diff --git a/src/miniublk.c b/src/miniublk.c
index fe10291..558bb7b 100644
--- a/src/miniublk.c
+++ b/src/miniublk.c
@@ -74,6 +74,7 @@ struct ublk_tgt_ops {
 	int (*queue_io)(struct ublk_queue *, int tag);
 	void (*tgt_io_done)(struct ublk_queue *,
 			int tag, const struct io_uring_cqe *);
+	int (*recover_tgt)(struct ublk_dev *);
 };
 
 struct ublk_tgt {
@@ -372,6 +373,29 @@ static int ublk_ctrl_get_params(struct ublk_dev *dev,
 	return __ublk_ctrl_cmd(dev, &data);
 }
 
+static int ublk_ctrl_start_user_recover(struct ublk_dev *dev)
+{
+	struct ublk_ctrl_cmd_data data = {
+		.cmd_op	= UBLK_CMD_START_USER_RECOVERY,
+		.flags	= 0,
+	};
+
+	return __ublk_ctrl_cmd(dev, &data);
+}
+
+static int ublk_ctrl_end_user_recover(struct ublk_dev *dev,
+		int daemon_pid)
+{
+	struct ublk_ctrl_cmd_data data = {
+		.cmd_op	= UBLK_CMD_END_USER_RECOVERY,
+		.flags	= CTRL_CMD_HAS_DATA,
+	};
+
+	dev->dev_info.ublksrv_pid = data.data[0] = daemon_pid;
+
+	return __ublk_ctrl_cmd(dev, &data);
+}
+
 static const char *ublk_dev_state_desc(struct ublk_dev *dev)
 {
 	switch (dev->dev_info.state) {
@@ -379,6 +403,8 @@ static const char *ublk_dev_state_desc(struct ublk_dev *dev)
 		return "DEAD";
 	case UBLK_S_DEV_LIVE:
 		return "LIVE";
+	case UBLK_S_DEV_QUIESCED:
+		return "QUIESCED";
 	default:
 		return "UNKNOWN";
 	};
@@ -550,9 +576,12 @@ static int ublk_dev_prep(struct ublk_dev *dev)
 		goto fail;
 	}
 
-	if (dev->tgt.ops->init_tgt)
+	if (dev->dev_info.state != UBLK_S_DEV_QUIESCED && dev->tgt.ops->init_tgt)
 		ret = dev->tgt.ops->init_tgt(dev);
 
+	else if (dev->dev_info.state == UBLK_S_DEV_QUIESCED && dev->tgt.ops->recover_tgt)
+		ret = dev->tgt.ops->recover_tgt(dev);
+
 	return ret;
 fail:
 	close(dev->fds[0]);
@@ -831,7 +860,7 @@ static void ublk_set_parameters(struct ublk_dev *dev)
 				dev->dev_info.dev_id, ret);
 }
 
-static int ublk_start_daemon(struct ublk_dev *dev)
+static int ublk_start_daemon(struct ublk_dev *dev, bool recovery)
 {
 	int ret, i;
 	void *thread_ret;
@@ -853,12 +882,22 @@ static int ublk_start_daemon(struct ublk_dev *dev)
 				&dev->q[i]);
 	}
 
-	ublk_set_parameters(dev);
 
 	/* everything is fine now, start us */
-	ret = ublk_ctrl_start_dev(dev, getpid());
-	if (ret < 0)
-		goto fail;
+	if (recovery) {
+		ret = ublk_ctrl_end_user_recover(dev, getpid());
+		if (ret < 0) {
+			ublk_err("%s: ublk_ctrl_end_user_recover failed: %d\n", __func__, ret);
+			goto fail;
+		}
+	} else {
+		ublk_set_parameters(dev);
+		ret = ublk_ctrl_start_dev(dev, getpid());
+		if (ret < 0) {
+			ublk_err("%s: ublk_ctrl_start_dev failed: %d\n", __func__, ret);
+			goto fail;
+		}
+	}
 
 	ublk_ctrl_get_info(dev);
 	ublk_ctrl_dump(dev, true);
@@ -880,6 +919,7 @@ static int cmd_dev_add(int argc, char *argv[])
 		{ "number",		1,	NULL, 'n' },
 		{ "queues",		1,	NULL, 'q' },
 		{ "depth",		1,	NULL, 'd' },
+		{ "recovery",		1,	NULL, 'r' },
 		{ "debug_mask",	1,	NULL, 0},
 		{ "quiet",	0,	NULL, 0},
 		{ NULL }
@@ -891,8 +931,9 @@ static int cmd_dev_add(int argc, char *argv[])
 	const char *tgt_type = NULL;
 	int dev_id = -1;
 	unsigned nr_queues = 2, depth = UBLK_QUEUE_DEPTH;
+	int user_recovery = 0;
 
-	while ((opt = getopt_long(argc, argv, "-:t:n:d:q:",
+	while ((opt = getopt_long(argc, argv, "-:t:n:d:q:r:",
 				  longopts, &option_idx)) != -1) {
 		switch (opt) {
 		case 'n':
@@ -907,6 +948,9 @@ static int cmd_dev_add(int argc, char *argv[])
 		case 'd':
 			depth = strtol(optarg, NULL, 10);
 			break;
+		case 'r':
+			user_recovery = strtol(optarg, NULL, 10);
+			break;
 		case 0:
 			if (!strcmp(longopts[option_idx].name, "debug_mask"))
 				ublk_dbg_mask = strtol(optarg, NULL, 16);
@@ -942,6 +986,8 @@ static int cmd_dev_add(int argc, char *argv[])
 	info->dev_id = dev_id;
         info->nr_hw_queues = nr_queues;
         info->queue_depth = depth;
+	if (user_recovery)
+		info->flags |= UBLK_F_USER_RECOVERY;
 	dev->tgt.ops = ops;
 	dev->tgt.argc = argc;
 	dev->tgt.argv = argv;
@@ -953,7 +999,95 @@ static int cmd_dev_add(int argc, char *argv[])
 		goto fail;
 	}
 
-	ret = ublk_start_daemon(dev);
+	ret = ublk_start_daemon(dev, false);
+	if (ret < 0) {
+		ublk_err("%s: can't start daemon id %d, type %s\n",
+				__func__, dev_id, tgt_type);
+		goto fail_del;
+	}
+
+fail_del:
+	ublk_ctrl_del_dev(dev);
+fail:
+	ublk_ctrl_deinit(dev);
+	return ret;
+}
+
+static int cmd_dev_recover(int argc, char *argv[])
+{
+	static const struct option longopts[] = {
+		{ "type",		1,	NULL, 't' },
+		{ "number",		1,	NULL, 'n' },
+		{ "debug_mask",	1,	NULL, 0},
+		{ "quiet",	0,	NULL, 0},
+		{ NULL }
+	};
+	const struct ublk_tgt_ops *ops;
+	struct ublksrv_ctrl_dev_info *info;
+	struct ublk_dev *dev;
+	int ret, option_idx, opt;
+	const char *tgt_type = NULL;
+	int dev_id = -1;
+
+	while ((opt = getopt_long(argc, argv, "-:t:n:d:q:",
+				  longopts, &option_idx)) != -1) {
+		switch (opt) {
+		case 'n':
+			dev_id = strtol(optarg, NULL, 10);
+			break;
+		case 't':
+			tgt_type = optarg;
+			break;
+		case 0:
+			if (!strcmp(longopts[option_idx].name, "debug_mask"))
+				ublk_dbg_mask = strtol(optarg, NULL, 16);
+			if (!strcmp(longopts[option_idx].name, "quiet"))
+				ublk_dbg_mask = 0;
+			break;
+		}
+	}
+
+	optind = 0;
+
+	ops = ublk_find_tgt(tgt_type);
+	if (!ops) {
+		ublk_err("%s: no such tgt type, type %s\n",
+				__func__, tgt_type);
+		return -ENODEV;
+	}
+
+	dev = ublk_ctrl_init();
+	if (!dev) {
+		ublk_err("%s: can't alloc dev id %d, type %s\n",
+				__func__, dev_id, tgt_type);
+		return -ENOMEM;
+	}
+
+	info = &dev->dev_info;
+	info->dev_id = dev_id;
+	ret = ublk_ctrl_get_info(dev);
+	if (ret < 0) {
+		ublk_err("%s: can't get dev info from %d\n", __func__, dev_id);
+		goto fail;
+	}
+
+	ret = ublk_ctrl_get_params(dev, &dev->tgt.params);
+	if (ret) {
+		ublk_err("dev %d set basic parameter failed %d\n",
+				dev->dev_info.dev_id, ret);
+		goto fail;
+	}
+
+	dev->tgt.ops = ops;
+	dev->tgt.argc = argc;
+	dev->tgt.argv = argv;
+	ret = ublk_ctrl_start_user_recover(dev);
+	if (ret < 0) {
+		ublk_err("%s: can't start recovery for %d\n", __func__, dev_id);
+		goto fail;
+	}
+
+	ret = ublk_start_daemon(dev, true);
 	if (ret < 0) {
 		ublk_err("%s: can't start daemon id %d, type %s\n",
 				__func__, dev_id, tgt_type);
@@ -1125,7 +1259,10 @@ static int cmd_dev_help(int argc, char *argv[])
 	printf("\t -a delete all devices -n delete specified device\n");
 	printf("%s list [-n dev_id] -a \n", argv[0]);
 	printf("\t -a list all devices, -n list specified device, default -a \n");
-
+	printf("%s recover -t {null|loop} [-n dev_id] \n",
+			argv[0]);
+	printf("\t -t loop -f backing_file \n");
+	printf("\t -t null\n");
 	return 0;
 }
 
@@ -1150,6 +1287,12 @@ static int ublk_null_tgt_init(struct ublk_dev *dev)
 	return 0;
 }
 
+static int ublk_null_tgt_recover(struct ublk_dev *dev)
+{
+	dev->tgt.dev_size = dev->tgt.params.basic.dev_sectors << 9;
+	return 0;
+}
+
 static int ublk_null_queue_io(struct ublk_queue *q, int tag)
 {
 	const struct ublksrv_io_desc *iod = ublk_get_iod(q, tag);
@@ -1313,11 +1456,54 @@ static int ublk_loop_tgt_init(struct ublk_dev *dev)
 	return 0;
 }
 
+static int ublk_loop_tgt_recover(struct ublk_dev *dev)
+{
+	static const struct option lo_longopts[] = {
+		{ "file",		1,	NULL, 'f' },
+		{ NULL }
+	};
+	char **argv = dev->tgt.argv;
+	int argc = dev->tgt.argc;
+	char *file = NULL;
+	int fd, opt;
+
+	while ((opt = getopt_long(argc, argv, "-:f:",
+				  lo_longopts, NULL)) != -1) {
+		switch (opt) {
+		case 'f':
+			file = strdup(optarg);
+			break;
+		}
+	}
+
+	ublk_dbg(UBLK_DBG_DEV, "%s: file %s\n", __func__, file);
+
+	if (!file)
+		return -EINVAL;
+
+	fd = open(file, O_RDWR);
+	if (fd < 0) {
+		ublk_err( "%s: backing file %s can't be opened\n",
+				__func__, file);
+		return -EBADF;
+	}
+
+	if (fcntl(fd, F_SETFL, O_DIRECT))
+		ublk_log("%s: ublk-loop fallback to buffered IO\n", __func__);
+
+	dev->tgt.dev_size = dev->tgt.params.basic.dev_sectors << 9;
+	dev->fds[1] = fd;
+	dev->nr_fds += 1;
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
 const struct ublk_tgt_ops tgt_ops_list[] = {
 	{
 		.name = "null",
 		.init_tgt = ublk_null_tgt_init,
 		.queue_io = ublk_null_queue_io,
+		.recover_tgt = ublk_null_tgt_recover,
 	},
 
 	{
@@ -1326,6 +1512,7 @@ const struct ublk_tgt_ops tgt_ops_list[] = {
 		.deinit_tgt = ublk_loop_tgt_deinit,
 		.queue_io = ublk_loop_queue_io,
 		.tgt_io_done = ublk_loop_io_done,
+		.recover_tgt = ublk_loop_tgt_recover,
 	},
 };
 
@@ -1359,6 +1546,8 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 		ret = cmd_dev_list(argc, argv);
 	else if (!strcmp(cmd, "help"))
 		ret = cmd_dev_help(argc, argv);
+	else if (!strcmp(cmd, "recover"))
+		ret = cmd_dev_recover(argc, argv);
 out:
 	if (ret)
 		cmd_dev_help(argc, argv);
