diff --git a/qapi/block-export.json b/qapi/block-export.json
index 87ac5117cd..e2cb21f5f1 100644
--- a/qapi/block-export.json
+++ b/qapi/block-export.json
@@ -219,11 +219,22 @@
 #                export before completion is signalled. (since: 5.2;
 #                default: false)
 #
+# @iothread: The name of the iothread object where the export will run. The
+#            default is to use the thread currently associated with the #
+#            block node. (since: 5.2)
+#
+# @fixed-iothread: True prevents the block node from being moved to another
+#                  thread while the export is active. If true and @iothread is
+#                  given, export creation fails if the block node cannot be
+#                  moved to the iothread. The default is false.
+#
 # Since: 4.2
 ##
 { 'union': 'BlockExportOptions',
   'base': { 'type': 'BlockExportType',
             'id': 'str',
+	    '*fixed-iothread': 'bool',
+	    '*iothread': 'str',
             'node-name': 'str',
             '*writable': 'bool',
             '*writethrough': 'bool' },
diff --git a/block/export/export.c b/block/export/export.c
index 550897e236..a5b6b02703 100644
--- a/block/export/export.c
+++ b/block/export/export.c
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 
 #include "block/block.h"
 #include "sysemu/block-backend.h"
+#include "sysemu/iothread.h"
 #include "block/export.h"
 #include "block/nbd.h"
 #include "qapi/error.h"
@@ -63,10 +64,11 @@ static const BlockExportDriver *blk_exp_find_driver(BlockExportType type)
 
 BlockExport *blk_exp_add(BlockExportOptions *export, Error **errp)
 {
+    bool fixed_iothread = export->has_fixed_iothread && export->fixed_iothread;
     const BlockExportDriver *drv;
     BlockExport *exp = NULL;
     BlockDriverState *bs;
-    BlockBackend *blk;
+    BlockBackend *blk = NULL;
     AioContext *ctx;
     uint64_t perm;
     int ret;
@@ -102,6 +104,28 @@ BlockExport *blk_exp_add(BlockExportOptions *export, Error **errp)
     ctx = bdrv_get_aio_context(bs);
     aio_context_acquire(ctx);
 
+    if (export->has_iothread) {
+        IOThread *iothread;
+        AioContext *new_ctx;
+
+        iothread = iothread_by_id(export->iothread);
+        if (!iothread) {
+            error_setg(errp, "iothread \"%s\" not found", export->iothread);
+            goto fail;
+        }
+
+        new_ctx = iothread_get_aio_context(iothread);
+
+        ret = bdrv_try_set_aio_context(bs, new_ctx, errp);
+        if (ret == 0) {
+            aio_context_release(ctx);
+            aio_context_acquire(new_ctx);
+            ctx = new_ctx;
+        } else if (fixed_iothread) {
+            goto fail;
+        }
+    }
+
     /*
      * Block exports are used for non-shared storage migration. Make sure
      * that BDRV_O_INACTIVE is cleared and the image is ready for write
@@ -116,6 +140,11 @@ BlockExport *blk_exp_add(BlockExportOptions *export, Error **errp)
     }
 
     blk = blk_new(ctx, perm, BLK_PERM_ALL);
+
+    if (!fixed_iothread) {
+        blk_set_allow_aio_context_change(blk, true);
+    }
+
     ret = blk_insert_bs(blk, bs, errp);
     if (ret < 0) {
         goto fail;
diff --git a/block/export/vhost-user-blk-server.c b/block/export/vhost-user-blk-server.c
index 81072a5a46..a1c37548e1 100644
--- a/block/export/vhost-user-blk-server.c
+++ b/block/export/vhost-user-blk-server.c
@@ -323,13 +323,17 @@ static const VuDevIface vu_blk_iface = {
 static void blk_aio_attached(AioContext *ctx, void *opaque)
 {
     VuBlkExport *vexp = opaque;
+
+    vexp->export.ctx = ctx;
     vhost_user_server_attach_aio_context(&vexp->vu_server, ctx);
 }
 
 static void blk_aio_detach(void *opaque)
 {
     VuBlkExport *vexp = opaque;
+
     vhost_user_server_detach_aio_context(&vexp->vu_server);
+    vexp->export.ctx = NULL;
 }
 
 static void
@@ -384,7 +388,6 @@ static int vu_blk_exp_create(BlockExport *exp, BlockExportOptions *opts,
     vu_blk_initialize_config(blk_bs(exp->blk), &vexp->blkcfg,
                                logical_block_size);
 
-    blk_set_allow_aio_context_change(exp->blk, true);
     blk_add_aio_context_notifier(exp->blk, blk_aio_attached, blk_aio_detach,
                                  vexp);
 
diff --git a/nbd/server.c b/nbd/server.c
index f74766add7..8676008319 100644
--- a/nbd/server.c
+++ b/nbd/server.c
@@ -1560,8 +1560,6 @@ static int nbd_export_create(BlockExport *blk_exp, BlockExportOptions *exp_args,
         return ret;
     }
 
-    blk_set_allow_aio_context_change(blk, true);
-
     QTAILQ_INIT(&exp->clients);
     exp->name = g_strdup(arg->name);
     exp->description = g_strdup(arg->description);
