diff --git a/libdw/libdw.map b/libdw/libdw.map
index 4f530378..3fdf3f93 100644
--- a/libdw/libdw.map
+++ b/libdw/libdw.map
@@ -366,3 +366,8 @@ ELFUTILS_0.186 {
     dwarf_linecontext;
     dwarf_linefunctionname;
 } ELFUTILS_0.177;
+
+ELFUTILS_0.187 {
+  global:
+    dwfl_get_debuginfod_client;
+} ELFUTILS_0.186;
diff --git a/libdwfl/ChangeLog b/libdwfl/ChangeLog
index b3ca56cb..890df156 100644
--- a/libdwfl/ChangeLog
+++ b/libdwfl/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+2022-06-22  Milian Wolff <mail@milianw.de>
+
+	* libdwfl.h, debuginfod-client.c (dwfl_get_debuginfod_client):
+	Rename get_client to dwfl_get_debuginfod_client and make it public.
+
 2022-05-15  Mark Wielaard  <mark@klomp.org>
 
 	* libdwfl.h (dwfl_module_addrinfo): Update docs and nonnull
diff --git a/libdwfl/Makefile.am b/libdwfl/Makefile.am
index a0013e41..3278358d 100644
--- a/libdwfl/Makefile.am
+++ b/libdwfl/Makefile.am
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ libdwfl_a_SOURCES = dwfl_begin.c dwfl_end.c dwfl_error.c dwfl_version.c \
 		    link_map.c core-file.c open.c image-header.c \
 		    dwfl_frame.c frame_unwind.c dwfl_frame_pc.c \
 		    linux-pid-attach.c linux-core-attach.c dwfl_frame_regs.c \
-		    gzip.c
+		    gzip.c debuginfod-client.c
 
 if BZLIB
 libdwfl_a_SOURCES += bzip2.c
@@ -81,9 +81,6 @@ endif
 if ZSTD
 libdwfl_a_SOURCES += zstd.c
 endif
-if LIBDEBUGINFOD
-libdwfl_a_SOURCES += debuginfod-client.c
-endif
 
 libdwfl = $(libdw)
 libdw = ../libdw/libdw.so
diff --git a/libdwfl/debuginfod-client.c b/libdwfl/debuginfod-client.c
index 153260c3..813043b1 100644
--- a/libdwfl/debuginfod-client.c
+++ b/libdwfl/debuginfod-client.c
@@ -32,6 +32,9 @@
 #endif
 
 #include "libdwflP.h"
+
+#ifdef ENABLE_LIBDEBUGINFOD
+
 #include <pthread.h>
 #include <dlfcn.h>
 
@@ -46,8 +49,8 @@ static pthread_once_t init_control = PTHREAD_ONCE_INIT;
 
 /* NB: this is slightly thread-unsafe */
 
-static debuginfod_client *
-get_client (Dwfl *dwfl)
+debuginfod_client *
+dwfl_get_debuginfod_client (Dwfl *dwfl)
 {
   if (dwfl->debuginfod != NULL)
     return dwfl->debuginfod;
@@ -71,7 +74,7 @@ __libdwfl_debuginfod_find_executable (Dwfl *dwfl,
   int fd = -1;
   if (build_id_len > 0)
     {
-      debuginfod_client *c = get_client (dwfl);
+      debuginfod_client *c = dwfl_get_debuginfod_client (dwfl);
       if (c != NULL)
 	fd = (*fp_debuginfod_find_executable) (c, build_id_bits,
 					       build_id_len, NULL);
@@ -88,7 +91,7 @@ __libdwfl_debuginfod_find_debuginfo (Dwfl *dwfl,
   int fd = -1;
   if (build_id_len > 0)
     {
-      debuginfod_client *c = get_client (dwfl);
+      debuginfod_client *c = dwfl_get_debuginfod_client (dwfl);
       if (c != NULL)
 	fd = (*fp_debuginfod_find_debuginfo) (c, build_id_bits,
 					      build_id_len, NULL);
@@ -105,7 +108,7 @@ __libdwfl_debuginfod_end (debuginfod_client *c)
 }
 
 /* Try to get the libdebuginfod library functions.
-   Only needs to be called once from get_client.  */
+   Only needs to be called once from dwfl_get_debuginfod_client.  */
 static void
 __libdwfl_debuginfod_init (void)
 {
@@ -134,3 +137,13 @@ __libdwfl_debuginfod_init (void)
 	}
     }
 }
+
+#else // ENABLE_LIBDEBUGINFOD
+
+debuginfod_client *
+dwfl_get_debuginfod_client (Dwfl *)
+{
+  return NULL;
+}
+
+#endif // ENABLE_LIBDEBUGINFOD
diff --git a/libdwfl/libdwfl.h b/libdwfl/libdwfl.h
index c55a8eaa..b323e8fb 100644
--- a/libdwfl/libdwfl.h
+++ b/libdwfl/libdwfl.h
@@ -49,6 +49,9 @@ typedef struct Dwfl_Thread Dwfl_Thread;
    PC location described by an FDE belonging to Dwfl_Thread.  */
 typedef struct Dwfl_Frame Dwfl_Frame;
 
+/* Handle for debuginfod-client connection.  */
+typedef struct debuginfod_client debuginfod_client;
+
 /* Callbacks.  */
 typedef struct
 {
@@ -795,6 +798,13 @@ int dwfl_getthread_frames (Dwfl *dwfl, pid_t tid,
 bool dwfl_frame_pc (Dwfl_Frame *state, Dwarf_Addr *pc, bool *isactivation)
   __nonnull_attribute__ (1, 2);
 
+/* Return the internal debuginfod-client connection handle for the DWFL session.
+   When the client connection has not yet been initialized, it will be done on the
+   first call to this function. If elfutils is compiled without support for debuginfod,
+   NULL will be returned.
+ */
+extern debuginfod_client *dwfl_get_debuginfod_client (Dwfl *dwfl);
+
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }
 #endif
diff --git a/libdwfl/libdwflP.h b/libdwfl/libdwflP.h
index 7503a627..9f598370 100644
--- a/libdwfl/libdwflP.h
+++ b/libdwfl/libdwflP.h
@@ -786,6 +786,7 @@ INTDECL (dwfl_getthread_frames)
 INTDECL (dwfl_getthreads)
 INTDECL (dwfl_thread_getframes)
 INTDECL (dwfl_frame_pc)
+INTDECL (dwfl_get_debuginfod_client)
 
 /* Leading arguments standard to callbacks passed a Dwfl_Module.  */
 #define MODCB_ARGS(mod)	(mod), &(mod)->userdata, (mod)->name, (mod)->low_addr
