diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index c7c54d2e..9892070d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -69,6 +69,8 @@ jobs:
                 # have a sufficient number of cores.
                 mpiexec -np 2 --oversubscribe python wave/wave-op-mpi.py --lazy
 
+                mpiexec -np 2 --oversubscribe python wave/wave-op-mpi.py --numpy
+
     docs:
         name: Documentation
         runs-on: ubuntu-latest
diff --git a/examples/wave/wave-op-mpi.py b/examples/wave/wave-op-mpi.py
index f7298560..ea47e202 100644
--- a/examples/wave/wave-op-mpi.py
+++ b/examples/wave/wave-op-mpi.py
@@ -175,19 +175,24 @@ def bump(actx, dcoll, t=0):
 
 
 def main(ctx_factory, dim=2, order=3,
-         visualize=False, lazy=False, use_quad=False, use_nonaffine_mesh=False,
-         no_diagnostics=False):
-    cl_ctx = ctx_factory()
-    queue = cl.CommandQueue(cl_ctx)
-
+         visualize=False, lazy=False, numpy=False, use_quad=False,
+         use_nonaffine_mesh=False, no_diagnostics=False):
     comm = MPI.COMM_WORLD
     num_parts = comm.size
 
     from grudge.array_context import get_reasonable_array_context_class
-    actx_class = get_reasonable_array_context_class(lazy=lazy, distributed=True)
-    if lazy:
+    actx_class = get_reasonable_array_context_class(lazy=lazy,
+                                                    distributed=True, numpy=numpy)
+
+    if numpy:
+        actx = actx_class(comm)
+    elif lazy:
+        cl_ctx = ctx_factory()
+        queue = cl.CommandQueue(cl_ctx)
         actx = actx_class(comm, queue, mpi_base_tag=15000)
     else:
+        cl_ctx = ctx_factory()
+        queue = cl.CommandQueue(cl_ctx)
         actx = actx_class(comm, queue,
                 allocator=cl_tools.MemoryPool(cl_tools.ImmediateAllocator(queue)),
                 force_device_scalars=True)
@@ -323,6 +328,8 @@ def rhs(t, w):
     parser.add_argument("--visualize", action="store_true")
     parser.add_argument("--lazy", action="store_true",
                         help="switch to a lazy computation mode")
+    parser.add_argument("--numpy", action="store_true",
+                        help="switch to numpy-based array context")
     parser.add_argument("--quad", action="store_true")
     parser.add_argument("--nonaffine", action="store_true")
     parser.add_argument("--no-diagnostics", action="store_true")
@@ -335,6 +342,7 @@ def rhs(t, w):
          order=args.order,
          visualize=args.visualize,
          lazy=args.lazy,
+         numpy=args.numpy,
          use_quad=args.quad,
          use_nonaffine_mesh=args.nonaffine,
          no_diagnostics=args.no_diagnostics)
diff --git a/grudge/array_context.py b/grudge/array_context.py
index 674dac8d..45f7d8ef 100644
--- a/grudge/array_context.py
+++ b/grudge/array_context.py
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 .. autoclass:: PytatoPyOpenCLArrayContext
 .. autoclass:: MPIBasedArrayContext
 .. autoclass:: MPIPyOpenCLArrayContext
+.. autoclass:: MPINumpyArrayContext
 .. class:: MPIPytatoArrayContext
 .. autofunction:: get_reasonable_array_context_class
 """
@@ -100,10 +101,11 @@
     _HAVE_FUSION_ACTX = False
 
 
-from arraycontext import ArrayContext
+from arraycontext import ArrayContext, NumpyArrayContext
 from arraycontext.container import ArrayContainer
 from arraycontext.impl.pytato.compile import LazilyPyOpenCLCompilingFunctionCaller
 from arraycontext.pytest import (
+    _PytestNumpyArrayContextFactory,
     _PytestPyOpenCLArrayContextFactoryWithClass,
     _PytestPytatoPyOpenCLArrayContextFactory,
     register_pytest_array_context_factory,
@@ -468,6 +470,26 @@ def clone(self):
 # }}}
 
 
+# {{{ distributed + numpy
+
+class MPINumpyArrayContext(NumpyArrayContext, MPIBasedArrayContext):
+    """An array context for using distributed computation with :mod:`numpy`
+    eager evaluation.
+
+    .. autofunction:: __init__
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, mpi_communicator) -> None:
+        super().__init__()
+
+        self.mpi_communicator = mpi_communicator
+
+    def clone(self):
+        return type(self)(self.mpi_communicator)
+
+# }}}
+
+
 # {{{ distributed + pytato array context subclasses
 
 class MPIBasePytatoPyOpenCLArrayContext(
@@ -535,10 +557,19 @@ def __call__(self):
         return self.actx_class(queue, allocator=alloc)
 
 
+class PytestNumpyArrayContextFactory(_PytestNumpyArrayContextFactory):
+    actx_class = NumpyArrayContext
+
+    def __call__(self):
+        return self.actx_class()
+
+
 register_pytest_array_context_factory("grudge.pyopencl",
         PytestPyOpenCLArrayContextFactory)
 register_pytest_array_context_factory("grudge.pytato-pyopencl",
         PytestPytatoPyOpenCLArrayContextFactory)
+register_pytest_array_context_factory("grudge.numpy",
+        PytestNumpyArrayContextFactory)
 
 # }}}
 
@@ -570,13 +601,22 @@ def _get_single_grid_pytato_actx_class(distributed: bool) -> Type[ArrayContext]:
 
 def get_reasonable_array_context_class(
         lazy: bool = True, distributed: bool = True,
-        fusion: Optional[bool] = None,
+        fusion: Optional[bool] = None, numpy: bool = False,
         ) -> Type[ArrayContext]:
-    """Returns a reasonable :class:`PyOpenCLArrayContext` currently
-    supported given the constraints of *lazy* and *distributed*."""
+    """Returns a reasonable :class:`~arraycontext.ArrayContext` currently
+    supported given the constraints of *lazy*, *distributed*, and *numpy*."""
     if fusion is None:
         fusion = lazy
 
+    if numpy:
+        assert not (lazy or fusion)
+        if distributed:
+            actx_class = MPINumpyArrayContext
+        else:
+            actx_class = NumpyArrayContext
+
+        return actx_class
+
     if lazy:
         if fusion:
             if not _HAVE_FUSION_ACTX:
diff --git a/test/test_dt_utils.py b/test/test_dt_utils.py
index 72998091..cf3ac202 100644
--- a/test/test_dt_utils.py
+++ b/test/test_dt_utils.py
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
 from arraycontext import pytest_generate_tests_for_array_contexts
 
 from grudge.array_context import (
+    PytestNumpyArrayContextFactory,
     PytestPyOpenCLArrayContextFactory,
     PytestPytatoPyOpenCLArrayContextFactory,
 )
@@ -34,7 +35,8 @@
 
 pytest_generate_tests = pytest_generate_tests_for_array_contexts(
         [PytestPyOpenCLArrayContextFactory,
-         PytestPytatoPyOpenCLArrayContextFactory])
+         PytestPytatoPyOpenCLArrayContextFactory,
+         PytestNumpyArrayContextFactory])
 
 import logging
 
diff --git a/test/test_metrics.py b/test/test_metrics.py
index e6863c7f..1ee043b8 100644
--- a/test/test_metrics.py
+++ b/test/test_metrics.py
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@
 from meshmode.dof_array import flat_norm
 
 from grudge.array_context import (
+    PytestNumpyArrayContextFactory,
     PytestPyOpenCLArrayContextFactory,
     PytestPytatoPyOpenCLArrayContextFactory,
 )
@@ -42,7 +43,8 @@
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 pytest_generate_tests = pytest_generate_tests_for_array_contexts(
         [PytestPyOpenCLArrayContextFactory,
-         PytestPytatoPyOpenCLArrayContextFactory])
+         PytestPytatoPyOpenCLArrayContextFactory,
+         PytestNumpyArrayContextFactory])
 
 
 # {{{ inverse metric