diff --git a/src/basic/meson.build b/src/basic/meson.build
index 77ce2cf262..0e4c5584da 100644
--- a/src/basic/meson.build
+++ b/src/basic/meson.build
@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@ basic_sources = files(
         'path-lookup.c',
         'path-util.c',
         'percent-util.c',
+        'pidref.c',
         'prioq.c',
         'proc-cmdline.c',
         'process-util.c',
diff --git a/src/basic/pidref.c b/src/basic/pidref.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f41460938c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/basic/pidref.c
@@ -0,0 +1,145 @@
+/* SPDX-License-Identifier: LGPL-2.1-or-later */
+
+#include "errno-util.h"
+#include "fd-util.h"
+#include "missing_syscall.h"
+#include "parse-util.h"
+#include "pidref.h"
+#include "process-util.h"
+
+int pidref_set_pid(PidRef *pidref, pid_t pid) {
+        int fd;
+
+        assert(pidref);
+
+        if (pid < 0)
+                return -ESRCH;
+        if (pid == 0)
+                pid = getpid_cached();
+
+        fd = pidfd_open(pid, 0);
+        if (fd < 0) {
+                /* Graceful fallback in case the kernel doesn't support pidfds or is out of fds */
+                if (!ERRNO_IS_NOT_SUPPORTED(errno) && !ERRNO_IS_PRIVILEGE(errno) && !ERRNO_IS_RESOURCE(errno))
+                        return -errno;
+
+                fd = -EBADF;
+        }
+
+        *pidref = (PidRef) {
+                .fd = fd,
+                .pid = pid,
+        };
+
+        return 0;
+}
+
+int pidref_set_pidstr(PidRef *pidref, const char *pid) {
+        pid_t nr;
+        int r;
+
+        assert(pidref);
+
+        r = parse_pid(pid, &nr);
+        if (r < 0)
+                return r;
+
+        return pidref_set_pid(pidref, nr);
+}
+
+int pidref_set_pidfd(PidRef *pidref, int fd) {
+        int r;
+
+        assert(pidref);
+
+        if (fd < 0)
+                return -EBADF;
+
+        int fd_copy = fcntl(fd, F_DUPFD_CLOEXEC, 3);
+        if (fd_copy < 0) {
+                pid_t pid;
+
+                if (!ERRNO_IS_RESOURCE(errno))
+                        return -errno;
+
+                /* Graceful fallback if we are out of fds */
+                r = pidfd_get_pid(fd, &pid);
+                if (r < 0)
+                        return r;
+
+                *pidref = (PidRef) {
+                        .fd = -EBADF,
+                        .pid = pid,
+                };
+
+                return 0;
+        }
+
+        return pidref_set_pidfd_consume(pidref, fd_copy);
+}
+
+int pidref_set_pidfd_take(PidRef *pidref, int fd) {
+        pid_t pid;
+        int r;
+
+        assert(pidref);
+
+        if (fd < 0)
+                return -EBADF;
+
+        r = pidfd_get_pid(fd, &pid);
+        if (r < 0)
+                return r;
+
+        *pidref = (PidRef) {
+                .fd = fd,
+                .pid = pid,
+        };
+
+        return 0;
+}
+
+int pidref_set_pidfd_consume(PidRef *pidref, int fd) {
+        int r;
+
+        r = pidref_set_pidfd_take(pidref, fd);
+        if (r < 0)
+                safe_close(fd);
+
+        return r;
+}
+
+void pidref_done(PidRef *pidref) {
+        assert(pidref);
+
+        *pidref = (PidRef) {
+                .fd = safe_close(pidref->fd),
+        };
+}
+
+int pidref_kill(PidRef *pidref, int sig) {
+
+        if (!pidref)
+                return -ESRCH;
+
+        if (pidref->fd >= 0)
+                return RET_NERRNO(pidfd_send_signal(pidref->fd, sig, NULL, 0));
+
+        if (pidref->pid > 0)
+                return RET_NERRNO(kill(pidref->pid, sig));
+
+        return -ESRCH;
+}
+
+int pidref_kill_and_sigcont(PidRef *pidref, int sig) {
+        int r;
+
+        r = pidref_kill(pidref, sig);
+        if (r < 0)
+                return r;
+
+        if (!IN_SET(sig, SIGCONT, SIGKILL))
+                (void) pidref_kill(pidref, SIGCONT);
+
+        return 0;
+}
diff --git a/src/basic/pidref.h b/src/basic/pidref.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2411e510f1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/basic/pidref.h
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+/* SPDX-License-Identifier: LGPL-2.1-or-later */
+#pragma once
+
+#include "macro.h"
+
+/* An embeddable structure carrying a reference to a process. Supposed to be used when tracking processes continously. */
+typedef struct PidRef {
+        pid_t pid; /* always valid */
+        int fd;    /* only valid if pidfd are available in the kernel, and we manage to get an fd */
+} PidRef;
+
+#define PIDREF_NULL (PidRef) { .fd = -EBADF }
+
+static inline bool pidref_is_set(const PidRef *pidref) {
+        return pidref && pidref->pid > 0;
+}
+
+int pidref_set_pid(PidRef *pidref, pid_t pid);
+int pidref_set_pidstr(PidRef *pidref, const char *pid);
+int pidref_set_pidfd(PidRef *pidref, int fd);
+int pidref_set_pidfd_take(PidRef *pidref, int fd); /* takes ownership of the passed pidfd on success*/
+int pidref_set_pidfd_consume(PidRef *pidref, int fd); /* takes ownership of the passed pidfd in both success and failure */
+
+void pidref_done(PidRef *pidref);
+
+int pidref_kill(PidRef *pidref, int sig);
+int pidref_kill_and_sigcont(PidRef *pidref, int sig);
+
+#define TAKE_PIDREF(p) TAKE_GENERIC((p), PidRef, PIDREF_NULL)