diff --git a/libtransmission/bencode-test.c b/libtransmission/bencode-test.c
index f1615d0bb..e3b10e30b 100644
--- a/libtransmission/bencode-test.c
+++ b/libtransmission/bencode-test.c
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+#include <ctype.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include "transmission.h"
 #include "bencode.h"
@@ -150,6 +151,10 @@ testString( const char * str, int isGood )
         check( err );
     } else {
         check( !err );
+#if 0
+        fprintf( stderr, "in: [%s]\n", str );
+        fprintf( stderr, "out:\n%s", tr_bencSaveAsJSON(&val,NULL) );
+#endif
         check( end == (const uint8_t*)str + len );
         saved = tr_bencSave( &val, &savedLen );
         check( !strcmp( saved, str ) );
@@ -219,6 +224,8 @@ testParse( void )
         return err;
     if(( err = testString( "d4:spaml1:a1:bee", TRUE )))
         return err;
+    if(( err = testString( "d5:greenli1ei2ei3ee4:spamd1:ai123e3:keyi214eee", TRUE )))
+        return err;
     if(( err = testString( "d9:publisher3:bob17:publisher-webpage15:www.example.com18:publisher.location4:homee", TRUE )))
         return err;
     if(( err = testString( "d8:completei1e8:intervali1800e12:min intervali1800e5:peers0:e", TRUE )))
@@ -271,6 +278,16 @@ testParse( void )
     return 0;
 }
 
+static void
+stripWhitespace( char * in )
+{
+    char * out;
+    for( out=in; *in; ++in )
+        if( !isspace( *in ) )
+            *out++ = *in;
+    *out = '\0';
+}
+
 static int
 testJSONSnippet( const char * benc_str, const char * expected )
 {
@@ -278,9 +295,11 @@ testJSONSnippet( const char * benc_str, const char * expected )
     char * serialized;
     tr_bencLoad( benc_str, strlen( benc_str ), &top, NULL );
     serialized = tr_bencSaveAsJSON( &top, NULL );
+    stripWhitespace( serialized );
 #if 0
-fprintf( stderr, " expected: [%s]\n", expected );
-fprintf( stderr, "      got: [%s]\n", serialized );
+fprintf( stderr, "benc: %s\n", benc_str );
+fprintf( stderr, "json: %s\n", serialized );
+fprintf( stderr, "want: %s\n", expected );
 #endif
     check( !strcmp( serialized, expected ) );
     tr_free( serialized );
@@ -301,22 +320,22 @@ testJSON( void )
         return val;
 
     benc_str = "d5:helloi1e5:worldi2ee";
-    expected = "{ \"hello\": 1, \"world\": 2 }"; 
+    expected = "{\"hello\":1,\"world\":2}"; 
     if(( val = testJSONSnippet( benc_str, expected )))
         return val;
 
     benc_str = "d5:helloi1e5:worldi2e3:fooli1ei2ei3ee";
-    expected = "{ \"foo\": [ 1, 2, 3 ], \"hello\": 1, \"world\": 2 }";
+    expected = "{\"foo\":[1,2,3],\"hello\":1,\"world\":2}";
     if(( val = testJSONSnippet( benc_str, expected )))
         return val;
 
     benc_str = "d5:helloi1e5:worldi2e3:fooli1ei2ei3ed1:ai0eee";
-    expected = "{ \"foo\": [ 1, 2, 3, { \"a\": 0 } ], \"hello\": 1, \"world\": 2 }";
+    expected = "{\"foo\":[1,2,3,{\"a\":0}],\"hello\":1,\"world\":2}";
     if(( val = testJSONSnippet( benc_str, expected )))
         return val;
 
-    benc_str = "d4:argsd6:statuslee6:result7:successe";
-    expected = "{ \"args\": { \"status\": [  ] }, \"result\": \"success\" }";
+    benc_str = "d4:argsd6:statusle7:status2lee6:result7:successe";
+    expected = "{\"args\":{\"status\":[],\"status2\":[]},\"result\":\"success\"}";
     if(( val = testJSONSnippet( benc_str, expected )))
         return val;
 
diff --git a/libtransmission/bencode.c b/libtransmission/bencode.c
index 64db437a5..69390b416 100644
--- a/libtransmission/bencode.c
+++ b/libtransmission/bencode.c
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
  *****************************************************************************/
 
 #include <assert.h>
-#include <ctype.h> /* isdigit, isprint */
+#include <ctype.h> /* isdigit, isprint, isspace */
 #include <errno.h>
 #include <stdarg.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
@@ -1023,6 +1023,13 @@ struct jsonWalk
     struct evbuffer * out;
 };
 
+static void
+jsonIndent( struct jsonWalk * data )
+{
+    const int width = tr_list_size( data->parents ) * 4;
+    evbuffer_add_printf( data->out, "\n%*.*s", width, width, " " );
+}
+
 static void
 jsonChildFunc( struct jsonWalk * data )
 {
@@ -1036,14 +1043,17 @@ jsonChildFunc( struct jsonWalk * data )
                 const int i = parentState->childIndex++;
                 if( ! ( i % 2 ) )
                     evbuffer_add_printf( data->out, ": " );
-                else
+                else {
                     evbuffer_add_printf( data->out, ", " );
+                    jsonIndent( data );
+                }
                 break;
             }
 
             case TYPE_LIST: {
                 ++parentState->childIndex;
                 evbuffer_add_printf( data->out, ", " );
+                jsonIndent( data );
                 break;
             }
 
@@ -1085,14 +1095,14 @@ jsonStringFunc( const tr_benc * val, void * vdata )
     for( it=val->val.s.s, end=it+val->val.s.i; it!=end; ++it )
     {
         switch( *it ) {
-            case '"' : evbuffer_add_printf( data->out, "\\\"" ); break;
-            case '/' : evbuffer_add_printf( data->out, "\\/" ); break;
-            case '\b': evbuffer_add_printf( data->out, "\\b" ); break;
-            case '\f': evbuffer_add_printf( data->out, "\\f" ); break;
-            case '\n': evbuffer_add_printf( data->out, "\\n" ); break;
-            case '\r': evbuffer_add_printf( data->out, "\\n" ); break;
-            case '\t': evbuffer_add_printf( data->out, "\\n" ); break;
-            case '\\': evbuffer_add_printf( data->out, "\\\\" ); break;
+            case '"' :
+            case '/' :
+            case '\b':
+            case '\f':
+            case '\n':
+            case '\r':
+            case '\t':
+            case '\\': evbuffer_add_printf( data->out, "\\%c", *it ); break;
             default: {
                 if( isascii( *it ) )
                     evbuffer_add_printf( data->out, "%c", *it );
@@ -1110,29 +1120,46 @@ jsonDictBeginFunc( const tr_benc * val, void * vdata )
 {
     struct jsonWalk * data = vdata;
     jsonPushParent( data, val );
-    evbuffer_add_printf( data->out, "{ " );
-    if( !val->val.l.count )
-        evbuffer_add_printf( data->out, "  " );
+    evbuffer_add_printf( data->out, "{" );
+    if( val->val.l.count )
+        jsonIndent( data );
 }
 static void
 jsonListBeginFunc( const tr_benc * val, void * vdata )
 {
+    const int nChildren = tr_bencListSize( val );
     struct jsonWalk * data = vdata;
     jsonPushParent( data, val );
-    evbuffer_add_printf( data->out, "[ " );
-    if( !val->val.l.count )
-        evbuffer_add_printf( data->out, "  " );
+    evbuffer_add_printf( data->out, "[" );
+    if( nChildren )
+        jsonIndent( data );
 }
 static void
 jsonContainerEndFunc( const tr_benc * val, void * vdata )
 {
+    size_t i;
     struct jsonWalk * data = vdata;
-    EVBUFFER_LENGTH( data->out ) -= 2;
-    if( tr_bencIsDict( val ) )
-        evbuffer_add_printf( data->out, " }" );
-    else /* list */
-        evbuffer_add_printf( data->out, " ]" );
+    char * str;
+    int emptyContainer = FALSE;
+
+    /* trim out the trailing comma, if any */
+    str = (char*) EVBUFFER_DATA( data->out );
+    for( i=EVBUFFER_LENGTH( data->out )-1; i>0; --i ) {
+        if( isspace( str[i] ) ) continue;
+        if( str[i]==',' )
+            EVBUFFER_LENGTH( data->out ) = i;
+        if( str[i]=='{' || str[i]=='[' )
+            emptyContainer = TRUE;
+        break;
+    }
+
     jsonPopParent( data );
+    if( !emptyContainer )
+        jsonIndent( data );
+    if( tr_bencIsDict( val ) )
+        evbuffer_add_printf( data->out, "}" );
+    else /* list */
+        evbuffer_add_printf( data->out, "]" );
     jsonChildFunc( data );
 }
 char*
@@ -1153,6 +1180,8 @@ tr_bencSaveAsJSON( const tr_benc * top, int * len )
 
     bencWalk( top, &walkFuncs, &data );
     
+    if( EVBUFFER_LENGTH( data.out ) )
+        evbuffer_add_printf( data.out, "\n" );
     if( len != NULL )
         *len = EVBUFFER_LENGTH( data.out );
     ret = tr_strndup( (char*) EVBUFFER_DATA( data.out ), EVBUFFER_LENGTH( data.out ) );