diff --git a/doc/api/diagnostics_channel.md b/doc/api/diagnostics_channel.md
index 38e9db06a92373..bceb8cb779046e 100644
--- a/doc/api/diagnostics_channel.md
+++ b/doc/api/diagnostics_channel.md
@@ -43,10 +43,12 @@ import diagnostics_channel from 'node:diagnostics_channel';
 // Get a reusable channel object
 const channel = diagnostics_channel.channel('my-channel');
 
-// Subscribe to the channel
-channel.subscribe((message, name) => {
+function onMessage(message, name) {
   // Received data
-});
+}
+
+// Subscribe to the channel
+diagnostics_channel.subscribe('my-channel', onMessage);
 
 // Check if the channel has an active subscriber
 if (channel.hasSubscribers) {
@@ -55,6 +57,9 @@ if (channel.hasSubscribers) {
     some: 'data'
   });
 }
+
+// Unsubscribe from the channel
+diagnostics_channel.unsubscribe('my-channel', onMessage);
 ```
 
 ```cjs
@@ -63,10 +68,12 @@ const diagnostics_channel = require('node:diagnostics_channel');
 // Get a reusable channel object
 const channel = diagnostics_channel.channel('my-channel');
 
-// Subscribe to the channel
-channel.subscribe((message, name) => {
+function onMessage(message, name) {
   // Received data
-});
+}
+
+// Subscribe to the channel
+diagnostics_channel.subscribe('my-channel', onMessage);
 
 // Check if the channel has an active subscriber
 if (channel.hasSubscribers) {
@@ -75,6 +82,9 @@ if (channel.hasSubscribers) {
     some: 'data'
   });
 }
+
+// Unsubscribe from the channel
+diagnostics_channel.unsubscribe('my-channel', onMessage);
 ```
 
 #### `diagnostics_channel.hasSubscribers(name)`
@@ -121,7 +131,7 @@ added:
 * `name` {string|symbol} The channel name
 * Returns: {Channel} The named channel object
 
-This is the primary entry-point for anyone wanting to interact with a named
+This is the primary entry-point for anyone wanting to publish to a named
 channel. It produces a channel object which is optimized to reduce overhead at
 publish time as much as possible.
 
@@ -137,6 +147,76 @@ const diagnostics_channel = require('node:diagnostics_channel');
 const channel = diagnostics_channel.channel('my-channel');
 ```
 
+#### `diagnostics_channel.subscribe(name, onMessage)`
+
+<!-- YAML
+added:
+ - REPLACEME
+-->
+
+* `name` {string|symbol} The channel name
+* `onMessage` {Function} The handler to receive channel messages
+  * `message` {any} The message data
+  * `name` {string|symbol} The name of the channel
+
+Register a message handler to subscribe to this channel. This message handler
+will be run synchronously whenever a message is published to the channel. Any
+errors thrown in the message handler will trigger an [`'uncaughtException'`][].
+
+```mjs
+import diagnostics_channel from 'diagnostics_channel';
+
+diagnostics_channel.subscribe('my-channel', (message, name) => {
+  // Received data
+});
+```
+
+```cjs
+const diagnostics_channel = require('diagnostics_channel');
+
+diagnostics_channel.subscribe('my-channel', (message, name) => {
+  // Received data
+});
+```
+
+#### `diagnostics_channel.unsubscribe(name, onMessage)`
+
+<!-- YAML
+added:
+ - REPLACEME
+-->
+
+* `name` {string|symbol} The channel name
+* `onMessage` {Function} The previous subscribed handler to remove
+* Returns: {boolean} `true` if the handler was found, `false` otherwise.
+
+Remove a message handler previously registered to this channel with
+[`diagnostics_channel.subscribe(name, onMessage)`][].
+
+```mjs
+import diagnostics_channel from 'diagnostics_channel';
+
+function onMessage(message, name) {
+  // Received data
+}
+
+diagnostics_channel.subscribe('my-channel', onMessage);
+
+diagnostics_channel.unsubscribe('my-channel', onMessage);
+```
+
+```cjs
+const diagnostics_channel = require('diagnostics_channel');
+
+function onMessage(message, name) {
+  // Received data
+}
+
+diagnostics_channel.subscribe('my-channel', onMessage);
+
+diagnostics_channel.unsubscribe('my-channel', onMessage);
+```
+
 ### Class: `Channel`
 
 <!-- YAML
@@ -341,4 +421,5 @@ Emitted when server sends a response.
 
 [`'uncaughtException'`]: process.md#event-uncaughtexception
 [`channel.subscribe(onMessage)`]: #channelsubscribeonmessage
+[`diagnostics_channel.subscribe(name, onMessage)`]: #diagnostics_channelunsubscribename_onmessage
 [`diagnostics_channel.channel(name)`]: #diagnostics_channelchannelname
diff --git a/lib/diagnostics_channel.js b/lib/diagnostics_channel.js
index c85a9532b4d372..f8c1edb96dfe8a 100644
--- a/lib/diagnostics_channel.js
+++ b/lib/diagnostics_channel.js
@@ -109,6 +109,22 @@ function channel(name) {
   return channel;
 }
 
+function subscribe(name, subscription) {
+  const chan = channel(name);
+  channels[name].incRef();
+  chan.subscribe(subscription);
+}
+
+function unsubscribe(name, subscription) {
+  const chan = channel(name);
+  if (!chan.unsubscribe(subscription)) {
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  channels[name].decRef();
+  return true;
+}
+
 function hasSubscribers(name) {
   let channel;
   const ref = channels[name];
@@ -123,5 +139,7 @@ function hasSubscribers(name) {
 module.exports = {
   channel,
   hasSubscribers,
+  subscribe,
+  unsubscribe,
   Channel
 };
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-diagnostics-channel-pub-sub.js b/test/parallel/test-diagnostics-channel-pub-sub.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..2317d90dbbc554
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/parallel/test-diagnostics-channel-pub-sub.js
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+'use strict';
+
+const common = require('../common');
+const dc = require('diagnostics_channel');
+const assert = require('assert');
+const { Channel } = dc;
+
+const name = 'test';
+const input = {
+  foo: 'bar'
+};
+
+// Individual channel objects can be created to avoid future lookups
+const channel = dc.channel(name);
+assert.ok(channel instanceof Channel);
+
+// No subscribers yet, should not publish
+assert.ok(!channel.hasSubscribers);
+
+const subscriber = common.mustCall((message, name) => {
+  assert.strictEqual(name, channel.name);
+  assert.deepStrictEqual(message, input);
+});
+
+// Now there's a subscriber, should publish
+dc.subscribe(name, subscriber);
+assert.ok(channel.hasSubscribers);
+
+// The ActiveChannel prototype swap should not fail instanceof
+assert.ok(channel instanceof Channel);
+
+// Should trigger the subscriber once
+channel.publish(input);
+
+// Should not publish after subscriber is unsubscribed
+assert.ok(dc.unsubscribe(name, subscriber));
+assert.ok(!channel.hasSubscribers);
+
+// unsubscribe() should return false when subscriber is not found
+assert.ok(!dc.unsubscribe(name, subscriber));
+
+assert.throws(() => {
+  dc.subscribe(name, null);
+}, { code: 'ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE' });