diff --git a/lib-topaz/topaz.rb b/lib-topaz/topaz.rb
index e915a862e..691e71050 100644
--- a/lib-topaz/topaz.rb
+++ b/lib-topaz/topaz.rb
@@ -1,4 +1,28 @@
 module Topaz
+  def self.recursion_guard_outer(identifier, obj, &block)
+    # We want to throw something less likely to be caught accidentally outside
+    # our own code than the recursion identifier. Ideally this should be an
+    # object that is unique to this particular recursion guard. Since doing
+    # that properly requires pushing extra state all the way up into
+    # ExecutionContext, we do this instead.
+    throw_symbol = "__recursion_guard_#{identifier}".to_sym
+
+    if Thread.current.in_recursion_guard?(identifier)
+      Thread.current.recursion_guard(identifier, obj) do
+        yield
+        return false
+      end
+      throw(throw_symbol)
+    else
+      Thread.current.recursion_guard(identifier, obj) do
+        catch(throw_symbol) do
+          yield
+          return false
+        end
+        return true
+      end
+    end
+  end
 end
 
 lib_topaz = File.join(File.dirname(__FILE__), 'topaz')
diff --git a/tests/objects/test_threadobject.py b/tests/objects/test_threadobject.py
index 64724c196..158b61736 100644
--- a/tests/objects/test_threadobject.py
+++ b/tests/objects/test_threadobject.py
@@ -15,44 +15,3 @@ def test_thread_local_storage(self, space):
         return Thread.current[:a]
         """)
         assert space.int_w(w_res) == 1
-
-    def test_recursion_guard(self, space):
-        w_res = space.execute("""
-        def foo(objs, depth = 0)
-          obj = objs.shift
-          recursion = Thread.current.recursion_guard(:foo, obj) do
-            return foo(objs, depth + 1)
-          end
-          if recursion
-            return [depth, obj]
-          end
-        end
-        return foo([:a, :b, :c, :a, :d])
-        """)
-        w_depth, w_symbol = space.listview(w_res)
-        assert space.int_w(w_depth) == 3
-        assert space.symbol_w(w_symbol) == "a"
-
-    def test_recursion_guard_nested(self, space):
-        w_res = space.execute("""
-        def foo(objs, depth = 0)
-          obj = objs.shift
-          Thread.current.recursion_guard(:foo, obj) do
-            return bar(objs, depth + 1)
-          end
-          return [depth, obj]
-        end
-
-        def bar(objs, depth)
-          obj = objs.shift
-          Thread.current.recursion_guard(:bar, obj) do
-            return foo(objs, depth + 1)
-          end
-          return [depth, obj]
-        end
-
-        return foo([:a, :a, :b, :b, :c, :a, :d, :d])
-        """)
-        w_depth, w_symbol = space.listview(w_res)
-        assert space.int_w(w_depth) == 5
-        assert space.symbol_w(w_symbol) == "a"
diff --git a/tests/test_recursion_guard.py b/tests/test_recursion_guard.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..410072e6f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_recursion_guard.py
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+class TestRecursionGuard(object):
+    def test_recursion_guard(self, space):
+        w_res = space.execute("""
+        def foo(objs, depth = 0)
+          obj = objs.shift
+          recursion = Thread.current.recursion_guard(:foo, obj) do
+            return foo(objs, depth + 1)
+          end
+          if recursion
+            return [depth, obj]
+          end
+        end
+        return foo([:a, :b, :c, :a, :d])
+        """)
+        w_depth, w_symbol = space.listview(w_res)
+        assert space.int_w(w_depth) == 3
+        assert space.symbol_w(w_symbol) == "a"
+
+    def test_recursion_guard_nested(self, space):
+        w_res = space.execute("""
+        def foo(objs, depth = 0)
+          obj = objs.shift
+          Thread.current.recursion_guard(:foo, obj) do
+            return bar(objs, depth + 1)
+          end
+          return [depth, obj]
+        end
+
+        def bar(objs, depth)
+          obj = objs.shift
+          Thread.current.recursion_guard(:bar, obj) do
+            return foo(objs, depth + 1)
+          end
+          return [depth, obj]
+        end
+
+        return foo([:a, :a, :b, :b, :c, :a, :d, :d])
+        """)
+        w_depth, w_symbol = space.listview(w_res)
+        assert space.int_w(w_depth) == 5
+        assert space.symbol_w(w_symbol) == "a"
+
+    def test_recursion_guard_outer(self, space):
+        w_res = space.execute("""
+        def foo(objs, depth = 0)
+          obj = objs.shift
+          Topaz.recursion_guard_outer(:foo, obj) do
+            return foo(objs, depth + 1)
+          end
+          return [depth, obj]
+        end
+        return foo([:a, :b, :c, :a, :d])
+        """)
+        w_depth, w_symbol = space.listview(w_res)
+        assert space.int_w(w_depth) == 0
+        assert space.symbol_w(w_symbol) == "a"
diff --git a/topaz/objects/threadobject.py b/topaz/objects/threadobject.py
index ed51cd74e..6d9cafaa6 100644
--- a/topaz/objects/threadobject.py
+++ b/topaz/objects/threadobject.py
@@ -42,3 +42,11 @@ def method_recursion_guard(self, space, w_identifier, w_obj, block):
             if not in_recursion:
                 space.invoke_block(block, [])
             return space.newbool(in_recursion)
+
+    @classdef.method("in_recursion_guard?")
+    def method_in_recursion_guardp(self, space, w_identifier):
+        ec = space.getexecutioncontext()
+        identifier = space.symbol_w(w_identifier)
+        if identifier in ec.recursive_calls:
+            return space.w_true
+        return space.w_false