2 files changed, 77 insertions, 6 deletions
diff --git a/docs/modules/background_update_controller_callbacks.md b/docs/modules/background_update_controller_callbacks.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b3e7c259f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/modules/background_update_controller_callbacks.md
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+# Background update controller callbacks
+
+Background update controller callbacks allow module developers to control (e.g. rate-limit)
+how database background updates are run. A database background update is an operation
+Synapse runs on its database in the background after it starts. It's usually used to run
+database operations that would take too long if they were run at the same time as schema
+updates (which are run on startup) and delay Synapse's startup too much: populating a
+table with a big amount of data, adding an index on a big table, deleting superfluous data,
+etc.
+
+Background update controller callbacks can be registered using the module API's
+`register_background_update_controller_callbacks` method. Only the first module (in order
+of appearance in Synapse's configuration file) calling this method can register background
+update controller callbacks, subsequent calls are ignored.
+
+The available background update controller callbacks are:
+
+### `on_update`
+
+_First introduced in Synapse v1.49.0_
+
+```python
+def on_update(update_name: str, database_name: str, one_shot: bool) -> AsyncContextManager[int]
+```
+
+Called when about to do an iteration of a background update. The module is given the name
+of the update, the name of the database, and a flag to indicate whether the background
+update will happen in one go and may take a long time (e.g. creating indices). If this last
+argument is set to `False`, the update will be run in batches.
+
+The module must return an async context manager. It will be entered before Synapse runs a 
+background update; this should return the desired duration of the iteration, in
+milliseconds.
+
+The context manager will be exited when the iteration completes. Note that the duration
+returned by the context manager is a target, and an iteration may take substantially longer
+or shorter. If the `one_shot` flag is set to `True`, the duration returned is ignored.
+
+__Note__: Unlike most module callbacks in Synapse, this one is _synchronous_. This is
+because asynchronous operations are expected to be run by the async context manager.
+
+This callback is required when registering any other background update controller callback.
+
+### `default_batch_size`
+
+_First introduced in Synapse v1.49.0_
+
+```python
+async def default_batch_size(update_name: str, database_name: str) -> int
+```
+
+Called before the first iteration of a background update, with the name of the update and
+of the database. The module must return the number of elements to process in this first
+iteration.
+
+If this callback is not defined, Synapse will use a default value of 100.
+
+### `min_batch_size`
+
+_First introduced in Synapse v1.49.0_
+
+```python
+async def min_batch_size(update_name: str, database_name: str) -> int
+```
+
+Called before running a new batch for a background update, with the name of the update and
+of the database. The module must return an integer representing the minimum number of
+elements to process in this iteration. This number must be at least 1, and is used to
+ensure that progress is always made.
+
+If this callback is not defined, Synapse will use a default value of 100.
diff --git a/docs/modules/writing_a_module.md b/docs/modules/writing_a_module.md
index 7764e06692..e7c0ffad58 100644
--- a/docs/modules/writing_a_module.md
+++ b/docs/modules/writing_a_module.md
@@ -71,15 +71,15 @@ Modules **must** register their web resources in their `__init__` method.
 ## Registering a callback
 
 Modules can use Synapse's module API to register callbacks. Callbacks are functions that
-Synapse will call when performing specific actions. Callbacks must be asynchronous, and
-are split in categories. A single module may implement callbacks from multiple categories,
-and is under no obligation to implement all callbacks from the categories it registers
-callbacks for.
+Synapse will call when performing specific actions. Callbacks must be asynchronous (unless
+specified otherwise), and are split in categories. A single module may implement callbacks
+from multiple categories, and is under no obligation to implement all callbacks from the
+categories it registers callbacks for.
 
 Modules can register callbacks using one of the module API's `register_[...]_callbacks`
 methods. The callback functions are passed to these methods as keyword arguments, with
-the callback name as the argument name and the function as its value. This is demonstrated
-in the example below. A `register_[...]_callbacks` method exists for each category.
+the callback name as the argument name and the function as its value. A
+`register_[...]_callbacks` method exists for each category.
 
 Callbacks for each category can be found on their respective page of the
 [Synapse documentation website](https://matrix-org.github.io/synapse).
\ No newline at end of file