diff --git a/kmod/src/data.c b/kmod/src/data.c
index 7903e8d7..7181960f 100644
--- a/kmod/src/data.c
+++ b/kmod/src/data.c
@@ -1515,6 +1515,93 @@ out:
 	return ret;
 }
 
+/*
+ * Punch holes in offline extents.  This is a very specific tool that
+ * only does one job: it converts extents from offline to sparse.  It
+ * returns an error if it encounters an extent that isn't offline or has
+ * a block mapping.  It ignores i_size completely; it does not test it,
+ * and does not update it.
+ *
+ * The caller has the inode locked in the vfs and performed basic sanity
+ * checks.  We manage transactions and the extent_sem which is ordered
+ * inside the transaction.
+ */
+int scoutfs_data_punch_offline(struct inode *inode, u64 iblock, u64 last, u64 data_version,
+			       struct scoutfs_lock *lock)
+{
+	struct scoutfs_inode_info *si = SCOUTFS_I(inode);
+	struct super_block *sb = inode->i_sb;
+	struct data_ext_args args = {
+		.ino = scoutfs_ino(inode),
+		.inode = inode,
+		.lock = lock,
+	};
+	struct scoutfs_extent ext;
+	LIST_HEAD(ind_locks);
+	int ret;
+	int i;
+
+	if (WARN_ON_ONCE(iblock > last)) {
+		ret = -EINVAL;
+		goto out;
+	}
+
+	/* idiomatic to call start,last with 0,~0, clamp last to last possible */
+	last = min(last, SCOUTFS_BLOCK_SM_MAX);
+
+	ret = 0;
+	while (iblock <= last) {
+		ret = scoutfs_inode_index_lock_hold(inode, &ind_locks, true, false) ?:
+		      scoutfs_dirty_inode_item(inode, lock);
+		if (ret < 0)
+			break;
+
+		down_write(&si->extent_sem);
+
+		for (i = 0; i < 32 && (iblock <= last); i++) {
+			ret = scoutfs_ext_next(sb, &data_ext_ops, &args, iblock, 1, &ext);
+			if (ret == -ENOENT || ext.start > iblock) {
+				iblock = last + 1;
+				ret = 0;
+				break;
+			}
+
+			if (ext.map) {
+				ret = -EINVAL;
+				break;
+			}
+
+			if (ext.flags & SEF_OFFLINE) {
+				if (iblock > ext.start) {
+					ext.len -= iblock - ext.start;
+					ext.start = iblock;
+				}
+				ext.len = min(ext.len, last - ext.start + 1);
+				ext.flags &= ~SEF_OFFLINE;
+
+				ret = scoutfs_ext_set(sb, &data_ext_ops, &args,
+						      ext.start, ext.len, ext.map, ext.flags);
+				if (ret < 0)
+					break;
+			}
+
+			iblock = ext.start + ext.len;
+		}
+
+		up_write(&si->extent_sem);
+
+		scoutfs_update_inode_item(inode, lock, &ind_locks);
+		scoutfs_release_trans(sb);
+		scoutfs_inode_index_unlock(sb, &ind_locks);
+
+		if (ret < 0)
+			break;
+	}
+
+out:
+	return ret;
+}
+
 /*
  * This copies to userspace :/
  */
diff --git a/kmod/src/data.h b/kmod/src/data.h
index a34854eb..8b2f5f60 100644
--- a/kmod/src/data.h
+++ b/kmod/src/data.h
@@ -57,6 +57,8 @@ int scoutfs_data_init_offline_extent(struct inode *inode, u64 size,
 int scoutfs_data_move_blocks(struct inode *from, u64 from_off,
 			     u64 byte_len, struct inode *to, u64 to_off, bool to_stage,
 			     u64 data_version);
+int scoutfs_data_punch_offline(struct inode *inode, u64 iblock, u64 last, u64 data_version,
+			       struct scoutfs_lock *lock);
 
 int scoutfs_data_wait_check(struct inode *inode, loff_t pos, loff_t len,
 			    u8 sef, u8 op, struct scoutfs_data_wait *ow,
diff --git a/kmod/src/ioctl.c b/kmod/src/ioctl.c
index fea7aae3..064321ed 100644
--- a/kmod/src/ioctl.c
+++ b/kmod/src/ioctl.c
@@ -1668,6 +1668,78 @@ out:
 	return ret;
 }
 
+static long scoutfs_ioc_punch_offline(struct file *file, unsigned long arg)
+{
+	struct inode *inode = file_inode(file);
+	struct super_block *sb = inode->i_sb;
+	struct scoutfs_ioctl_punch_offline __user *upo = (void __user *)arg;
+	struct scoutfs_ioctl_punch_offline po;
+	struct scoutfs_lock *lock = NULL;
+	u64 iblock;
+	u64 last;
+	u64 tmp;
+	int ret;
+
+	if (copy_from_user(&po, upo, sizeof(po)))
+		return -EFAULT;
+
+	if (po.len == 0)
+		return 0;
+
+	if (check_add_overflow(po.offset, po.len - 1, &tmp) ||
+	    (po.offset & SCOUTFS_BLOCK_SM_MASK) ||
+	    (po.len & SCOUTFS_BLOCK_SM_MASK))
+		return -EOVERFLOW;
+
+	if (po.flags)
+		return -EINVAL;
+
+	ret = mnt_want_write_file(file);
+	if (ret < 0)
+		return ret;
+
+	inode_lock(inode);
+
+	ret = scoutfs_lock_inode(sb, SCOUTFS_LOCK_WRITE,
+				 SCOUTFS_LKF_REFRESH_INODE, inode, &lock);
+	if (ret)
+		goto out;
+
+	if (!S_ISREG(inode->i_mode)) {
+		ret = -EINVAL;
+		goto out;
+	}
+
+	if (!(file->f_mode & FMODE_WRITE)) {
+		ret = -EINVAL;
+		goto out;
+	}
+
+	ret = inode_permission(KC_VFS_INIT_NS inode, MAY_WRITE);
+	if (ret < 0)
+		goto out;
+
+	if (scoutfs_inode_data_version(inode) != po.data_version) {
+		ret = -ESTALE;
+		goto out;
+	}
+
+	if ((ret = scoutfs_inode_check_retention(inode)))
+		goto out;
+
+	iblock = po.offset >> SCOUTFS_BLOCK_SM_SHIFT;
+	last = (po.offset + po.len - 1) >> SCOUTFS_BLOCK_SM_SHIFT;
+
+	ret = scoutfs_data_punch_offline(inode, iblock, last, po.data_version, lock);
+
+out:
+	scoutfs_unlock(sb, lock, SCOUTFS_LOCK_WRITE);
+	inode_unlock(inode);
+	mnt_drop_write_file(file);
+
+	return ret;
+}
+
 long scoutfs_ioctl(struct file *file, unsigned int cmd, unsigned long arg)
 {
 	switch (cmd) {
@@ -1717,6 +1789,8 @@ long scoutfs_ioctl(struct file *file, unsigned int cmd, unsigned long arg)
 		return scoutfs_ioc_mod_quota_rule(file, arg, false);
 	case SCOUTFS_IOC_READ_XATTR_INDEX:
 		return scoutfs_ioc_read_xattr_index(file, arg);
+	case SCOUTFS_IOC_PUNCH_OFFLINE:
+		return scoutfs_ioc_punch_offline(file, arg);
 	}
 
 	return -ENOTTY;
diff --git a/kmod/src/ioctl.h b/kmod/src/ioctl.h
index 9f79839e..401a8d02 100644
--- a/kmod/src/ioctl.h
+++ b/kmod/src/ioctl.h
@@ -843,4 +843,32 @@ struct scoutfs_ioctl_read_xattr_index {
 #define SCOUTFS_IOC_READ_XATTR_INDEX \
 	_IOR(SCOUTFS_IOCTL_MAGIC, 23, struct scoutfs_ioctl_read_xattr_index)
 
+/*
+ * This is a limited and specific version of hole punching.  It's an
+ * archive layer operation that only converts unmapped offline extents
+ * into sparse extents.  It is intended to be used when restoring sparse
+ * files after the initial creation set the entire file size offline.
+ *
+ * The offset and len fields are in units of bytes and must be aligned
+ * to the small (4KiB) block size.  All regions of offline extents
+ * covered by the region will be converted into sparse online extents,
+ * including regions that straddle the boundaries of the region.  Any
+ * existing sparse extents in the region are ignored.
+ *
+ * The data_version must match the inode or EINVAL is returned.  The
+ * data_version is not modified by this operation.
+ *
+ * EINVAL is returned if any mapped extents are found in the region.  If
+ * an error is returned then partial progress may have been made.
+ */
+struct scoutfs_ioctl_punch_offline {
+	__u64 offset;
+	__u64 len;
+	__u64 data_version;
+	__u64 flags;
+};
+
+#define SCOUTFS_IOC_PUNCH_OFFLINE \
+	_IOW(SCOUTFS_IOCTL_MAGIC, 24, struct scoutfs_ioctl_punch_offline)
+
 #endif