diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 71f08b5e..2c4bdfa6 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -3536,6 +3536,7 @@ name = "komorebi-transport"
 version = "0.1.42"
 dependencies = [
  "color-eyre",
+ "crossbeam-channel",
  "komorebi-protocol",
  "parking_lot",
  "tracing",
diff --git a/crates/komorebi-transport/Cargo.toml b/crates/komorebi-transport/Cargo.toml
index 18b9b4e7..6625022a 100644
--- a/crates/komorebi-transport/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/komorebi-transport/Cargo.toml
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ edition = "2024"
 [dependencies]
 komorebi-protocol = { path = "../komorebi-protocol", default-features = false }
 color-eyre = { workspace = true }
+crossbeam-channel = { workspace = true }
 tracing = { workspace = true }
 
 [target.'cfg(windows)'.dependencies]
diff --git a/crates/komorebi-transport/src/event_channel.rs b/crates/komorebi-transport/src/event_channel.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1e42c411
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/komorebi-transport/src/event_channel.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,177 @@
+use crate::LOG_TARGET;
+use crossbeam_channel::Receiver;
+use crossbeam_channel::Sender;
+use std::sync::atomic::AtomicBool;
+use std::sync::atomic::Ordering;
+
+/// A bounded channel for the events a backend raises on its own threads, which never makes a
+/// sender wait
+///
+/// [`send`](EventChannel::send) queues the event, or drops it with a warning when the channel is
+/// full, so a callback that must not block (the callbacks of the main run loop on macOS, the
+/// compositor thread on KDE) never does.
+///
+/// A channel made with [`coalescing`](EventChannel::coalescing) lets at most one event for which
+/// the predicate is true wait at a time (the steps of a drag: each says where the pointer is now,
+/// so one waiting is enough). The consumer says that it has taken that event with
+/// [`coalesced_taken`](EventChannel::coalesced_taken), at the start of handling it and not at the
+/// end, so that what comes while it is handled waits for the next round and the last step of a
+/// drag is never lost.
+///
+/// The channel remembers that an event was dropped because it was full
+/// ([`take_overflow`](EventChannel::take_overflow)). Nothing reads that yet.
+pub struct EventChannel<E> {
+    tx: Sender<E>,
+    rx: Receiver<E>,
+    coalesce: Option<fn(&E) -> bool>,
+    coalesced_waiting: AtomicBool,
+    overflowed: AtomicBool,
+}
+
+impl<E> EventChannel<E> {
+    /// A channel that holds `capacity` events and coalesces none
+    #[must_use]
+    pub fn bounded(capacity: usize) -> Self {
+        let (tx, rx) = crossbeam_channel::bounded(capacity);
+        Self {
+            tx,
+            rx,
+            coalesce: None,
+            coalesced_waiting: AtomicBool::new(false),
+            overflowed: AtomicBool::new(false),
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// A channel that holds `capacity` events, and lets one event for which `is_coalesced` is
+    /// true wait at a time
+    #[must_use]
+    pub fn coalescing(capacity: usize, is_coalesced: fn(&E) -> bool) -> Self {
+        Self {
+            coalesce: Some(is_coalesced),
+            ..Self::bounded(capacity)
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// The receiving end, for the consumer (a handle on the same channel each time)
+    #[must_use]
+    pub fn receiver(&self) -> Receiver<E> {
+        self.rx.clone()
+    }
+
+    /// Queues `event`, or drops it: without a word while another coalesced event is waiting, with
+    /// a warning when the channel is full
+    pub fn send(&self, event: E) {
+        let is_coalesced = self
+            .coalesce
+            .is_some_and(|is_coalesced| is_coalesced(&event));
+
+        if is_coalesced && self.coalesced_waiting.swap(true, Ordering::SeqCst) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        if self.tx.try_send(event).is_err() {
+            // there is nothing in the channel for an event that was not sent to wait for
+            if is_coalesced {
+                self.coalesced_taken();
+            }
+
+            self.overflowed.store(true, Ordering::SeqCst);
+            tracing::warn!(target: LOG_TARGET, "channel is full; dropping notification")
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Says that the coalesced event that was waiting is being taken, so that the next one is let
+    /// through
+    pub fn coalesced_taken(&self) {
+        self.coalesced_waiting.store(false, Ordering::SeqCst);
+    }
+
+    /// Whether an event was dropped because the channel was full since this was last asked
+    pub fn take_overflow(&self) -> bool {
+        self.overflowed.swap(false, Ordering::SeqCst)
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[derive(Debug, PartialEq)]
+    enum Event {
+        Step(i32),
+        Other(i32),
+    }
+
+    fn is_step(event: &Event) -> bool {
+        matches!(event, Event::Step(_))
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn a_step_is_let_through_when_none_is_waiting() {
+        let channel = EventChannel::coalescing(20, is_step);
+
+        channel.send(Event::Step(1));
+
+        assert_eq!(channel.receiver().try_recv(), Ok(Event::Step(1)));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn only_one_step_waits_however_many_come() {
+        let channel = EventChannel::coalescing(20, is_step);
+
+        channel.send(Event::Step(1));
+        channel.send(Event::Step(2));
+        channel.send(Event::Step(3));
+        channel.send(Event::Other(4));
+
+        let rx = channel.receiver();
+        assert_eq!(rx.try_recv(), Ok(Event::Step(1)));
+        assert_eq!(rx.try_recv(), Ok(Event::Other(4)));
+        assert!(rx.try_recv().is_err());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn a_step_that_comes_while_one_is_being_taken_is_let_through_for_after() {
+        let channel = EventChannel::coalescing(20, is_step);
+        channel.send(Event::Step(1));
+        let rx = channel.receiver();
+        assert_eq!(rx.try_recv(), Ok(Event::Step(1)));
+
+        // the consumer says that it has begun, and what comes after is the next one
+        channel.coalesced_taken();
+
+        channel.send(Event::Step(2));
+        channel.send(Event::Step(3));
+        assert_eq!(rx.try_recv(), Ok(Event::Step(2)));
+        assert!(rx.try_recv().is_err());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn without_a_predicate_every_event_is_queued() {
+        let channel = EventChannel::bounded(20);
+
+        channel.send(Event::Step(1));
+        channel.send(Event::Step(2));
+
+        assert_eq!(channel.receiver().len(), 2);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn an_event_that_does_not_fit_is_dropped_and_a_dropped_step_does_not_block_the_next() {
+        let channel = EventChannel::coalescing(2, is_step);
+        channel.send(Event::Other(1));
+        channel.send(Event::Other(2));
+        assert!(!channel.take_overflow());
+
+        // full: the step is dropped, and must not count as waiting
+        channel.send(Event::Step(3));
+        assert!(channel.take_overflow());
+        assert!(!channel.take_overflow());
+
+        let rx = channel.receiver();
+        assert_eq!(rx.try_recv(), Ok(Event::Other(1)));
+        channel.send(Event::Step(4));
+        assert_eq!(rx.try_recv(), Ok(Event::Other(2)));
+        assert_eq!(rx.try_recv(), Ok(Event::Step(4)));
+    }
+}
diff --git a/crates/komorebi-transport/src/lib.rs b/crates/komorebi-transport/src/lib.rs
index 7682d2a9..5b4ce001 100644
--- a/crates/komorebi-transport/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/komorebi-transport/src/lib.rs
@@ -5,10 +5,12 @@
 //! daemon) with [`ConnectionPolicy`].
 #![warn(clippy::all)]
 
+mod event_channel;
 mod listener;
 mod pause;
 mod subscribers;
 
+pub use event_channel::EventChannel;
 pub use listener::CommandListener;
 pub use listener::CommandStream;
 pub use listener::CommandTarget;