diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 7f6267ddc..6301369c0 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,6 +2,11 @@
 
 ## v20.10: (Upcoming Release)
 
+### bdev
+
+A new API was added `bdev_examine_bdev` that allows users to examine a
+bdev explicitly. It can be used only if auto_examine is disabled.
+
 ## v20.07: SPDK CSI driver, new accel_fw commands, I/O abort support
 
 ### accel
diff --git a/include/spdk/bdev.h b/include/spdk/bdev.h
index 0bb39c410..5fcbe71cc 100644
--- a/include/spdk/bdev.h
+++ b/include/spdk/bdev.h
@@ -193,6 +193,14 @@ void spdk_bdev_get_opts(struct spdk_bdev_opts *opts);
 
 int spdk_bdev_set_opts(struct spdk_bdev_opts *opts);
 
+/**
+ * Examine a block device explicitly
+ *
+ * \param name the name or alias of the block device
+ * \return 0 if block device was examined successfully, suitable errno value otherwise
+ */
+int spdk_bdev_examine(const char *name);
+
 /**
  * Block device initialization callback.
  *
diff --git a/lib/bdev/Makefile b/lib/bdev/Makefile
index ca0bf992a..497e4bb27 100644
--- a/lib/bdev/Makefile
+++ b/lib/bdev/Makefile
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ SPDK_ROOT_DIR := $(abspath $(CURDIR)/../..)
 include $(SPDK_ROOT_DIR)/mk/spdk.common.mk
 
 SO_VER := 3
-SO_MINOR := 0
+SO_MINOR := 1
 
 ifeq ($(CONFIG_VTUNE),y)
 CFLAGS += -I$(CONFIG_VTUNE_DIR)/include -I$(CONFIG_VTUNE_DIR)/sdk/src/ittnotify
diff --git a/lib/bdev/bdev.c b/lib/bdev/bdev.c
index 6c7bc8d4d..164ee4e30 100644
--- a/lib/bdev/bdev.c
+++ b/lib/bdev/bdev.c
@@ -484,6 +484,54 @@ bdev_examine(struct spdk_bdev *bdev)
 	}
 }
 
+int
+spdk_bdev_examine(const char *name)
+{
+	struct spdk_bdev *bdev;
+	struct spdk_bdev_examine_item *item;
+
+	if (g_bdev_opts.bdev_auto_examine) {
+		SPDK_ERRLOG("Manual examine is not allowed if auto examine is enabled");
+		return -EINVAL;
+	}
+
+	if (bdev_examine_allowlist_check(name)) {
+		SPDK_ERRLOG("Duplicate bdev name for manual examine: %s\n", name);
+		return -EEXIST;
+	}
+
+	item = calloc(1, sizeof(*item));
+	if (!item) {
+		return -ENOMEM;
+	}
+	item->name = strdup(name);
+	if (!item->name) {
+		free(item);
+		return -ENOMEM;
+	}
+	TAILQ_INSERT_TAIL(&g_bdev_examine_allowlist, item, link);
+
+	bdev = spdk_bdev_get_by_name(name);
+	if (bdev) {
+		bdev_examine(bdev);
+	}
+	return 0;
+}
+
+static inline void
+bdev_examine_allowlist_config_json(struct spdk_json_write_ctx *w)
+{
+	struct spdk_bdev_examine_item *item;
+	TAILQ_FOREACH(item, &g_bdev_examine_allowlist, link) {
+		spdk_json_write_object_begin(w);
+		spdk_json_write_named_string(w, "method", "bdev_examine");
+		spdk_json_write_named_object_begin(w, "params");
+		spdk_json_write_named_string(w, "name", item->name);
+		spdk_json_write_object_end(w);
+		spdk_json_write_object_end(w);
+	}
+}
+
 struct spdk_bdev *
 spdk_bdev_first(void)
 {
@@ -984,6 +1032,8 @@ spdk_bdev_subsystem_config_json(struct spdk_json_write_ctx *w)
 	spdk_json_write_object_end(w);
 	spdk_json_write_object_end(w);
 
+	bdev_examine_allowlist_config_json(w);
+
 	TAILQ_FOREACH(bdev_module, &g_bdev_mgr.bdev_modules, internal.tailq) {
 		if (bdev_module->config_json) {
 			bdev_module->config_json(w);
diff --git a/lib/bdev/bdev_rpc.c b/lib/bdev/bdev_rpc.c
index 6ce7136c4..5c8cfa469 100644
--- a/lib/bdev/bdev_rpc.c
+++ b/lib/bdev/bdev_rpc.c
@@ -96,3 +96,48 @@ rpc_bdev_set_options(struct spdk_jsonrpc_request *request, const struct spdk_jso
 }
 SPDK_RPC_REGISTER("bdev_set_options", rpc_bdev_set_options, SPDK_RPC_STARTUP)
 SPDK_RPC_REGISTER_ALIAS_DEPRECATED(bdev_set_options, set_bdev_options)
+
+struct rpc_bdev_examine {
+	char *name;
+};
+
+static void
+free_rpc_bdev_examine(struct rpc_bdev_examine *r)
+{
+	free(r->name);
+}
+
+static const struct spdk_json_object_decoder rpc_examine_bdev_decoders[] = {
+	{"name", offsetof(struct rpc_bdev_examine, name), spdk_json_decode_string},
+};
+
+static void
+rpc_bdev_examine_bdev(struct spdk_jsonrpc_request *request,
+		      const struct spdk_json_val *params)
+{
+	struct rpc_bdev_examine req = {NULL};
+	struct spdk_json_write_ctx *w;
+	int rc;
+
+	if (spdk_json_decode_object(params, rpc_examine_bdev_decoders,
+				    SPDK_COUNTOF(rpc_examine_bdev_decoders),
+				    &req)) {
+		SPDK_ERRLOG("spdk_json_decode_object() failed\n");
+		spdk_jsonrpc_send_error_response(request, SPDK_JSONRPC_ERROR_INVALID_PARAMS,
+						 "spdk_json_decode_object failed");
+		goto cleanup;
+	}
+
+	rc = spdk_bdev_examine(req.name);
+	if (rc != 0) {
+		spdk_jsonrpc_send_error_response(request, rc, spdk_strerror(-rc));
+		goto cleanup;
+	}
+	w = spdk_jsonrpc_begin_result(request);
+	spdk_json_write_bool(w, true);
+	spdk_jsonrpc_end_result(request, w);
+
+cleanup:
+	free_rpc_bdev_examine(&req);
+}
+SPDK_RPC_REGISTER("bdev_examine", rpc_bdev_examine_bdev, SPDK_RPC_RUNTIME)
diff --git a/lib/bdev/spdk_bdev.map b/lib/bdev/spdk_bdev.map
index 9f9c3c7e5..80c3bb555 100644
--- a/lib/bdev/spdk_bdev.map
+++ b/lib/bdev/spdk_bdev.map
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 	# Public functions in bdev.h
 	spdk_bdev_get_opts;
 	spdk_bdev_set_opts;
+	spdk_bdev_examine;
 	spdk_bdev_initialize;
 	spdk_bdev_finish;
 	spdk_bdev_config_text;
diff --git a/scripts/rpc.py b/scripts/rpc.py
index aa6c54d8b..3ea8f3883 100755
--- a/scripts/rpc.py
+++ b/scripts/rpc.py
@@ -174,6 +174,15 @@ if __name__ == "__main__":
     p.set_defaults(bdev_auto_examine=True)
     p.set_defaults(func=bdev_set_options)
 
+    def bdev_examine(args):
+        rpc.bdev.bdev_examine(args.client,
+                              name=args.name)
+
+    p = subparsers.add_parser('bdev_examine',
+                              help="""examine a bdev if it exists, or will examine it after it is created""")
+    p.add_argument('-b', '--name', help='Name or alias of the bdev')
+    p.set_defaults(func=bdev_examine)
+
     def bdev_compress_create(args):
         print_json(rpc.bdev.bdev_compress_create(args.client,
                                                  base_bdev_name=args.base_bdev_name,
diff --git a/scripts/rpc/bdev.py b/scripts/rpc/bdev.py
index fc4182aee..2bdd72e96 100644
--- a/scripts/rpc/bdev.py
+++ b/scripts/rpc/bdev.py
@@ -22,6 +22,19 @@ def bdev_set_options(client, bdev_io_pool_size=None, bdev_io_cache_size=None, bd
     return client.call('bdev_set_options', params)
 
 
+def bdev_examine(client, name):
+    """Examine a bdev manually. If the bdev does not exist yet when this RPC is called,
+    it will be examined when it is created
+
+    Args:
+        name: name of the bdev
+    """
+    params = {
+        'name': name
+    }
+    return client.call('bdev_examine', params)
+
+
 @deprecated_alias('construct_compress_bdev')
 def bdev_compress_create(client, base_bdev_name, pm_path, lb_size):
     """Construct a compress virtual block device.