diff --git a/MAINTAINERS b/MAINTAINERS
index 9a8d1bdf72..be8fc57538 100644
--- a/MAINTAINERS
+++ b/MAINTAINERS
@@ -3079,6 +3079,8 @@ M: Riku Voipio <riku.voipio@iki.fi>
 S: Maintained
 F: thunk.c
 F: accel/tcg/user-exec*.c
+F: include/user/
+F: common-user/
 
 BSD user
 M: Warner Losh <imp@bsdimp.com>
diff --git a/bsd-user/meson.build b/bsd-user/meson.build
index 87885d91ed..25c3976ead 100644
--- a/bsd-user/meson.build
+++ b/bsd-user/meson.build
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@ if not have_bsd_user
    subdir_done()
 endif
 
+common_user_inc += include_directories('.')
+
 bsd_user_ss.add(files(
   'bsdload.c',
   'elfload.c',
diff --git a/linux-user/host/aarch64/safe-syscall.inc.S b/common-user/host/aarch64/safe-syscall.inc.S
similarity index 97%
rename from linux-user/host/aarch64/safe-syscall.inc.S
rename to common-user/host/aarch64/safe-syscall.inc.S
index 87c9580faa..73a04b73b3 100644
--- a/linux-user/host/aarch64/safe-syscall.inc.S
+++ b/common-user/host/aarch64/safe-syscall.inc.S
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 /*
  * safe-syscall.inc.S : host-specific assembly fragment
  * to handle signals occurring at the same time as system calls.
- * This is intended to be included by linux-user/safe-syscall.S
+ * This is intended to be included by common-user/safe-syscall.S
  *
  * Written by Richard Henderson <rth@twiddle.net>
  * Copyright (C) 2016 Red Hat, Inc.
diff --git a/linux-user/host/arm/safe-syscall.inc.S b/common-user/host/arm/safe-syscall.inc.S
similarity index 98%
rename from linux-user/host/arm/safe-syscall.inc.S
rename to common-user/host/arm/safe-syscall.inc.S
index f1a6aabfd3..66176a902c 100644
--- a/linux-user/host/arm/safe-syscall.inc.S
+++ b/common-user/host/arm/safe-syscall.inc.S
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 /*
  * safe-syscall.inc.S : host-specific assembly fragment
  * to handle signals occurring at the same time as system calls.
- * This is intended to be included by linux-user/safe-syscall.S
+ * This is intended to be included by common-user/safe-syscall.S
  *
  * Written by Richard Henderson <rth@twiddle.net>
  * Copyright (C) 2016 Red Hat, Inc.
diff --git a/linux-user/host/i386/safe-syscall.inc.S b/common-user/host/i386/safe-syscall.inc.S
similarity index 98%
rename from linux-user/host/i386/safe-syscall.inc.S
rename to common-user/host/i386/safe-syscall.inc.S
index 1fb031d228..aced8c5141 100644
--- a/linux-user/host/i386/safe-syscall.inc.S
+++ b/common-user/host/i386/safe-syscall.inc.S
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 /*
  * safe-syscall.inc.S : host-specific assembly fragment
  * to handle signals occurring at the same time as system calls.
- * This is intended to be included by linux-user/safe-syscall.S
+ * This is intended to be included by common-user/safe-syscall.S
  *
  * Written by Richard Henderson <rth@twiddle.net>
  * Copyright (C) 2016 Red Hat, Inc.
diff --git a/linux-user/host/mips/safe-syscall.inc.S b/common-user/host/mips/safe-syscall.inc.S
similarity index 98%
rename from linux-user/host/mips/safe-syscall.inc.S
rename to common-user/host/mips/safe-syscall.inc.S
index e9362e774d..fc75a337d1 100644
--- a/linux-user/host/mips/safe-syscall.inc.S
+++ b/common-user/host/mips/safe-syscall.inc.S
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 /*
  * safe-syscall.inc.S : host-specific assembly fragment
  * to handle signals occurring at the same time as system calls.
- * This is intended to be included by linux-user/safe-syscall.S
+ * This is intended to be included by common-user/safe-syscall.S
  *
  * Written by Richard Henderson <richard.henderson@linaro.org>
  * Copyright (C) 2021 Linaro, Inc.
diff --git a/linux-user/host/ppc64/safe-syscall.inc.S b/common-user/host/ppc64/safe-syscall.inc.S
similarity index 98%
rename from linux-user/host/ppc64/safe-syscall.inc.S
rename to common-user/host/ppc64/safe-syscall.inc.S
index 69d3c70094..947a850dfd 100644
--- a/linux-user/host/ppc64/safe-syscall.inc.S
+++ b/common-user/host/ppc64/safe-syscall.inc.S
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 /*
  * safe-syscall.inc.S : host-specific assembly fragment
  * to handle signals occurring at the same time as system calls.
- * This is intended to be included by linux-user/safe-syscall.S
+ * This is intended to be included by common-user/safe-syscall.S
  *
  * Written by Richard Henderson <rth@twiddle.net>
  * Copyright (C) 2016 Red Hat, Inc.
diff --git a/linux-user/host/riscv/safe-syscall.inc.S b/common-user/host/riscv/safe-syscall.inc.S
similarity index 97%
rename from linux-user/host/riscv/safe-syscall.inc.S
rename to common-user/host/riscv/safe-syscall.inc.S
index ca456d8a46..dfe83c300e 100644
--- a/linux-user/host/riscv/safe-syscall.inc.S
+++ b/common-user/host/riscv/safe-syscall.inc.S
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 /*
  * safe-syscall.inc.S : host-specific assembly fragment
  * to handle signals occurring at the same time as system calls.
- * This is intended to be included by linux-user/safe-syscall.S
+ * This is intended to be included by common-user/safe-syscall.S
  *
  * Written by Richard Henderson <rth@twiddle.net>
  * Copyright (C) 2018 Linaro, Inc.
diff --git a/linux-user/host/s390x/safe-syscall.inc.S b/common-user/host/s390x/safe-syscall.inc.S
similarity index 98%
rename from linux-user/host/s390x/safe-syscall.inc.S
rename to common-user/host/s390x/safe-syscall.inc.S
index 66f84385a2..2ccbaa2402 100644
--- a/linux-user/host/s390x/safe-syscall.inc.S
+++ b/common-user/host/s390x/safe-syscall.inc.S
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 /*
  * safe-syscall.inc.S : host-specific assembly fragment
  * to handle signals occurring at the same time as system calls.
- * This is intended to be included by linux-user/safe-syscall.S
+ * This is intended to be included by common-user/safe-syscall.S
  *
  * Written by Richard Henderson <rth@twiddle.net>
  * Copyright (C) 2016 Red Hat, Inc.
diff --git a/linux-user/host/sparc64/safe-syscall.inc.S b/common-user/host/sparc64/safe-syscall.inc.S
similarity index 97%
rename from linux-user/host/sparc64/safe-syscall.inc.S
rename to common-user/host/sparc64/safe-syscall.inc.S
index f4b3c0f9ae..a2f2b9c967 100644
--- a/linux-user/host/sparc64/safe-syscall.inc.S
+++ b/common-user/host/sparc64/safe-syscall.inc.S
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 /*
  * safe-syscall.inc.S : host-specific assembly fragment
  * to handle signals occurring at the same time as system calls.
- * This is intended to be included by linux-user/safe-syscall.S
+ * This is intended to be included by common-user/safe-syscall.S
  *
  * Written by Richard Henderson <richard.henderson@linaro.org>
  * Copyright (C) 2021 Linaro, Inc.
diff --git a/linux-user/host/x86_64/safe-syscall.inc.S b/common-user/host/x86_64/safe-syscall.inc.S
similarity index 98%
rename from linux-user/host/x86_64/safe-syscall.inc.S
rename to common-user/host/x86_64/safe-syscall.inc.S
index f88cbe1347..84fed206f9 100644
--- a/linux-user/host/x86_64/safe-syscall.inc.S
+++ b/common-user/host/x86_64/safe-syscall.inc.S
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 /*
  * safe-syscall.inc.S : host-specific assembly fragment
  * to handle signals occurring at the same time as system calls.
- * This is intended to be included by linux-user/safe-syscall.S
+ * This is intended to be included by common-user/safe-syscall.S
  *
  * Copyright (C) 2015 Timothy Edward Baldwin <T.E.Baldwin99@members.leeds.ac.uk>
  *
diff --git a/common-user/meson.build b/common-user/meson.build
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5cb42bc664
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common-user/meson.build
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+common_user_inc += include_directories('host/' / host_arch)
+
+common_user_ss.add(files(
+  'safe-syscall.S',
+  'safe-syscall-error.c',
+))
diff --git a/linux-user/safe-syscall-error.c b/common-user/safe-syscall-error.c
similarity index 95%
rename from linux-user/safe-syscall-error.c
rename to common-user/safe-syscall-error.c
index 55d95ac39a..cf74b504f8 100644
--- a/linux-user/safe-syscall-error.c
+++ b/common-user/safe-syscall-error.c
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  */
 
 #include "qemu/osdep.h"
-#include "safe-syscall.h"
+#include "user/safe-syscall.h"
 
 /*
  * This is intended to be invoked via tail-call on the error path
diff --git a/linux-user/safe-syscall.S b/common-user/safe-syscall.S
similarity index 100%
rename from linux-user/safe-syscall.S
rename to common-user/safe-syscall.S
diff --git a/linux-user/safe-syscall.h b/include/user/safe-syscall.h
similarity index 100%
rename from linux-user/safe-syscall.h
rename to include/user/safe-syscall.h
diff --git a/linux-user/meson.build b/linux-user/meson.build
index 94ac3c58ce..eef1dd68bd 100644
--- a/linux-user/meson.build
+++ b/linux-user/meson.build
@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@ if not have_linux_user
    subdir_done()
 endif
 
+common_user_inc += include_directories('host/' / host_arch)
+common_user_inc += include_directories('.')
+
 linux_user_ss.add(files(
   'elfload.c',
   'exit.c',
@@ -9,8 +12,6 @@ linux_user_ss.add(files(
   'linuxload.c',
   'main.c',
   'mmap.c',
-  'safe-syscall.S',
-  'safe-syscall-error.c',
   'signal.c',
   'strace.c',
   'syscall.c',
diff --git a/linux-user/signal.c b/linux-user/signal.c
index 12b1705287..510db73c34 100644
--- a/linux-user/signal.c
+++ b/linux-user/signal.c
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@
 #include "trace.h"
 #include "signal-common.h"
 #include "host-signal.h"
-#include "safe-syscall.h"
+#include "user/safe-syscall.h"
 
 static struct target_sigaction sigact_table[TARGET_NSIG];
 
diff --git a/linux-user/syscall.c b/linux-user/syscall.c
index f5bf6d155c..56a3e17183 100644
--- a/linux-user/syscall.c
+++ b/linux-user/syscall.c
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@
 #include "signal-common.h"
 #include "loader.h"
 #include "user-mmap.h"
-#include "safe-syscall.h"
+#include "user/safe-syscall.h"
 #include "qemu/guest-random.h"
 #include "qemu/selfmap.h"
 #include "user/syscall-trace.h"
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 2495360fd0..4e0a8033f7 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -2378,6 +2378,7 @@ block_ss = ss.source_set()
 bsd_user_ss = ss.source_set()
 chardev_ss = ss.source_set()
 common_ss = ss.source_set()
+common_user_ss = ss.source_set()
 crypto_ss = ss.source_set()
 hwcore_ss = ss.source_set()
 io_ss = ss.source_set()
@@ -2622,15 +2623,30 @@ subdir('tcg')
 subdir('fpu')
 subdir('accel')
 subdir('plugins')
+subdir('ebpf')
+
+common_user_inc = []
+
+subdir('common-user')
 subdir('bsd-user')
 subdir('linux-user')
-subdir('ebpf')
 
 specific_ss.add_all(when: 'CONFIG_BSD_USER', if_true: bsd_user_ss)
 
 linux_user_ss.add(files('thunk.c'))
 specific_ss.add_all(when: 'CONFIG_LINUX_USER', if_true: linux_user_ss)
 
+common_user_ss = common_user_ss.apply(config_all, strict: false)
+common_user = static_library('common-user',
+                             sources: common_user_ss.sources(),
+                             dependencies: common_user_ss.dependencies(),
+                             include_directories: common_user_inc,
+                             name_suffix: 'fa',
+                             build_by_default: false)
+common_user = declare_dependency(link_with: common_user)
+
+user_ss.add(common_user)
+
 # needed for fuzzing binaries
 subdir('tests/qtest/libqos')
 subdir('tests/qtest/fuzz')