diff --git a/compiler-rt/lib/sanitizer_common/sanitizer_stackdepot.cpp b/compiler-rt/lib/sanitizer_common/sanitizer_stackdepot.cpp
--- a/compiler-rt/lib/sanitizer_common/sanitizer_stackdepot.cpp
+++ b/compiler-rt/lib/sanitizer_common/sanitizer_stackdepot.cpp
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 
 #include "sanitizer_stackdepot.h"
 
+#include "sanitizer_atomic.h"
 #include "sanitizer_common.h"
 #include "sanitizer_hash.h"
 #include "sanitizer_stack_store.h"
@@ -72,25 +73,81 @@
   return stackStore.Allocated() + useCounts.MemoryUsage();
 }
 
-static void CompressStackStore() {
+// Control how long to wait before spawning a new thread. It can be lost on
+// fork.
+static constexpr u64 kMaxThreadNanoTimeout = 60ull * 1000 * 1000 * 1000;
+static atomic_uint64_t thread_heartbeat;
+
+static bool CompressStackStore() {
   u64 start = MonotonicNanoTime();
   uptr diff = stackStore.Pack(static_cast<StackStore::Compression>(
-      common_flags()->compress_stack_depot));
-  if (!diff)
-    return;
+      Abs(common_flags()->compress_stack_depot)));
   u64 finish = MonotonicNanoTime();
+  if (!diff)
+    return false;
   uptr total_before = stackStore.Allocated() + diff;
   VPrintf(1, "%s: StackDepot released %zu KiB out of %zu KiB in %llu ms\n",
           SanitizerToolName, diff >> 10, total_before >> 10,
           (finish - start) / 1000000);
+  return true;
+}
+
+static void *CompressTracesThread(void *args) {
+  u64 hb = MonotonicNanoTime() + kMaxThreadNanoTimeout;
+  atomic_store(&thread_heartbeat, hb, memory_order_release);
+  for (int i = 0;;) {
+    if (CompressStackStore())
+      i = 0;
+    if (++i > 4)
+      break;
+    u64 next_hb = MonotonicNanoTime() + kMaxThreadNanoTimeout;
+    if (!atomic_compare_exchange_strong(&thread_heartbeat, &hb, next_hb,
+                                        memory_order_release)) {
+      // Another thread?
+      return nullptr;
+    }
+    hb = next_hb;
+    SleepForSeconds(i * 10);
+  }
+  // Allow to spawn a new thread.
+  if (!atomic_compare_exchange_strong(&thread_heartbeat, &hb, 0,
+                                      memory_order_release)) {
+    // Another thread?
+    return nullptr;
+  }
+  // Do the work which was added before thread_heartbeat reset.
+  CompressStackStore();
+  return nullptr;
+}
+
+static void MaybeStartCompressThread() {
+  u64 heartbeat = atomic_load_relaxed(&thread_heartbeat);
+  u64 now = MonotonicNanoTime();
+  if (heartbeat && now < heartbeat)
+    return;
+
+  if (atomic_compare_exchange_strong(&thread_heartbeat, &heartbeat,
+                                     now + kMaxThreadNanoTimeout,
+                                     memory_order_release)) {
+    VPrintf(1, "%s: StackDepot starts compression thread\n", SanitizerToolName);
+    internal_start_thread(&CompressTracesThread, nullptr);
+  }
 }
 
 void StackDepotNode::store(u32 id, const args_type &args, hash_type hash) {
   stack_hash = hash;
   uptr pack = 0;
   store_id = stackStore.Store(args, &pack);
-  if (pack && common_flags()->compress_stack_depot)
+  if (LIKELY(!pack))
+    return;
+  int compress = common_flags()->compress_stack_depot;
+  if (!compress)
+    return;
+  if (compress < 0 /* for testing */) {
     CompressStackStore();
+    return;
+  }
+  MaybeStartCompressThread();
 }
 
 StackDepotNode::args_type StackDepotNode::load(u32 id) const {
diff --git a/compiler-rt/test/sanitizer_common/TestCases/compress_stack_depot.cpp b/compiler-rt/test/sanitizer_common/TestCases/compress_stack_depot.cpp
--- a/compiler-rt/test/sanitizer_common/TestCases/compress_stack_depot.cpp
+++ b/compiler-rt/test/sanitizer_common/TestCases/compress_stack_depot.cpp
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 // RUN: %clangxx %s -fsanitize-memory-track-origins=1 -o %t
 // RUN: %env_tool_opts="compress_stack_depot=0:malloc_context_size=128:verbosity=1" %run %t 2>&1 | FileCheck %s --implicit-check-not="StackDepot released"
-// RUN: %env_tool_opts="compress_stack_depot=1:malloc_context_size=128:verbosity=1" %run %t 2>&1 | FileCheck %s --check-prefixes=COMPRESS
-// RUN: %env_tool_opts="compress_stack_depot=2:malloc_context_size=128:verbosity=1" %run %t 2>&1 | FileCheck %s --check-prefixes=COMPRESS
+// RUN: %env_tool_opts="compress_stack_depot=-1:malloc_context_size=128:verbosity=1" %run %t 2>&1 | FileCheck %s --check-prefixes=COMPRESS
+// RUN: %env_tool_opts="compress_stack_depot=-2:malloc_context_size=128:verbosity=1" %run %t 2>&1 | FileCheck %s --check-prefixes=COMPRESS
 
 // Ubsan does not store stacks.
 // UNSUPPORTED: ubsan