor.mk b/supervisor/supervisor.mk
index 21803ae0a3..1885366865 100644
--- a/supervisor/supervisor.mk
+++ b/supervisor/supervisor.mk
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ SRC_SUPERVISOR = \
 	main.c \
 	supervisor/port.c \
 	supervisor/shared/autoreload.c \
+	supervisor/shared/background_callback.c \
 	supervisor/shared/board.c \
 	supervisor/shared/filesystem.c \
 	supervisor/shared/flash.c \