diff --git a/src/api/yajl_gen.h b/src/api/yajl_gen.h
index a7e0ec4e..9d27c1c0 100644
--- a/src/api/yajl_gen.h
+++ b/src/api/yajl_gen.h
@@ -139,6 +139,7 @@ extern "C" {
     YAJL_API yajl_gen_status yajl_gen_array_open(yajl_gen hand);
     YAJL_API yajl_gen_status yajl_gen_array_close(yajl_gen hand);
     YAJL_API yajl_gen_status yajl_gen_val(yajl_gen hand, yajl_val v);
+    YAJL_API yajl_gen_status yajl_gen_raw(yajl_gen hand, char *, size_t);
 
     /** access the null terminated generator buffer.  If incrementally
      *  outputing JSON, one should call yajl_gen_clear to clear the
diff --git a/src/yajl_gen.c b/src/yajl_gen.c
index a145ce02..7024707e 100644
--- a/src/yajl_gen.c
+++ b/src/yajl_gen.c
@@ -369,7 +369,7 @@ yajl_gen_val(yajl_gen g, yajl_val v)
     else if (YAJL_IS_NUMBER(v))
       return yajl_gen_number(g, v->u.number.r, strlen(v->u.number.r));
     else if (YAJL_IS_STRING(v))
-      return yajl_gen_string(g, v->u.string, strlen(v->u.string));
+      return yajl_gen_string(g, (const unsigned char*)v->u.string, strlen(v->u.string));
     else if (YAJL_IS_ARRAY(v)) {
         status = yajl_gen_array_open(g);
         if (status != yajl_gen_status_ok) return status;
@@ -385,7 +385,7 @@ yajl_gen_val(yajl_gen g, yajl_val v)
         if (status != yajl_gen_status_ok) return status;
         for (i = 0; i < YAJL_GET_OBJECT(v)->len; i++) {
             key    = YAJL_GET_OBJECT(v)->keys[i];
-            status = yajl_gen_string(g, key, strlen(key));
+            status = yajl_gen_string(g, (const unsigned char*)key, strlen(key));
             if (status != yajl_gen_status_ok) return status;
             status = yajl_gen_val(g, YAJL_GET_OBJECT(v)->values[i]);
             if (status != yajl_gen_status_ok) return status;
@@ -393,4 +393,17 @@ yajl_gen_val(yajl_gen g, yajl_val v)
         status = yajl_gen_map_close(g);
         if (status != yajl_gen_status_ok) return status;
     }
+
+    /* if control reaches here then something must have gone terribly wrong */
+    return yajl_gen_in_error_state;
+}
+
+yajl_gen_status
+yajl_gen_raw(yajl_gen g, char *json, size_t size)
+{
+    ENSURE_VALID_STATE; ENSURE_NOT_KEY; INSERT_SEP; INSERT_WHITESPACE;
+    g->print(g->ctx, json, size);
+    APPENDED_ATOM;
+    FINAL_NEWLINE;
+    return yajl_gen_status_ok;
 }