diff --git a/packages/polling/package.json b/packages/polling/package.json
index ec1ba6b4b..4b0466c9f 100644
--- a/packages/polling/package.json
+++ b/packages/polling/package.json
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@
     "@web/test-runner-playwright": "^0.11.0",
     "chai": "^4.3.4",
     "mocha": "^9.0.3",
+    "mock-socket": "^9.3.1",
     "postcss": "^8.4.24",
     "rimraf": "^5.0.1",
     "rollup": "^3.25.1",
diff --git a/packages/polling/src/index.ts b/packages/polling/src/index.ts
index 4d66fae59..6f95ecea9 100644
--- a/packages/polling/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/polling/src/index.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ export { Poll } from './poll';
 
 export { Debouncer, RateLimiter, Throttler } from './ratelimiter';
 
+export { SocketStream } from './socketstream';
+
 /**
  * A readonly poll that calls an asynchronous function with each tick.
  *
diff --git a/packages/polling/src/socketstream.ts b/packages/polling/src/socketstream.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5361849ce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/polling/src/socketstream.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+// Copyright (c) Jupyter Development Team.
+// Distributed under the terms of the Modified BSD License.
+
+import { IDisposable } from '@lumino/disposable';
+
+import { Signal, Stream } from '@lumino/signaling';
+
+import { Poll } from '.';
+
+/**
+ * A utility class to wrap and augment a web socket. A socket stream emits web
+ * socket messages as an async iterable and also as a Lumino signal. It uses
+ * an internal poll instance to manage reconnection logic automatically.
+ *
+ * @typeparam T - The type of the stream owner (i.e., the `sender` of a signal).
+ *
+ * @typeparam U - The type of the socket stream's emissions.
+ */
+export class SocketStream<T, U> extends Stream<T, U> implements IDisposable {
+  /**
+   * Construct a new web socket stream.
+   *
+   * @param sender - The sender which owns the stream.
+   *
+   * @param connector - A factory that returns a new web socket connection.
+   */
+  constructor(
+    sender: T,
+    protected readonly connector: () => WebSocket
+  ) {
+    super(sender);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Whether the stream is disposed.
+   */
+  get isDisposed() {
+    return this.connection.isDisposed;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Dispose the stream.
+   */
+  dispose() {
+    const { connection, socket } = this;
+    connection.dispose();
+    if (socket) {
+      socket.onclose = null;
+      socket.onerror = null;
+      socket.onmessage = null;
+      socket.onopen = null;
+      socket.close();
+    }
+    this.socket = null;
+    Signal.clearData(this);
+    super.stop();
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Send a message via the underlying web socket.
+   *
+   * @param data - The payload of the message sent via the web socket.
+   */
+  send(data: string | ArrayBufferLike | Blob | ArrayBufferView): void {
+    if (this.isDisposed) {
+      return;
+    }
+    this.socket!.send(data);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * A handle to the socket connection poll.
+   */
+  protected readonly connection = new Poll({ factory: () => this.reconnect() });
+
+  /**
+   * The current active socket. This value is updated by the `reconnect` method.
+   */
+  protected socket: WebSocket | null = null;
+
+  /**
+   * (Re)open a web socket connection and subscribe to its updates.
+   *
+   * @returns A promise that rejects when the socket connection is closed.
+   */
+  protected async reconnect(): Promise<void> {
+    if (this.isDisposed) {
+      return;
+    }
+    return new Promise((_, reject) => {
+      this.socket = this.connector();
+      this.socket.onclose = () => reject(new Error('socket stream has closed'));
+      this.socket.onmessage = ({ data }) => data && this.emit(JSON.parse(data));
+    });
+  }
+}
diff --git a/packages/polling/tests/src/index.spec.ts b/packages/polling/tests/src/index.spec.ts
index 67c8cf46e..db3f4d7b2 100644
--- a/packages/polling/tests/src/index.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/polling/tests/src/index.spec.ts
@@ -3,3 +3,4 @@
 
 import './poll.spec';
 import './ratelimiter.spec';
+import './socketstream.spec';
diff --git a/packages/polling/tests/src/poll.spec.ts b/packages/polling/tests/src/poll.spec.ts
index 3da5d8515..2f514f271 100644
--- a/packages/polling/tests/src/poll.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/polling/tests/src/poll.spec.ts
@@ -334,11 +334,11 @@ describe('Poll', () => {
       const tock = (poll: Poll): void => {
         tocker.push(poll.state.phase);
         expect(ticker.join(' ')).to.equal(tocker.join(' '));
-        poll.tick.then(tock);
+        poll.tick.then(tock).catch(_ => undefined);
       };
       // Kick off the promise listener, but void its settlement to verify that
       // the poll's internal sync of the promise and the signal is correct.
-      poll.tick.then(tock);
+      void poll.tick.then(tock);
       await poll.stop();
       await poll.start();
       await poll.tick;
diff --git a/packages/polling/tests/src/socketstream.spec.ts b/packages/polling/tests/src/socketstream.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..cd4bd3693
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/polling/tests/src/socketstream.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+// Copyright (c) Jupyter Development Team.
+// Distributed under the terms of the Modified BSD License.
+
+import { expect } from 'chai';
+
+import { Server, WebSocket } from 'mock-socket';
+
+import { IPoll, SocketStream } from '@lumino/polling';
+
+/**
+ * Returns a promise that resolves to `value` after `milliseconds` elapse.
+ */
+const sleep = (milliseconds: number = 0, value?: unknown): Promise<unknown> =>
+  new Promise(resolve => void setTimeout(() => resolve(value), milliseconds));
+
+class TestSocketStream<T, U> extends SocketStream<T, U> {
+  constructor(sender: T, connector: () => WebSocket) {
+    super(sender, connector);
+    this.connection.ticked.connect((_, state) => {
+      this.phases.push(state.phase);
+    });
+    void this.collect();
+  }
+
+  async collect() {
+    for await (const message of this) {
+      this.messages.push(message);
+    }
+  }
+
+  messages: U[] = [];
+  phases: IPoll.Phase<any>[] = [];
+}
+
+describe('SocketStream', () => {
+  const url = 'ws://localhost:8888';
+  let server: Server;
+  let stream: TestSocketStream<unknown, unknown>;
+
+  before(async () => {
+    server = new Server(url);
+  });
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    stream.dispose();
+  });
+
+  after(async () => new Promise<void>(resolve => server.stop(() => resolve())));
+
+  describe('#constructor()', () => {
+    it('should create a socket stream', () => {
+      stream = new TestSocketStream(null, () => new WebSocket(url));
+      expect(stream).to.be.an.instanceof(SocketStream);
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('#dispose()', () => {
+    it('should clean up after itself upon dispose', async () => {
+      stream = new TestSocketStream(null, () => new WebSocket(url));
+      stream.dispose();
+      expect(stream.isDisposed).to.equal(true);
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('[Symbol.asyncIterator]', () => {
+    it('should receive socket messages', async () => {
+      stream = new TestSocketStream(null, () => new WebSocket(url));
+      server.on('connection', socket => {
+        socket.send('{ "alpha": 1 }');
+        socket.send('{ "bravo": 2 }');
+      });
+      await sleep(250);
+      expect(stream.messages).to.eql([{ alpha: 1 }, { bravo: 2 }]);
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index d4efbd479..2ac79010a 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -710,6 +710,7 @@ __metadata:
     "@web/test-runner-playwright": ^0.11.0
     chai: ^4.3.4
     mocha: ^9.0.3
+    mock-socket: ^9.3.1
     postcss: ^8.4.24
     rimraf: ^5.0.1
     rollup: ^3.25.1
@@ -8320,6 +8321,13 @@ __metadata:
   languageName: node
   linkType: hard
 
+"mock-socket@npm:^9.3.1":
+  version: 9.3.1
+  resolution: "mock-socket@npm:9.3.1"
+  checksum: cb2dde4fc5dde280dd5ccb78eaaa223382ee16437f46b86558017655584ad08c22e733bde2dd5cc86927def506b6caeb0147e3167b9a62d70d5cf19d44103853
+  languageName: node
+  linkType: hard
+
 "modify-values@npm:^1.0.1":
   version: 1.0.1
   resolution: "modify-values@npm:1.0.1"