diff --git a/raft/multinode.go b/raft/multinode.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..ba7677f66ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/raft/multinode.go
@@ -0,0 +1,268 @@
+package raft
+
+import (
+	"github.com/coreos/etcd/Godeps/_workspace/src/code.google.com/p/go.net/context"
+	pb "github.com/coreos/etcd/raft/raftpb"
+)
+
+// MultiNode represents a node that is participating in multiple consensus groups.
+type MultiNode interface {
+	CreateGroup(group uint64, peers []Peer) error
+	Tick()
+	Propose(ctx context.Context, group uint64, data []byte) error
+	ProposeConfChange(ctx context.Context, group uint64, cc pb.ConfChange) error
+	ApplyConfChange(group uint64, cc pb.ConfChange)
+	Step(ctx context.Context, group uint64, msg pb.Message) error
+	Ready() <-chan map[uint64]Ready
+	Stop()
+	// TODO: Add Compact. Is Campaign necessary?
+}
+
+// StartMultiNode creates a MultiNode and starts its background goroutine.
+func StartMultiNode(id uint64, election, heartbeat int) MultiNode {
+	mn := newMultiNode(id, election, heartbeat)
+	go mn.run()
+	return &mn
+}
+
+// TODO(bdarnell): add group ID to the underlying protos?
+type multiMessage struct {
+	group uint64
+	msg   pb.Message
+}
+
+type multiConfChange struct {
+	group uint64
+	msg   pb.ConfChange
+}
+
+type groupCreation struct {
+	id    uint64
+	peers []Peer
+	// TODO(bdarnell): do we really need the done channel here? It's
+	// unlike the rest of this package, but we need the group creation
+	// to be complete before any Propose or other calls.
+	done chan struct{}
+}
+
+type multiNode struct {
+	id        uint64
+	election  int
+	heartbeat int
+	groupc    chan groupCreation
+	propc     chan multiMessage
+	recvc     chan multiMessage
+	confc     chan multiConfChange
+	readyc    chan map[uint64]Ready
+	tickc     chan struct{}
+	done      chan struct{}
+}
+
+func newMultiNode(id uint64, election, heartbeat int) multiNode {
+	return multiNode{
+		id:        id,
+		election:  election,
+		heartbeat: heartbeat,
+		groupc:    make(chan groupCreation),
+		propc:     make(chan multiMessage),
+		recvc:     make(chan multiMessage),
+		confc:     make(chan multiConfChange),
+		readyc:    make(chan map[uint64]Ready),
+		tickc:     make(chan struct{}),
+		done:      make(chan struct{}),
+	}
+}
+
+type groupState struct {
+	id         uint64
+	raft       *raft
+	prevSoftSt *SoftState
+	prevHardSt pb.HardState
+	prevSnapi  uint64
+}
+
+func (g *groupState) newReady() Ready {
+	return newReady(g.raft, g.prevSoftSt, g.prevHardSt, g.prevSnapi)
+}
+
+func (g *groupState) commitReady(rd Ready) {
+	if rd.SoftState != nil {
+		g.prevSoftSt = rd.SoftState
+	}
+	if !IsEmptyHardState(rd.HardState) {
+		g.prevHardSt = rd.HardState
+	}
+	if !IsEmptySnap(rd.Snapshot) {
+		g.prevSnapi = rd.Snapshot.Index
+	}
+	g.raft.raftLog.resetNextEnts()
+	g.raft.raftLog.resetUnstable()
+	g.raft.msgs = nil
+}
+
+func (mn *multiNode) run() {
+	groups := map[uint64]*groupState{}
+	rds := map[uint64]Ready{}
+	for {
+		readyc := mn.readyc
+		if len(rds) == 0 {
+			readyc = nil
+		}
+
+		var group *groupState
+		select {
+		case gc := <-mn.groupc:
+			r := newRaft(mn.id, nil, mn.election, mn.heartbeat)
+			group = &groupState{
+				id:         gc.id,
+				raft:       r,
+				prevSoftSt: r.softState(),
+				prevHardSt: r.HardState,
+				prevSnapi:  r.raftLog.snapshot.Index,
+			}
+			groups[gc.id] = group
+			ents := make([]pb.Entry, len(gc.peers))
+			for i, peer := range gc.peers {
+				cc := pb.ConfChange{Type: pb.ConfChangeAddNode, NodeID: peer.ID, Context: peer.Context}
+				data, err := cc.Marshal()
+				if err != nil {
+					panic("unexpected marshal error")
+				}
+				ents[i] = pb.Entry{Type: pb.EntryConfChange, Term: 1, Index: uint64(i + 1), Data: data}
+			}
+			r.raftLog.append(0, ents...)
+			r.raftLog.committed = uint64(len(ents))
+			close(gc.done)
+		case mm := <-mn.propc:
+			// TODO(bdarnell): single-node impl doesn't read from propc unless the group
+			// has a leader; we can't do that since we have one propc for many groups.
+			// We'll have to buffer somewhere on a group-by-group basis.
+			mm.msg.From = mn.id
+			group = groups[mm.group]
+			group.raft.Step(mm.msg)
+		case mm := <-mn.recvc:
+			group = groups[mm.group]
+			group.raft.Step(mm.msg)
+		case mcc := <-mn.confc:
+			group = groups[mcc.group]
+			switch mcc.msg.Type {
+			case pb.ConfChangeAddNode:
+				group.raft.addNode(mcc.msg.NodeID)
+			case pb.ConfChangeRemoveNode:
+				group.raft.removeNode(mcc.msg.NodeID)
+			default:
+				panic("unexpected conf type")
+			}
+		case <-mn.tickc:
+			// TODO(bdarnell): instead of calling every group on every tick,
+			// we should have a priority queue of groups based on their next
+			// time-based event.
+			for _, g := range groups {
+				g.raft.tick()
+				rd := g.newReady()
+				if rd.containsUpdates() {
+					rds[g.id] = rd
+				}
+			}
+		case readyc <- rds:
+			for group, rd := range rds {
+				groups[group].commitReady(rd)
+			}
+			rds = map[uint64]Ready{}
+		case <-mn.done:
+			return
+		}
+		if group != nil {
+			rd := group.newReady()
+			if rd.containsUpdates() {
+				rds[group.id] = rd
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func (mn *multiNode) CreateGroup(id uint64, peers []Peer) error {
+	gc := groupCreation{
+		id:    id,
+		peers: peers,
+		done:  make(chan struct{}),
+	}
+	mn.groupc <- gc
+	select {
+	case <-gc.done:
+		return nil
+	case <-mn.done:
+		return ErrStopped
+	}
+}
+
+func (mn *multiNode) Stop() {
+	close(mn.done)
+}
+
+func (mn *multiNode) Tick() {
+	select {
+	case mn.tickc <- struct{}{}:
+	case <-mn.done:
+	}
+}
+
+func (mn *multiNode) Propose(ctx context.Context, group uint64, data []byte) error {
+	return mn.step(ctx, multiMessage{group,
+		pb.Message{
+			Type: pb.MsgProp,
+			Entries: []pb.Entry{
+				{Data: data},
+			},
+		}})
+}
+
+func (mn *multiNode) ProposeConfChange(ctx context.Context, group uint64, cc pb.ConfChange) error {
+	data, err := cc.Marshal()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	return mn.Step(ctx, group,
+		pb.Message{
+			Type: pb.MsgProp,
+			Entries: []pb.Entry{
+				{Type: pb.EntryConfChange, Data: data},
+			},
+		})
+}
+
+func (mn *multiNode) step(ctx context.Context, m multiMessage) error {
+	ch := mn.recvc
+	if m.msg.Type == pb.MsgProp {
+		ch = mn.propc
+	}
+
+	select {
+	case ch <- m:
+		return nil
+	case <-ctx.Done():
+		return ctx.Err()
+	case <-mn.done:
+		return ErrStopped
+	}
+}
+
+func (mn *multiNode) ApplyConfChange(group uint64, cc pb.ConfChange) {
+	select {
+	case mn.confc <- multiConfChange{group, cc}:
+	case <-mn.done:
+	}
+}
+
+func (mn *multiNode) Step(ctx context.Context, group uint64, m pb.Message) error {
+	// ignore unexpected local messages receiving over network
+	if m.Type == pb.MsgHup || m.Type == pb.MsgBeat {
+		// TODO: return an error?
+		return nil
+	}
+	return mn.step(ctx, multiMessage{group, m})
+}
+
+func (mn *multiNode) Ready() <-chan map[uint64]Ready {
+	return mn.readyc
+}