diff --git a/awscli/customizations/paginate.py b/awscli/customizations/paginate.py
index 51620eed8876..ac94bb46d63d 100644
--- a/awscli/customizations/paginate.py
+++ b/awscli/customizations/paginate.py
@@ -66,8 +66,22 @@ def unify_paging_params(argument_table, operation, event_name, **kwargs):
                                                     STARTING_TOKEN_HELP,
                                                     operation,
                                                     parse_type='string')
+    # Try to get the pagination parameter type
+    limit_param = None
+    if 'limit_key' in operation.pagination:
+        for param in operation.params:
+            if param.name == operation.pagination['limit_key']:
+                limit_param = param
+                break
+
+    type_ = limit_param and limit_param.type or 'integer'
+    if limit_param and limit_param.type not in PageArgument.type_map:
+        raise TypeError(('Unsupported pagination type {0} for operation {1}'
+                         ' and parameter {2}').format(type_, operation.name,
+                                                      limit_param.name))
+
     argument_table['max-items'] = PageArgument('max-items', MAX_ITEMS_HELP,
-                                               operation, parse_type='integer')
+                                               operation, parse_type=type_)
 
 
 def check_should_enable_pagination(input_tokens, parsed_args, parsed_globals, **kwargs):
diff --git a/tests/unit/customizations/test_paginate.py b/tests/unit/customizations/test_paginate.py
index 298a99608730..05ef10053fd2 100644
--- a/tests/unit/customizations/test_paginate.py
+++ b/tests/unit/customizations/test_paginate.py
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
 from awscli.customizations import paginate
 
 
-class TestArgumentTableModifications(unittest.TestCase):
+class TestPaginateBase(unittest.TestCase):
 
     def setUp(self):
         self.operation = mock.Mock()
@@ -25,8 +25,10 @@ def setUp(self):
         self.foo_param = mock.Mock()
         self.foo_param.cli_name = 'foo'
         self.foo_param.name = 'Foo'
+        self.foo_param.type = 'string'
         self.bar_param = mock.Mock()
         self.bar_param.cli_name = 'bar'
+        self.bar_param.type = 'string'
         self.bar_param.name = 'Bar'
         self.params = [self.foo_param, self.bar_param]
         self.operation.pagination = {
@@ -35,6 +37,9 @@ def setUp(self):
         }
         self.operation.params = self.params
 
+
+class TestArgumentTableModifications(TestPaginateBase):
+
     def test_customize_arg_table(self):
         argument_table = {
             'foo': mock.Mock(),
@@ -66,3 +71,53 @@ def test_operation_with_no_paginate(self):
         paginate.unify_paging_params(argument_table, self.operation,
                                      'building-argument-table.foo.bar')
         self.assertEqual(starting_table, argument_table)
+
+
+class TestStringLimitKey(TestPaginateBase):
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        super(TestStringLimitKey, self).setUp()
+        self.bar_param.type = 'string'
+
+    def test_integer_limit_key(self):
+        argument_table = {
+            'foo': mock.Mock(),
+            'bar': mock.Mock(),
+        }
+        paginate.unify_paging_params(argument_table, self.operation,
+                                     'building-argument-table.foo.bar')
+        # Max items should be the same type as bar, which may not be an int
+        self.assertEqual('string', argument_table['max-items'].cli_type_name)
+
+
+class TestIntegerLimitKey(TestPaginateBase):
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        super(TestIntegerLimitKey, self).setUp()
+        self.bar_param.type = 'integer'
+
+    def test_integer_limit_key(self):
+        argument_table = {
+            'foo': mock.Mock(),
+            'bar': mock.Mock(),
+        }
+        paginate.unify_paging_params(argument_table, self.operation,
+                                     'building-argument-table.foo.bar')
+        # Max items should be the same type as bar, which may not be an int
+        self.assertEqual('integer', argument_table['max-items'].cli_type_name)
+
+
+class TestBadLimitKey(TestPaginateBase):
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        super(TestBadLimitKey, self).setUp()
+        self.bar_param.type = 'bad'
+
+    def test_integer_limit_key(self):
+        argument_table = {
+            'foo': mock.Mock(),
+            'bar': mock.Mock(),
+        }
+        with self.assertRaises(TypeError):
+            paginate.unify_paging_params(argument_table, self.operation,
+                                         'building-argument-table.foo.bar')
diff --git a/tests/unit/route53/test_resource_id.py b/tests/unit/route53/test_resource_id.py
index 6f8a2f20fa55..9c58c670c072 100644
--- a/tests/unit/route53/test_resource_id.py
+++ b/tests/unit/route53/test_resource_id.py
@@ -102,4 +102,20 @@ def test_short_resource_id(self):
         self.assert_params_for_cmd(cmdline, result, expected_rc=0,
                                    ignore_params=['payload'])[0]
 
-        
+
+class TestMaxItems(BaseAWSCommandParamsTest):
+
+    prefix = 'route53 list-resource-record-sets'
+
+    def test_full_resource_id(self):
+        args = ' --hosted-zone-id /hostedzone/ABCD --max-items 1'
+        cmdline = self.prefix + args
+        result = {
+            'uri_params': {
+                'HostedZoneId': 'ABCD',
+                'MaxItems': '1'
+            },
+            'headers': {}
+        }
+        self.assert_params_for_cmd(cmdline, result, expected_rc=0,
+                                   ignore_params=['payload'])[0]