diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 38387ff..206329e 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ ENV PATH="/root/.pyenv/bin:/root/.pyenv/shims:${PATH}"
 RUN pyenv install 3.8.5 && \
     pyenv global 3.8.5 && \
     pyenv rehash && \
-    pip3 install --no-cache-dir pyyaml==5.1.2 Cython==0.29.14 scons==3.1.1 pycapnp==1.0.0 pre-commit==2.4.0 pylint==2.5.2 parameterized==0.7.4 coverage==5.1
+    pip3 install --no-cache-dir pyyaml==5.1.2 Cython==0.29.14 scons==3.1.1 pycapnp==1.0.0 pre-commit==2.4.0 pylint==2.5.2 parameterized==0.7.4 coverage==5.1 numpy==1.21.1
 
 WORKDIR /project/cereal/messaging
 RUN git clone https://github.com/catchorg/Catch2.git && \
diff --git a/SConstruct b/SConstruct
index 8fecf84..8734312 100644
--- a/SConstruct
+++ b/SConstruct
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import os
 import platform
 import subprocess
 import sysconfig
+import numpy as np
 
 arch = subprocess.check_output(["uname", "-m"], encoding='utf8').rstrip()
 if platform.system() == "Darwin":
@@ -59,6 +60,7 @@ env = Environment(
 Export('env', 'arch', 'common')
 
 envCython = env.Clone(LIBS=[])
+envCython["CPPPATH"] += [np.get_include()]
 envCython["CCFLAGS"] += ["-Wno-#warnings", "-Wno-deprecated-declarations"]
 if arch == "Darwin":
   envCython["LINKFLAGS"] = ["-bundle", "-undefined", "dynamic_lookup"]
diff --git a/visionipc/visionipc.pxd b/visionipc/visionipc.pxd
index 00a1776..554f812 100644
--- a/visionipc/visionipc.pxd
+++ b/visionipc/visionipc.pxd
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ cdef extern from "visionbuf.h":
   cdef cppclass VisionBuf:
     void * addr
     size_t len
+    size_t width
+    size_t height
 
 cdef extern from "visionipc.h":
   struct VisionIpcBufExtra:
@@ -27,3 +29,9 @@ cdef extern from "visionipc_server.h":
     VisionBuf * get_buffer(VisionStreamType)
     void send(VisionBuf *, VisionIpcBufExtra *, bool)
     void start_listener()
+
+cdef extern from "visionipc_client.h":
+  cdef cppclass VisionIpcClient:
+    VisionIpcClient(string, VisionStreamType, bool, void*, void*)
+    VisionBuf * recv(VisionIpcBufExtra *, int)
+    bool connect(bool)
diff --git a/visionipc/visionipc_pyx.pyx b/visionipc/visionipc_pyx.pyx
index fb8eed0..e9c0556 100644
--- a/visionipc/visionipc_pyx.pyx
+++ b/visionipc/visionipc_pyx.pyx
@@ -2,12 +2,16 @@
 # cython: c_string_encoding=ascii, language_level=3
 
 import sys
-from libcpp.string cimport string
-from libcpp cimport bool
+import numpy as np
+cimport numpy as cnp
+from cython.view cimport array
 from libc.string cimport memcpy
 from libc.stdint cimport uint32_t, uint64_t
+from libcpp cimport bool
+from libcpp.string cimport string
 
 from .visionipc cimport VisionIpcServer as cppVisionIpcServer
+from .visionipc cimport VisionIpcClient as cppVisionIpcClient
 from .visionipc cimport VisionBuf as cppVisionBuf
 from .visionipc cimport VisionIpcBufExtra
 
@@ -19,6 +23,7 @@ cpdef enum VisionStreamType:
   VISION_STREAM_YUV_FRONT
   VISION_STREAM_YUV_WIDE
 
+
 cdef class VisionIpcServer:
   cdef cppVisionIpcServer * server
 
@@ -47,3 +52,35 @@ cdef class VisionIpcServer:
 
   def __dealloc__(self):
     del self.server
+
+
+cdef class VisionIpcClient:
+  cdef cppVisionBuf * buf
+  cdef cppVisionIpcClient * client
+
+  def __cinit__(self, string name, VisionStreamType stream, bool conflate):
+    self.client = new cppVisionIpcClient(name, stream, conflate, NULL, NULL)
+    self.buf = NULL
+
+  def __dealloc__(self):
+    del self.client
+
+  @property
+  def width(self):
+    return 0 if not self.buf else self.buf.width
+
+  @property
+  def height(self):
+    return 0 if not self.buf else self.buf.height
+
+  def recv(self, int timeout_ms=100):
+    self.buf = self.client.recv(NULL, timeout_ms)
+    if not self.buf:
+      return None
+    cdef cnp.ndarray dat = np.empty(self.buf.len, dtype=np.uint8)
+    cdef char[:] dat_view = dat
+    memcpy(&dat_view[0], self.buf.addr, self.buf.len)
+    return dat
+
+  def connect(self, bool blocking):
+    return self.client.connect(blocking)