diff --git a/drivers/platform/surface/aggregator/controller.c b/drivers/platform/surface/aggregator/controller.c
index a06964aa96e7..cd3a6b77f48d 100644
--- a/drivers/platform/surface/aggregator/controller.c
+++ b/drivers/platform/surface/aggregator/controller.c
@@ -2127,9 +2127,15 @@ int ssam_ctrl_notif_d0_entry(struct ssam_controller *ctrl)
  * @ctrl: The controller to register the notifier on.
  * @n:    The event notifier to register.
  *
- * Register an event notifier and increment the usage counter of the
- * associated SAM event. If the event was previously not enabled, it will be
- * enabled during this call.
+ * Register an event notifier. Increment the usage counter of the associated
+ * SAM event if the notifier is not marked as an observer. If the event is not
+ * marked as an observer and is currently not enabled, it will be enabled
+ * during this call. If the notifier is marked as an observer, no attempt will
+ * be made at enabling any event and no reference count will be modified.
+ *
+ * Notifiers marked as observers do not need to be associated with one specific
+ * event, i.e. as long as no event matching is performed, only the event target
+ * category needs to be set.
  *
  * Return: Returns zero on success, %-ENOSPC if there have already been
  * %INT_MAX notifiers for the event ID/type associated with the notifier block
@@ -2138,11 +2144,10 @@ int ssam_ctrl_notif_d0_entry(struct ssam_controller *ctrl)
  * for the specific associated event, returns the status of the event-enable
  * EC-command.
  */
-int ssam_notifier_register(struct ssam_controller *ctrl,
-			   struct ssam_event_notifier *n)
+int ssam_notifier_register(struct ssam_controller *ctrl, struct ssam_event_notifier *n)
 {
 	u16 rqid = ssh_tc_to_rqid(n->event.id.target_category);
-	struct ssam_nf_refcount_entry *entry;
+	struct ssam_nf_refcount_entry *entry = NULL;
 	struct ssam_nf_head *nf_head;
 	struct ssam_nf *nf;
 	int status;
@@ -2155,29 +2160,32 @@ int ssam_notifier_register(struct ssam_controller *ctrl,
 
 	mutex_lock(&nf->lock);
 
-	entry = ssam_nf_refcount_inc(nf, n->event.reg, n->event.id);
-	if (IS_ERR(entry)) {
-		mutex_unlock(&nf->lock);
-		return PTR_ERR(entry);
-	}
+	if (!(n->flags & SSAM_EVENT_NOTIFIER_OBSERVER)) {
+		entry = ssam_nf_refcount_inc(nf, n->event.reg, n->event.id);
+		if (IS_ERR(entry)) {
+			mutex_unlock(&nf->lock);
+			return PTR_ERR(entry);
+		}
 
-	ssam_dbg(ctrl, "enabling event (reg: %#04x, tc: %#04x, iid: %#04x, rc: %d)\n",
-		 n->event.reg.target_category, n->event.id.target_category,
-		 n->event.id.instance, entry->refcount);
+		ssam_dbg(ctrl, "enabling event (reg: %#04x, tc: %#04x, iid: %#04x, rc: %d)\n",
+			 n->event.reg.target_category, n->event.id.target_category,
+			 n->event.id.instance, entry->refcount);
+	}
 
 	status = ssam_nfblk_insert(nf_head, &n->base);
 	if (status) {
-		entry = ssam_nf_refcount_dec(nf, n->event.reg, n->event.id);
-		if (entry->refcount == 0)
-			kfree(entry);
+		if (entry) {
+			entry = ssam_nf_refcount_dec(nf, n->event.reg, n->event.id);
+			if (entry->refcount == 0)
+				kfree(entry);
+		}
 
 		mutex_unlock(&nf->lock);
 		return status;
 	}
 
-	if (entry->refcount == 1) {
-		status = ssam_ssh_event_enable(ctrl, n->event.reg, n->event.id,
-					       n->event.flags);
+	if (entry && entry->refcount == 1) {
+		status = ssam_ssh_event_enable(ctrl, n->event.reg, n->event.id, n->event.flags);
 		if (status) {
 			ssam_nfblk_remove(&n->base);
 			kfree(ssam_nf_refcount_dec(nf, n->event.reg, n->event.id));
@@ -2188,7 +2196,7 @@ int ssam_notifier_register(struct ssam_controller *ctrl,
 
 		entry->flags = n->event.flags;
 
-	} else if (entry->flags != n->event.flags) {
+	} else if (entry && entry->flags != n->event.flags) {
 		ssam_warn(ctrl,
 			  "inconsistent flags when enabling event: got %#04x, expected %#04x (reg: %#04x, tc: %#04x, iid: %#04x)\n",
 			  n->event.flags, entry->flags, n->event.reg.target_category,
@@ -2205,17 +2213,16 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(ssam_notifier_register);
  * @ctrl: The controller the notifier has been registered on.
  * @n:    The event notifier to unregister.
  *
- * Unregister an event notifier and decrement the usage counter of the
- * associated SAM event. If the usage counter reaches zero, the event will be
- * disabled.
+ * Unregister an event notifier. Decrement the usage counter of the associated
+ * SAM event if the notifier is not marked as an observer. If the usage counter
+ * reaches zero, the event will be disabled.
  *
  * Return: Returns zero on success, %-ENOENT if the given notifier block has
  * not been registered on the controller. If the given notifier block was the
  * last one associated with its specific event, returns the status of the
  * event-disable EC-command.
  */
-int ssam_notifier_unregister(struct ssam_controller *ctrl,
-			     struct ssam_event_notifier *n)
+int ssam_notifier_unregister(struct ssam_controller *ctrl, struct ssam_event_notifier *n)
 {
 	u16 rqid = ssh_tc_to_rqid(n->event.id.target_category);
 	struct ssam_nf_refcount_entry *entry;
@@ -2236,6 +2243,13 @@ int ssam_notifier_unregister(struct ssam_controller *ctrl,
 		return -ENOENT;
 	}
 
+	/*
+	 * If this is an observer notifier, do not attempt to disable the
+	 * event, just remove it.
+	 */
+	if (n->flags & SSAM_EVENT_NOTIFIER_OBSERVER)
+		goto remove;
+
 	entry = ssam_nf_refcount_dec(nf, n->event.reg, n->event.id);
 	if (WARN_ON(!entry)) {
 		/*
@@ -2260,8 +2274,7 @@ int ssam_notifier_unregister(struct ssam_controller *ctrl,
 	}
 
 	if (entry->refcount == 0) {
-		status = ssam_ssh_event_disable(ctrl, n->event.reg, n->event.id,
-						n->event.flags);
+		status = ssam_ssh_event_disable(ctrl, n->event.reg, n->event.id, n->event.flags);
 		kfree(entry);
 	}
 
diff --git a/include/linux/surface_aggregator/controller.h b/include/linux/surface_aggregator/controller.h
index 0806796eabcb..cf4bb48a850e 100644
--- a/include/linux/surface_aggregator/controller.h
+++ b/include/linux/surface_aggregator/controller.h
@@ -795,6 +795,20 @@ enum ssam_event_mask {
 #define SSAM_EVENT_REGISTRY_REG \
 	SSAM_EVENT_REGISTRY(SSAM_SSH_TC_REG, 0x02, 0x01, 0x02)
 
+/**
+ * enum ssam_event_notifier_flags - Flags for event notifiers.
+ * @SSAM_EVENT_NOTIFIER_OBSERVER:
+ *	The corresponding notifier acts as observer. Registering a notifier
+ *	with this flag set will not attempt to enable any event. Equally,
+ *	unregistering will not attempt to disable any event. Note that a
+ *	notifier with this flag may not even correspond to a certain event at
+ *	all, only to a specific event target category. Event matching will not
+ *	be influenced by this flag.
+ */
+enum ssam_event_notifier_flags {
+	SSAM_EVENT_NOTIFIER_OBSERVER = BIT(0),
+};
+
 /**
  * struct ssam_event_notifier - Notifier block for SSAM events.
  * @base:        The base notifier block with callback function and priority.
@@ -803,6 +817,7 @@ enum ssam_event_mask {
  * @event.id:    ID specifying the event.
  * @event.mask:  Flags determining how events are matched to the notifier.
  * @event.flags: Flags used for enabling the event.
+ * @flags:       Notifier flags (see &enum ssam_event_notifier_flags).
  */
 struct ssam_event_notifier {
 	struct ssam_notifier_block base;
@@ -813,6 +828,8 @@ struct ssam_event_notifier {
 		enum ssam_event_mask mask;
 		u8 flags;
 	} event;
+
+	unsigned long flags;
 };
 
 int ssam_notifier_register(struct ssam_controller *ctrl,