diff --git a/tokio/src/runtime/dump.rs b/tokio/src/runtime/dump.rs
index d262f3987cc..0a6adf979b7 100644
--- a/tokio/src/runtime/dump.rs
+++ b/tokio/src/runtime/dump.rs
@@ -3,7 +3,9 @@
 //! See [`Handle::dump`][crate::runtime::Handle::dump].
 
 use crate::task::Id;
-use std::{fmt, path::Path};
+use std::{fmt, future::Future, path::Path};
+
+pub use crate::runtime::task::trace::Root;
 
 /// A snapshot of a runtime's state.
 ///
@@ -214,6 +216,72 @@ impl Trace {
             })
             .collect()
     }
+
+    /// Runs the function `f` in tracing mode, and returns its result along with the resulting [`Trace`].
+    ///
+    /// This is normally called with `f` being the poll function of a future, and will give you a backtrace
+    /// that tells you what that one future is doing.
+    ///
+    /// Use [`Handle::dump`] instead if you want to know what *all the tasks* in your program are doing.
+    /// Also see [`Handle::dump`] for more documentation about dumps, but unlike [`Handle::dump`], this function
+    /// should not be much slower than calling `f` directly.
+    ///
+    /// Due to the way tracing is implemented, Tokio leaf futures will usually, instead of doing their
+    /// actual work, do the equivalent of a `yield_now` (returning a `Poll::Pending` and scheduling the
+    /// current context for execution), which means forward progress will probably not happen unless
+    /// you eventually call your future outside of `capture`.
+    ///
+    /// [`Handle::dump`]: crate::runtime::Handle::dump
+    ///
+    /// Example usage:
+    /// ```
+    /// use std::future::Future;
+    /// use std::task::Poll;
+    /// use tokio::runtime::dump::Trace;
+    ///
+    /// # async fn test_fn() {
+    /// // some future
+    /// let mut test_future = std::pin::pin!(async move { tokio::task::yield_now().await; 0 });
+    ///
+    /// // trace it once, see what it's doing
+    /// let (trace, res) = Trace::root(std::future::poll_fn(|cx| {
+    ///     let (res, trace) = Trace::capture(|| test_future.as_mut().poll(cx));
+    ///     Poll::Ready((trace, res))
+    /// })).await;
+    ///
+    /// // await it to let it finish, outside of a `capture`
+    /// let output = match res {
+    ///    Poll::Ready(output) => output,
+    ///    Poll::Pending => test_future.await,
+    /// };
+    ///
+    /// println!("{trace}");
+    /// # }
+    /// ```
+    ///
+    /// ### Nested calls
+    ///
+    /// Nested calls to `capture` might return partial traces, but will not do any other undesirable behavior (for
+    /// example, they will not panic).
+    pub fn capture<F, R>(f: F) -> (R, Trace)
+    where
+        F: FnOnce() -> R,
+    {
+        let (res, trace) = super::task::trace::Trace::capture(f);
+        (res, Trace { inner: trace })
+    }
+
+    /// Create a root for stack traces captured using [`Trace::capture`]. Stack frames above
+    /// the root will not be captured.
+    ///
+    /// Nesting multiple [`Root`] futures is fine. Captures will stop at the first root. Not having
+    /// a [`Root`] is fine as well, but there is no guarantee on where the capture will stop.
+    pub fn root<F>(f: F) -> Root<F>
+    where
+        F: Future,
+    {
+        crate::runtime::task::trace::Trace::root(f)
+    }
 }
 
 impl Dump {
diff --git a/tokio/src/runtime/handle.rs b/tokio/src/runtime/handle.rs
index 752640d75bd..91f13d6c2ed 100644
--- a/tokio/src/runtime/handle.rs
+++ b/tokio/src/runtime/handle.rs
@@ -447,6 +447,9 @@ cfg_taskdump! {
     impl Handle {
         /// Captures a snapshot of the runtime's state.
         ///
+        /// If you only want to capture a snapshot of a single future's state, you can use
+        /// [`Trace::capture`][crate::runtime::dump::Trace].
+        ///
         /// This functionality is experimental, and comes with a number of
         /// requirements and limitations.
         ///
diff --git a/tokio/src/runtime/task/trace/mod.rs b/tokio/src/runtime/task/trace/mod.rs
index 16cb3477ffc..71aa3b22657 100644
--- a/tokio/src/runtime/task/trace/mod.rs
+++ b/tokio/src/runtime/task/trace/mod.rs
@@ -56,7 +56,8 @@ pub(crate) struct Trace {
 pin_project_lite::pin_project! {
     #[derive(Debug, Clone)]
     #[must_use = "futures do nothing unless you `.await` or poll them"]
-    pub(crate) struct Root<T> {
+    /// A future wrapper that roots traces (captured with [`Trace::capture`]).
+    pub struct Root<T> {
         #[pin]
         future: T,
     }
diff --git a/tokio/tests/task_trace_self.rs b/tokio/tests/task_trace_self.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a4dc1f37e9c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tokio/tests/task_trace_self.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,107 @@
+#![allow(unknown_lints, unexpected_cfgs)]
+#![cfg(all(
+    tokio_unstable,
+    tokio_taskdump,
+    target_os = "linux",
+    any(target_arch = "aarch64", target_arch = "x86", target_arch = "x86_64")
+))]
+
+use std::future::Future;
+use std::pin::Pin;
+use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex};
+use std::task::{Context, Poll};
+use std::time::{Duration, Instant};
+
+use tokio::runtime::dump::{Root, Trace};
+
+pin_project_lite::pin_project! {
+    pub struct PrettyFuture<F: Future> {
+        #[pin]
+        f: Root<F>,
+        t_last: State,
+        logs: Arc<Mutex<Vec<Trace>>>,
+    }
+}
+
+enum State {
+    NotStarted,
+    Running { since: Instant },
+    Alerted,
+}
+
+impl<F: Future> PrettyFuture<F> {
+    pub fn pretty(f: F, logs: Arc<Mutex<Vec<Trace>>>) -> Self {
+        PrettyFuture {
+            f: Trace::root(f),
+            t_last: State::NotStarted,
+            logs,
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl<F: Future> Future for PrettyFuture<F> {
+    type Output = F::Output;
+
+    fn poll(self: Pin<&mut Self>, cx: &mut Context<'_>) -> Poll<F::Output> {
+        let mut this = self.project();
+        let now = Instant::now();
+        let t_last = match this.t_last {
+            State::Running { since } => Some(*since),
+            State::NotStarted => {
+                *this.t_last = State::Running { since: now };
+                None
+            }
+            State::Alerted => {
+                // don't double-alert for the same future
+                None
+            }
+        };
+        if t_last.is_some_and(|t_last| now.duration_since(t_last) > Duration::from_millis(500)) {
+            let (res, trace) = tokio::runtime::dump::Trace::capture(|| this.f.as_mut().poll(cx));
+            this.logs.lock().unwrap().push(trace);
+            *this.t_last = State::Alerted;
+            return res;
+        }
+        this.f.poll(cx)
+    }
+}
+
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn task_trace_self() {
+    let log = Arc::new(Mutex::new(vec![]));
+    let log2 = Arc::new(Mutex::new(vec![]));
+    let mut good_line = vec![];
+    let mut bad_line = vec![];
+    PrettyFuture::pretty(
+        PrettyFuture::pretty(
+            async {
+                bad_line.push(line!() + 1);
+                tokio::task::yield_now().await;
+                bad_line.push(line!() + 1);
+                tokio::time::sleep(Duration::from_millis(1)).await;
+                for _ in 0..100 {
+                    good_line.push(line!() + 1);
+                    tokio::time::sleep(Duration::from_millis(10)).await;
+                }
+            },
+            log.clone(),
+        ),
+        log2.clone(),
+    )
+    .await;
+    for line in good_line {
+        let s = format!("{}:{}:", file!(), line);
+        assert!(log.lock().unwrap().iter().any(|x| {
+            eprintln!("{}", x);
+            format!("{}", x).contains(&s)
+        }));
+    }
+    for line in bad_line {
+        let s = format!("{}:{}:", file!(), line);
+        assert!(!log
+            .lock()
+            .unwrap()
+            .iter()
+            .any(|x| format!("{}", x).contains(&s)));
+    }
+}