diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index a888e51a..3bb2d198 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -1179,6 +1179,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "dora-operator-api-types",
  "dora-tracing",
  "eyre",
+ "flume",
  "futures",
  "futures-concurrency",
  "libloading",
diff --git a/binaries/runtime/Cargo.toml b/binaries/runtime/Cargo.toml
index 2f972c7d..542877c7 100644
--- a/binaries/runtime/Cargo.toml
+++ b/binaries/runtime/Cargo.toml
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ pyo3 = { version = "0.16", features = ["eyre", "abi3-py37"] }
 tracing = "0.1.36"
 tracing-subscriber = "0.3.15"
 dora-download = { path = "../../libraries/extensions/download" }
+flume = "0.10.14"
 
 [features]
 tracing = ["opentelemetry", "dora-tracing"]
diff --git a/binaries/runtime/src/lib.rs b/binaries/runtime/src/lib.rs
index cbee3a23..91831f0f 100644
--- a/binaries/runtime/src/lib.rs
+++ b/binaries/runtime/src/lib.rs
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ pub fn main() -> eyre::Result<()> {
         .wrap_err("Could not build a tokio runtime.")?;
 
     let mut operator_channels = HashMap::new();
-    let (operator_channel, incoming_events) = mpsc::channel(10);
+    let (operator_channel, incoming_events) = operator::channel::channel(tokio_runtime.handle());
     operator_channels.insert(operator_definition.id.clone(), operator_channel);
 
     tracing::info!("spawning main task");
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ async fn run(
     mut node: DoraNode,
     operators: HashMap<OperatorId, OperatorConfig>,
     mut events: impl Stream<Item = Event> + Unpin,
-    mut operator_channels: HashMap<OperatorId, mpsc::Sender<operator::IncomingEvent>>,
+    mut operator_channels: HashMap<OperatorId, flume::Sender<operator::IncomingEvent>>,
 ) -> eyre::Result<()> {
     #[cfg(feature = "metrics")]
     let _started = {
@@ -198,7 +198,7 @@ async fn run(
             Event::Stop => {
                 // forward stop event to all operators and close the event channels
                 for (_, channel) in operator_channels.drain() {
-                    let _ = channel.send(operator::IncomingEvent::Stop).await;
+                    let _ = channel.send_async(operator::IncomingEvent::Stop).await;
                 }
             }
             Event::Input { id, metadata, data } => {
@@ -214,7 +214,7 @@ async fn run(
                 };
 
                 if let Err(err) = operator_channel
-                    .send(operator::IncomingEvent::Input {
+                    .send_async(operator::IncomingEvent::Input {
                         input_id: input_id.clone(),
                         metadata,
                         data,
diff --git a/binaries/runtime/src/operator/channel.rs b/binaries/runtime/src/operator/channel.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1cf094fb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/binaries/runtime/src/operator/channel.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+use super::IncomingEvent;
+use futures::{
+    future::{self, FusedFuture},
+    FutureExt,
+};
+use std::collections::VecDeque;
+
+pub fn channel(
+    runtime: &tokio::runtime::Handle,
+) -> (flume::Sender<IncomingEvent>, flume::Receiver<IncomingEvent>) {
+    let (incoming_tx, incoming_rx) = flume::bounded(10);
+    let (outgoing_tx, outgoing_rx) = flume::bounded(0);
+
+    runtime.spawn(async {
+        let mut buffer = InputBuffer::new();
+        buffer.run(incoming_rx, outgoing_tx).await;
+    });
+
+    (incoming_tx, outgoing_rx)
+}
+
+struct InputBuffer {
+    queue: VecDeque<IncomingEvent>,
+}
+
+impl InputBuffer {
+    pub fn new() -> Self {
+        Self {
+            queue: VecDeque::new(),
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub async fn run(
+        &mut self,
+        incoming: flume::Receiver<IncomingEvent>,
+        outgoing: flume::Sender<IncomingEvent>,
+    ) {
+        let mut send_out_buf = future::Fuse::terminated();
+        loop {
+            let next_incoming = incoming.recv_async();
+            match future::select(next_incoming, send_out_buf).await {
+                future::Either::Left((event, mut send_out)) => {
+                    match event {
+                        Ok(event) => {
+                            // received a new event -> push it to the queue
+                            self.queue.push_back(event);
+
+                            // TODO: drop oldest events when queue becomes too full
+
+                            // if outgoing queue is empty, fill it again
+                            if send_out.is_terminated() {
+                                send_out = self.send_next_queued(&outgoing);
+                            }
+                        }
+                        Err(flume::RecvError::Disconnected) => {
+                            // the incoming channel was closed -> exit if we sent out all events already
+                            if send_out.is_terminated() && self.queue.is_empty() {
+                                break;
+                            }
+                        }
+                    }
+
+                    // reassign the send_out future, which might be still in progress
+                    send_out_buf = send_out;
+                }
+                future::Either::Right((send_result, _)) => match send_result {
+                    Ok(()) => {
+                        send_out_buf = self.send_next_queued(&outgoing);
+                    }
+                    Err(flume::SendError(_)) => break,
+                },
+            };
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn send_next_queued<'a>(
+        &mut self,
+        outgoing: &'a flume::Sender<IncomingEvent>,
+    ) -> future::Fuse<flume::r#async::SendFut<'a, IncomingEvent>> {
+        if let Some(next) = self.queue.pop_front() {
+            outgoing.send_async(next).fuse()
+        } else {
+            future::Fuse::terminated()
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl Default for InputBuffer {
+    fn default() -> Self {
+        Self::new()
+    }
+}
diff --git a/binaries/runtime/src/operator/mod.rs b/binaries/runtime/src/operator/mod.rs
index 1810b5b7..df2548e2 100644
--- a/binaries/runtime/src/operator/mod.rs
+++ b/binaries/runtime/src/operator/mod.rs
@@ -12,18 +12,19 @@ use pyo3::{
     IntoPy, PyObject, Python,
 };
 use std::any::Any;
-use tokio::sync::mpsc::{Receiver, Sender};
+use tokio::sync::mpsc::Sender;
 
 #[cfg(not(feature = "tracing"))]
 type Tracer = ();
 
+pub mod channel;
 mod python;
 mod shared_lib;
 
 pub fn run_operator(
     node_id: &NodeId,
     operator_definition: OperatorDefinition,
-    incoming_events: Receiver<IncomingEvent>,
+    incoming_events: flume::Receiver<IncomingEvent>,
     events_tx: Sender<OperatorEvent>,
 ) -> eyre::Result<()> {
     #[cfg(feature = "tracing")]
diff --git a/binaries/runtime/src/operator/python.rs b/binaries/runtime/src/operator/python.rs
index 5f8655cc..c5406ce5 100644
--- a/binaries/runtime/src/operator/python.rs
+++ b/binaries/runtime/src/operator/python.rs
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ use std::{
     panic::{catch_unwind, AssertUnwindSafe},
     path::Path,
 };
-use tokio::sync::mpsc::{Receiver, Sender};
+use tokio::sync::mpsc::Sender;
 
 fn traceback(err: pyo3::PyErr) -> eyre::Report {
     let traceback = Python::with_gil(|py| err.traceback(py).and_then(|t| t.format().ok()));
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ pub fn run(
     operator_id: &OperatorId,
     source: &str,
     events_tx: Sender<OperatorEvent>,
-    mut incoming_events: Receiver<IncomingEvent>,
+    incoming_events: flume::Receiver<IncomingEvent>,
     tracer: Tracer,
 ) -> eyre::Result<()> {
     let path = if source_is_url(source) {
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ pub fn run(
             Python::with_gil(init_operator).wrap_err("failed to init python operator")?;
 
         let reason = loop {
-            let Some(mut event) = incoming_events.blocking_recv() else { break StopReason::InputsClosed };
+            let Ok(mut event) = incoming_events.recv() else { break StopReason::InputsClosed };
 
             if let IncomingEvent::Input {
                 input_id, metadata, ..
diff --git a/binaries/runtime/src/operator/shared_lib.rs b/binaries/runtime/src/operator/shared_lib.rs
index c9401466..9e6e5666 100644
--- a/binaries/runtime/src/operator/shared_lib.rs
+++ b/binaries/runtime/src/operator/shared_lib.rs
@@ -19,14 +19,14 @@ use std::{
     path::Path,
     sync::Arc,
 };
-use tokio::sync::mpsc::{Receiver, Sender};
+use tokio::sync::mpsc::Sender;
 
 pub fn run(
     node_id: &NodeId,
     operator_id: &OperatorId,
     source: &str,
     events_tx: Sender<OperatorEvent>,
-    incoming_events: Receiver<IncomingEvent>,
+    incoming_events: flume::Receiver<IncomingEvent>,
     tracer: Tracer,
 ) -> eyre::Result<()> {
     let path = if source_is_url(source) {
@@ -78,14 +78,14 @@ pub fn run(
 }
 
 struct SharedLibraryOperator<'lib> {
-    incoming_events: Receiver<IncomingEvent>,
+    incoming_events: flume::Receiver<IncomingEvent>,
     events_tx: Sender<OperatorEvent>,
 
     bindings: Bindings<'lib>,
 }
 
 impl<'lib> SharedLibraryOperator<'lib> {
-    fn run(mut self, tracer: Tracer) -> eyre::Result<StopReason> {
+    fn run(self, tracer: Tracer) -> eyre::Result<StopReason> {
         let operator_context = {
             let DoraInitResult {
                 result,
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ impl<'lib> SharedLibraryOperator<'lib> {
         });
 
         let reason = loop {
-            let Some(mut event) = self.incoming_events.blocking_recv() else {
+            let Ok(mut event) = self.incoming_events.recv() else {
                 break StopReason::InputsClosed
             };