diff --git a/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/actor/actor/IOActor.scala b/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/actor/actor/IOActor.scala
index 2b20232c1b..da4f7c3421 100644
--- a/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/actor/actor/IOActor.scala
+++ b/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/actor/actor/IOActor.scala
@@ -13,25 +13,18 @@ import akka.dispatch.Promise
 
 object IOActorSpec {
 
-  class SimpleEchoServer(host: String, port: Int, ioManager: ActorRef) extends Actor with IO {
+  class SimpleEchoServer(host: String, port: Int, ioManager: ActorRef) extends IOActor {
 
-    var server: Option[IO.Handle] = None
-    var clients: Set[IO.Handle] = Set.empty
+    sequentialIO = false
+    idleWakeup = true
 
     override def preStart = {
-      server = Some(listen(ioManager, host, port))
+      listen(ioManager, host, port)
     }
 
-    def receive = {
-      case IO.NewConnection(handle) ⇒
-        println("S: Client connected")
-        clients += accept(handle, self)
-      case IO.Read(handle, bytes) ⇒
-        println("S: Echoing data")
-        write(handle, bytes)
-      case IO.Closed(handle) ⇒
-        println("S: Connection closed")
-        clients -= handle
+    def receiveIO = {
+      case IO.NewConnection(handle) ⇒ accept(handle)
+      case IO.WakeUp(handle)        ⇒ write(handle, read(handle))
     }
 
   }
@@ -48,19 +41,79 @@ object IOActorSpec {
 
     def receiveIO = {
       case bytes: ByteString ⇒
-        println("C: Sending Request")
         write(handle, bytes)
         self reply read(handle, bytes.length)
-        println("C: Got Response")
     }
   }
+
+  // Basic Redis-style protocol
+  class KVStore(host: String, port: Int, ioManager: ActorRef) extends IOActor {
+
+    sequentialIO = false
+    idleWakeup = true
+
+    var kvs: Map[String, ByteString] = Map.empty
+
+    override def preStart = {
+      listen(ioManager, host, port)
+    }
+
+    def receiveIO = {
+      case IO.NewConnection(handle) ⇒
+        accept(handle)
+      case IO.WakeUp(handle) ⇒
+        val cmd = read(handle, ByteString(" ")).utf8String.trim
+        cmd match {
+          case "SET" ⇒
+            val key = read(handle, ByteString(" ")).utf8String.trim
+            val len = read(handle, ByteString("\r\n")).utf8String.trim
+            val value = read(handle, len.toInt)
+            kvs += (key -> value)
+            write(handle, ByteString("+OK\r\n"))
+          case "GET" ⇒
+            val key = read(handle, ByteString("\r\n")).utf8String.trim
+            write(handle, kvs.get(key).map(v ⇒ ByteString("$" + v.length + "\r\n") ++ v).getOrElse(ByteString("$-1\r\n")))
+        }
+    }
+
+  }
+
+  class KVClient(host: String, port: Int, ioManager: ActorRef) extends IOActor {
+
+    // FIXME: should prioritize reads from first message
+    // sequentialIO = false
+
+    var handle: IO.Handle = _
+
+    override def preStart: Unit = {
+      handle = connect(ioManager, host, port)
+    }
+
+    def receiveIO = {
+      case ('set, key: String, value: ByteString) ⇒
+        write(handle, ByteString("SET " + key + " " + value.length + "\r\n") ++ value)
+        val resultType = read(handle, 1).utf8String
+        if (resultType != "+") sys.error("Unexpected response")
+        val status = read(handle, ByteString("\r\n"))
+        self reply status.take(status.length - 2)
+
+      case ('get, key: String) ⇒
+        write(handle, ByteString("GET " + key + "\r\n"))
+        val resultType = read(handle, 1).utf8String
+        if (resultType != "$") sys.error("Unexpected response")
+        val len = read(handle, ByteString("\r\n")).utf8String.trim
+        val value = read(handle, len.toInt)
+        self reply value
+    }
+  }
+
 }
 
 class IOActorSpec extends WordSpec with MustMatchers with BeforeAndAfterEach {
   import IOActorSpec._
 
   "an IO Actor" must {
-    "run" in {
+    "run echo server" in {
       val ioManager = Actor.actorOf(new IOManager(2)).start // teeny tiny buffer
       val server = Actor.actorOf(new SimpleEchoServer("localhost", 8064, ioManager)).start
       val client = Actor.actorOf(new SimpleEchoClient("localhost", 8064, ioManager)).start
@@ -74,6 +127,26 @@ class IOActorSpec extends WordSpec with MustMatchers with BeforeAndAfterEach {
       server.stop
       ioManager.stop
     }
+
+    "run key-value store" in {
+      val ioManager = Actor.actorOf(new IOManager(2)).start // teeny tiny buffer
+      val server = Actor.actorOf(new KVStore("localhost", 8064, ioManager)).start
+      val client = Actor.actorOf(new KVClient("localhost", 8064, ioManager)).start
+      val promise1 = client !!! (('set, "hello", ByteString("World")))
+      val promise2 = client !!! (('set, "test", ByteString("No one will read me")))
+      val promise3 = client !!! (('get, "hello"))
+      val promise4 = client !!! (('set, "test", ByteString("I'm a test!")))
+      val promise5 = client !!! (('get, "test"))
+      (promise1.get: ByteString) must equal(ByteString("OK"))
+      (promise2.get: ByteString) must equal(ByteString("OK"))
+      (promise3.get: ByteString) must equal(ByteString("World"))
+      (promise4.get: ByteString) must equal(ByteString("OK"))
+      (promise5.get: ByteString) must equal(ByteString("I'm a test!"))
+      client.stop
+      server.stop
+      ioManager.stop
+    }
+
   }
 
 }
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/IO.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/IO.scala
index d6220f5d85..a27fc365f2 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/IO.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/IO.scala
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ object IO {
   case class Closed(handle: Handle) extends IOMessage
   case class Read(handle: Handle, bytes: ByteString) extends IOMessage
   case class Write(handle: Handle, bytes: ByteString) extends IOMessage
+  case class WakeUp(handle: Handle) extends IOMessage
 
 }
 
@@ -76,6 +77,8 @@ trait IO {
     handle
   }
 
+  def accept(source: IO.Handle): Unit = accept(source, self)
+
   def write(handle: IO.Handle, bytes: ByteString): Unit =
     handle.ioManager ! IO.Write(handle, bytes)
 
@@ -100,6 +103,8 @@ trait IOActor extends Actor with IO {
 
   protected var sequentialIO = true
 
+  protected var idleWakeup = false
+
   private val _messages: mutable.Queue[MessageInvocation] = mutable.Queue.empty
 
   private var _state: Map[IO.Handle, HandleState] = Map.empty
@@ -136,7 +141,8 @@ trait IOActor extends Actor with IO {
     case IO.Read(handle, newBytes) ⇒
       val st = state(handle)
       st.readBytes :+= newBytes
-      run(handle)
+      if (st.messages.isEmpty && idleWakeup) reset { _receiveIO(IO.WakeUp(handle)) }
+      else run(handle)
     case IO.Connected(handle) ⇒
       state(handle).connected = true
     case IO.Closed(handle) ⇒
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/util/ByteString.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/util/ByteString.scala
index 5729892fa5..e20191b7c5 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/util/ByteString.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/util/ByteString.scala
@@ -93,6 +93,8 @@ final class ByteString private (bytes: Array[Byte], startIndex: Int, endIndex: I
 
   def toByteBuffer: ByteBuffer = ByteBuffer.wrap(toArray)
 
+  def utf8String: String = new String(bytes, "UTF-8")
+
   def mapI(f: Byte ⇒ Int): ByteString = map(f andThen (_.toByte))
 
   override def slice(from: Int, until: Int): ByteString = {