diff --git a/llarp/CMakeLists.txt b/llarp/CMakeLists.txt
index 0517b1c0f..36c3031f3 100644
--- a/llarp/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/llarp/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -175,6 +175,7 @@ add_library(liblokinet
   routing/path_transfer_message.cpp
   routing/transfer_traffic_message.cpp
   rpc/lokid_rpc_client.cpp
+  rpc/rpc_server.cpp
   service/address.cpp
   service/async_key_exchange.cpp
   service/context.cpp
diff --git a/llarp/router/router.cpp b/llarp/router/router.cpp
index 315dc5c33..d0810430c 100644
--- a/llarp/router/router.cpp
+++ b/llarp/router/router.cpp
@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ namespace llarp
 #else
       , _randomStartDelay(std::chrono::seconds((llarp::randint() % 30) + 10))
 #endif
+      , m_RPCServer(new rpc::RpcServer(m_lmq, this))
       , m_lokidRpcClient(std::make_shared<rpc::LokidRpcClient>(m_lmq, this))
   {
     m_keyManager = std::make_shared<KeyManager>();
@@ -850,8 +851,16 @@ namespace llarp
       {
         rpcBindAddr = DefaultRPCBindAddr;
       }
-      // TODO: set up rpc server
-      // LogInfo("Bound RPC server to ", rpcBindAddr);
+      // older configs just specify an ip/port tuple so check for that and prepend tcp:// in that
+      // case
+      if (rpcBindAddr.find("tcp://") == std::string::npos
+          and rpcBindAddr.find("ipc://") == std::string::npos)
+      {
+        LogWarn("RPC Server protocol not specified, defaulting to tcp");
+        rpcBindAddr = "tcp://" + rpcBindAddr;
+      }
+      m_RPCServer->AsyncServeRPC(rpcBindAddr);
+      LogInfo("Bound RPC server to ", rpcBindAddr);
     }
 
     return true;
diff --git a/llarp/router/router.hpp b/llarp/router/router.hpp
index c1e8f8c61..628bbab54 100644
--- a/llarp/router/router.hpp
+++ b/llarp/router/router.hpp
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 #include <routing/handler.hpp>
 #include <routing/message_parser.hpp>
 #include <rpc/lokid_rpc_client.hpp>
+#include <rpc/rpc_server.hpp>
 #include <service/context.hpp>
 #include <stdexcept>
 #include <util/buffer.hpp>
@@ -256,9 +257,11 @@ namespace llarp
     NetworkConfig networkConfig;
     DnsConfig dnsConfig;
 
-    const std::string DefaultRPCBindAddr = "127.0.0.1:1190";
+    const std::string DefaultRPCBindAddr = "tcp://127.0.0.1:1190";
     bool enableRPCServer = false;
     std::string rpcBindAddr = DefaultRPCBindAddr;
+    std::unique_ptr<rpc::RpcServer> m_RPCServer;
+
     const llarp_time_t _randomStartDelay;
 
     std::shared_ptr<rpc::LokidRpcClient> m_lokidRpcClient;
diff --git a/llarp/rpc/lokid_rpc_client.hpp b/llarp/rpc/lokid_rpc_client.hpp
index f5c4daaa5..30a30f1e1 100644
--- a/llarp/rpc/lokid_rpc_client.hpp
+++ b/llarp/rpc/lokid_rpc_client.hpp
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ namespace llarp
 
     /// The LokidRpcClient uses loki-mq to talk to make API requests to lokid.
     struct LokidRpcClient : public std::enable_shared_from_this<LokidRpcClient>
+    {
       LokidRpcClient(LMQ_ptr lmq, AbstractRouter* r);
 
       /// Connect to lokid async
diff --git a/llarp/rpc/rpc_server.cpp b/llarp/rpc/rpc_server.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5beeb8f03
--- /dev/null
+++ b/llarp/rpc/rpc_server.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+#include "rpc_server.hpp"
+
+namespace llarp::rpc
+{
+  RpcServer::RpcServer(LMQ_ptr lmq, AbstractRouter* r) : m_LMQ(std::move(lmq)), m_Router(r)
+  {
+  }
+
+  void RpcServer::AsyncServeRPC(std::string_view)
+  {
+    throw std::runtime_error("FIXME: implement llarp::rpc::RpcServer::AsyncServeRPC");
+  }
+
+}  // namespace llarp::rpc
diff --git a/llarp/rpc/rpc_server.hpp b/llarp/rpc/rpc_server.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..75ce00a98
--- /dev/null
+++ b/llarp/rpc/rpc_server.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+#pragma once
+
+#include <string_view>
+#include <lokimq/lokimq.h>
+
+namespace llarp
+{
+  struct AbstractRouter;
+}
+
+namespace llarp::rpc
+{
+  using LMQ_ptr = std::shared_ptr<lokimq::LokiMQ>;
+
+  struct RpcServer
+  {
+    explicit RpcServer(LMQ_ptr, AbstractRouter*);
+    ~RpcServer() = default;
+    void
+    AsyncServeRPC(const std::string_view addr);
+
+   private:
+    LMQ_ptr m_LMQ;
+    AbstractRouter* const m_Router;
+  };
+}  // namespace llarp::rpc