diff --git a/docs/interop/nbd.txt b/docs/interop/nbd.txt
index f3b3cacc9621..10ce098a29bf 100644
--- a/docs/interop/nbd.txt
+++ b/docs/interop/nbd.txt
@@ -17,19 +17,31 @@ namespace "qemu".

 == "qemu" namespace ==

-The "qemu" namespace currently contains only one type of context,
-related to exposing the contents of a dirty bitmap alongside the
-associated disk contents.  That context has the following form:
+The "qemu" namespace currently contains two available metadata context
+types.  The first is related to exposing the contents of a dirty
+bitmap alongside the associated disk contents.  That metadata context
+is named with the following form:

     qemu:dirty-bitmap:<dirty-bitmap-export-name>

 Each dirty-bitmap metadata context defines only one flag for extents
 in reply for NBD_CMD_BLOCK_STATUS:

-    bit 0: NBD_STATE_DIRTY, means that the extent is "dirty"
+    bit 0: NBD_STATE_DIRTY, set when the extent is "dirty"
+
+The second is related to exposing the source of various extents within
+the image, with a single metadata context named:
+
+    qemu:allocation-depth
+
+In the allocation depth context, the entire 32-bit value represents a
+depth of which layer in a thin-provisioned backing chain provided the
+data (0 for unallocated, 1 for the active layer, 2 for the first
+backing layer, and so forth).

 For NBD_OPT_LIST_META_CONTEXT the following queries are supported
-in addition to "qemu:dirty-bitmap:<dirty-bitmap-export-name>":
+in addition to the specific "qemu:allocation-depth" and
+"qemu:dirty-bitmap:<dirty-bitmap-export-name>":

 * "qemu:" - returns list of all available metadata contexts in the
             namespace.
@@ -55,3 +67,4 @@ the operation of that feature.
 NBD_CMD_BLOCK_STATUS for "qemu:dirty-bitmap:", NBD_CMD_CACHE
 * 4.2: NBD_FLAG_CAN_MULTI_CONN for shareable read-only exports,
 NBD_CMD_FLAG_FAST_ZERO
+* 5.2: NBD_CMD_BLOCK_STATUS for "qemu:allocation-depth"
diff --git a/include/block/nbd.h b/include/block/nbd.h
index 3dd9a04546ec..4a52a43ef598 100644
--- a/include/block/nbd.h
+++ b/include/block/nbd.h
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- *  Copyright (C) 2016-2019 Red Hat, Inc.
+ *  Copyright (C) 2016-2020 Red Hat, Inc.
  *  Copyright (C) 2005  Anthony Liguori <anthony@codemonkey.ws>
  *
  *  Network Block Device
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ typedef struct NBDOptionReply NBDOptionReply;
 typedef struct NBDOptionReplyMetaContext {
     NBDOptionReply h; /* h.type = NBD_REP_META_CONTEXT, h.length > 4 */
     uint32_t context_id;
-    /* meta context name follows */
+    /* metadata context name follows */
 } QEMU_PACKED NBDOptionReplyMetaContext;

 /* Transmission phase structs
@@ -229,7 +229,7 @@ enum {
 #define NBD_MAX_BUFFER_SIZE (32 * 1024 * 1024)

 /*
- * Maximum size of a protocol string (export name, meta context name,
+ * Maximum size of a protocol string (export name, metadata context name,
  * etc.).  Use malloc rather than stack allocation for storage of a
  * string.
  */
@@ -259,6 +259,8 @@ enum {
 /* Extent flags for qemu:dirty-bitmap in NBD_REPLY_TYPE_BLOCK_STATUS */
 #define NBD_STATE_DIRTY (1 << 0)

+/* No flags needed for qemu:allocation-depth in NBD_REPLY_TYPE_BLOCK_STATUS */
+
 static inline bool nbd_reply_type_is_error(int type)
 {
     return type & (1 << 15);
diff --git a/nbd/server.c b/nbd/server.c
index b6841e455414..ebbefcb6d3ec 100644
--- a/nbd/server.c
+++ b/nbd/server.c
@@ -27,8 +27,9 @@
 #include "qemu/units.h"

 #define NBD_META_ID_BASE_ALLOCATION 0
+#define NBD_META_ID_ALLOCATION_DEPTH 1
 /* Dirty bitmaps use 'NBD_META_ID_DIRTY_BITMAP + i', so keep this id last. */
-#define NBD_META_ID_DIRTY_BITMAP 1
+#define NBD_META_ID_DIRTY_BITMAP 2

 /*
  * NBD_MAX_BLOCK_STATUS_EXTENTS: 1 MiB of extents data. An empirical
@@ -95,6 +96,7 @@ struct NBDExport {
     BlockBackend *eject_notifier_blk;
     Notifier eject_notifier;

+    bool allocation_depth;
     BdrvDirtyBitmap **export_bitmaps;
     size_t nr_export_bitmaps;
 };
@@ -108,6 +110,7 @@ typedef struct NBDExportMetaContexts {
     NBDExport *exp;
     size_t count; /* number of negotiated contexts */
     bool base_allocation; /* export base:allocation context (block status) */
+    bool allocation_depth; /* export qemu:allocation-depth */
     bool *bitmaps; /*
                     * export qemu:dirty-bitmap:<export bitmap name>,
                     * sized by exp->nr_export_bitmaps
@@ -857,7 +860,8 @@ static bool nbd_meta_base_query(NBDClient *client, NBDExportMetaContexts *meta,
 /* nbd_meta_qemu_query
  *
  * Handle queries to 'qemu' namespace. For now, only the qemu:dirty-bitmap:
- * context is available.  Return true if @query has been handled.
+ * and qemu:allocation-depth contexts are available.  Return true if @query
+ * has been handled.
  */
 static bool nbd_meta_qemu_query(NBDClient *client, NBDExportMetaContexts *meta,
                                 const char *query)
@@ -871,12 +875,19 @@ static bool nbd_meta_qemu_query(NBDClient *client, NBDExportMetaContexts *meta,

     if (!*query) {
         if (client->opt == NBD_OPT_LIST_META_CONTEXT) {
+            meta->allocation_depth = meta->exp->allocation_depth;
             memset(meta->bitmaps, 1, meta->exp->nr_export_bitmaps);
         }
         trace_nbd_negotiate_meta_query_parse("empty");
         return true;
     }

+    if (strcmp(query, "allocation-depth") == 0) {
+        trace_nbd_negotiate_meta_query_parse("allocation-depth");
+        meta->allocation_depth = meta->exp->allocation_depth;
+        return true;
+    }
+
     if (nbd_strshift(&query, "dirty-bitmap:")) {
         trace_nbd_negotiate_meta_query_parse("dirty-bitmap:");
         if (!*query) {
@@ -901,7 +912,7 @@ static bool nbd_meta_qemu_query(NBDClient *client, NBDExportMetaContexts *meta,
         return true;
     }

-    trace_nbd_negotiate_meta_query_skip("not dirty-bitmap");
+    trace_nbd_negotiate_meta_query_skip("unknown qemu context");
     return true;
 }

@@ -1008,6 +1019,7 @@ static int nbd_negotiate_meta_queries(NBDClient *client,
     if (client->opt == NBD_OPT_LIST_META_CONTEXT && !nb_queries) {
         /* enable all known contexts */
         meta->base_allocation = true;
+        meta->allocation_depth = meta->exp->allocation_depth;
         memset(meta->bitmaps, 1, meta->exp->nr_export_bitmaps);
     } else {
         for (i = 0; i < nb_queries; ++i) {
@@ -1028,6 +1040,16 @@ static int nbd_negotiate_meta_queries(NBDClient *client,
         count++;
     }

+    if (meta->allocation_depth) {
+        ret = nbd_negotiate_send_meta_context(client, "qemu:allocation-depth",
+                                              NBD_META_ID_ALLOCATION_DEPTH,
+                                              errp);
+        if (ret < 0) {
+            return ret;
+        }
+        count++;
+    }
+
     for (i = 0; i < meta->exp->nr_export_bitmaps; i++) {
         const char *bm_name;
         g_autofree char *context = NULL;
@@ -2005,6 +2027,29 @@ static int blockstatus_to_extents(BlockDriverState *bs, uint64_t offset,
     return 0;
 }

+static int blockalloc_to_extents(BlockDriverState *bs, uint64_t offset,
+                                 uint64_t bytes, NBDExtentArray *ea)
+{
+    while (bytes) {
+        int64_t num;
+        int ret = bdrv_is_allocated_above(bs, NULL, false, offset, bytes,
+                                          &num);
+
+        if (ret < 0) {
+            return ret;
+        }
+
+        if (nbd_extent_array_add(ea, num, ret) < 0) {
+            return 0;
+        }
+
+        offset += num;
+        bytes -= num;
+    }
+
+    return 0;
+}
+
 /*
  * nbd_co_send_extents
  *
@@ -2044,7 +2089,11 @@ static int nbd_co_send_block_status(NBDClient *client, uint64_t handle,
     unsigned int nb_extents = dont_fragment ? 1 : NBD_MAX_BLOCK_STATUS_EXTENTS;
     g_autoptr(NBDExtentArray) ea = nbd_extent_array_new(nb_extents);

-    ret = blockstatus_to_extents(bs, offset, length, ea);
+    if (context_id == NBD_META_ID_BASE_ALLOCATION) {
+        ret = blockstatus_to_extents(bs, offset, length, ea);
+    } else {
+        ret = blockalloc_to_extents(bs, offset, length, ea);
+    }
     if (ret < 0) {
         return nbd_co_send_structured_error(
                 client, handle, -ret, "can't get block status", errp);
@@ -2395,6 +2444,19 @@ static coroutine_fn int nbd_handle_request(NBDClient *client,
                 }
             }

+            if (client->export_meta.allocation_depth) {
+                ret = nbd_co_send_block_status(client, request->handle,
+                                               blk_bs(exp->common.blk),
+                                               request->from, request->len,
+                                               dont_fragment,
+                                               !--contexts_remaining,
+                                               NBD_META_ID_ALLOCATION_DEPTH,
+                                               errp);
+                if (ret < 0) {
+                    return ret;
+                }
+            }
+
             for (i = 0; i < client->exp->nr_export_bitmaps; i++) {
                 if (!client->export_meta.bitmaps[i]) {
                     continue;
