diff --git a/embassy-rp/src/lib.rs b/embassy-rp/src/lib.rs
index 4f205a16..50f028d4 100644
--- a/embassy-rp/src/lib.rs
+++ b/embassy-rp/src/lib.rs
@@ -219,6 +219,74 @@ select_bootloader! {
     default => BOOT_LOADER_W25Q080
 }
 
+/// Installs a stack guard for the CORE0 stack in MPU region 0.
+/// Will fail if the MPU is already confgigured. This function requires
+/// a `_stack_end` symbol to be defined by the linker script, and expexcts
+/// `_stack_end` to be located at the lowest address (largest depth) of
+/// the stack.
+///
+/// This method can *only* set up stack guards on the currently
+/// executing core. Stack guards for CORE1 are set up automatically,
+/// only CORE0 should ever use this.
+///
+/// # Usage
+///
+/// ```no_run
+/// #![feature(type_alias_impl_trait)]
+/// use embassy_rp::install_core0_stack_guard;
+/// use embassy_executor::{Executor, Spawner};
+///
+/// #[embassy_executor::main]
+/// async fn main(_spawner: Spawner) {
+///     // set up by the linker as follows:
+///     //
+///     //     MEMORY {
+///     //       STACK0: ORIGIN = 0x20040000, LENGTH = 4K
+///     //     }
+///     //
+///     //     _stack_end = ORIGIN(STACK0);
+///     //     _stack_start = _stack_end + LENGTH(STACK0);
+///     //
+///     install_core0_stack_guard().expect("MPU already configured");
+///     let p = embassy_rp::init(Default::default());
+///
+///     // ...
+/// }
+/// ```
+pub fn install_core0_stack_guard() -> Result<(), ()> {
+    extern "C" {
+        static mut _stack_end: usize;
+    }
+    unsafe { install_stack_guard(&mut _stack_end as *mut usize) }
+}
+
+#[inline(always)]
+fn install_stack_guard(stack_bottom: *mut usize) -> Result<(), ()> {
+    let core = unsafe { cortex_m::Peripherals::steal() };
+
+    // Fail if MPU is already configured
+    if core.MPU.ctrl.read() != 0 {
+        return Err(());
+    }
+
+    // The minimum we can protect is 32 bytes on a 32 byte boundary, so round up which will
+    // just shorten the valid stack range a tad.
+    let addr = (stack_bottom as u32 + 31) & !31;
+    // Mask is 1 bit per 32 bytes of the 256 byte range... clear the bit for the segment we want
+    let subregion_select = 0xff ^ (1 << ((addr >> 5) & 7));
+    unsafe {
+        core.MPU.ctrl.write(5); // enable mpu with background default map
+        core.MPU.rbar.write((addr & !0xff) | (1 << 4)); // set address and update RNR
+        core.MPU.rasr.write(
+            1 // enable region
+               | (0x7 << 1) // size 2^(7 + 1) = 256
+               | (subregion_select << 8)
+               | 0x10000000, // XN = disable instruction fetch; no other bits means no permissions
+        );
+    }
+    Ok(())
+}
+
 pub mod config {
     use crate::clocks::ClockConfig;
 
diff --git a/embassy-rp/src/multicore.rs b/embassy-rp/src/multicore.rs
index 468e8470..91576180 100644
--- a/embassy-rp/src/multicore.rs
+++ b/embassy-rp/src/multicore.rs
@@ -52,41 +52,20 @@ use core::sync::atomic::{compiler_fence, AtomicBool, Ordering};
 
 use crate::interrupt::InterruptExt;
 use crate::peripherals::CORE1;
-use crate::{gpio, interrupt, pac};
+use crate::{gpio, install_stack_guard, interrupt, pac};
 
 const PAUSE_TOKEN: u32 = 0xDEADBEEF;
 const RESUME_TOKEN: u32 = !0xDEADBEEF;
 static IS_CORE1_INIT: AtomicBool = AtomicBool::new(false);
 
 #[inline(always)]
-fn install_stack_guard(stack_bottom: *mut usize) {
-    let core = unsafe { cortex_m::Peripherals::steal() };
-
-    // Trap if MPU is already configured
-    if core.MPU.ctrl.read() != 0 {
+fn core1_setup(stack_bottom: *mut usize) {
+    if let Err(_) = install_stack_guard(stack_bottom) {
+        // currently only happens if the MPU was already set up, which
+        // would indicate that the core is already in use from outside
+        // embassy, somehow. trap if so since we can't deal with that.
         cortex_m::asm::udf();
     }
-
-    // The minimum we can protect is 32 bytes on a 32 byte boundary, so round up which will
-    // just shorten the valid stack range a tad.
-    let addr = (stack_bottom as u32 + 31) & !31;
-    // Mask is 1 bit per 32 bytes of the 256 byte range... clear the bit for the segment we want
-    let subregion_select = 0xff ^ (1 << ((addr >> 5) & 7));
-    unsafe {
-        core.MPU.ctrl.write(5); // enable mpu with background default map
-        core.MPU.rbar.write((addr & !0xff) | 0x8);
-        core.MPU.rasr.write(
-            1 // enable region
-               | (0x7 << 1) // size 2^(7 + 1) = 256
-               | (subregion_select << 8)
-               | 0x10000000, // XN = disable instruction fetch; no other bits means no permissions
-        );
-    }
-}
-
-#[inline(always)]
-fn core1_setup(stack_bottom: *mut usize) {
-    install_stack_guard(stack_bottom);
     unsafe {
         gpio::init();
     }