diff --git a/docs/Hooks.md b/docs/Hooks.md
index 38227bdbfe..58359d5b9e 100644
--- a/docs/Hooks.md
+++ b/docs/Hooks.md
@@ -564,3 +564,45 @@ fastify.route({
 ```
 
 **Note**: both options also accept an array of functions.
+
+## Diagnostics Channel Hooks
+
+> **Note:** The `diagnostics_channel` is currently experimental on Node.js, so
+> its API is subject to change even in semver-patch releases of Node.js. For
+> versions of Node.js supported by Fastify where `diagnostics_channel` is
+> unavailable, the hook will use the
+> [polyfill](https://www.npmjs.com/package/diagnostics_channel) if it is
+> available. Otherwise this feature will not be present.
+
+Currently, one
+[`diagnostics_channel`](https://nodejs.org/api/diagnostics_channel.html) publish
+event, `'fastify.initialization'`, happens at initialization time. The Fastify
+instance is passed into the hook as a property of the object passed in. At this
+point, the instance can be interacted with to add hooks, plugins, routes or any
+other sort of modification.
+
+For example, a tracing package might do something like the following (which is,
+of course, a simplification). This would be in a file loaded in the
+initialization of the tracking package, in the typical "require instrumentation
+tools first" fashion.
+
+```js
+const tracer = /* retrieved from elsehwere in the package */
+const dc = require('diagnostics_channel')
+const channel = dc.channel('fastify.initialization')
+const spans = new WeakMap()
+
+channel.subscribe(function ({ fastify }) {
+  fastify.addHook('onRequest', (request, reply, done) => {
+    const span = tracer.startSpan('fastify.request')
+    spans.set(request, span)
+    done()
+  })
+
+  fastify.addHook('onResponse', (request, reply, done) => {
+    const span = spans.get(request)
+    span.finish()
+    done()
+  })
+})
+```
diff --git a/fastify.js b/fastify.js
index f1fae99cac..22a9dadaa5 100644
--- a/fastify.js
+++ b/fastify.js
@@ -399,6 +399,17 @@ function fastify (options) {
   // Delay configuring clientError handler so that it can access fastify state.
   server.on('clientError', options.clientErrorHandler.bind(fastify))
 
+  try {
+    const dc = require('diagnostics_channel')
+    const initChannel = dc.channel('fastify.initialization')
+    if (initChannel.hasSubscribers) {
+      initChannel.publish({ fastify })
+    }
+  } catch (e) {
+    // This only happens if `diagnostics_channel` isn't available, i.e. earlier
+    // versions of Node.js. In that event, we don't care, so ignore the error.
+  }
+
   return fastify
 
   function throwIfAlreadyStarted (msg) {
diff --git a/test/diagnostics-channel.test.js b/test/diagnostics-channel.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9b8e301cea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/diagnostics-channel.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+'use strict'
+
+const t = require('tap')
+const test = t.test
+const proxyquire = require('proxyquire')
+
+test('diagnostics_channel when present and subscribers', t => {
+  t.plan(3)
+
+  let fastifyInHook
+
+  const dc = {
+    channel (name) {
+      t.equal(name, 'fastify.initialization')
+      return {
+        hasSubscribers: true,
+        publish (event) {
+          t.ok(event.fastify)
+          fastifyInHook = event.fastify
+        }
+      }
+    },
+    '@noCallThru': true
+  }
+
+  const fastify = proxyquire('../fastify', {
+    diagnostics_channel: dc
+  })()
+  t.equal(fastifyInHook, fastify)
+})
+
+test('diagnostics_channel when present and no subscribers', t => {
+  t.plan(1)
+
+  const dc = {
+    channel (name) {
+      t.equal(name, 'fastify.initialization')
+      return {
+        hasSubscribers: false,
+        publish () {
+          t.fail('publish should not be called')
+        }
+      }
+    },
+    '@noCallThru': true
+  }
+
+  proxyquire('../fastify', {
+    diagnostics_channel: dc
+  })()
+})
+
+test('diagnostics_channel when not present', t => {
+  t.plan(1)
+
+  t.doesNotThrow(() => {
+    proxyquire('../fastify', {
+      diagnostics_channel: null
+    })()
+  })
+})