diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index b68ab56c4..49bb13318 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ Source = "https://github.com/googlefonts/fontra"
 
 [project.scripts]
 fontra = "fontra.__main__:main"
+fontra-copy = "fontra.backends.copy:main"
 
 
 [project.entry-points."fontra.views"]
diff --git a/src/fontra/backends/copy.py b/src/fontra/backends/copy.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..95c06076a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/fontra/backends/copy.py
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+import argparse
+import asyncio
+import logging
+import pathlib
+import shutil
+
+from . import getFileSystemBackend, newFileSystemBackend
+
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+
+async def copyFont(sourceBackend, destBackend, *, numTasks=8):
+    await destBackend.putGlobalAxes(await sourceBackend.getGlobalAxes())
+    glyphMap = await sourceBackend.getGlyphMap()
+    glyphNamesToCopy = sorted(glyphMap)
+
+    # Needed for rcjk backend, but is a bug there
+    # _ = await destBackend.getGlyphMap()
+
+    tasks = [
+        asyncio.create_task(
+            copyGlyphs(sourceBackend, destBackend, glyphMap, glyphNamesToCopy)
+        )
+        for i in range(numTasks)
+    ]
+    done, pending = await asyncio.wait(tasks)
+    # await asyncio.sleep(4)
+    assert not pending
+
+
+async def copyGlyphs(sourceBackend, destBackend, glyphMap, glyphNamesToCopy):
+    while glyphNamesToCopy:
+        glyphName = glyphNamesToCopy.pop(0)
+        logger.info(f"reading {glyphName}")
+        glyph = await sourceBackend.getGlyph(glyphName)
+        logger.info(f"writing {glyphName}")
+        error = await destBackend.putGlyph(glyphName, glyph, glyphMap[glyphName])
+        if error:
+            # FIXME: putGlyph should always raise, and not return some error string
+            # This may be unique to the rcjk backend, though.
+            raise ValueError(error)
+
+
+async def mainAsync():
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
+    parser.add_argument("source")
+    parser.add_argument("destination")
+    parser.add_argument("--overwrite", type=bool, default=False)
+
+    args = parser.parse_args()
+
+    sourcePath = pathlib.Path(args.source)
+    assert sourcePath.exists()
+    destPath = pathlib.Path(args.destination)
+    if args:
+        if destPath.is_dir():
+            shutil.rmtree(destPath)
+        elif destPath.exists():
+            destPath.unlink()
+    elif destPath.exists():
+        raise argparse.ArgumentError("the destination file already exists")
+
+    sourceBackend = getFileSystemBackend(sourcePath)
+    destBackend = newFileSystemBackend(destPath)
+
+    await copyFont(sourceBackend, destBackend)
+
+
+def main():
+    asyncio.run(mainAsync())
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()
diff --git a/test-py/test_backend_copy.py b/test-py/test_backend_copy.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e8c45e0f7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test-py/test_backend_copy.py
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+import pathlib
+import subprocess
+
+from test_backend_designspace import fileNamesFromDir
+
+from fontra.backends import getFileSystemBackend, newFileSystemBackend
+from fontra.backends.copy import copyFont
+
+mutatorDSPath = (
+    pathlib.Path(__file__).resolve().parent
+    / "data"
+    / "mutatorsans"
+    / "MutatorSans.designspace"
+)
+
+
+async def test_copyFont(tmpdir):
+    tmpdir = pathlib.Path(tmpdir)
+    destPath = tmpdir / "MutatorCopy.designspace"
+    sourceFont = getFileSystemBackend(mutatorDSPath)
+    destFont = newFileSystemBackend(destPath)
+    await copyFont(sourceFont, destFont)
+    assert [
+        "MutatorCopy.designspace",
+        "MutatorCopy_BoldCondensed.ufo",
+        "MutatorCopy_BoldWide.ufo",
+        "MutatorCopy_LightWide.ufo",
+        "MutatorCopy_Regular.ufo",
+    ] == fileNamesFromDir(tmpdir)
+
+
+def test_fontra_copy(tmpdir):
+    tmpdir = pathlib.Path(tmpdir)
+    destPath = tmpdir / "MutatorCopy.designspace"
+    subprocess.run(["fontra-copy", mutatorDSPath, destPath])
+    assert [
+        "MutatorCopy.designspace",
+        "MutatorCopy_BoldCondensed.ufo",
+        "MutatorCopy_BoldWide.ufo",
+        "MutatorCopy_LightWide.ufo",
+        "MutatorCopy_Regular.ufo",
+    ] == fileNamesFromDir(tmpdir)