diff --git a/src/io/uws.js b/src/io/uws.js
index b4c85eee..4b4c6f98 100644
--- a/src/io/uws.js
+++ b/src/io/uws.js
@@ -92,15 +92,13 @@ export function init() {
     const server = new uws.Server({ port: 3000 });
 
     server.on('connection', socket => {
-        const wrap = new UWSWrapper(
-            socket,
-            {
-                aliases: [],
-                ipSessionFirstSeen: new Date(),
-                torConnection: false,
-                ipAddress: null
-            }
-        );
+        const context = {
+            aliases: [],
+            ipSessionFirstSeen: new Date(),
+            torConnection: false,
+            ipAddress: null
+        };
+        const wrap = new UWSWrapper(socket, context);
         new User(wrap, '127.0.0.1', null);
     });
 }
diff --git a/templates/channel.pug b/templates/channel.pug
index 89e38daf..083e3c0d 100644
--- a/templates/channel.pug
+++ b/templates/channel.pug
@@ -247,6 +247,7 @@ html(lang="en")
     script(src="/js/player.js")
     script(src="/js/paginator.js")
     script(src="/js/ui.js")
+    script(src="/js/ws.js")
     script(src="/js/callbacks.js")
     script(defer, src="https://www.youtube.com/iframe_api")
     script(defer, src="https://api.dmcdn.net/all.js")
diff --git a/www/js/callbacks.js b/www/js/callbacks.js
index 1d7b3b10..d9c60199 100644
--- a/www/js/callbacks.js
+++ b/www/js/callbacks.js
@@ -1295,10 +1295,16 @@ function checkLetsEncrypt(socketConfig, nonLetsEncryptError) {
     });
 }
 
+function initWS() {
+    window.socket = new WSShim(new WebSocket('ws://localhost:3000/'));
+    setupCallbacks();
+}
+
 (function () {
     $.getJSON("/socketconfig/" + CHANNEL.name + ".json")
         .done(function (socketConfig) {
-            initSocketIO(socketConfig);
+            //initSocketIO(socketConfig);
+            initWS();
         }).fail(function () {
             makeAlert("Error", "Failed to retrieve socket.io configuration.  " +
                                "Please try again in a few minutes.",
diff --git a/www/js/ws.js b/www/js/ws.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..807fee4d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/www/js/ws.js
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+(function () {
+    function WSShim(ws) {
+        this._ws = ws;
+        this._listeners = Object.create(null);
+
+        this._ws.onopen = this._onopen.bind(this);
+        this._ws.onclose = this._onclose.bind(this);
+        this._ws.onmessage = this._onmessage.bind(this);
+        this._ws.onerror = this._onerror.bind(this);
+    }
+
+    WSShim.prototype.listeners = function listeners(frame) {
+        if (!Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(this._listeners, frame)) {
+            this._listeners[frame] = [];
+        }
+
+        return this._listeners[frame];
+    };
+
+    WSShim.prototype.on = function on(frame, callback) {
+        this.listeners(frame).push(callback);
+    };
+
+    WSShim.prototype.emit = function emit(/* args */) {
+        var args = Array.prototype.slice.call(arguments).filter(function (it) {
+            // TODO: handle ack
+            return typeof it !== 'function';
+        });
+
+        this._ws.send(JSON.stringify(args));
+    };
+
+    WSShim.prototype._emit = function _emit(frame /*, args */) {
+        var args = Array.prototype.slice.call(arguments, 1);
+
+        this.listeners(frame).forEach(function (cb) {
+            cb.apply(null, args);
+        });
+    };
+
+    WSShim.prototype._onopen = function _onopen() {
+        this._emit('connect');
+    };
+
+    WSShim.prototype._onclose = function _onclose() {
+        // TODO: reconnect logic
+        this._emit('disconnect');
+    };
+
+    WSShim.prototype._onmessage = function _onmessage(message) {
+        var args;
+
+        try {
+            args = JSON.parse(message.data);
+        } catch (error) {
+            console.error('Unparseable message from server: ' + message);
+            console.error(error.stack);
+            return;
+        }
+
+        this._emit.apply(this, args);
+    };
+
+    WSShim.prototype._onerror = function _onerror() {
+        console.error('Dunno how to handle onerror');
+    };
+
+    window.WSShim = WSShim;
+})();