diff --git a/crates/runtime/src/lib.rs b/crates/runtime/src/lib.rs
index 6e5d4f6fb3..2c7aa1f584 100644
--- a/crates/runtime/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/runtime/src/lib.rs
@@ -49,8 +49,8 @@ pub use crate::memory::{Memory, RuntimeLinearMemory, RuntimeMemoryCreator};
 pub use crate::mmap::Mmap;
 pub use crate::table::{Table, TableElement};
 pub use crate::traphandlers::{
-    catch_traps, init_traps, raise_lib_trap, raise_user_trap, resume_panic, SignalHandler,
-    TlsRestore, Trap,
+    catch_traps, init_traps, raise_lib_trap, raise_user_trap, resume_panic, tls_eager_initialize,
+    SignalHandler, TlsRestore, Trap,
 };
 pub use crate::vmcontext::{
     VMCallerCheckedAnyfunc, VMContext, VMFunctionBody, VMFunctionImport, VMGlobalDefinition,
diff --git a/crates/runtime/src/traphandlers.rs b/crates/runtime/src/traphandlers.rs
index 7332ae0a7e..142d36133b 100644
--- a/crates/runtime/src/traphandlers.rs
+++ b/crates/runtime/src/traphandlers.rs
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ use std::sync::atomic::Ordering::SeqCst;
 use std::sync::Once;
 use wasmtime_environ::ir;
 
-pub use self::tls::TlsRestore;
+pub use self::tls::{tls_eager_initialize, TlsRestore};
 
 extern "C" {
     #[allow(improper_ctypes)]
@@ -386,12 +386,29 @@ mod tls {
             })
         }
 
+        #[inline(never)]
+        /// Eagerly initialize thread-local runtime functionality. This will be performed
+        /// lazily by the runtime if users do not perform it eagerly.
+        pub fn initialize() -> Result<(), Trap> {
+            PTR.with(|p| {
+                let (state, mut initialized) = p.get();
+                if !initialized {
+                    super::super::sys::lazy_per_thread_init()?;
+                    initialized = true;
+                }
+                p.set((state, initialized));
+                Ok(())
+            })
+        }
+
         #[inline(never)] // see module docs for why this is here
         pub fn get() -> Ptr {
             PTR.with(|p| p.get().0)
         }
     }
 
+    pub use raw::initialize as tls_eager_initialize;
+
     /// Opaque state used to help control TLS state across stack switches for
     /// async support.
     pub struct TlsRestore(raw::Ptr);
diff --git a/crates/wasmtime/src/engine.rs b/crates/wasmtime/src/engine.rs
index bce82a8a9f..c367e9425a 100644
--- a/crates/wasmtime/src/engine.rs
+++ b/crates/wasmtime/src/engine.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 use crate::signatures::SignatureRegistry;
-use crate::Config;
+use crate::{Config, Trap};
 use anyhow::Result;
 use std::sync::Arc;
 #[cfg(feature = "cache")]
@@ -63,6 +63,12 @@ impl Engine {
         })
     }
 
+    /// Eagerly initialize thread-local functionality shared by all [`Engine`]s. This
+    /// will be performed lazily by the runtime if users do not perform it eagerly.
+    pub fn tls_eager_initialize() -> Result<(), Trap> {
+        wasmtime_runtime::tls_eager_initialize().map_err(Trap::from_runtime)
+    }
+
     /// Returns the configuration settings that this engine is using.
     #[inline]
     pub fn config(&self) -> &Config {