diff --git a/services/real-time/app/coffee/Router.coffee b/services/real-time/app/coffee/Router.coffee
index 2cc655eafc..17107e443a 100644
--- a/services/real-time/app/coffee/Router.coffee
+++ b/services/real-time/app/coffee/Router.coffee
@@ -79,14 +79,30 @@ module.exports = Router =
 					if err?
 						Router._handleError null, err, client, "leaveProject"
 
-
-			client.on "joinDoc", (doc_id, fromVersion, callback) ->
-				# fromVersion is optional
-				if typeof fromVersion == "function"
+			# Variadic. The possible arguments:
+			# doc_id, callback
+			# doc_id, fromVersion, callback
+			# doc_id, options, callback
+			# doc_id, fromVersion, options, callback
+			client.on "joinDoc", (doc_id, fromVersion, options, callback) ->
+				if typeof fromVersion == "function" and !options
 					callback = fromVersion
 					fromVersion = -1
+					options = {}
+				else if typeof fromVersion == "number" and typeof options == "function"
+					callback = options
+					options = {}
+				else if typeof fromVersion == "object" and typeof options == "function"
+					callback = options
+					options = fromVersion
+					fromVersion = -1
+				else if typeof fromVersion == "number" and typeof options == "object"
+					# Called with 4 args, things are as expected
+				else
+					logger.error { arguments: arguments }, "unexpected arguments"
+					return callback?(new Error("unexpected arguments"))
 
-				WebsocketController.joinDoc client, doc_id, fromVersion, (err, args...) ->
+				WebsocketController.joinDoc client, doc_id, fromVersion, options, (err, args...) ->
 					if err?
 						Router._handleError callback, err, client, "joinDoc", {doc_id, fromVersion}
 					else
diff --git a/services/real-time/app/coffee/WebsocketController.coffee b/services/real-time/app/coffee/WebsocketController.coffee
index e0242d4208..53ccecd51b 100644
--- a/services/real-time/app/coffee/WebsocketController.coffee
+++ b/services/real-time/app/coffee/WebsocketController.coffee
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ module.exports = WebsocketController =
 				callback()
 			, WebsocketController.FLUSH_IF_EMPTY_DELAY
 			
-	joinDoc: (client, doc_id, fromVersion = -1, callback = (error, doclines, version, ops, ranges) ->) ->
+	joinDoc: (client, doc_id, fromVersion = -1, options, callback = (error, doclines, version, ops, ranges) ->) ->
 		metrics.inc "editor.join-doc"
 		Utils.getClientAttributes client, ["project_id", "user_id"], (error, {project_id, user_id}) ->
 			return callback(error) if error?
@@ -91,16 +91,29 @@ module.exports = WebsocketController =
 				return callback(error) if error?
 				DocumentUpdaterManager.getDocument project_id, doc_id, fromVersion, (error, lines, version, ranges, ops) ->
 					return callback(error) if error?
+
 					# Encode any binary bits of data so it can go via WebSockets
 					# See http://ecmanaut.blogspot.co.uk/2006/07/encoding-decoding-utf8-in-javascript.html
+					encodeForWebsockets = (text) -> unescape(encodeURIComponent(text))
 					escapedLines = []
 					for line in lines
 						try
-							line = unescape(encodeURIComponent(line))
+							line = encodeForWebsockets(line)
 						catch err
 							logger.err {err, project_id, doc_id, fromVersion, line, client_id: client.id}, "error encoding line uri component"
 							return callback(err)
 						escapedLines.push line
+					if options.encodeRanges
+						try
+							for comment in ranges?.comments or []
+								comment.op.c = encodeForWebsockets(comment.op.c) if comment.op.c?
+							for change in ranges?.changes or []
+								change.op.i = encodeForWebsockets(change.op.i) if change.op.i?
+								change.op.d = encodeForWebsockets(change.op.d) if change.op.d?
+						catch err
+							logger.err {err, project_id, doc_id, fromVersion, ranges, client_id: client.id}, "error encoding range uri component"
+							return callback(err)
+
 					AuthorizationManager.addAccessToDoc client, doc_id
 					client.join(doc_id)
 					callback null, escapedLines, version, ops, ranges