diff --git a/include/faabric/transport/MessageEndpoint.h b/include/faabric/transport/MessageEndpoint.h
index 515b6be39..26873a00e 100644
--- a/include/faabric/transport/MessageEndpoint.h
+++ b/include/faabric/transport/MessageEndpoint.h
@@ -218,6 +218,26 @@ class SyncRecvMessageEndpoint final : public RecvMessageEndpoint
     void sendResponse(const uint8_t* data, int size);
 };
 
+class AsyncDirectRecvEndpoint final : public RecvMessageEndpoint
+{
+  public:
+    AsyncDirectRecvEndpoint(const std::string& inprocLabel,
+                            int timeoutMs = DEFAULT_RECV_TIMEOUT_MS);
+
+    std::optional<Message> recv(int size = 0) override;
+};
+
+class AsyncDirectSendEndpoint final : public MessageEndpoint
+{
+  public:
+    AsyncDirectSendEndpoint(const std::string& inProcLabel,
+                            int timeoutMs = DEFAULT_RECV_TIMEOUT_MS);
+
+    void send(const uint8_t* data, size_t dataSize, bool more = false);
+
+    zmq::socket_t socket;
+};
+
 class MessageTimeoutException final : public faabric::util::FaabricException
 {
   public:
diff --git a/src/transport/MessageEndpoint.cpp b/src/transport/MessageEndpoint.cpp
index 119324885..054ea2730 100644
--- a/src/transport/MessageEndpoint.cpp
+++ b/src/transport/MessageEndpoint.cpp
@@ -79,6 +79,13 @@ zmq::socket_t socketFactory(zmq::socket_type socketType,
                     CATCH_ZMQ_ERR_RETRY_ONCE(socket.bind(address), "bind")
                     break;
                 }
+                case zmq::socket_type::pair: {
+                    SPDLOG_TRACE("Bind socket: pair {} (timeout {}ms)",
+                                 address,
+                                 timeoutMs);
+                    CATCH_ZMQ_ERR_RETRY_ONCE(socket.bind(address), "bind")
+                    break;
+                }
                 case zmq::socket_type::pub: {
                     SPDLOG_TRACE(
                       "Bind socket: pub {} (timeout {}ms)", address, timeoutMs);
@@ -123,6 +130,13 @@ zmq::socket_t socketFactory(zmq::socket_type socketType,
         }
         case (MessageEndpointConnectType::CONNECT): {
             switch (socketType) {
+                case zmq::socket_type::pair: {
+                    SPDLOG_TRACE("Connect socket: pair {} (timeout {}ms)",
+                                 address,
+                                 timeoutMs);
+                    CATCH_ZMQ_ERR_RETRY_ONCE(socket.connect(address), "connect")
+                    break;
+                }
                 case zmq::socket_type::pull: {
                     SPDLOG_TRACE("Connect socket: pull {} (timeout {}ms)",
                                  address,
@@ -559,4 +573,38 @@ void SyncRecvMessageEndpoint::sendResponse(const uint8_t* data, int size)
     SPDLOG_TRACE("REP {} ({} bytes)", address, size);
     doSend(socket, data, size, false);
 }
+
+// ----------------------------------------------
+// INTERNAL DIRECT MESSAGE ENDPOINTS
+// ----------------------------------------------
+
+AsyncDirectRecvEndpoint::AsyncDirectRecvEndpoint(const std::string& inprocLabel,
+                                                 int timeoutMs)
+  : RecvMessageEndpoint(inprocLabel,
+                        timeoutMs,
+                        zmq::socket_type::pair,
+                        MessageEndpointConnectType::BIND)
+{}
+
+std::optional<Message> AsyncDirectRecvEndpoint::recv(int size)
+{
+    SPDLOG_TRACE("PAIR recv {} ({} bytes)", address, size);
+    return RecvMessageEndpoint::recv(size);
+}
+
+AsyncDirectSendEndpoint::AsyncDirectSendEndpoint(const std::string& inprocLabel,
+                                                 int timeoutMs)
+  : MessageEndpoint("inproc://" + inprocLabel, timeoutMs)
+{
+    socket =
+      setUpSocket(zmq::socket_type::pair, MessageEndpointConnectType::CONNECT);
+}
+
+void AsyncDirectSendEndpoint::send(const uint8_t* data,
+                                   size_t dataSize,
+                                   bool more)
+{
+    SPDLOG_TRACE("PAIR send {} ({} bytes, more {})", address, dataSize, more);
+    doSend(socket, data, dataSize, more);
+}
 }
diff --git a/tests/test/transport/test_message_endpoint_client.cpp b/tests/test/transport/test_message_endpoint_client.cpp
index 80a11470f..41c1480e6 100644
--- a/tests/test/transport/test_message_endpoint_client.cpp
+++ b/tests/test/transport/test_message_endpoint_client.cpp
@@ -1,10 +1,12 @@
 #include "faabric_utils.h"
 #include <catch2/catch.hpp>
 
+#include <atomic>
 #include <thread>
 #include <unistd.h>
 
 #include <faabric/transport/MessageEndpoint.h>
+#include <faabric/util/latch.h>
 #include <faabric/util/macros.h>
 
 using namespace faabric::transport;
@@ -224,6 +226,112 @@ TEST_CASE_METHOD(SchedulerTestFixture,
     }
 }
 
-#endif
+TEST_CASE_METHOD(SchedulerTestFixture, "Test direct messaging", "[transport]")
+{
+    std::string expected = "Direct hello";
+    const uint8_t* msg = BYTES_CONST(expected.c_str());
+
+    std::string inprocLabel = "direct-test";
+
+    AsyncDirectSendEndpoint sender(inprocLabel);
+    sender.send(msg, expected.size());
+
+    AsyncDirectRecvEndpoint receiver(inprocLabel);
+
+    std::string actual;
+    SECTION("Recv with size")
+    {
+        faabric::transport::Message recvMsg =
+          receiver.recv(expected.size()).value();
+        actual = std::string(recvMsg.data(), recvMsg.size());
+    }
+
+    SECTION("Recv no size")
+    {
+        faabric::transport::Message recvMsg = receiver.recv().value();
+        actual = std::string(recvMsg.data(), recvMsg.size());
+    }
+
+    REQUIRE(actual == expected);
+}
+
+TEST_CASE_METHOD(SchedulerTestFixture,
+                 "Stress test direct messaging",
+                 "[transport]")
+{
+    int nMessages = 1000;
+    int nPairs = 3;
+    std::string inprocLabel = "direct-test-";
+
+    std::shared_ptr<faabric::util::Latch> startLatch =
+      faabric::util::Latch::create(nPairs + 1);
+
+    std::vector<std::thread> senders;
+    std::vector<std::thread> receivers;
+
+    for (int i = 0; i < nPairs; i++) {
+        senders.emplace_back([i, nMessages, inprocLabel, &startLatch] {
+            std::string thisLabel = inprocLabel + std::to_string(i);
+            AsyncDirectSendEndpoint sender(thisLabel);
+
+            for (int m = 0; m < nMessages; m++) {
+                std::string expected =
+                  "Direct hello " + std::to_string(i) + "_" + std::to_string(m);
+                const uint8_t* msg = BYTES_CONST(expected.c_str());
+                sender.send(msg, expected.size());
+
+                if (m % 100 == 0) {
+                    SLEEP_MS(10);
+                }
+
+                // Make main thread wait until messages are queued (to check no
+                // issue with connecting before binding)
+                if (m == 10) {
+                    startLatch->wait();
+                }
+            }
+        });
+    }
+
+    // Wait for queued messages
+    startLatch->wait();
+
+    std::atomic<bool> success = true;
+    for (int i = 0; i < nPairs; i++) {
+        receivers.emplace_back([i, nMessages, inprocLabel, &success] {
+            std::string thisLabel = inprocLabel + std::to_string(i);
+            AsyncDirectRecvEndpoint receiver(thisLabel);
+
+            // Receive messages
+            for (int m = 0; m < nMessages; m++) {
+                faabric::transport::Message recvMsg = receiver.recv().value();
+                std::string actual(recvMsg.data(), recvMsg.size());
+
+                std::string expected =
+                  "Direct hello " + std::to_string(i) + "_" + std::to_string(m);
+
+                if (actual != expected) {
+                    success.store(false);
+                }
+            }
+        });
+    }
+
+    REQUIRE(success.load(std::memory_order_acquire));
+
+    for (auto& t : senders) {
+        if (t.joinable()) {
+            t.join();
+        }
+    }
+
+    for (auto& t : receivers) {
+        if (t.joinable()) {
+            t.join();
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+#endif // End ThreadSanitizer exclusion
 
 }