diff --git a/bitbake/lib/bb/event.py b/bitbake/lib/bb/event.py
index 6f1cb101fc..cacbac8f56 100644
--- a/bitbake/lib/bb/event.py
+++ b/bitbake/lib/bb/event.py
@@ -48,6 +48,16 @@ class Event(object):
     def __init__(self):
         self.pid = worker_pid
 
+
+class HeartbeatEvent(Event):
+    """Triggered at regular time intervals of 10 seconds. Other events can fire much more often
+       (runQueueTaskStarted when there are many short tasks) or not at all for long periods
+       of time (again runQueueTaskStarted, when there is just one long-running task), so this
+       event is more suitable for doing some task-independent work occassionally."""
+    def __init__(self, time):
+        Event.__init__(self)
+        self.time = time
+
 Registered        = 10
 AlreadyRegistered = 14
 
diff --git a/bitbake/lib/bb/server/process.py b/bitbake/lib/bb/server/process.py
index 982fcf71c3..1654faf92b 100644
--- a/bitbake/lib/bb/server/process.py
+++ b/bitbake/lib/bb/server/process.py
@@ -92,6 +92,8 @@ class ProcessServer(Process, BaseImplServer):
         self.event = EventAdapter(event_queue)
         self.featurelist = featurelist
         self.quit = False
+        self.heartbeat_seconds = 1 # default, BB_HEARTBEAT_EVENT will be checked once we have a datastore.
+        self.next_heartbeat = time.time()
 
         self.quitin, self.quitout = Pipe()
         self.event_handle = multiprocessing.Value("i")
@@ -101,6 +103,14 @@ class ProcessServer(Process, BaseImplServer):
             self.event_queue.put(event)
         self.event_handle.value = bb.event.register_UIHhandler(self, True)
 
+        heartbeat_event = self.cooker.data.getVar('BB_HEARTBEAT_EVENT', True)
+        if heartbeat_event:
+            try:
+                self.heartbeat_seconds = float(heartbeat_event)
+            except:
+                # Throwing an exception here causes bitbake to hang.
+                # Just warn about the invalid setting and continue
+                bb.warn('Ignoring invalid BB_HEARTBEAT_EVENT=%s, must be a float specifying seconds.' % heartbeat_event)
         bb.cooker.server_main(self.cooker, self.main)
 
     def main(self):
@@ -160,6 +170,21 @@ class ProcessServer(Process, BaseImplServer):
                 del self._idlefuns[function]
                 self.quit = True
 
+        # Create new heartbeat event?
+        now = time.time()
+        if now >= self.next_heartbeat:
+            # We might have missed heartbeats. Just trigger once in
+            # that case and continue after the usual delay.
+            self.next_heartbeat += self.heartbeat_seconds
+            if self.next_heartbeat <= now:
+                self.next_heartbeat = now + self.heartbeat_seconds
+            heartbeat = bb.event.HeartbeatEvent(now)
+            bb.event.fire(heartbeat, self.cooker.data)
+        if nextsleep and now + nextsleep > self.next_heartbeat:
+            # Shorten timeout so that we we wake up in time for
+            # the heartbeat.
+            nextsleep = self.next_heartbeat - now
+
         if nextsleep is not None:
             select.select(fds,[],[],nextsleep)
 
diff --git a/bitbake/lib/bb/ui/knotty.py b/bitbake/lib/bb/ui/knotty.py
index 948f52769d..48e1223c6b 100644
--- a/bitbake/lib/bb/ui/knotty.py
+++ b/bitbake/lib/bb/ui/knotty.py
@@ -647,6 +647,7 @@ def main(server, eventHandler, params, tf = TerminalFilter):
                                   bb.event.OperationCompleted,
                                   bb.event.OperationProgress,
                                   bb.event.DiskFull,
+                                  bb.event.HeartbeatEvent,
                                   bb.build.TaskProgress)):
                 continue
 
diff --git a/bitbake/lib/bb/ui/toasterui.py b/bitbake/lib/bb/ui/toasterui.py
index b1b3684a82..17299026ab 100644
--- a/bitbake/lib/bb/ui/toasterui.py
+++ b/bitbake/lib/bb/ui/toasterui.py
@@ -236,6 +236,9 @@ def main(server, eventHandler, params):
             # pylint: disable=protected-access
             # the code will look into the protected variables of the event; no easy way around this
 
+            if isinstance(event, bb.event.HeartbeatEvent):
+                continue
+
             if isinstance(event, bb.event.ParseStarted):
                 if not (build_log and build_log_file_path):
                     build_log, build_log_file_path = _open_build_log(log_dir)