diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index c615766eb8..ddb1267691 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -55,6 +55,14 @@ dependencies = [
  "backtrace",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "apis"
+version = "0.1.0"
+dependencies = [
+ "bytes",
+ "serde",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "arrayvec"
 version = "0.4.12"
@@ -1796,6 +1804,7 @@ name = "pageserver"
 version = "0.1.0"
 dependencies = [
  "anyhow",
+ "apis",
  "byteorder",
  "bytes",
  "chrono",
diff --git a/libs/apis/Cargo.toml b/libs/apis/Cargo.toml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..deae4c4a1e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libs/apis/Cargo.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+[package]
+name = "apis"
+version = "0.1.0"
+edition = "2021"
+
+# See more keys and their definitions at https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/manifest.html
+
+[dependencies]
+bytes = { version = "1.0.1", features = ['serde'] }
+serde = { version = "1.0", features = ["derive"] }
diff --git a/libs/apis/src/import.rs b/libs/apis/src/import.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ba84ef85a1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libs/apis/src/import.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+use bytes::Bytes;
+use serde::{Serialize, Deserialize};
+
+#[derive(Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub enum ImportFeMessage {
+    // TODO chunk it
+    File(String, Bytes),
+    Done
+}
+
+#[derive(Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub enum ImportBeMessage {
+    Done,
+    Error(String),
+}
diff --git a/libs/apis/src/lib.rs b/libs/apis/src/lib.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..07fecca158
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libs/apis/src/lib.rs
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+pub mod import;
diff --git a/pageserver/Cargo.toml b/pageserver/Cargo.toml
index 298addb838..73542dc61b 100644
--- a/pageserver/Cargo.toml
+++ b/pageserver/Cargo.toml
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ postgres_ffi = { path = "../libs/postgres_ffi" }
 etcd_broker = { path = "../libs/etcd_broker" }
 metrics = { path = "../libs/metrics" }
 utils = { path = "../libs/utils" }
+apis = { path = "../libs/apis" }
 remote_storage = { path = "../libs/remote_storage" }
 workspace_hack = { version = "0.1", path = "../workspace_hack" }
 close_fds = "0.3.2"
diff --git a/pageserver/src/page_service.rs b/pageserver/src/page_service.rs
index 6ab9b58796..e0baf5293a 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/page_service.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/page_service.rs
@@ -26,6 +26,8 @@ use utils::{
     pq_proto::{BeMessage, FeMessage, RowDescriptor, SINGLE_COL_ROWDESC},
     zid::{ZTenantId, ZTimelineId},
 };
+use apis::import::{ImportFeMessage, ImportBeMessage};
+use utils::bin_ser::BeSer;
 
 use crate::basebackup;
 use crate::config::{PageServerConf, ProfilingConfig};
@@ -447,6 +449,58 @@ impl PageServerHandler {
         Ok(())
     }
 
+    fn handle_import(
+        &self,
+        pgb: &mut PostgresBackend,
+        tenant: ZTenantId,
+        timeline: ZTimelineId,
+    ) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
+        let _enter = info_span!("import", timeline = %timeline, tenant = %tenant).entered();
+        // TODO cap the max number of import threads allowed
+        // TODO check that timeline doesn't exist already
+
+        // NOTE: pagerequests handler exits when connection is closed,
+        //       so there is no need to reset the association
+        thread_mgr::associate_with(Some(tenant), Some(timeline));
+
+        // switch client to COPYBOTH
+        pgb.write_message(&BeMessage::CopyBothResponse)?;
+
+        while !thread_mgr::is_shutdown_requested() {
+            match pgb.read_message() {
+                Ok(Some(message)) => {
+                    let copy_data_bytes = match message {
+                        FeMessage::CopyData(bytes) => bytes,
+                        _ => continue,  // TODO maybe error?
+                    };
+
+                    let fe_msg = ImportFeMessage::des(&copy_data_bytes)?;
+                    match fe_msg {
+                        ImportFeMessage::File(name, _file_bytes) => {
+                            info!("Got file {}", name);
+                            // TODO chunk (what does pg_basebackup do?)
+                            // TODO handle
+                        }
+                        ImportFeMessage::Done => {
+                            info!("Done importing.");
+                            pgb.write_message(&BeMessage::CopyData(&ImportBeMessage::Done.ser()?))?;
+                            return Ok(())
+                        }
+                    }
+
+                },
+                Ok(None) => {
+                    todo!("error on none?");
+                },
+                Err(e) => {
+                    todo!("import error handler not implemented {}", e);
+                },
+            }
+        }
+
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
     /// Helper function to handle the LSN from client request.
     ///
     /// Each GetPage (and Exists and Nblocks) request includes information about
@@ -731,8 +785,10 @@ impl postgres_backend::Handler for PageServerHandler {
             let timeline = ZTimelineId::from_str(params[1])?;
 
             info!("Importing timeline {}.{}", tenant, timeline);
-            todo!("timeline import not implemented in pageserver");
+            self.handle_import(pgb, tenant, timeline)?;
+            info!("Done importing timeline {}.{}", tenant, timeline);
 
+            // Do I need this?
             pgb.write_message_noflush(&BeMessage::CommandComplete(b"SELECT 1"))?;
         } else if query_string.to_ascii_lowercase().starts_with("set ") {
             // important because psycopg2 executes "SET datestyle TO 'ISO'"