diff --git a/crates/nu-command/src/system/benchmark.rs b/crates/nu-command/src/system/benchmark.rs
index a7e6e9efa..8b9645a04 100644
--- a/crates/nu-command/src/system/benchmark.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-command/src/system/benchmark.rs
@@ -16,13 +16,20 @@ impl Command for Benchmark {
     }
 
     fn usage(&self) -> &str {
-        "Time the running time of a block"
+        "Time the running time of a closure"
     }
 
     fn signature(&self) -> nu_protocol::Signature {
         Signature::build("benchmark")
-            .required("block", SyntaxShape::Block, "the block to run")
-            .input_output_types(vec![(Type::Block, Type::String)])
+            .required(
+                "closure",
+                SyntaxShape::Closure(Some(vec![SyntaxShape::Any])),
+                "the closure to run",
+            )
+            .input_output_types(vec![
+                (Type::Any, Type::Duration),
+                (Type::Nothing, Type::Duration),
+            ])
             .allow_variants_without_examples(true)
             .category(Category::System)
     }
@@ -32,7 +39,7 @@ impl Command for Benchmark {
         engine_state: &EngineState,
         stack: &mut Stack,
         call: &Call,
-        _input: PipelineData,
+        input: PipelineData,
     ) -> Result<nu_protocol::PipelineData, nu_protocol::ShellError> {
         let capture_block: Closure = call.req(engine_state, stack, 0)?;
         let block = engine_state.get_block(capture_block.block_id);
@@ -41,12 +48,27 @@ impl Command for Benchmark {
         let redirect_stderr = call.redirect_stderr;
 
         let mut stack = stack.captures_to_stack(&capture_block.captures);
+
+        // In order to provide the pipeline as a positional, it must be converted into a value.
+        // But because pipelines do not have Clone, this one has to be cloned as a value
+        // and then converted back into a pipeline for eval_block().
+        // So, the metadata must be saved here and restored at that point.
+        let input_metadata = input.metadata();
+        let input_val = input.into_value(call.head);
+
+        if let Some(var) = block.signature.get_positional(0) {
+            if let Some(var_id) = &var.var_id {
+                stack.add_var(*var_id, input_val.clone());
+            }
+        }
+
+        // Get the start time after all other computation has been done.
         let start_time = Instant::now();
         eval_block(
             engine_state,
             &mut stack,
             block,
-            PipelineData::empty(),
+            input_val.into_pipeline_data_with_metadata(input_metadata),
             redirect_stdout,
             redirect_stderr,
         )?
@@ -63,10 +85,47 @@ impl Command for Benchmark {
     }
 
     fn examples(&self) -> Vec<Example> {
-        vec![Example {
-            description: "Benchmarks a command within a block",
-            example: "benchmark { sleep 500ms }",
-            result: None,
-        }]
+        vec![
+            Example {
+                description: "Benchmarks a command within a closure",
+                example: "benchmark { sleep 500ms }",
+                result: None,
+            },
+            Example {
+                description: "Benchmark a command using an existing input",
+                example: "fetch https://www.nushell.sh/book/ | benchmark { split chars }",
+                result: None,
+            },
+        ]
     }
 }
+
+#[test]
+// Due to difficulty in observing side-effects from benchmark closures,
+// checks that the closures have run correctly must use the filesystem.
+fn test_benchmark_closure() {
+    use nu_test_support::{nu, nu_repl_code, playground::Playground};
+    Playground::setup("test_benchmark_closure", |dirs, _| {
+        let inp = [
+            r#"[2 3 4] | benchmark { to nuon | save foo.txt }"#,
+            "open foo.txt",
+        ];
+        let actual_repl = nu!(cwd: dirs.test(), nu_repl_code(&inp));
+        assert_eq!(actual_repl.err, "");
+        assert_eq!(actual_repl.out, "[2, 3, 4]");
+    });
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn test_benchmark_closure_2() {
+    use nu_test_support::{nu, nu_repl_code, playground::Playground};
+    Playground::setup("test_benchmark_closure", |dirs, _| {
+        let inp = [
+            r#"[2 3 4] | benchmark {|e| {result: $e} | to nuon | save foo.txt }"#,
+            "open foo.txt",
+        ];
+        let actual_repl = nu!(cwd: dirs.test(), nu_repl_code(&inp));
+        assert_eq!(actual_repl.err, "");
+        assert_eq!(actual_repl.out, "{result: [2, 3, 4]}");
+    });
+}