diff --git a/lib/libwebsockets.c b/lib/libwebsockets.c
index a4f6dad2..fc7e3579 100644
--- a/lib/libwebsockets.c
+++ b/lib/libwebsockets.c
@@ -131,6 +131,12 @@ lws_free_wsi(struct lws *wsi)
 	lws_free(wsi);
 }
 
+int
+lws_should_be_on_timeout_list(struct lws *wsi)
+{
+	return wsi->timer_active || wsi->pending_timeout;
+}
+
 void
 lws_remove_from_timeout_list(struct lws *wsi)
 {
@@ -149,9 +155,55 @@ lws_remove_from_timeout_list(struct lws *wsi)
 	/* we're out of the list, we should not point anywhere any more */
 	wsi->timeout_list_prev = NULL;
 	wsi->timeout_list = NULL;
+
 	lws_pt_unlock(pt);
 }
 
+static void
+lws_add_to_timeout_list(struct lws *wsi)
+{
+	struct lws_context_per_thread *pt = &wsi->context->pt[(int)wsi->tsi];
+
+	if (wsi->timeout_list_prev)
+		return;
+
+	/* our next guy is current first guy */
+	wsi->timeout_list = pt->timeout_list;
+	/* if there is a next guy, set his prev ptr to our next ptr */
+	if (wsi->timeout_list)
+		wsi->timeout_list->timeout_list_prev = &wsi->timeout_list;
+	/* our prev ptr is first ptr */
+	wsi->timeout_list_prev = &pt->timeout_list;
+	/* set the first guy to be us */
+	*wsi->timeout_list_prev = wsi;
+}
+
+LWS_VISIBLE void
+lws_set_timer(struct lws *wsi, int secs)
+{
+	time_t now;
+
+	if (secs < 0) {
+		wsi->timer_active = 0;
+
+		if (!lws_should_be_on_timeout_list(wsi))
+			lws_remove_from_timeout_list(wsi);
+
+		return;
+	}
+
+	time(&now);
+
+	wsi->pending_timer_limit = secs;
+	wsi->pending_timer_set = now;
+
+	if (!wsi->timer_active) {
+		wsi->timer_active = 1;
+		if (!wsi->pending_timeout)
+			lws_add_to_timeout_list(wsi);
+	}
+}
+
 LWS_VISIBLE void
 lws_set_timeout(struct lws *wsi, enum pending_timeout reason, int secs)
 {
@@ -169,17 +221,8 @@ lws_set_timeout(struct lws *wsi, enum pending_timeout reason, int secs)
 
 	time(&now);
 
-	if (reason && !wsi->timeout_list_prev) {
-		/* our next guy is current first guy */
-		wsi->timeout_list = pt->timeout_list;
-		/* if there is a next guy, set his prev ptr to our next ptr */
-		if (wsi->timeout_list)
-			wsi->timeout_list->timeout_list_prev = &wsi->timeout_list;
-		/* our prev ptr is first ptr */
-		wsi->timeout_list_prev = &pt->timeout_list;
-		/* set the first guy to be us */
-		*wsi->timeout_list_prev = wsi;
-	}
+	if (reason)
+		lws_add_to_timeout_list(wsi);
 
 	lwsl_debug("%s: %p: %d secs\n", __func__, wsi, secs);
 	wsi->pending_timeout_limit = secs;
@@ -188,7 +231,7 @@ lws_set_timeout(struct lws *wsi, enum pending_timeout reason, int secs)
 
 	lws_pt_unlock(pt);
 
-	if (!reason)
+	if (!reason && !lws_should_be_on_timeout_list(wsi))
 		lws_remove_from_timeout_list(wsi);
 }
 
diff --git a/lib/libwebsockets.h b/lib/libwebsockets.h
index b437b8df..f7975363 100644
--- a/lib/libwebsockets.h
+++ b/lib/libwebsockets.h
@@ -1354,6 +1354,12 @@ enum lws_callback_reasons {
 	 * protocol wants to take some action with this information.
 	 * \p in is the lws_vhost and \p len is the number of days left
 	 * before it expires, as a (ssize_t) */
+	LWS_CALLBACK_TIMER					= 73,
+	/**< When the time elapsed after a call to lws_set_timer(wsi, secs)
+	 * is up, the wsi will get one of these callbacks.  The deadline
+	 * can be continuously extended into the future by later calls
+	 * to lws_set_timer() before the deadline expires, or cancelled by
+	 * lws_set_timer(wsi, -1); */
 
 	/****** add new things just above ---^ ******/
 
@@ -4404,6 +4410,22 @@ enum pending_timeout {
  */
 LWS_VISIBLE LWS_EXTERN void
 lws_set_timeout(struct lws *wsi, enum pending_timeout reason, int secs);
+
+/**
+ * lws_set_timer() - schedules a callback on the wsi in the future
+ *
+ * \param wsi:	Websocket connection instance
+ * \param secs:	-1 removes any existing scheduled callback, otherwise the
+ *		number of seconds in the future the callback will occur at.
+ *
+ * When the deadline expires, the wsi will get a callback of type
+ * LWS_CALLBACK_TIMER and the timer is exhausted.  The deadline may be
+ * continuously deferred by further calls to lws_set_timer() with a later
+ * deadline, or cancelled by lws_set_timer(wsi, -1)
+ */
+LWS_VISIBLE LWS_EXTERN void
+lws_set_timer(struct lws *wsi, int secs);
+
 ///@}
 
 /*! \defgroup sending-data Sending data
diff --git a/lib/private-libwebsockets.h b/lib/private-libwebsockets.h
index 9ce8a73d..e4764995 100644
--- a/lib/private-libwebsockets.h
+++ b/lib/private-libwebsockets.h
@@ -1831,6 +1831,7 @@ struct lws {
 #endif
 	const struct lws_protocols *protocol;
 	struct lws **same_vh_protocol_prev, *same_vh_protocol_next;
+	/* we get on the list if either the timeout or the timer is valid */
 	struct lws *timeout_list;
 	struct lws **timeout_list_prev;
 #if defined(LWS_WITH_PEER_LIMITS)
@@ -1873,6 +1874,7 @@ struct lws {
 #endif
 #endif
 	time_t pending_timeout_set;
+	time_t pending_timer_set;
 
 	/* ints */
 	int position_in_fds_table;
@@ -1915,6 +1917,8 @@ struct lws {
 	unsigned int rxflow_will_be_applied:1;
 	unsigned int event_pipe:1;
 
+	unsigned int timer_active:1;
+
 #ifdef LWS_WITH_ACCESS_LOG
 	unsigned int access_log_pending:1;
 #endif
@@ -1944,6 +1948,7 @@ struct lws {
 	unsigned short c_port;
 #endif
 	unsigned short pending_timeout_limit;
+	unsigned short pending_timer_limit;
 
 	uint8_t state; /* enum lws_connection_states */
 	uint8_t mode; /* enum connection_mode */
@@ -2002,6 +2007,9 @@ remove_wsi_socket_from_fds(struct lws *wsi);
 LWS_EXTERN int
 lws_rxflow_cache(struct lws *wsi, unsigned char *buf, int n, int len);
 
+LWS_EXTERN int
+lws_should_be_on_timeout_list(struct lws *wsi);
+
 #ifndef LWS_LATENCY
 static inline void
 lws_latency(struct lws_context *context, struct lws *wsi, const char *action,
diff --git a/lib/service.c b/lib/service.c
index cd13aa12..5b9c4206 100644
--- a/lib/service.c
+++ b/lib/service.c
@@ -579,14 +579,36 @@ lws_service_timeout_check(struct lws *wsi, time_t sec)
 	if (lws_ext_cb_active(wsi, LWS_EXT_CB_1HZ, NULL, sec) < 0)
 		return 0;
 
-	if (!wsi->pending_timeout)
-		return 0;
+	/*
+	 * is there a timer callback we should be doing?
+	 */
+
+	if (wsi->timer_active &&
+	    lws_compare_time_t(wsi->context, sec, wsi->pending_timer_set) >
+	    wsi->pending_timer_limit) {
+		wsi->timer_active = 0;
+
+		if (wsi->protocol &&
+		    wsi->protocol->callback(wsi, LWS_CALLBACK_TIMER,
+					    wsi->user_space, NULL, 0)) {
+			lws_close_free_wsi(wsi, LWS_CLOSE_STATUS_NOSTATUS);
+
+					return 1;
+		}
+
+		if (!lws_should_be_on_timeout_list(wsi)) {
+			lws_remove_from_timeout_list(wsi);
+
+			return 0;
+		}
+	}
 
 	/*
 	 * if we went beyond the allowed time, kill the
 	 * connection
 	 */
-	if (lws_compare_time_t(wsi->context, sec, wsi->pending_timeout_set) >
+	if (wsi->pending_timeout &&
+	    lws_compare_time_t(wsi->context, sec, wsi->pending_timeout_set) >
 	    wsi->pending_timeout_limit) {
 
 		if (wsi->desc.sockfd != LWS_SOCK_INVALID &&
diff --git a/plugins/protocol_dumb_increment.c b/plugins/protocol_dumb_increment.c
index c5467b6d..258ac2b9 100644
--- a/plugins/protocol_dumb_increment.c
+++ b/plugins/protocol_dumb_increment.c
@@ -91,6 +91,8 @@ callback_dumb_increment(struct lws *wsi, enum lws_callback_reasons reason,
 
 	case LWS_CALLBACK_ESTABLISHED:
 		pss->number = 0;
+		/* just to test the timer api */
+		// lws_set_timer(wsi, 3);
 		break;
 
 	case LWS_CALLBACK_SERVER_WRITEABLE:
@@ -115,6 +117,11 @@ callback_dumb_increment(struct lws *wsi, enum lws_callback_reasons reason,
 		}
 		break;
 
+	case LWS_CALLBACK_TIMER:
+		lwsl_notice("%s: LWS_CALLBACK_TIMER\n", __func__);
+		lws_set_timer(wsi, 3);
+		break;
+
 	default:
 		break;
 	}
diff --git a/test-apps/test-server-dumb-increment.c b/test-apps/test-server-dumb-increment.c
index dc2548b5..5b58316c 100644
--- a/test-apps/test-server-dumb-increment.c
+++ b/test-apps/test-server-dumb-increment.c
@@ -35,6 +35,8 @@ callback_dumb_increment(struct lws *wsi, enum lws_callback_reasons reason,
 
 	case LWS_CALLBACK_ESTABLISHED:
 		pss->number = 0;
+		/* just to test the timer api */
+		lws_set_timer(wsi, 3);
 		break;
 
 	case LWS_CALLBACK_SERVER_WRITEABLE:
@@ -62,6 +64,12 @@ callback_dumb_increment(struct lws *wsi, enum lws_callback_reasons reason,
 			return -1;
 		}
 		break;
+
+	case LWS_CALLBACK_TIMER:
+		lwsl_notice("%s: LWS_CALLBACK_TIMER\n", __func__);
+		lws_set_timer(wsi, 3);
+		break;
+
 	/*
 	 * this just demonstrates how to use the protocol filter. If you won't
 	 * study and reject connections based on header content, you don't need