diff --git a/backend/eventd/eventd.go b/backend/eventd/eventd.go
index ca6d759721..1110ef167f 100644
--- a/backend/eventd/eventd.go
+++ b/backend/eventd/eventd.go
@@ -537,3 +537,8 @@ func (e *Eventd) Err() <-chan error {
 func (e *Eventd) Name() string {
 	return "eventd"
 }
+
+// Workers returns the number of configured worker goroutines.
+func (e *Eventd) Workers() int {
+	return e.workerCount
+}
diff --git a/backend/eventd/eventd_test.go b/backend/eventd/eventd_test.go
index a844178c16..0d4b4344e2 100644
--- a/backend/eventd/eventd_test.go
+++ b/backend/eventd/eventd_test.go
@@ -483,3 +483,16 @@ func entityNotFound(s *storetest.Store, namespace, name string) {
 func entityLookupError(s *storetest.Store, namespace, name string) {
 	entityError(s, namespace, name, errors.New("some error"))
 }
+
+func TestWorkerCount(t *testing.T) {
+	// TODO(eric): this is tech debt, better to pass in a config with this
+	// property and test after New(). Unfortunately, New() requires a working
+	// etcd client and would be too heavy for this test.
+	const workers = 10
+	daemon := Eventd{
+		workerCount: workers,
+	}
+	if got, want := daemon.Workers(), workers; got != want {
+		t.Fatalf("bad workers: got %d, want %d", got, want)
+	}
+}