diff --git a/Documentation/virtual/kvm/api.txt b/Documentation/virtual/kvm/api.txt
index a67fb35993fa9eabde0d6ea061b6518d41f48c98..7ca696227d3a6bf915b221ea2cc5c950804d507e 100644
--- a/Documentation/virtual/kvm/api.txt
+++ b/Documentation/virtual/kvm/api.txt
@@ -1771,6 +1771,29 @@ developer registration required to access it).
 		/* Fix the size of the union. */
 		char padding[256];
 	};
+
+	/*
+	 * shared registers between kvm and userspace.
+	 * kvm_valid_regs specifies the register classes set by the host
+	 * kvm_dirty_regs specified the register classes dirtied by userspace
+	 * struct kvm_sync_regs is architecture specific, as well as the
+	 * bits for kvm_valid_regs and kvm_dirty_regs
+	 */
+	__u64 kvm_valid_regs;
+	__u64 kvm_dirty_regs;
+	union {
+		struct kvm_sync_regs regs;
+		char padding[1024];
+	} s;
+
+If KVM_CAP_SYNC_REGS is defined, these fields allow userspace to access
+certain guest registers without having to call SET/GET_*REGS. Thus we can
+avoid some system call overhead if userspace has to handle the exit.
+Userspace can query the validity of the structure by checking
+kvm_valid_regs for specific bits. These bits are architecture specific
+and usually define the validity of a groups of registers. (e.g. one bit
+ for general purpose registers)
+
 };
 
 6. Capabilities that can be enabled
diff --git a/arch/ia64/include/asm/kvm.h b/arch/ia64/include/asm/kvm.h
index bc90c75adf6716f8423fe92935fa9fbd7be89cf2..b9f82c84f0932cff844ca97d09c3a6291c92e908 100644
--- a/arch/ia64/include/asm/kvm.h
+++ b/arch/ia64/include/asm/kvm.h
@@ -261,4 +261,8 @@ struct kvm_debug_exit_arch {
 struct kvm_guest_debug_arch {
 };
 
+/* definition of registers in kvm_run */
+struct kvm_sync_regs {
+};
+
 #endif
diff --git a/arch/powerpc/include/asm/kvm.h b/arch/powerpc/include/asm/kvm.h
index f7727d91ac6b91d26325fdbbae46cc9e7698cba2..7d9d4de057ef36e80ef08ebfc6a6403ec27c2e21 100644
--- a/arch/powerpc/include/asm/kvm.h
+++ b/arch/powerpc/include/asm/kvm.h
@@ -265,6 +265,10 @@ struct kvm_debug_exit_arch {
 struct kvm_guest_debug_arch {
 };
 
+/* definition of registers in kvm_run */
+struct kvm_sync_regs {
+};
+
 #define KVM_REG_MASK		0x001f
 #define KVM_REG_EXT_MASK	0xffe0
 #define KVM_REG_GPR		0x0000
diff --git a/arch/s390/include/asm/kvm.h b/arch/s390/include/asm/kvm.h
index 82b32a100c7ddc18f69547ca40ec946e873852c6..325560afb77e838b1c5bfd4bfaefd59688b5f28c 100644
--- a/arch/s390/include/asm/kvm.h
+++ b/arch/s390/include/asm/kvm.h
@@ -41,4 +41,7 @@ struct kvm_debug_exit_arch {
 struct kvm_guest_debug_arch {
 };
 
+/* definition of registers in kvm_run */
+struct kvm_sync_regs {
+};
 #endif
diff --git a/arch/x86/include/asm/kvm.h b/arch/x86/include/asm/kvm.h
index 4d8dcbdfc1205956c3b90b6f13d6bff021b63860..e7d1c194d27280381ae302f9d1aac2d69a872b2e 100644
--- a/arch/x86/include/asm/kvm.h
+++ b/arch/x86/include/asm/kvm.h
@@ -321,4 +321,8 @@ struct kvm_xcrs {
 	__u64 padding[16];
 };
 
+/* definition of registers in kvm_run */
+struct kvm_sync_regs {
+};
+
 #endif /* _ASM_X86_KVM_H */
diff --git a/include/linux/kvm.h b/include/linux/kvm.h
index 6cf048d9604bef8a03e637984b0ef25af090383c..245bcb3a0fcd08305fdfb0c6ace86c627adf116b 100644
--- a/include/linux/kvm.h
+++ b/include/linux/kvm.h
@@ -279,6 +279,20 @@ struct kvm_run {
 		/* Fix the size of the union. */
 		char padding[256];
 	};
+
+	/*
+	 * shared registers between kvm and userspace.
+	 * kvm_valid_regs specifies the register classes set by the host
+	 * kvm_dirty_regs specified the register classes dirtied by userspace
+	 * struct kvm_sync_regs is architecture specific, as well as the
+	 * bits for kvm_valid_regs and kvm_dirty_regs
+	 */
+	__u64 kvm_valid_regs;
+	__u64 kvm_dirty_regs;
+	union {
+		struct kvm_sync_regs regs;
+		char padding[1024];
+	} s;
 };
 
 /* for KVM_REGISTER_COALESCED_MMIO / KVM_UNREGISTER_COALESCED_MMIO */
@@ -570,6 +584,7 @@ struct kvm_ppc_pvinfo {
 #define KVM_CAP_S390_GMAP 71
 #define KVM_CAP_TSC_DEADLINE_TIMER 72
 #define KVM_CAP_S390_UCONTROL 73
+#define KVM_CAP_SYNC_REGS 74
 
 #ifdef KVM_CAP_IRQ_ROUTING