diff --git a/lib/nvmf/nvmf.c b/lib/nvmf/nvmf.c
index 6817ae4be5..30c3d9dca7 100644
--- a/lib/nvmf/nvmf.c
+++ b/lib/nvmf/nvmf.c
@@ -416,11 +416,18 @@ spdk_nvmf_poll_group_add_subsystem(struct spdk_nvmf_poll_group *group,
 	if (subsystem->id >= group->num_sgroups) {
 		void *buf;
 
-		group->num_sgroups = subsystem->id + 1;
-		buf = realloc(group->sgroups, group->num_sgroups * sizeof(*sgroup));
+
+		buf = realloc(group->sgroups, (subsystem->id + 1) * sizeof(*sgroup));
 		if (!buf) {
 			return -ENOMEM;
 		}
+
+		/* Zero out the newly allocated memory */
+		memset(&group->sgroups[group->num_sgroups],
+		       0,
+		       (subsystem->id + 1 - group->num_sgroups) * sizeof(struct spdk_io_channel *));
+
+		group->num_sgroups = subsystem->id + 1;
 		group->sgroups = buf;
 	}
 
@@ -468,6 +475,50 @@ spdk_nvmf_poll_group_remove_subsystem(struct spdk_nvmf_poll_group *group,
 	return 0;
 }
 
+int
+spdk_nvmf_poll_group_add_ns(struct spdk_nvmf_poll_group *group,
+			    struct spdk_nvmf_subsystem *subsystem,
+			    struct spdk_nvmf_ns *ns)
+{
+	struct spdk_nvmf_subsystem_poll_group *sgroup;
+	uint32_t ns_idx;
+
+	sgroup = &group->sgroups[subsystem->id];
+
+	/* The index into the channels array is (nsid - 1) */
+	ns_idx = ns->id - 1;
+
+	if (ns_idx >= sgroup->num_channels) {
+		void *buf;
+
+		buf = realloc(sgroup->channels,
+			      ns->id * sizeof(struct spdk_io_channel *));
+		if (!buf) {
+			return -ENOMEM;
+		}
+
+		/* Zero out the newly allocated memory */
+		memset(&sgroup->channels[sgroup->num_channels],
+		       0,
+		       (ns->id - sgroup->num_channels) * sizeof(struct spdk_io_channel *));
+
+		sgroup->num_channels = ns->id;
+		sgroup->channels = buf;
+	}
+
+	/* The channel could have been created in response to a subsystem creation
+	 * event already propagating through the system */
+	if (sgroup->channels[ns_idx] == NULL) {
+		sgroup->channels[ns_idx] = spdk_bdev_get_io_channel(ns->desc);
+	}
+
+	if (sgroup->channels[ns_idx] == NULL) {
+		return -1;
+	}
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
 SPDK_TRACE_REGISTER_FN(nvmf_trace)
 {
 	spdk_trace_register_object(OBJECT_NVMF_IO, 'r');
diff --git a/lib/nvmf/nvmf_internal.h b/lib/nvmf/nvmf_internal.h
index ce0b991431..ce0499b2c9 100644
--- a/lib/nvmf/nvmf_internal.h
+++ b/lib/nvmf/nvmf_internal.h
@@ -223,6 +223,9 @@ int spdk_nvmf_poll_group_add_subsystem(struct spdk_nvmf_poll_group *group,
 				       struct spdk_nvmf_subsystem *subsystem);
 int spdk_nvmf_poll_group_remove_subsystem(struct spdk_nvmf_poll_group *group,
 		struct spdk_nvmf_subsystem *subsystem);
+int spdk_nvmf_poll_group_add_ns(struct spdk_nvmf_poll_group *group,
+				struct spdk_nvmf_subsystem *subsystem,
+				struct spdk_nvmf_ns *ns);
 
 void spdk_nvmf_request_exec(struct spdk_nvmf_request *req);
 int spdk_nvmf_request_complete(struct spdk_nvmf_request *req);
diff --git a/lib/nvmf/subsystem.c b/lib/nvmf/subsystem.c
index 1f27142681..588b29aa78 100644
--- a/lib/nvmf/subsystem.c
+++ b/lib/nvmf/subsystem.c
@@ -393,11 +393,36 @@ spdk_nvmf_listener_get_trid(struct spdk_nvmf_listener *listener)
 	return &listener->trid;
 }
 
+struct spdk_nvmf_subsystem_add_ns_ctx {
+	struct spdk_nvmf_subsystem	*subsystem;
+	struct spdk_nvmf_ns		*ns;
+};
+
+static void
+spdk_nvmf_subsystem_add_ns_done(void *io_device, void *ctx, int status)
+{
+	free(ctx);
+}
+
+static int
+spdk_nvmf_subsystem_ns_update_poll_group(void *io_device,
+		struct spdk_io_channel *ch,
+		void *c)
+{
+	struct spdk_nvmf_poll_group *group;
+	struct spdk_nvmf_subsystem_add_ns_ctx *ctx = c;
+
+	group = spdk_io_channel_get_ctx(ch);
+
+	return spdk_nvmf_poll_group_add_ns(group, ctx->subsystem, ctx->ns);
+}
+
 uint32_t
 spdk_nvmf_subsystem_add_ns(struct spdk_nvmf_subsystem *subsystem, struct spdk_bdev *bdev,
 			   uint32_t nsid)
 {
 	struct spdk_nvmf_ns *ns;
+	struct spdk_nvmf_subsystem_add_ns_ctx *ctx;
 	uint32_t i;
 	int rc;
 
@@ -473,6 +498,25 @@ spdk_nvmf_subsystem_add_ns(struct spdk_nvmf_subsystem *subsystem, struct spdk_bd
 
 	subsystem->max_nsid = spdk_max(subsystem->max_nsid, nsid);
 	subsystem->num_allocated_nsid++;
+
+	ctx = calloc(1, sizeof(*ctx));
+	if (!ctx) {
+		return -ENOMEM;
+	}
+	ctx->subsystem = subsystem;
+	ctx->ns = ns;
+
+	/* Send a message to each poll group to notify it that a new namespace
+	 * is available.
+	 * TODO: This call does not currently allow the user to wait for these
+	 * messages to propagate. It also does not protect against two calls
+	 * to this function overlapping
+	 */
+	spdk_for_each_channel(subsystem->tgt,
+			      spdk_nvmf_subsystem_ns_update_poll_group,
+			      ctx,
+			      spdk_nvmf_subsystem_add_ns_done);
+
 	return nsid;
 }
 
diff --git a/test/unit/lib/nvmf/ctrlr_discovery.c/ctrlr_discovery_ut.c b/test/unit/lib/nvmf/ctrlr_discovery.c/ctrlr_discovery_ut.c
index 96f42d0053..a785f51041 100644
--- a/test/unit/lib/nvmf/ctrlr_discovery.c/ctrlr_discovery_ut.c
+++ b/test/unit/lib/nvmf/ctrlr_discovery.c/ctrlr_discovery_ut.c
@@ -136,6 +136,14 @@ spdk_nvmf_poll_group_remove_subsystem(struct spdk_nvmf_poll_group *group,
 	return 0;
 }
 
+int
+spdk_nvmf_poll_group_add_ns(struct spdk_nvmf_poll_group *group,
+			    struct spdk_nvmf_subsystem *subsystem,
+			    struct spdk_nvmf_ns *ns)
+{
+	return 0;
+}
+
 int
 spdk_nvmf_subsystem_bdev_attach(struct spdk_nvmf_subsystem *subsystem)
 {
diff --git a/test/unit/lib/nvmf/subsystem.c/subsystem_ut.c b/test/unit/lib/nvmf/subsystem.c/subsystem_ut.c
index a189b5a242..6a4e9e48b3 100644
--- a/test/unit/lib/nvmf/subsystem.c/subsystem_ut.c
+++ b/test/unit/lib/nvmf/subsystem.c/subsystem_ut.c
@@ -109,6 +109,14 @@ spdk_nvmf_poll_group_remove_subsystem(struct spdk_nvmf_poll_group *group,
 	return 0;
 }
 
+int
+spdk_nvmf_poll_group_add_ns(struct spdk_nvmf_poll_group *group,
+			    struct spdk_nvmf_subsystem *subsystem,
+			    struct spdk_nvmf_ns *ns)
+{
+	return 0;
+}
+
 int
 spdk_nvme_transport_id_parse_trtype(enum spdk_nvme_transport_type *trtype, const char *str)
 {