diff --git a/base/locks.jl b/base/locks.jl
index 94acb61b73e9f..425785b910fda 100644
--- a/base/locks.jl
+++ b/base/locks.jl
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 # This file is a part of Julia. License is MIT: https://julialang.org/license
 
 import .Base: _uv_hook_close, unsafe_convert,
-    lock, trylock, unlock, islocked
+    lock, trylock, unlock, islocked, wait, notify
 
-export SpinLock, RecursiveSpinLock, Mutex
+export SpinLock, RecursiveSpinLock, Mutex, Event
 
 
 ##########################################
@@ -238,3 +238,57 @@ end
 function islocked(m::Mutex)
     return m.ownertid != 0
 end
+
+"""
+    Event()
+
+Create a level-triggered event source. Tasks that call [`wait`](@ref) on an
+`Event` are suspended and queued until `notify` is called on the `Event`.
+After `notify` is called, the `Event` remains in a signaled state and
+tasks will no longer block when waiting for it.
+"""
+mutable struct Event
+    lock::Mutex
+    q::Vector{Task}
+    set::Bool
+    # TODO: use a Condition with its paired lock
+    Event() = new(Mutex(), Task[], false)
+end
+
+function wait(e::Event)
+    e.set && return
+    lock(e.lock)
+    while !e.set
+        ct = current_task()
+        push!(e.q, ct)
+        unlock(e.lock)
+        try
+            wait()
+        catch
+            filter!(x->x!==ct, e.q)
+            rethrow()
+        end
+        lock(e.lock)
+    end
+    unlock(e.lock)
+    return nothing
+end
+
+function notify(e::Event)
+    lock(e.lock)
+    if !e.set
+        e.set = true
+        for t in e.q
+            schedule(t)
+        end
+        empty!(e.q)
+    end
+    unlock(e.lock)
+    return nothing
+end
+
+# TODO: decide what to call this
+#function clear(e::Event)
+#    e.set = false
+#    return nothing
+#end
diff --git a/stdlib/Distributed/src/cluster.jl b/stdlib/Distributed/src/cluster.jl
index e1d4bae511d91..b57f1bb8f19dd 100644
--- a/stdlib/Distributed/src/cluster.jl
+++ b/stdlib/Distributed/src/cluster.jl
@@ -67,6 +67,7 @@ mutable struct Worker
     manager::ClusterManager
     config::WorkerConfig
     version::Union{VersionNumber, Nothing}   # Julia version of the remote process
+    initialized::Threads.Event
 
     function Worker(id::Int, r_stream::IO, w_stream::IO, manager::ClusterManager;
                              version::Union{VersionNumber, Nothing}=nothing,
@@ -90,6 +91,7 @@ mutable struct Worker
             return map_pid_wrkr[id]
         end
         w=new(id, [], [], false, W_CREATED, Condition(), time(), conn_func)
+        w.initialized = Threads.Event()
         register_worker(w)
         w
     end
diff --git a/stdlib/Distributed/src/messages.jl b/stdlib/Distributed/src/messages.jl
index 35b090f703868..bbfb13f276fa5 100644
--- a/stdlib/Distributed/src/messages.jl
+++ b/stdlib/Distributed/src/messages.jl
@@ -174,6 +174,9 @@ end
 
 function send_msg_(w::Worker, header, msg, now::Bool)
     check_worker_state(w)
+    if myid() != 1 && !isa(msg, IdentifySocketMsg) && !isa(msg, IdentifySocketAckMsg)
+        wait(w.initialized)
+    end
     io = w.w_stream
     lock(io.lock)
     try
diff --git a/stdlib/Distributed/src/process_messages.jl b/stdlib/Distributed/src/process_messages.jl
index 06a10c4081d73..1a1f2f5f8a770 100644
--- a/stdlib/Distributed/src/process_messages.jl
+++ b/stdlib/Distributed/src/process_messages.jl
@@ -288,9 +288,10 @@ end
 
 function handle_msg(msg::IdentifySocketMsg, header, r_stream, w_stream, version)
     # register a new peer worker connection
-    w=Worker(msg.from_pid, r_stream, w_stream, cluster_manager; version=version)
+    w = Worker(msg.from_pid, r_stream, w_stream, cluster_manager; version=version)
     send_connection_hdr(w, false)
     send_msg_now(w, MsgHeader(), IdentifySocketAckMsg())
+    notify(w.initialized)
 end
 
 function handle_msg(msg::IdentifySocketAckMsg, header, r_stream, w_stream, version)
@@ -301,6 +302,7 @@ end
 function handle_msg(msg::JoinPGRPMsg, header, r_stream, w_stream, version)
     LPROC.id = msg.self_pid
     controller = Worker(1, r_stream, w_stream, cluster_manager; version=version)
+    notify(controller.initialized)
     register_worker(LPROC)
     topology(msg.topology)
 
@@ -340,6 +342,7 @@ function connect_to_peer(manager::ClusterManager, rpid::Int, wconfig::WorkerConf
         process_messages(w.r_stream, w.w_stream, false)
         send_connection_hdr(w, true)
         send_msg_now(w, MsgHeader(), IdentifySocketMsg(myid()))
+        notify(w.initialized)
     catch e
         @error "Error on $(myid()) while connecting to peer $rpid, exiting" exception=e,catch_backtrace()
         exit(1)
diff --git a/test/threads.jl b/test/threads.jl
index 960715761de8b..7b79b141b660b 100644
--- a/test/threads.jl
+++ b/test/threads.jl
@@ -503,3 +503,16 @@ function test_thread_too_few_iters()
     @test !(true in found[nthreads():end])
 end
 test_thread_too_few_iters()
+
+let e = Event()
+    done = false
+    t = @async (wait(e); done = true)
+    sleep(0.1)
+    @test done == false
+    notify(e)
+    wait(t)
+    @test done == true
+    blocked = true
+    wait(@async (wait(e); blocked = false))
+    @test !blocked
+end