diff --git a/lib/librte_eal/bsdapp/eal/rte_eal_version.map b/lib/librte_eal/bsdapp/eal/rte_eal_version.map
index 4b2c36b..05a3de1 100644
--- a/lib/librte_eal/bsdapp/eal/rte_eal_version.map
+++ b/lib/librte_eal/bsdapp/eal/rte_eal_version.map
@@ -214,6 +214,7 @@ EXPERIMENTAL {
 	rte_eal_hotplug_remove;
 	rte_service_component_register;
 	rte_service_component_unregister;
+	rte_service_component_runstate_set;
 	rte_service_dump;
 	rte_service_get_by_id;
 	rte_service_get_by_name;
diff --git a/lib/librte_eal/common/include/rte_service_component.h b/lib/librte_eal/common/include/rte_service_component.h
index af632c6..5e4573b 100644
--- a/lib/librte_eal/common/include/rte_service_component.h
+++ b/lib/librte_eal/common/include/rte_service_component.h
@@ -135,6 +135,23 @@ int32_t rte_service_start_with_defaults(void);
  * @warning
  * @b EXPERIMENTAL: this API may change without prior notice
  *
+ * Set the backend runstate of a component.
+ *
+ * This function allows services to be registered at startup, but not yet
+ * enabled to run by default. When the service has been configured (via the
+ * usual method; eg rte_eventdev_configure, the service can mark itself as
+ * ready to run. The differentiation between backend runstate and
+ * service_runstate is that the backend runstate is set by the service
+ * component while the service runstate is reserved for application usage.
+ *
+ * @retval 0 Success
+ */
+int32_t rte_service_component_runstate_set(uint32_t id, uint32_t runstate);
+
+/**
+ * @warning
+ * @b EXPERIMENTAL: this API may change without prior notice
+ *
  * Initialize the service library.
  *
  * In order to use the service library, it must be initialized. EAL initializes
diff --git a/lib/librte_eal/common/rte_service.c b/lib/librte_eal/common/rte_service.c
index 58b53b1..e7ed597 100644
--- a/lib/librte_eal/common/rte_service.c
+++ b/lib/librte_eal/common/rte_service.c
@@ -71,7 +71,8 @@ struct rte_service_spec_impl {
 	rte_atomic32_t execute_lock;
 
 	/* API set/get-able variables */
-	int32_t runstate;
+	int8_t app_runstate;
+	int8_t comp_runstate;
 	uint8_t internal_flags;
 
 	/* per service statistics */
@@ -273,15 +274,30 @@ rte_service_component_unregister(uint32_t id)
 }
 
 int32_t
+rte_service_component_runstate_set(uint32_t id, uint32_t runstate)
+{
+	struct rte_service_spec_impl *s;
+	SERVICE_VALID_GET_OR_ERR_RET(id, s, -EINVAL);
+
+	if (runstate)
+		s->comp_runstate = RUNSTATE_RUNNING;
+	else
+		s->comp_runstate = RUNSTATE_STOPPED;
+
+	rte_smp_wmb();
+	return 0;
+}
+
+int32_t
 rte_service_runstate_set(uint32_t id, uint32_t runstate)
 {
 	struct rte_service_spec_impl *s;
 	SERVICE_VALID_GET_OR_ERR_RET(id, s, -EINVAL);
 
 	if (runstate)
-		s->runstate = RUNSTATE_RUNNING;
+		s->app_runstate = RUNSTATE_RUNNING;
 	else
-		s->runstate = RUNSTATE_STOPPED;
+		s->app_runstate = RUNSTATE_STOPPED;
 
 	rte_smp_wmb();
 	return 0;
@@ -292,8 +308,10 @@ rte_service_runstate_get(uint32_t id)
 {
 	struct rte_service_spec_impl *s;
 	SERVICE_VALID_GET_OR_ERR_RET(id, s, -EINVAL);
-
-	return (s->runstate == RUNSTATE_RUNNING) && (s->num_mapped_cores > 0);
+	rte_smp_rmb();
+	return (s->app_runstate == RUNSTATE_RUNNING) &&
+		(s->comp_runstate == RUNSTATE_RUNNING) &&
+		(s->num_mapped_cores > 0);
 }
 
 static inline void
@@ -328,7 +346,8 @@ rte_service_runner_func(void *arg)
 			if (!service_valid(i))
 				continue;
 			struct rte_service_spec_impl *s = &rte_services[i];
-			if (s->runstate != RUNSTATE_RUNNING ||
+			if (s->comp_runstate != RUNSTATE_RUNNING ||
+					s->app_runstate != RUNSTATE_RUNNING ||
 					!(service_mask & (UINT64_C(1) << i)))
 				continue;
 
@@ -596,8 +615,7 @@ rte_service_lcore_stop(uint32_t lcore)
 	for (i = 0; i < RTE_SERVICE_NUM_MAX; i++) {
 		int32_t enabled =
 			lcore_states[i].service_mask & (UINT64_C(1) << i);
-		int32_t service_running = rte_services[i].runstate !=
-						RUNSTATE_STOPPED;
+		int32_t service_running = rte_service_runstate_get(i);
 		int32_t only_core = rte_services[i].num_mapped_cores == 1;
 
 		/* if the core is mapped, and the service is running, and this
diff --git a/lib/librte_eal/linuxapp/eal/rte_eal_version.map b/lib/librte_eal/linuxapp/eal/rte_eal_version.map
index f7a7352..0e1d09b 100644
--- a/lib/librte_eal/linuxapp/eal/rte_eal_version.map
+++ b/lib/librte_eal/linuxapp/eal/rte_eal_version.map
@@ -219,6 +219,7 @@ EXPERIMENTAL {
 	rte_eal_hotplug_remove;
 	rte_service_component_register;
 	rte_service_component_unregister;
+	rte_service_component_runstate_set;
 	rte_service_dump;
 	rte_service_get_by_id;
 	rte_service_get_by_name;
diff --git a/test/test/test_service_cores.c b/test/test/test_service_cores.c
index 5ae7b20..ddea7f0 100644
--- a/test/test/test_service_cores.c
+++ b/test/test/test_service_cores.c
@@ -166,9 +166,12 @@ dummy_register(void)
 			"Invalid name");
 	snprintf(service.name, sizeof(service.name), DUMMY_SERVICE_NAME);
 
-	TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL(0, rte_service_component_register(&service, NULL),
+	uint32_t id;
+	TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL(0, rte_service_component_register(&service, &id),
 			"Failed to register valid service");
 
+	rte_service_component_runstate_set(id, 1);
+
 	return TEST_SUCCESS;
 }
 
@@ -470,13 +473,11 @@ service_threaded_test(int mt_safe)
 	if (mt_safe) {
 		service.callback = dummy_mt_safe_cb;
 		service.capabilities |= RTE_SERVICE_CAP_MT_SAFE;
-	} else {
-		/* initialize to pass, see callback comment for details */
-		test_params[1] = 1;
+	} else
 		service.callback = dummy_mt_unsafe_cb;
-	}
 
-	TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL(0, rte_service_component_register(&service, NULL),
+	uint32_t id;
+	TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL(0, rte_service_component_register(&service, &id),
 			"Register of MT SAFE service failed");
 
 	const uint32_t sid = 0;
@@ -494,9 +495,26 @@ service_threaded_test(int mt_safe)
 	rte_service_lcore_stop(slcore_1);
 	rte_service_lcore_stop(slcore_2);
 
+	TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL(0, test_params[1],
+			"Service run with component runstate = 0");
+
+	/* enable backend runstate: the service should run after this */
+	rte_service_component_runstate_set(id, 1);
+
+	/* initialize to pass, see callback comment for details */
+	if (!mt_safe)
+		test_params[1] = 1;
+
+	rte_service_lcore_start(slcore_1);
+	rte_service_lcore_start(slcore_2);
+
+	/* wait for the worker threads to run */
+	rte_delay_ms(500);
+	rte_service_lcore_stop(slcore_1);
+	rte_service_lcore_stop(slcore_2);
+
 	TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL(1, test_params[1],
 			"MT Safe service not run by two cores concurrently");
-
 	TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL(0, rte_service_runstate_set(sid, 0),
 			"Failed to stop MT Safe service");
 
