diff --git a/arch/lkl/Kconfig b/arch/lkl/Kconfig
index 28019d31a2b212..02b053dfc5d184 100644
--- a/arch/lkl/Kconfig
+++ b/arch/lkl/Kconfig
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ config LKL
        select IPV6_ADVANCED_ROUTER
        select ARCH_NO_COHERENT_DMA_MMAP
        select HAVE_MEMBLOCK
+       select HAVE_COPY_THREAD_TLS
        select NO_BOOTMEM
 
 config OUTPUT_FORMAT
diff --git a/arch/lkl/include/asm/sched.h b/arch/lkl/include/asm/sched.h
index da7376363e6f97..be2bf1bc74baeb 100644
--- a/arch/lkl/include/asm/sched.h
+++ b/arch/lkl/include/asm/sched.h
@@ -25,4 +25,6 @@ struct task_struct* lkl_get_current_task_struct(void);
 
 int host_task_stub(void *unused);
 
+extern struct lkl_tls_key *task_key;
+
 #endif /*  _ASM_LKL_SCHED_H */
diff --git a/arch/lkl/include/asm/syscalls.h b/arch/lkl/include/asm/syscalls.h
index 333e9393ec3d3d..9ff23054a37ec4 100644
--- a/arch/lkl/include/asm/syscalls.h
+++ b/arch/lkl/include/asm/syscalls.h
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@ void wakeup_idle_host_task(void);
 
 #define sys_mmap sys_mmap_pgoff
 #define sys_mmap2 sys_mmap_pgoff
-#define sys_clone sys_ni_syscall
 #define sys_vfork sys_ni_syscall
 #define sys_rt_sigreturn sys_ni_syscall
 
diff --git a/arch/lkl/include/asm/thread_info.h b/arch/lkl/include/asm/thread_info.h
index 79a6b781d2c07a..1022ebd55815e7 100644
--- a/arch/lkl/include/asm/thread_info.h
+++ b/arch/lkl/include/asm/thread_info.h
@@ -23,6 +23,12 @@ struct thread_info {
 	lkl_thread_t tid;
 	struct task_struct *prev_sched;
 	unsigned long stackend;
+	/* The return address from the currently executing syscall. Invalid when
+	 * the thread is not executing a syscall. */
+	void *syscall_ret;
+	/* The task for any child that was created during syscall execution.  Only
+	 * valid on return from a clone-family syscall. */
+	struct task_struct *cloned_child;
 };
 
 #define INIT_THREAD_INFO(tsk)				\
@@ -57,6 +63,7 @@ void threads_cleanup(void);
 #define TIF_SCHED_JB			7
 #define TIF_HOST_THREAD			8
 #define TIF_NO_TERMINATION		9 // Do not terminate LKL on exit
+#define TIF_CLONED_HOST_THREAD		10 // This is a host thread created via a clone-family call.
 
 #define __HAVE_THREAD_FUNCTIONS
 
diff --git a/arch/lkl/include/uapi/asm/host_ops.h b/arch/lkl/include/uapi/asm/host_ops.h
index c3cc05e11b0dcc..1b6360958cafff 100644
--- a/arch/lkl/include/uapi/asm/host_ops.h
+++ b/arch/lkl/include/uapi/asm/host_ops.h
@@ -56,6 +56,13 @@ struct ucontext;
  *
  * @thread_create - create a new thread and run f(arg) in its context; returns a
  * thread handle or 0 if the thread could not be created
+ * @thread_create_host - create a new thread as the result of a fork-like call
+ * and initialises its register set to the provided program counter, stack
+ * pointer, and TLS area; returns a thread handle or 0 if the thread could not
+ * be created
+ * @thread_destroy_host - destroys the state associated with a host thread that
+ * has exited via an exit system call.  The task_key argument is the TLS
+ * variable containing the task.  The destructor for this must not be run.
  * @thread_detach - on POSIX systems, free up resources held by
  * pthreads. Noop on Win32.
  * @thread_exit - terminates the current thread
@@ -119,6 +126,11 @@ struct lkl_host_operations {
 	void (*mutex_unlock)(struct lkl_mutex *mutex);
 
 	lkl_thread_t (*thread_create)(void (*f)(void *), void *arg);
+	lkl_thread_t (*thread_create_host)(void* pc, void* sp, void* tls,
+			struct lkl_tls_key* task_key, void* task_value);
+	void (*thread_destroy_host)(lkl_thread_t tid, struct lkl_tls_key*
+			task_key);
+
 	void (*thread_detach)(void);
 	void (*thread_exit)(void);
 	int (*thread_join)(lkl_thread_t tid);
diff --git a/arch/lkl/include/uapi/asm/unistd.h b/arch/lkl/include/uapi/asm/unistd.h
index b30064b1e1857d..c3cf82d4995ab7 100644
--- a/arch/lkl/include/uapi/asm/unistd.h
+++ b/arch/lkl/include/uapi/asm/unistd.h
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@
 #define __ARCH_WANT_NEW_STAT
 #define __ARCH_WANT_SET_GET_RLIMIT
 #define __ARCH_WANT_TIME32_SYSCALLS
+#define __ARCH_WANT_SYS_CLONE
+
 
 #include <asm/bitsperlong.h>
 
diff --git a/arch/lkl/kernel/syscalls.c b/arch/lkl/kernel/syscalls.c
index 0c5038c94dc535..01b0a9b88a1808 100644
--- a/arch/lkl/kernel/syscalls.c
+++ b/arch/lkl/kernel/syscalls.c
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ static void del_host_task(void *arg)
 	lkl_ops->jmp_buf_set(&ti->sched_jb, exit_task);
 }
 
-static struct lkl_tls_key *task_key;
+struct lkl_tls_key *task_key;
 
 /* Use this to record an ongoing LKL shutdown */
 _Atomic(bool) lkl_shutdown = false;
@@ -131,6 +131,7 @@ struct task_struct* lkl_get_current_task_struct(void)
 long lkl_syscall(long no, long *params)
 {
 	struct task_struct *task = host0;
+	struct thread_info *ti;
 	long ret;
 
 	LKL_TRACE(
@@ -172,6 +173,14 @@ long lkl_syscall(long no, long *params)
 		}
 	}
 
+	ti = task_thread_info(task);
+	/*
+	 * Store the return address so that it can be used in clone and similar
+	 * calls.  In conventional arch ports, this would happen for free because
+	 * the system call would capture the register state of the callee.
+	 */
+	ti->syscall_ret = __builtin_return_address(0);
+
 	LKL_TRACE("switching to host task (no=%li task=%s current=%s)\n", no,
 		  task->comm, current->comm);
 
@@ -185,6 +194,10 @@ long lkl_syscall(long no, long *params)
 	LKL_TRACE("returned from run_syscall() (no=%li task=%s current=%s)\n",
 		  no, task->comm, current->comm);
 
+	/*
+	 * Zero the return address so that nothing accidentally sees a stale value.
+	 */
+	ti->syscall_ret = 0;
 	task_work_run();
 
 	/*
@@ -201,6 +214,31 @@ long lkl_syscall(long no, long *params)
 	}
 
 out:
+	/*
+	 * If we have created a new host task, make sure that it isn't on the
+	 * scheduler queue when we return.  LKL expects that the only tasks driven
+	 * by the Linux scheduler are kernel threads.  If releasing the CPU lock
+	 * entirely and there are runnable tasks, `lkl_cpu_put` may run the
+	 * scheduler and not release the lock.  The scheduler hands the CPU lock to
+	 * the next running thread and `lkl_cpu_put` expects this to be the idle
+	 * host task (which then releases the lock).  If host tasks are scheduled,
+	 * they will be left running (and owning the CPU lock) and `lkl_cpu_put`
+	 * will return without anything having released the lock.  LKL will then
+	 * deadlock on the next system call.
+	 */
+	if (ti->cloned_child)
+	{
+		struct task_struct *child = ti->cloned_child;
+		ti->cloned_child = NULL;
+		/*
+		 * We can't change the scheduler state of a task that isn't running, so
+		 * switch to the task and then mark it as uninteruptible.
+		 */
+		switch_to_host_task(child);
+		child->state = TASK_UNINTERRUPTIBLE;
+		/* Switch back to the calling task before we return. */
+		switch_to_host_task(task);
+	}
 	lkl_cpu_put();
 
 	LKL_TRACE("done (no=%li task=%s current=%s ret=%i)\n", no,
diff --git a/arch/lkl/kernel/threads.c b/arch/lkl/kernel/threads.c
index a5d1dc24db86e9..501eaa899047e7 100644
--- a/arch/lkl/kernel/threads.c
+++ b/arch/lkl/kernel/threads.c
@@ -74,14 +74,23 @@ static void kill_thread(struct thread_info *ti)
 		lkl_ops->sem_up(ti->sched_sem);
 		lkl_ops->thread_join(ti->tid);
 	} else {
-
+		/*
+		 * If this is a task backing a host thread created by clone, then we
+		 * need to destroy the associated host thread, but not exit LKL.
+		 */
+		if (test_ti_thread_flag(ti, TIF_CLONED_HOST_THREAD)) {
+			clear_ti_thread_flag(ti, TIF_CLONED_HOST_THREAD);
+			ti->dead = true;
+			BUG_ON(!lkl_ops->thread_destroy_host);
+			lkl_ops->thread_destroy_host(ti->tid, task_key);
+			ti->tid = 0;
 		/*
 		 * Check if the host thread was killed due to its deallocation when
 		 * the associated application thread terminated gracefully. If not,
 		 * the thread has terminated due to a SYS_exit or a signal. In this
 		 * case, we need to notify the host to initiate an LKL shutdown.
 		 */
-		if (!test_ti_thread_flag(ti, TIF_NO_TERMINATION)) {
+		} else if (!test_ti_thread_flag(ti, TIF_NO_TERMINATION)) {
 			int exit_code = task->exit_code;
 			int exit_status = exit_code >> 8;
 			int received_signal = exit_code & 255;
@@ -239,8 +248,8 @@ static void thread_bootstrap(void *_tba)
 	do_exit(0);
 }
 
-int copy_thread(unsigned long clone_flags, unsigned long esp,
-		unsigned long unused, struct task_struct *p)
+int copy_thread_tls(unsigned long clone_flags, unsigned long esp,
+		unsigned long unused, struct task_struct *p, unsigned long tls)
 {
 	LKL_TRACE("enter\n");
 
@@ -252,6 +261,31 @@ int copy_thread(unsigned long clone_flags, unsigned long esp,
 		return 0;
 	}
 
+	/*
+	 * If we are creating a new userspace thread and are in the middle of a
+	 * system call, create a new host thread coupled with this task.  The
+	 * second check is necessary because we also hit this path when lazily
+	 * binding a host thread to a new task on system call entry.
+	 */
+	void *pc = task_thread_info(current)->syscall_ret;
+	if (pc && !(p->flags & PF_KTHREAD)) {
+		/*
+		 * If we have host support for creating new threads with fine-grained
+		 * control over their initial state, use it to create a new host
+		 * thread.
+		 */
+		if (lkl_ops->thread_create_host) {
+			static unsigned long long clone_count = 0;
+			set_ti_thread_flag(ti, TIF_HOST_THREAD);
+			set_ti_thread_flag(ti, TIF_CLONED_HOST_THREAD);
+			ti->tid = lkl_ops->thread_create_host(pc, (void*)esp, (void*)tls, task_key, p);
+			snprintf(p->comm, sizeof(p->comm), "host_clone%llu", __sync_fetch_and_add(&clone_count, 1));
+			current_thread_info()->cloned_child = p;
+			return (ti->tid == 0) ? -ENOMEM : 0;
+		}
+		return -ENODEV;
+	}
+
 	tba = kmalloc(sizeof(*tba), GFP_KERNEL);
 	if (!tba)
 		return -ENOMEM;