diff --git a/src/calibre/gui2/listener.py b/src/calibre/gui2/listener.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4caccb868b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/calibre/gui2/listener.py
@@ -0,0 +1,149 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+# vim:fileencoding=utf-8
+# License: GPL v3 Copyright: 2020, Kovid Goyal <kovid at kovidgoyal.net>
+
+import errno
+import os
+import socket
+from contextlib import closing
+from functools import partial
+from itertools import count
+from PyQt5.Qt import (
+    QAbstractSocket, QByteArray, QLocalServer, QLocalSocket, pyqtSignal
+)
+
+from calibre.utils.ipc import gui_socket_address
+
+
+def unix_socket(timeout=10):
+    ans = socket.socket(socket.AF_UNIX)
+    ans.settimeout(timeout)
+    return ans
+
+
+class Listener(QLocalServer):
+
+    message_received = pyqtSignal(object)
+
+    def __init__(self, address=None, parent=None):
+        QLocalServer.__init__(self, parent)
+        self.address = address or gui_socket_address()
+        self.uses_filesystem = self.address[0] not in '\0\\'
+        self.setSocketOptions(QLocalServer.UserAccessOption)
+        self.newConnection.connect(self.on_new_connection)
+        self.connection_id = count()
+        self.pending_messages = {}
+
+    def start_listening(self):
+        if self.address.startswith('\0'):
+            s = unix_socket()
+            s.bind(self.address)
+            s.listen(16)
+            if not self.listen(s.detach()):
+                raise OSError(f'Could not start Listener for IPC at address @{self.address[1:]} with error: {self.errorString()}')
+        else:
+            if not self.listen(self.address):
+                if self.serverError() == QAbstractSocket.AddressInUseError and self.uses_filesystem:
+                    self.removeServer(self.address)
+                    if self.listen(self.address):
+                        return
+                code = self.serverError()
+                if code == QAbstractSocket.AddressInUseError:
+                    raise OSError(errno.EADDRINUSE, os.strerror(errno.EADDRINUSE), self.address)
+                raise OSError(f'Could not start Listener for IPC at address {self.address} with error: {self.errorString()}')
+
+    def on_new_connection(self):
+        while True:
+            s = self.nextPendingConnection()
+            if s is None:
+                break
+            cid = next(self.connection_id)
+            self.pending_messages[cid] = b''
+            s.readyRead.connect(partial(self.on_ready_read, cid, s))
+            s.disconnected.connect(partial(self.on_disconnect, cid, s))
+
+    def on_ready_read(self, connection_id, q_local_socket):
+        num = q_local_socket.bytesAvailable()
+        if num > 0:
+            self.pending_messages[connection_id] += bytes(q_local_socket.readAll())
+
+    def on_disconnect(self, connection_id, q_local_socket):
+        self.on_ready_read(connection_id, q_local_socket)
+        q_local_socket.close()
+        q_local_socket.readyRead.disconnect()
+        q_local_socket.disconnected.disconnect()
+        q_local_socket.deleteLater()
+        self.message_received.emit(self.pending_messages.pop(connection_id, b''))
+
+
+def send_message_implementation(msg, address=None, timeout=5):
+    address = address or gui_socket_address()
+    if isinstance(msg, str):
+        msg = msg.encode('utf-8')
+    s = QLocalSocket()
+    qt_timeout = int(timeout * 1000)
+    if address.startswith('\0'):
+        ps = unix_socket(timeout)
+        ps.connect(address)
+        s.setSocketDescriptor(ps.detach())
+    else:
+        s.connectToServer(address)
+        if not s.waitForConnected(qt_timeout):
+            raise OSError(f'Failed to connect to Listener at: {address}')
+    data = QByteArray(msg)
+    while True:
+        written = s.write(data)
+        if not s.waitForBytesWritten(qt_timeout):
+            raise OSError(f'Failed to write data to address: {s.serverName()} with error: {s.errorString()}')
+        if written >= len(data):
+            break
+        data = data.right(len(data) - written)
+
+
+def send_message(msg, address=None, timeout=5, wait_till_sent=False):
+    # On Windows sending a message in a process that does anything non-trivial
+    # like running a Qt Event loop deadlocks, so we do the actual sending in
+    # a simple worker process
+    import json
+    import subprocess
+
+    from calibre.startup import get_debug_executable
+    cmd = get_debug_executable() + [
+        '-c', 'from calibre.gui2.listener import *; import sys, json;'
+        'send_message_implementation(sys.stdin.buffer.read(), address=json.loads(sys.argv[-2]), timeout=int(sys.argv[-1]))',
+        json.dumps(address), str(timeout)]
+    p = subprocess.Popen(cmd, stdin=subprocess.PIPE)
+    if isinstance(msg, str):
+        msg = msg.encode('utf-8')
+    with closing(p.stdin):
+        p.stdin.write(msg)
+    if wait_till_sent:
+        return p.wait(timeout=timeout) == 0
+
+
+def test():
+    from PyQt5.Qt import QApplication, QLabel, QTimer
+    app = QApplication([])
+    l = QLabel()
+    l.setText('Waiting for message...')
+
+    def show_message(msg):
+        print(msg)
+        l.setText(msg.decode('utf-8'))
+
+    def send():
+        send_message('hello!', wait_till_sent=False)
+
+    QTimer.singleShot(1000, send)
+    s = Listener(parent=l)
+    s.start_listening()
+    print('Listening at:', s.serverName(), s.isListening())
+    s.message_received.connect(show_message)
+
+    l.show()
+    app.exec_()
+    del app
+
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    test()