diff --git a/fs/exec.c b/fs/exec.c
index 73e4045df271..0fd7e668c477 100644
--- a/fs/exec.c
+++ b/fs/exec.c
@@ -1143,7 +1143,11 @@ static int de_thread(struct task_struct *tsk)
 
 		BUG_ON(leader->exit_state != EXIT_ZOMBIE);
 		leader->exit_state = EXIT_DEAD;
-
+		/*
+		 * leader and tsk exhanged their pids, the old pid dies,
+		 * wake up the PIDFD_THREAD waiters.
+		 */
+		do_notify_pidfd(leader);
 		/*
 		 * We are going to release_task()->ptrace_unlink() silently,
 		 * the tracer can sleep in do_wait(). EXIT_DEAD guarantees
diff --git a/include/linux/pid.h b/include/linux/pid.h
index e6a041cb8bac..8124d57752b9 100644
--- a/include/linux/pid.h
+++ b/include/linux/pid.h
@@ -70,10 +70,11 @@ extern const struct file_operations pidfd_fops;
 
 struct file;
 
-extern struct pid *pidfd_pid(const struct file *file);
+struct pid *pidfd_pid(const struct file *file);
 struct pid *pidfd_get_pid(unsigned int fd, unsigned int *flags);
 struct task_struct *pidfd_get_task(int pidfd, unsigned int *flags);
 int pidfd_prepare(struct pid *pid, unsigned int flags, struct file **ret);
+void do_notify_pidfd(struct task_struct *task);
 
 static inline struct pid *get_pid(struct pid *pid)
 {
diff --git a/include/uapi/linux/pidfd.h b/include/uapi/linux/pidfd.h
index 5406fbc13074..2e6461459877 100644
--- a/include/uapi/linux/pidfd.h
+++ b/include/uapi/linux/pidfd.h
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 #include <linux/fcntl.h>
 
 /* Flags for pidfd_open().  */
-#define PIDFD_NONBLOCK O_NONBLOCK
+#define PIDFD_NONBLOCK	O_NONBLOCK
+#define PIDFD_THREAD	O_EXCL
 
 #endif /* _UAPI_LINUX_PIDFD_H */
diff --git a/kernel/exit.c b/kernel/exit.c
index dfb963d2f862..493647fd7c07 100644
--- a/kernel/exit.c
+++ b/kernel/exit.c
@@ -739,6 +739,13 @@ static void exit_notify(struct task_struct *tsk, int group_dead)
 		kill_orphaned_pgrp(tsk->group_leader, NULL);
 
 	tsk->exit_state = EXIT_ZOMBIE;
+	/*
+	 * sub-thread or delay_group_leader(), wake up the
+	 * PIDFD_THREAD waiters.
+	 */
+	if (!thread_group_empty(tsk))
+		do_notify_pidfd(tsk);
+
 	if (unlikely(tsk->ptrace)) {
 		int sig = thread_group_leader(tsk) &&
 				thread_group_empty(tsk) &&
diff --git a/kernel/fork.c b/kernel/fork.c
index 347641398f9d..bea32071fff2 100644
--- a/kernel/fork.c
+++ b/kernel/fork.c
@@ -101,6 +101,7 @@
 #include <linux/user_events.h>
 #include <linux/iommu.h>
 #include <linux/rseq.h>
+#include <uapi/linux/pidfd.h>
 
 #include <asm/pgalloc.h>
 #include <linux/uaccess.h>
@@ -2050,6 +2051,8 @@ static void pidfd_show_fdinfo(struct seq_file *m, struct file *f)
 
 	seq_put_decimal_ll(m, "Pid:\t", nr);
 
+	/* TODO: report PIDFD_THREAD */
+
 #ifdef CONFIG_PID_NS
 	seq_put_decimal_ll(m, "\nNSpid:\t", nr);
 	if (nr > 0) {
@@ -2068,22 +2071,35 @@ static void pidfd_show_fdinfo(struct seq_file *m, struct file *f)
 }
 #endif
 
+static bool pidfd_task_exited(struct pid *pid, bool thread)
+{
+	struct task_struct *task;
+	bool exited;
+
+	rcu_read_lock();
+	task = pid_task(pid, PIDTYPE_PID);
+	exited = !task ||
+		(READ_ONCE(task->exit_state) && (thread || thread_group_empty(task)));
+	rcu_read_unlock();
+
+	return exited;
+}
+
 /*
  * Poll support for process exit notification.
  */
 static __poll_t pidfd_poll(struct file *file, struct poll_table_struct *pts)
 {
 	struct pid *pid = file->private_data;
+	bool thread = file->f_flags & PIDFD_THREAD;
 	__poll_t poll_flags = 0;
 
 	poll_wait(file, &pid->wait_pidfd, pts);
-
 	/*
-	 * Inform pollers only when the whole thread group exits.
-	 * If the thread group leader exits before all other threads in the
-	 * group, then poll(2) should block, similar to the wait(2) family.
+	 * Depending on PIDFD_THREAD, inform pollers when the thread
+	 * or the whole thread-group exits.
 	 */
-	if (thread_group_exited(pid))
+	if (pidfd_task_exited(pid, thread))
 		poll_flags = EPOLLIN | EPOLLRDNORM;
 
 	return poll_flags;
@@ -2141,6 +2157,11 @@ static int __pidfd_prepare(struct pid *pid, unsigned int flags, struct file **re
 		return PTR_ERR(pidfd_file);
 	}
 	get_pid(pid); /* held by pidfd_file now */
+	/*
+	 * anon_inode_getfile() ignores everything outside of the
+	 * O_ACCMODE | O_NONBLOCK mask, set PIDFD_THREAD manually.
+	 */
+	pidfd_file->f_flags |= (flags & PIDFD_THREAD);
 	*ret = pidfd_file;
 	return pidfd;
 }
@@ -2154,7 +2175,8 @@ static int __pidfd_prepare(struct pid *pid, unsigned int flags, struct file **re
  * Allocate a new file that stashes @pid and reserve a new pidfd number in the
  * caller's file descriptor table. The pidfd is reserved but not installed yet.
  *
- * The helper verifies that @pid is used as a thread group leader.
+ * The helper verifies that @pid is still in use, without PIDFD_THREAD the
+ * task identified by @pid must be a thread-group leader.
  *
  * If this function returns successfully the caller is responsible to either
  * call fd_install() passing the returned pidfd and pidfd file as arguments in
@@ -2173,7 +2195,9 @@ static int __pidfd_prepare(struct pid *pid, unsigned int flags, struct file **re
  */
 int pidfd_prepare(struct pid *pid, unsigned int flags, struct file **ret)
 {
-	if (!pid || !pid_has_task(pid, PIDTYPE_TGID))
+	bool thread = flags & PIDFD_THREAD;
+
+	if (!pid || !pid_has_task(pid, thread ? PIDTYPE_PID : PIDTYPE_TGID));
 		return -EINVAL;
 
 	return __pidfd_prepare(pid, flags, ret);
diff --git a/kernel/pid.c b/kernel/pid.c
index c7a3e359f8f5..e11144466828 100644
--- a/kernel/pid.c
+++ b/kernel/pid.c
@@ -552,11 +552,6 @@ struct pid *pidfd_get_pid(unsigned int fd, unsigned int *flags)
  * Return the task associated with @pidfd. The function takes a reference on
  * the returned task. The caller is responsible for releasing that reference.
  *
- * Currently, the process identified by @pidfd is always a thread-group leader.
- * This restriction currently exists for all aspects of pidfds including pidfd
- * creation (CLONE_PIDFD cannot be used with CLONE_THREAD) and pidfd polling
- * (only supports thread group leaders).
- *
  * Return: On success, the task_struct associated with the pidfd.
  *	   On error, a negative errno number will be returned.
  */
@@ -615,11 +610,8 @@ static int pidfd_create(struct pid *pid, unsigned int flags)
  * @flags: flags to pass
  *
  * This creates a new pid file descriptor with the O_CLOEXEC flag set for
- * the process identified by @pid. Currently, the process identified by
- * @pid must be a thread-group leader. This restriction currently exists
- * for all aspects of pidfds including pidfd creation (CLONE_PIDFD cannot
- * be used with CLONE_THREAD) and pidfd polling (only supports thread group
- * leaders).
+ * the task identified by @pid. Without PIDFD_THREAD flag the target task
+ * must be a thread-group leader.
  *
  * Return: On success, a cloexec pidfd is returned.
  *         On error, a negative errno number will be returned.
@@ -629,7 +621,7 @@ SYSCALL_DEFINE2(pidfd_open, pid_t, pid, unsigned int, flags)
 	int fd;
 	struct pid *p;
 
-	if (flags & ~PIDFD_NONBLOCK)
+	if (flags & ~(PIDFD_NONBLOCK | PIDFD_THREAD))
 		return -EINVAL;
 
 	if (pid <= 0)
diff --git a/kernel/signal.c b/kernel/signal.c
index 9561a3962ca6..9b40109f0c56 100644
--- a/kernel/signal.c
+++ b/kernel/signal.c
@@ -2019,7 +2019,7 @@ int send_sigqueue(struct sigqueue *q, struct pid *pid, enum pid_type type)
 	return ret;
 }
 
-static void do_notify_pidfd(struct task_struct *task)
+void do_notify_pidfd(struct task_struct *task)
 {
 	struct pid *pid;
 
@@ -2051,7 +2051,8 @@ bool do_notify_parent(struct task_struct *tsk, int sig)
 	WARN_ON_ONCE(!tsk->ptrace &&
 	       (tsk->group_leader != tsk || !thread_group_empty(tsk)));
 	/*
-	 * tsk is a group leader and has no threads, wake up the pidfd waiters.
+	 * tsk is a group leader and has no threads, wake up the
+	 * non-PIDFD_THREAD waiters.
 	 */
 	if (thread_group_empty(tsk))
 		do_notify_pidfd(tsk);
@@ -3926,6 +3927,7 @@ SYSCALL_DEFINE4(pidfd_send_signal, int, pidfd, int, sig,
 		prepare_kill_siginfo(sig, &kinfo);
 	}
 
+	/* TODO: respect PIDFD_THREAD */
 	ret = kill_pid_info(sig, &kinfo, pid);
 
 err:
