diff --git a/js/deno.ts b/js/deno.ts
index 3bbda69e8f..92ba5301d3 100644
--- a/js/deno.ts
+++ b/js/deno.ts
@@ -15,4 +15,5 @@ export { ErrorKind, DenoError } from "./errors";
 export { libdeno } from "./libdeno";
 export { arch, platform } from "./platform";
 export { trace } from "./trace";
+export { setGlobalTimeout } from "./timers";
 export const args: string[] = [];
diff --git a/js/timers.ts b/js/timers.ts
index 42be96d91b..03badfd467 100644
--- a/js/timers.ts
+++ b/js/timers.ts
@@ -19,6 +19,15 @@ interface Timer {
   delay: number; // milliseconds
 }
 
+export function setGlobalTimeout(timeout: number) {
+  const builder = new flatbuffers.Builder();
+  fbs.SetTimeout.startSetTimeout(builder);
+  fbs.SetTimeout.addTimeout(builder, timeout);
+  const msg = fbs.SetTimeout.endSetTimeout(builder);
+  const res = sendSync(builder, fbs.Any.SetTimeout, msg);
+  assert(res == null);
+}
+
 function startTimer(
   id: number,
   cb: TimerCallback,
diff --git a/js/timers_test.ts b/js/timers_test.ts
index af172e9765..e5fe2d4784 100644
--- a/js/timers_test.ts
+++ b/js/timers_test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { test, assertEqual } from "./test_util.ts";
+import { setGlobalTimeout } from "deno";
 
 function deferred() {
   let resolve;
@@ -95,3 +96,7 @@ test(async function intervalCancelInvalidSilentFail() {
   // Should silently fail (no panic)
   clearInterval(2147483647);
 });
+
+test(async function SetGlobalTimeoutSmoke() {
+  setGlobalTimeout(50);
+});
diff --git a/src/handlers.rs b/src/handlers.rs
index c914df36d0..42becc0b09 100644
--- a/src/handlers.rs
+++ b/src/handlers.rs
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ pub fn msg_from_js(state: Arc<IsolateState>, bytes: &[u8]) -> (bool, Box<Op>) {
     msg::Any::Start => handle_start,
     msg::Any::CodeFetch => handle_code_fetch,
     msg::Any::CodeCache => handle_code_cache,
+    msg::Any::SetTimeout => handle_set_timeout,
     msg::Any::Environ => handle_env,
     msg::Any::FetchReq => handle_fetch_req,
     msg::Any::TimerStart => handle_timer_start,
@@ -236,6 +237,15 @@ fn handle_code_cache(state: Arc<IsolateState>, base: &msg::Base) -> Box<Op> {
   }()))
 }
 
+fn handle_set_timeout(state: Arc<IsolateState>, base: &msg::Base) -> Box<Op> {
+  let msg = base.msg_as_set_timeout().unwrap();
+  let val = msg.timeout() as isize;
+  state
+    .timeout
+    .swap(val, std::sync::atomic::Ordering::Relaxed);
+  ok_future(empty_buf())
+}
+
 fn handle_set_env(state: Arc<IsolateState>, base: &msg::Base) -> Box<Op> {
   let msg = base.msg_as_set_env().unwrap();
   let key = msg.key().unwrap();
diff --git a/src/isolate.rs b/src/isolate.rs
index 64bec5ddf1..30e90be5cf 100644
--- a/src/isolate.rs
+++ b/src/isolate.rs
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ use std;
 use std::collections::HashMap;
 use std::ffi::CStr;
 use std::ffi::CString;
+use std::sync::atomic::AtomicIsize;
 use std::sync::mpsc;
 use std::sync::Arc;
 use std::sync::Mutex;
@@ -48,6 +49,7 @@ pub struct Isolate {
 // Isolate cannot be passed between threads but IsolateState can. So any state that
 // needs to be accessed outside the main V8 thread should be inside IsolateState.
 pub struct IsolateState {
+  pub timeout: AtomicIsize,
   pub dir: deno_dir::DenoDir,
   pub timers: Mutex<HashMap<u32, futures::sync::oneshot::Sender<()>>>,
   pub argv: Vec<String>,
@@ -85,6 +87,7 @@ impl Isolate {
       rx,
       ntasks: 0,
       state: Arc::new(IsolateState {
+        timeout: AtomicIsize::new(-1),
         dir: deno_dir::DenoDir::new(flags.reload, None).unwrap(),
         timers: Mutex::new(HashMap::new()),
         argv: argv_rest,
diff --git a/src/msg.fbs b/src/msg.fbs
index 6358668b7e..52eba8ca63 100644
--- a/src/msg.fbs
+++ b/src/msg.fbs
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ union Any {
   CodeFetch,
   CodeFetchRes,
   CodeCache,
+  SetTimeout,
   Exit,
   TimerStart,
   TimerReady,
@@ -115,6 +116,10 @@ table CodeCache {
   output_code: string;
 }
 
+table SetTimeout {
+  timeout: int;
+}
+
 table Exit {
   code: int;
 }