diff --git a/kernel/filesystem/fs_server/fs_rpc.c b/kernel/filesystem/fs_server/fs_rpc.c
index 8ca1da91..a29462f2 100644
--- a/kernel/filesystem/fs_server/fs_rpc.c
+++ b/kernel/filesystem/fs_server/fs_rpc.c
@@ -1,10 +1,12 @@
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-or-later
-// filesystem server RPCs
+// userspace filesystems
 
 #include "mos/filesystem/dentry.h"
 #include "mos/filesystem/vfs.h"
 #include "mos/filesystem/vfs_types.h"
 #include "mos/filesystem/vfs_utils.h"
+#include "mos/mm/mm.h"
+#include "mos/mm/physical/pmm.h"
 #include "mos/mm/slab_autoinit.h"
 #include "mos/printk.h"
 #include "mos/setup.h"
@@ -40,6 +42,7 @@ SLAB_AUTOINIT("userfs", userfs_slab, userfs_t);
 
 static const inode_ops_t userfs_iops;
 static const file_ops_t userfs_fops;
+static const inode_cache_ops_t userfs_inode_cache_ops;
 
 static inode_t *i_from_pb(const pb_inode *pbi, superblock_t *sb)
 {
@@ -161,6 +164,7 @@ static bool userfs_iop_lookup(inode_t *dir, dentry_t *dentry)
     dentry->inode = i;
     dentry->superblock = i->superblock = dir->superblock;
     i->ops = &userfs_iops;
+    i->cache.ops = &userfs_inode_cache_ops;
     i->file_ops = &userfs_fops;
     ret = true;
 
@@ -294,6 +298,52 @@ static const file_ops_t userfs_fops = {
     .munmap = NULL,
 };
 
+static phyframe_t *userfs_inode_cache_fill_cache(inode_cache_t *cache, off_t pgoff)
+{
+    // get a page from the server
+    userfs_t *userfs = container_of(cache->owner->superblock->fs, userfs_t, fs);
+    mos_rpc_fs_getpage_request req = { 0 };
+    i_to_pb(cache->owner, &req.inode);
+    req.pgoff = pgoff;
+
+    mos_rpc_fs_getpage_response resp = { 0 };
+    userfs_ensure_connected(userfs);
+    int result = fs_client_getpage(userfs->rpc_server, &req, &resp);
+    if (result != RPC_RESULT_OK)
+    {
+        pr_warn("userfs_inode_cache_fill_cache: failed to getpage %s: %d", dentry_name(cache->owner->superblock->root), result);
+        goto bail_out;
+    }
+
+    if (!resp.result.success)
+    {
+        pr_warn("userfs_inode_cache_fill_cache: failed to getpage %s: %s", dentry_name(cache->owner->superblock->root), resp.result.error);
+        goto bail_out;
+    }
+
+    // allocate a page
+    phyframe_t *page = pmm_ref_one(mm_get_free_page());
+    if (!page)
+    {
+        pr_warn("userfs_inode_cache_fill_cache: failed to allocate page");
+        goto bail_out;
+    }
+
+    // copy the data from the server
+    memcpy((void *) phyframe_va(page), resp.data->bytes, MIN(resp.data->size, MOS_PAGE_SIZE));
+    return page;
+
+bail_out:
+    pb_release(mos_rpc_fs_getpage_response_fields, &resp);
+    return ERR_PTR(-EIO);
+}
+
+static const inode_cache_ops_t userfs_inode_cache_ops = {
+    .fill_cache = userfs_inode_cache_fill_cache,
+    .page_write_begin = NULL,
+    .page_write_end = NULL,
+};
+
 static dentry_t *userfs_fsop_mount(filesystem_t *fs, const char *device, const char *options)
 {
     userfs_t *userfs = container_of(fs, userfs_t, fs);
diff --git a/kernel/include/public/mos/proto/fs_server.h b/kernel/include/public/mos/proto/fs_server.h
index fd17474e..9ed68bcd 100644
--- a/kernel/include/public/mos/proto/fs_server.h
+++ b/kernel/include/public/mos/proto/fs_server.h
@@ -17,4 +17,5 @@ RPC_DEFINE_ENUMS(fs_manager, FS_MANAGER, FS_MANAGER_X)
     PB(xarg, 0, mount, MOUNT, mos_rpc_fs_mount_request, mos_rpc_fs_mount_response)                                                                                       \
     PB(xarg, 1, readdir, READDIR, mos_rpc_fs_readdir_request, mos_rpc_fs_readdir_response)                                                                               \
     PB(xarg, 2, lookup, LOOKUP, mos_rpc_fs_lookup_request, mos_rpc_fs_lookup_response)                                                                                   \
-    PB(xarg, 3, readlink, READLINK, mos_rpc_fs_readlink_request, mos_rpc_fs_readlink_response)
+    PB(xarg, 3, readlink, READLINK, mos_rpc_fs_readlink_request, mos_rpc_fs_readlink_response)                                                                           \
+    PB(xarg, 4, getpage, GETPAGE, mos_rpc_fs_getpage_request, mos_rpc_fs_getpage_response)
diff --git a/proto/filesystem.proto b/proto/filesystem.proto
index a0edac78..20c73eb2 100644
--- a/proto/filesystem.proto
+++ b/proto/filesystem.proto
@@ -122,3 +122,15 @@ message mos_rpc_fs_readlink_response
     mos_rpc_result result = 1;
     string target = 2; // the target of the symlink
 }
+
+message mos_rpc_fs_getpage_request
+{
+    pb_inode inode = 1; // the inode of the file
+    uint64 pgoff = 2;   // the offset of the page, in number of pages
+}
+
+message mos_rpc_fs_getpage_response
+{
+    mos_rpc_result result = 1;
+    bytes data = 2; // the data of the page
+}
diff --git a/userspace/programs/init/bootstrapper/cpiofs_server.c b/userspace/programs/init/bootstrapper/cpiofs_server.c
index dca225fd..efff822d 100644
--- a/userspace/programs/init/bootstrapper/cpiofs_server.c
+++ b/userspace/programs/init/bootstrapper/cpiofs_server.c
@@ -267,6 +267,32 @@ static int cpiofs_readlink(rpc_server_t *server, mos_rpc_fs_readlink_request *re
     return RPC_RESULT_OK;
 }
 
+static int cpiofs_getpage(rpc_server_t *server, mos_rpc_fs_getpage_request *req, mos_rpc_fs_getpage_response *resp, void *data)
+{
+    MOS_UNUSED(server);
+    MOS_UNUSED(data);
+
+    cpio_inode_t *cpio_i = (cpio_inode_t *) req->inode.private_data;
+    const size_t bytes_to_read = MIN((size_t) MOS_PAGE_SIZE, cpio_i->pb_i.stat.size - req->pgoff * MOS_PAGE_SIZE);
+
+    resp->data = malloc(sizeof(pb_bytes_array_t) + bytes_to_read);
+    resp->data->size = bytes_to_read;
+
+    const size_t read = read_initrd(resp->data->bytes, bytes_to_read, cpio_i->data_offset + req->pgoff * MOS_PAGE_SIZE);
+    if (read != bytes_to_read)
+    {
+        puts("cpiofs_getpage: failed to read page");
+        resp->result.success = false;
+        resp->result.error = strdup("failed to read page");
+
+        free(resp->data);
+        return RPC_RESULT_OK;
+    }
+
+    resp->result.success = true;
+    return RPC_RESULT_OK;
+}
+
 void cpiofs_run_server()
 {
     cpiofs = rpc_server_create(CPIOFS_RPC_SERVER_NAME, NULL);