diff --git a/examples/custom-protocol.rs b/examples/custom-protocol.rs
index c021b7f0..82e8c656 100644
--- a/examples/custom-protocol.rs
+++ b/examples/custom-protocol.rs
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ async fn listen(text: Vec<String>) -> Result<()> {
         proto.insert_and_index(text).await?;
     }
     // Build the iroh-blobs protocol handler, which is used to download blobs.
-    let blobs = BlobsProtocol::new(&store, endpoint.clone(), None);
+    let blobs = BlobsProtocol::builder(&store).build(&endpoint);
 
     // create a router that handles both our custom protocol and the iroh-blobs protocol.
     let node = Router::builder(endpoint)
diff --git a/examples/mdns-discovery.rs b/examples/mdns-discovery.rs
index b42f88f4..1b4b35dc 100644
--- a/examples/mdns-discovery.rs
+++ b/examples/mdns-discovery.rs
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ async fn accept(path: &Path) -> Result<()> {
         .await?;
     let builder = Router::builder(endpoint.clone());
     let store = MemStore::new();
-    let blobs = BlobsProtocol::new(&store, endpoint.clone(), None);
+    let blobs = BlobsProtocol::builder(&store).build(&endpoint);
     let builder = builder.accept(iroh_blobs::ALPN, blobs.clone());
     let node = builder.spawn();
 
diff --git a/examples/random_store.rs b/examples/random_store.rs
index 771fb411..6a7d043e 100644
--- a/examples/random_store.rs
+++ b/examples/random_store.rs
@@ -237,7 +237,9 @@ async fn provide(args: ProvideArgs) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
         .bind()
         .await?;
     let (dump_task, events_tx) = dump_provider_events(args.allow_push);
-    let blobs = iroh_blobs::BlobsProtocol::new(&store, endpoint.clone(), Some(events_tx));
+    let blobs = iroh_blobs::BlobsProtocol::builder(&store)
+        .events(events_tx)
+        .build(&endpoint);
     let router = iroh::protocol::Router::builder(endpoint.clone())
         .accept(iroh_blobs::ALPN, blobs)
         .spawn();
diff --git a/src/net_protocol.rs b/src/net_protocol.rs
index 4ca3778a..405b7cae 100644
--- a/src/net_protocol.rs
+++ b/src/net_protocol.rs
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@
 //! # }
 //! ```
 
-use std::{fmt::Debug, future::Future, ops::Deref, sync::Arc};
+use std::{fmt::Debug, future::Future, ops::Deref, path::Path, sync::Arc};
 
 use iroh::{
     endpoint::Connection,
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ use tracing::error;
 use crate::{
     api::Store,
     provider::{Event, EventSender},
+    store::{fs::FsStore, mem::MemStore},
     ticket::BlobTicket,
     HashAndFormat,
 };
@@ -66,6 +67,32 @@ pub struct BlobsProtocol {
     pub(crate) inner: Arc<BlobsInner>,
 }
 
+/// A builder for the blobs protocol handler.
+pub struct BlobsProtocolBuilder {
+    pub store: Store,
+    pub events: Option<mpsc::Sender<Event>>,
+}
+
+impl BlobsProtocolBuilder {
+    fn new(store: Store) -> Self {
+        Self {
+            store,
+            events: None,
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Set provider events.
+    pub fn events(mut self, events: mpsc::Sender<Event>) -> Self {
+        self.events = Some(events);
+        self
+    }
+
+    /// Build the blobs protocol handler.
+    pub fn build(self, endpoint: &Endpoint) -> BlobsProtocol {
+        BlobsProtocol::new(&self.store, endpoint.clone(), self.events)
+    }
+}
+
 impl Deref for BlobsProtocol {
     type Target = Store;
 
@@ -85,6 +112,22 @@ impl BlobsProtocol {
         }
     }
 
+    /// Create a new Blobs protocol handler builder, given a store.
+    pub fn builder(store: &Store) -> BlobsProtocolBuilder {
+        BlobsProtocolBuilder::new(store.clone())
+    }
+
+    /// Create a new memory-backed Blobs protocol handler.
+    pub fn memory() -> BlobsProtocolBuilder {
+        Self::builder(&MemStore::new())
+    }
+
+    /// Load a persistent Blobs protocol handler from a path.
+    pub async fn persistent(path: impl AsRef<Path>) -> anyhow::Result<BlobsProtocolBuilder> {
+        let store = FsStore::load(path).await?;
+        Ok(Self::builder(&store))
+    }
+
     pub fn store(&self) -> &Store {
         &self.inner.store
     }