diff --git a/components/servo/Cargo.lock b/components/servo/Cargo.lock
index 3b96c3a6577..720834f711b 100644
--- a/components/servo/Cargo.lock
+++ b/components/servo/Cargo.lock
@@ -1499,6 +1499,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "bitflags 0.3.2 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "cssparser 0.3.4 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "euclid 0.1.5 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
+ "ipc-channel 0.1.0 (git+https://github.com/pcwalton/ipc-channel)",
  "lazy_static 0.1.12 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "libc 0.1.8 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "log 0.3.1 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
diff --git a/components/util/Cargo.toml b/components/util/Cargo.toml
index a61600c8d5a..6558792b21b 100644
--- a/components/util/Cargo.toml
+++ b/components/util/Cargo.toml
@@ -25,6 +25,9 @@ git = "https://github.com/servo/rust-azure"
 version = "0.3"
 features = [ "serde-serialization" ]
 
+[dependencies.ipc-channel]
+git = "https://github.com/pcwalton/ipc-channel"
+
 [dependencies]
 log = "0.3"
 bitflags = "0.3"
diff --git a/components/util/ipc.rs b/components/util/ipc.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..090ca9c0094
--- /dev/null
+++ b/components/util/ipc.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+/* This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
+ * License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
+ * file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/. */
+
+use opts;
+
+use ipc_channel::ipc::{self, IpcSender};
+use ipc_channel::router::ROUTER;
+use serde::{Deserialize, Deserializer, Serialize, Serializer};
+use std::any::Any;
+use std::collections::HashMap;
+use std::sync::Mutex;
+use std::sync::atomic::{ATOMIC_USIZE_INIT, AtomicUsize, Ordering};
+use std::sync::mpsc::{self, Receiver, Sender};
+
+lazy_static! {
+    static ref IN_PROCESS_SENDERS: Mutex<HashMap<usize,Box<Any + Send>>> =
+        Mutex::new(HashMap::new());
+}
+
+static NEXT_SENDER_ID: AtomicUsize = ATOMIC_USIZE_INIT;
+
+pub enum OptionalIpcSender<T> where T: Deserialize + Serialize + Send + Any {
+    OutOfProcess(IpcSender<T>),
+    InProcess(Sender<T>),
+}
+
+impl<T> OptionalIpcSender<T> where T: Deserialize + Serialize + Send + Any {
+    pub fn send(&self, value: T) -> Result<(),()> {
+        match *self {
+            OptionalIpcSender::OutOfProcess(ref ipc_sender) => ipc_sender.send(value),
+            OptionalIpcSender::InProcess(ref sender) => sender.send(value).map_err(|_| ()),
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl<T> Deserialize for OptionalIpcSender<T> where T: Deserialize + Serialize + Send + Any {
+    fn deserialize<D>(deserializer: &mut D)
+                      -> Result<OptionalIpcSender<T>,D::Error> where D: Deserializer {
+        if opts::get().multiprocess {
+            return Ok(OptionalIpcSender::OutOfProcess(try!(Deserialize::deserialize(
+                            deserializer))))
+        }
+        let id: usize = try!(Deserialize::deserialize(deserializer));
+        let sender = (*IN_PROCESS_SENDERS.lock()
+                                         .unwrap()
+                                         .remove(&id)
+                                         .unwrap()
+                                         .downcast_ref::<Sender<T>>()
+                                         .unwrap()).clone();
+        Ok(OptionalIpcSender::InProcess(sender))
+     }
+}
+
+impl<T> Serialize for OptionalIpcSender<T> where T: Deserialize + Serialize + Send + Any {
+    fn serialize<S>(&self, serializer: &mut S) -> Result<(),S::Error> where S: Serializer {
+        match *self {
+            OptionalIpcSender::OutOfProcess(ref ipc_sender) => ipc_sender.serialize(serializer),
+            OptionalIpcSender::InProcess(ref sender) => {
+                let id = NEXT_SENDER_ID.fetch_add(1, Ordering::SeqCst);
+                IN_PROCESS_SENDERS.lock()
+                                  .unwrap()
+                                  .insert(id, Box::new((*sender).clone()) as Box<Any + Send>);
+                id.serialize(serializer)
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+pub fn optional_ipc_channel<T>() -> (OptionalIpcSender<T>, Receiver<T>)
+                                 where T: Deserialize + Serialize + Send + Any {
+    if opts::get().multiprocess {
+        let (ipc_sender, ipc_receiver) = ipc::channel().unwrap();
+        let receiver = ROUTER.route_ipc_receiver_to_new_mpsc_receiver(ipc_receiver);
+        (OptionalIpcSender::OutOfProcess(ipc_sender), receiver)
+    } else {
+        let (sender, receiver) = mpsc::channel();
+        (OptionalIpcSender::InProcess(sender), receiver)
+    }
+}
+
diff --git a/components/util/lib.rs b/components/util/lib.rs
index b108c516acc..8db4b17f5ec 100644
--- a/components/util/lib.rs
+++ b/components/util/lib.rs
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ extern crate alloc;
 #[macro_use] extern crate cssparser;
 extern crate euclid;
 extern crate getopts;
+extern crate ipc_channel;
 extern crate libc;
 extern crate num as num_lib;
 extern crate num_cpus;
@@ -49,6 +50,7 @@ pub mod debug_utils;
 pub mod deque;
 pub mod linked_list;
 pub mod geometry;
+pub mod ipc;
 pub mod logical_geometry;
 pub mod mem;
 pub mod opts;
diff --git a/components/util/opts.rs b/components/util/opts.rs
index c8f65c97e54..efc580bd5e6 100644
--- a/components/util/opts.rs
+++ b/components/util/opts.rs
@@ -132,6 +132,9 @@ pub struct Opts {
     /// An optional string allowing the user agent to be set for testing.
     pub user_agent: Option<String>,
 
+    /// Whether to run in multiprocess mode.
+    pub multiprocess: bool,
+
     /// Dumps the flow tree after a layout.
     pub dump_flow_tree: bool,
 
@@ -251,6 +254,7 @@ pub fn default_opts() -> Opts {
         webdriver_port: None,
         initial_window_size: Size2D::typed(800, 600),
         user_agent: None,
+        multiprocess: false,
         dump_flow_tree: false,
         dump_display_list: false,
         dump_display_list_json: false,
@@ -291,6 +295,7 @@ pub fn from_cmdline_args(args: &[String]) {
         getopts::optflagopt("", "webdriver", "Start remote WebDriver server on port", "7000"),
         getopts::optopt("", "resolution", "Set window resolution.", "800x600"),
         getopts::optopt("u", "user-agent", "Set custom user agent string", "NCSA Mosaic/1.0 (X11;SunOS 4.1.4 sun4m)"),
+        getopts::optflag("M", "multiprocess", "Run in multiprocess mode"),
         getopts::optopt("Z", "debug",
                         "A comma-separated string of debug options. Pass help to show available options.", ""),
         getopts::optflag("h", "help", "Print this message"),
@@ -421,6 +426,7 @@ pub fn from_cmdline_args(args: &[String]) {
         webdriver_port: webdriver_port,
         initial_window_size: initial_window_size,
         user_agent: opt_match.opt_str("u"),
+        multiprocess: opt_match.opt_present("M"),
         show_debug_borders: debug_options.contains(&"show-compositor-borders"),
         show_debug_fragment_borders: debug_options.contains(&"show-fragment-borders"),
         show_debug_parallel_paint: debug_options.contains(&"show-parallel-paint"),