diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 38fb5a09b..ce356c7b1 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -788,6 +788,7 @@ CHECK_FUNCTION_EXISTS(atoll LWS_HAVE_ATOLL)
 CHECK_FUNCTION_EXISTS(_atoi64 LWS_HAVE__ATOI64)
 CHECK_FUNCTION_EXISTS(_stat32i64 LWS_HAVE__STAT32I64)
 CHECK_FUNCTION_EXISTS(clock_gettime LWS_HAVE_CLOCK_GETTIME)
+CHECK_FUNCTION_EXISTS(eventfd LWS_HAVE_EVENTFD)
 
 if (NOT LWS_HAVE_GETIFADDRS)
 	if (LWS_WITHOUT_BUILTIN_GETIFADDRS)
diff --git a/cmake/lws_config.h.in b/cmake/lws_config.h.in
index 16c68dcf5..dbb5701a7 100644
--- a/cmake/lws_config.h.in
+++ b/cmake/lws_config.h.in
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@
 #cmakedefine LWS_HAVE_NEW_UV_VERSION_H
 #cmakedefine LWS_HAVE_OPENSSL_ECDH_H
 #cmakedefine LWS_HAVE_PIPE2
+#cmakedefine LWS_HAVE_EVENTFD
 #cmakedefine LWS_HAVE_PTHREAD_H
 #cmakedefine LWS_HAVE_RSA_SET0_KEY
 #cmakedefine LWS_HAVE_RSA_verify_pss_mgf1
diff --git a/lib/plat/unix/private.h b/lib/plat/unix/private.h
index 73fdfbb60..5b3281d64 100644
--- a/lib/plat/unix/private.h
+++ b/lib/plat/unix/private.h
@@ -43,6 +43,9 @@
 #include <sys/time.h>
 #include <sys/mman.h>
 #include <sys/un.h>
+#if defined(LWS_HAVE_EVENTFD)
+#include <sys/eventfd.h>
+#endif
 
 #if defined(__APPLE__)
 #include <machine/endian.h>
diff --git a/lib/plat/unix/unix-pipe.c b/lib/plat/unix/unix-pipe.c
index 64ce253be..f6d3d40c8 100644
--- a/lib/plat/unix/unix-pipe.c
+++ b/lib/plat/unix/unix-pipe.c
@@ -27,8 +27,11 @@ int
 lws_plat_pipe_create(struct lws *wsi)
 {
 	struct lws_context_per_thread *pt = &wsi->context->pt[(int)wsi->tsi];
-
-#if defined(LWS_HAVE_PIPE2)
+#if defined(LWS_HAVE_EVENTFD)
+	pt->dummy_pipe_fds[0] = eventfd(0, EFD_CLOEXEC|EFD_NONBLOCK);
+	pt->dummy_pipe_fds[1] = -1;
+	return pt->dummy_pipe_fds[0]<0?-1:0;
+#elif defined(LWS_HAVE_PIPE2)
 	return pipe2(pt->dummy_pipe_fds, O_NONBLOCK);
 #else
 	return pipe(pt->dummy_pipe_fds);
@@ -39,12 +42,17 @@ int
 lws_plat_pipe_signal(struct lws *wsi)
 {
 	struct lws_context_per_thread *pt = &wsi->context->pt[(int)wsi->tsi];
+#if defined(LWS_HAVE_EVENTFD)
+	eventfd_t value = 1;
+	return eventfd_write(pt->dummy_pipe_fds[0], value);
+#else
 	char buf = 0;
 	int n;
 
 	n = write(pt->dummy_pipe_fds[1], &buf, 1);
 
 	return n != 1;
+#endif
 }
 
 void
diff --git a/lib/roles/pipe/ops-pipe.c b/lib/roles/pipe/ops-pipe.c
index 012050b0a..88aab5f24 100644
--- a/lib/roles/pipe/ops-pipe.c
+++ b/lib/roles/pipe/ops-pipe.c
@@ -25,7 +25,11 @@ static int
 rops_handle_POLLIN_pipe(struct lws_context_per_thread *pt, struct lws *wsi,
 			struct lws_pollfd *pollfd)
 {
-#if !defined(WIN32) && !defined(_WIN32)
+#if defined(LWS_HAVE_EVENTFD)
+	eventfd_t value;
+	if (eventfd_read(wsi->desc.sockfd, &value) < 0)
+		return LWS_HPI_RET_PLEASE_CLOSE_ME;
+#elif !defined(WIN32) && !defined(_WIN32)
 	char s[100];
 	int n;